For its price the HP Pavilion m8075a is a neat little unit with some good basic features for the budding media happy user. It's clearly not a high end machine for power users, but for those looking to get a little extra media functionality out of their next PC purchase the HP Pavilion Media Center m8075a PC is a reasonable selection.

As far as wired systems go, this is one of the best on the market.

The RDRHX910 combines a large array of features and options with a huge 250 gig hard drive. Unfortunately, an equally huge $1499 price tag and poor integration of many peripheral features detract from what could have been a standout recorder.

A wide range of supported formats, combined with stylish industrial design, makes the KiSS DP-558 a great hard disk recorder for the power user who doesn't mind recording in MPEG-2 and archiving footage regularly.

The Kenwood SAT7100 home theatre kit offers fantastic, expansive sound and a wide range of input connectors to suit just about every common AV component. Just ensure you have room to fit the AV unit and speakers.

This recorder is a beast. High-budget users will find the RH7926W to be an outstanding unit, delivering top-end performance with a sleek and user-friendly design.

An excellent home cinema system that performs well in every aspect

The ideal AV receiver for a home theatre enthusiast

A huge home theatre system with over the top styling and a wide range of functions let down by a poor range of connections.

If you want an incredibly small media centre PC for basic media functionality then the DreamVision Mini is a great choice. It isn't a powerhouse by any means, but it's diminutive design certainly makes up for this in some regards.

The Sony SVR-HD900 is an easy to use and feature filled hard disk recorder with 250GB of space for both standard definition and high definition TV.

LG's LST-5403P is a top of the range hard disk recorder with plenty of storage space and an interface grandma could use. A great, albeit pricey, contender.