For the latter, a 'flexible-recording' mode can automatically determine the bitrates needed to accommodate your chosen selection within the available DVD space. Playlist editing/copying is also possible.

Turn your DVD player into a jukebox

But there's more to the HDD than mere video recording. You can copy audio CDs losslessly to it, effectively turning the EX78 into a jukebox.

Thanks to an onboard Gracenote database, many CDs are recognised and their tracks automatically-named. This database can be updated via USB.

Talking of which, the EX78 will also play photos (with slideshow), MP3 tracks and DivX video stored on such devices (or disc media, come to think of it). Photos and MP3s, but not DivX, can be copied to the HDD.

It's a pity that recordings can't be converted into DivX; that way, they would occupy less space.

Dodgy Freeview images

The EX78's digital tuner has adaptive noise reduction to 'clean up' the frequently-lacklustre pictures from Freeview channels. Such a feature is likely to come into its own if broadcasters pare down low bitrates still further.

I can confirm that video noise is indeed reduced, but at a price. Using RGB Scart as an interconnection, I noted a slight degree of picture 'softening' when comparing the EX78 with a good-quality Freeview box tuned to the same channel - note that you can't turn off the machine's noise reduction.

But don't get me wrong. Those pictures are still demonstrably superior to those of most cheap Freeview equipment. Contrast range is good, while colours are solid and well-defined.

The HDMI port will upscale to 1080p but, as usual, you can hardly call upscaled Freeview high-definition. Perhaps of more benefit is its provision for 480i/576i output - good news if you're using a external scaler, or your TV happens to include a high-quality internal one.

Impressive recording quality

As a recorder, the EX78 puts in a spectacularly good performance from an external Sky box and the internal Freeview tuner alike.

Theoretically, artifacts are less likely because opportunities for tuner noise to 'throw' the machine's encoder are fewer. My own experiences seem to bear this out. The top SP/XP modes show very little deterioration relative to the original source; things only take a downturn when LP is selected.

While the source's detail is preserved - especially during more static scenes - movement is spoilt by obvious blocking.

The most economic mode looks rather ropey, especially on a big screen, and should be reserved for non-critical (or desperate) use only, or ignored altogether.

Confounding expectations

Another plus point is the machine's DVD playback, which I consider to be generally good. The EX78 offers a well-balanced picture that is bettered only by dedicated midrange players.

Which brings me to an interesting observation that confounded expectations. With a 32in Sony HD Ready LCD TV, I registered slightly more picture detail when the EX78 was upscaling DVDs, Freeview or external Scart-fed sources - a Hitachi 720p projector yielded similar results.

In other words, experiment with the HDMI settings - you might be pleasantly surprised. Playback of well-encoded DivX material was also judged to be of a high standard, although multi-megapixel JPEGs are disappointingly replayed in standard-definition resolution even if hi-def HDMI is used.

Audio is strong, and with high-quality audio equipment there was no discernable difference between playback of a CD and its HDD 'clone'.

Minor complaints

In addition to the lack of an analogue tuner, there are a few further minor 'niggles'.

Auto-chaptering is available when recording directly to DVDs, but not the hard disk.

More annoyingly, you can't use your own images when creating DVD menus - instead, it's the same boring choice of 'presets' that have graced Panasonic recorders for five years.

Plenty to like from Panasonic

Even taking these negative points into consideration, the EX78 has to be one of the better mid-range DVD/HDD recorders of the current crop.

The step up model, the EX88, ups the HDD ante to 400GB and chucks in a Memory Card slot, too, but will cost you around £80 more.

Serious couch potatoes should opt for that machine, but the rest of us will find a lot to like here.