have one and it has performed well for me BUT the software is not bomb-proof and can give problems. However, it is one of the few that currently have twin tuners so you can watch one channel and record another. Recording quality is excellent - indistinguishable from broadcast quality. Again note that archiving is real time only to VCR. The hard drive is also notebook size 2.5in as opposed to the far more common 3.5in.
The drive it is supplied with is 20GB which gives qo hours recording time. The drive can be changed to a larger one but an 80GB 2.5 in costs nigh on £100 (as opposed to £30 for the 3.5)
Other models (Humax, Fusion) have standard 3.5 in drives and these can be upgraded but there is IIRC no twin tuner model yet.
Thre was only a 24 hour programme guide but IIRC parts of the country no get up to 7 days EPG.
I would wait at least six months until newer models hit the market or the dual mode - HDD/DVD writers come down in price, then you can record to HDD, edit and burn to DVD.
Regards