Photograph: Rick Rizner

The Pioneer DVR-633H-S takes capacity seriously: Equipped with support for dual-layer DVD-R and a 160GB hard drive, it can record up to 17 hours of video to a dual-layer disc and up to 340 hours to its hard drive. Realistically, though, dual-layer support comes in most handy for recording 2 hours of video to DVD at the highest possible image quality.

The DVR-633H-S transfers video from hard drive to DVD quickly: It moved a 1-hour program in less than 6 minutes. It's easy to use, too: Just hit the One Touch Copy button on the remote while watching a program, and the recorder starts copying the video to disc--great for impulse recordings.

Editing video stored on either the hard drive or a DVD-RW disc is simple as well. The DVR-633H-S lets you delete sections of video (such as ads) by selecting start and finish points in the video. Major bonus: You can skip commercials by using the CM Skip button on the remote, which skips forward 30 seconds.

We were somewhat disappointed by the video this model recorded. Though the cartoons in our tests looked fine, recorded television programming showed poor contrast and some noise in the shadows. Blacks looked distinctly grayish, and colors lacked punch. Skin tones had a slightly greenish tinge.

The recorder includes the fairly easy-to-use TV Guide On Screen program guide. Neither a phone line nor an Internet connection are required: The guide is transmitted alongside the TV signal, and it holds up to eight days' worth of programs. You can schedule a recording by selecting a program from the grid and then choosing whether it's a single recording or recurring recording. Nearly a third of the screen is taken up by ads, so the programming grid is squeezed into a tight space that can display only a couple of hours of programs and a handful of channels at a time.

Conveniently, the DVR-633H-S comes with an IR emitter that controls most cable boxes (so you can change channels using Pioneer's remote). The unit also supports Windows Media audio and video formats stored on disc.

Upshot: Support for dual-layer DVDs, speedy copying of videos, and reasonable pricing make this model a good choice for use with a standard TV. HDTV users may notice image-quality problems, though.

Melissa Perenson