Recording from digital TV can be a bit of a chore ­ you either have to be watching the same channel as you’re recording, or mess around with another set-top box just for your video recorder.

It’s hardly ideal, which is why a there’s a growing market for digital TV recorders, often known as Personal Video Recorders (PVRs), or Digital Video Recorders.

Rather than using a tape, these record from Freeview directly on to a hard disk, so you don’t have to worry about finding a tape. You can then see all the programmes you’ve recorded in a list on-screen, so there’s none of the agony of hunting through unlabelled VHS cassettes to find the show you want to watch.

Essentially, these are small, dedicated computers with a Freeview receiver built in ­ you can use them just like a standard set-top box to watch digital channels, and record as you’re watching, or pick a programme from the on screen Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) to record when you’re out.

Most of us are used to the great benefit that the humble video recorder brought ­ record one channel while you watch another, and one criticism of digital TV has been that you can’t do that.

Well, in fact you can ­ you just need an extra tuner. In the analogue world, you can watch while recording because there’s a tuner in your TV and one in the video recorder.

To do the same with Freeview, the simplest option is a twin tuner PVR with two TV tuners, commonly known as a Twin Tuner PVR. But, as we’ll see, not all twin tuner recorders are equal. Some restrict you to recording one show while you watch another ­ just as you’re used to with standard TV.

But when there are only four or five channels to choose from, that’s probably not a big deal. With 40, there’s a pretty good chance that there will be two programmes clashing when you’re out, and a PVR that can do ‘dual recording’ will be able to record them both simultaneously.

Some PVRs have other tricks too, like the ability to play back music files or show photos, so your digital media isn’t just something you look at or listen to on the computer any more. You may be able to edit recordings, so you could cut the half time commentary out of a football match, or the news from a long film, for example.

You’ll also find things like the ability to preview what’s on other channels in a small box in the corner of the screen called picture in picture, on some models, and differences in how the different screens look ­ unlike Sky Plus, say, with Freeview each manufacturer can choose to do things their own way, so you may prefer the style of the programme guide on one model, or the ability to accept a subscription card for Setanta sports of another.

There are also differences in the connections too; all PVRs have a Scart output, but only some can be linked to sets without Scart. Some have connections for your hifi, while others don’t. And some come with a remote that can control your TV, too.

The latest thing to look out for is Freeview Playback. Rather than specifying things like how many tuners a PVR has, this is a label that indicates some common software features, of which the most useful ­ when all the broadcasters support it properly ­ will be an equivalent of the old PDC system on video recorders.

Freeview Playback ensures that, if a programme starts late, the whole of it will still be recorded. There’s also a ‘series link’ option, so when you choose to record an episode of Doctor Who, the whole series can be recorded automatically, if you wish, whatever time it’s on each week.

Some PVRs have it already, while others may receive the extra functions as a firmware update (see ‘software updates’ opposite). Without it, you need to ‘pad’ recordings, by adding a few minutes to the start or end to take account of late or early starts.