'An AV centre in disguise', reads the blurb that accompanies Philips' latest recorder, and it's a fitting description.

Not only can the Philips DVDR5570H record television programmes on its hard disk, but it also bridges the gap between your PC and TV by storing music, photo and video files, while also playing a wide variety of disc formats.

But perhaps the most exciting feature is Commercial Block - Philips' attempt to rid you of the evils of TV adverts. It automatically puts chapter markers at the beginning and end of the adverts, allowing you to jump straight past them simply by pressing the chapter skip key. And the good news is that it works extremely well, too.

Record Freeview

The deck is fitted with a 250GB hard disk, which holds up to 300hr of MPEG2 recordings using the lowest quality Super Extended Play (SEP) setting, dropping to a maximum of 40hr in the highest High Quality (HQ) mode. In between these are five more presets that enable you to trade off picture quality for recording time.

The deck also supports multi-format DVD recording, but not directly to disc. You have to record TV programmes onto the hard disk first, then transfer them using the player's copy function, which operates at up to 64x speed.

After berating Philips for not putting a Freeview tuner inside the DVDR3577H, it's good to see this model has one fitted, as well as its160GB sibling, the DVDR5520H.

That means you can record digital TV shows directly onto the hard disk, as well as browsing the seven-day Guide Plus EPG and set timer recordings at the touch of a button.

Editing options

Unlike the latest recorders from rival makes, this deck isn't Freeview Playback compatible, so there's no series or split recording. The tuner is a hybrid analogue and digital one, so users in a non-digital area will still be able to receive TV channels.

Moving on to the machine's more advanced functions, the jewel in its crown is Time Shift Buffer, a clever means of pausing and rewinding live TV, or recording programmes retrospectively. It continually stores whatever you're watching for up to six hours in a buffer memory, and a clever onscreen timeline makes it easy to navigate.

As for editing, you can also create chapters manually and 'hide' the bits you don't want (as well as divide recordings in two), but sadly that's as complex as it gets.

It lacks the non-linear playlist editing found on rival recorders, which makes it feel quite restricted, while the use of colour-coded keys to edit recordings seems cumbersome.

Straightforward operation

The DVDR5570H lacks the intuitiveness of a Panasonic, which means you'll become best friends with the manual. But once you've familiarised yourself with its workings you realise it's much easier to use than previous Philips models.

The main reason for this is the rejigged design of the remote to now include a control wheel, making it a breeze to scroll through the Time Shift Buffer or the setup menu. But the lack of a dedicated recording mode button means you have to delve deep into the setup menu, a process that wipes the Time Shift Buffer.

Elsewhere the menu design is clear and comparatively flashy, with submenus that scroll into each other as they do on Philips TVs, but they are slightly hesitant at times. Also annoying is the choice of the impenetrable Guide Plus EPG in place of a specially designed Freeview guide.