There's absolutely nothing cooler than having a DVD recorder with a built-in hard drive. Robert has a review of the Pioneer DVR-533H-S DVD Recorder over at HomeTheater.About.com that states:

With its stylish profile, excellent complement of features - including the incorporation of an 80GB hard drive and DVD-R DL recording capability, very good video/audio quality in both recording and playback operation, and plentiful connectivity options, the 533 is great example of how good a DVD recorder can be in terms of consistent performance and practical features.

However, added HDMI/DVI connectivity, SACD/DVD-Audio playback, as well as a little more refinement in the owner's manual, user interface, and less cluttered remote would be desirable.

The Pioneer DVR-533H DVD recorder/Hard Drive combination is definitely worthy of consideration. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Read The Pioneer DVR-533H-S DVD Recorder/Hard Drive Combo Review at About.com