Sagemcom DTR67320T Digital TV Recorder with Freeview+

I originally bought an LG machine from Argos that drove me to distraction, I hunted around the internet for a replacement and came across some very good reviews for this machine. My problem was that I had never heard of Sagem and was a bit wary, however the Amazon returns policy convinced me to try it so my order went in.

It is a superb machine. Setup was easy and straightforward and the on-screen instructions are easy to follow. It records 2 programs at once, lets you delete and set up when it is already recording and lets you organise recorded programs into separate folders. For some reason it did not find ITV3 but that is not a problem for me.

This PVR packs a pretty massive capacity - my previous recorder was 120GB which seemed impressive at the time - but 320GB is amongst the biggest hard disk I've seen in a recorder.

Set up is very easy and doesn't take too long, it's basically case of connecting up and then letting it scan for channels. It's important to note that this device is very quiet - there's no annoying hum or hiss of the hard disk that I've experienced in some. It does look like an electric alarm clock though, but that large red LCD display is clear without being too dominating.

The basic features you expect from a PVR work well with this model. The dual tuners can record a program whilst you watch another, or you can even record two things at the same time. The TV guide function shows the channel that you are already watching as you look at what's on the other channels. It is sometimes a bit slow to respond and there is the occasional bit of lag between pressing the remote control and the box reacting. But it does the job well!

If you're using the HDMI port rather than SCART then you'll notice the upscaling, it did a great job with this and it looked every bit as good as the Panasonic recorder I usually use. The 'series record' function is easy to set up but I can't tell you how effective it is as I've only had this unit for 1 day so far - I'll update the review if it fails to record an episode of Doctor Who! The unit also automatically records the channel you're watching temporarily, this means that if you are disturbed by the telephone (for example) you can then rewind and continue where you left off. Or of you decide 10 minutes in that the program you are watching could be enjoyed by another member of the family you can click record and it will record it from the beginning.

This Sagem device also has some more advanced features too...

Using the USB port at the front, you can connect a flash drive containing MP3 files and listen to them through your TV, you can use this method to view photos too. I tried this without success at first because the unit didn't like my folder structure! But after re-jigging things I was able to watch my photos on the TV and listen to a few audio tracks. It's not something I'll use a great deal but it is a nice feature which will come in handy at times.

The most impressive feature of this device is the ability to export recorded items to another device (such as a USB flash drive) to watch on your PC or convert to watch on another media device (such as an iPod). It's not something I've used yet but I really like the idea of being able to do so - and being the geek that I am, I'll enjoy playing with that feature!

This Sagem PVR only has one HDMI port, which won't be a problem for most people, but you tend to find that modern digital recorders have at least 2 HDMI out ports. Instead this relies more on SCART for which there are two sockets.

In a nutshell: I'm surprised at how good this is. This does the job well and will suit most family needs. The more advanced features might not be the sort of things that you'll use every day - but they are still nice to have. I going to give this 4 stars because it is ready for something of an upgrade now with the advent of FreeView HD - many people in the market for a new Freeview box/ HDD recorder want something a bit better than HDMI upscaling now, they want proper HD. FreeView HD has only just started broadcasting and I look forward to seeing the new line up of boxes from Sagem - a brand I would not have considered before, but will definitely look for in the future.

It's now May 2012, have had this product for almost 2 years and its still going strong with no glitches or problems. Very easy to set up and use. I'm in my 60's and had no problems with setup or recording. Press the "guide" button on the remote then just find the programme you want to watch and press the "record" button on the remote and that's it. To view what you recorded just press the "list" button on the remote, select the programme you recorded and press the "ok" button. Even my 70 year old friend who is very intelligent, but a self confessed total technophobe, learned how to record and view within minutes. I have it linked up to an older TV which has a scart connection and the picture quality is excellent. The "everyday use" section of the user manual is easy to follow, and the other more advanced functions are not really difficult either. For the money this is a really good PVR if you are not ready yet for HD TV. Some reviewers have mentioned the time delay between pressing standby and selecting a freeview channel. Yes there is a slight delay ... I timed it and it is only 30 secs, so what's the rush?