There's no ad-skipping, but we've had a play and we're still impressed. Slick recording options make the TiVo HD outclass a great option for keeping up with favourite TV shows and movies.

Our first impressions of FoxTel's new HD box are positive - four TV tuners means more HD than you can handle, though it does miss some of the tricks of the TiVO.

Now that Blu-ray has won the format war and recorders are hitting the shelves, Panasonic's DMR-BW500 HDD/Blu-ray recorder with twin HD TV tuners is looking mighty nice indeed. For high-def buffs this is one with the lot.

If you don't care about recording to disc, you'd be better off with a TiVo. If you're looking for an all-rounder to tide you over until Blu-ray prices fall, Panasonic's DMR-XW300 has a lot to offer.

The NEC Versa M540 is a mixed bag, with middle of the road benchmarks and a high gloss display well suited to watching movies, but not the best for gaming. 

You really have to look to the 17-inch giants like the HP Pavilion zd8001AP to find machines that were designed as multimedia beasts from the ground up.