Footage recorded onto both the HDD and DVD is of good quality: there's little difference between the live version and the copy, even in the standard recording mode. There is a marked difference in picture quality when using the LP mode, however. Images become much softer and lack detail, but that's only to be expected in this basic mode from any recorder.

The upscaling on pre-recorded DVDs is impressive, offering crisp images and a level of detail far greater than you'd expect from a combi deck.

While black reproduction is good, avoiding the washed-out grey effect produced by some decks, some
detail is lost in the murkier corners of the picture. There is still some motion judder, but with such scarily realistic images, it's churlish to complain too loudly.

Cinematic audio

The Samsung DVD-SH875M's audio performance with TV broadcasts is solid, sounding surprisingly good, even when just played through the TV's speakers.

You can also make use of the optical or electrical digital audio outputs, or the analogue stereo output if you want to rig the deck up to a separate sound or home cinema system.

The flexible deck also puts in a good performance with conventional audio CDs and DVDs. Movie soundtracks sound suitably cinematic when the recorder is paired with a reasonable surround sound system.

Plenty for your money

When you consider the decks that this Samsung is competing against, the Samsung DVD-SH875M actually offers an impressive spec for a lot less cash.

Not only does it boast a Freeview+ badge, but it also features a slick design and superb upscaling capability. What's more, it's a great all-rounder in terms of the many recording formats that it supports.

It's really only the awkward remote control and the slightly clunky Freeview operation that lets this great deck down.