Forum address needed

patcat

I am still debating on which DVD recorder to buy but have some questions I would like to ask. I have tried the AV Forum but find them a bit too specialised and technically minded for my beginners type questions. They dont seem to answer simple questions like mine. Can anyone point me to some other good forums for this type of question.

Reluctant_spender

You could ask the questions here, we may be able to help...

patcat

Ok, here goes then.
I am looking at the following DVD Recorders.

Panasonic EX77 or EX75

Sony HXD 870 or HXD860

Have read lots of reviews and things on the AV Forums about these 4 but havnt been able to understand what the diference between them all is..
I think the Ex77 is the newer model in the Panasonic and the HXD870 is the newer of the Sony. Price wise have found that the Sony 860 is probably the most expensive then the Panasonic 75 then the 77 and the Sony 870 is the cheapest.
As i've said previously, I dont want an all singing all dancing model and It needs to be easy to set up.
I have a new Panasonic 32" HD ready with Freeview TV.
I want a DVD Recorder with a 160gb HDdrive, with Freeview tuner, I want to be able to watch one channel and record another, play back some DVDs., maybe transfer some recorded programmes to disc. I dont want to do loads of technical things that they talk about in the forums and I dont understand at all.

Is the Panasonic 77 better than the 75 ?
From reading the forums it seems a lot of people prefer the Sony 860 to the 870, but I dont understand why.

Am I trying too hard to understand it all. Or is it just a case of do I prefer Panasonic to go with the TV or would Sony do equally as well.
Can someone please give me a push in the right direction. At the rate I am going I will never make the decision.!!!!

coolagarry

Patcat. This might make it clearer with the Panasonic's
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/dvdpvr/0,39030416,49290185,00.htm
The Panasonic and the Sony seem comparable. As you already have a Panasonic TV it makes sense to have a compatable dvd recorder (My Panasonic Freeview remote also controls my Panasonic TV). Mixed reviews for the Sony on Amazon Uk.