Essentially a Blu-ray player and recorder, with Twin HD Digital Tuners, Panasonic's DMR-BW500 can simultaneously record two HD programs while watching a Blu-ray Disc or DVD (1080p recording and playback).

A 500GB hard drive provides plenty of storage space to store all of your recorded material. The DMR-BW500 is actually a fully-fledged Personal Video Recorder (PVR). A 7-day programming guide is joined by all the usual PVR features.

The DMR-BW500 supports AVCHD and SD cards which makes it simpler to transfer the footage from a compatible video recorder. The remote control will also let you communicate with HDMI-enabled camcorders (only Panasonic at this stage) for playback control.

The hard drive can also be used to rip MP3s from CDs. Inputs include HDMI, component and two SCART connectors. Though this device will accept video-in, it's only in the form of S-Video or composite.

The DMR-BW500 has been available in Australia now for some months. No word yet on when it will arrive in the UK.