Philips DVDR5500 DVD Recorder

The DVDR550 might not be the last word in Freeview or DVD picture quality and editing features are limited, but the inclusion of a digital tuner and 1080i upscaling on such an affordably-priced recorder is a real bonus. Also pleasing is the user-friendly operating system and slim, sexy design, which makes this a good, if not essential purchase.

Pre-recorded DVDs look fine when upscaled to 1080i, as a run-through of Heat demonstrates. Michael Mann's heist thriller is faithfully reproduced, from the life-like skin-tones to the beautiful blue-tinged shots of the LA skyline. Upon close inspection there is some noise in the picture and a few untidy edges, but not enough to distract from the crisp detail reproduction and solid black level. It's backed up by a dynamic, glitch-free rendition of Heat's fiery 5.1 soundtrack and enjoyable CD playback. Files played back from a USB flash device are also strongly reproduced, whether it's MP3, WMA or JPEG - plus DivX files from disc look great.