Missing the DVD drawer
This looks like exactly the right unit to get for subscription free HD telly. The HDMI connection is crucial to making HD broadcasts *look* like HD.
However, an inbuilt DVD player/recorder would be extremely useful.
We've had a Sony RDR-HXD860 for the last year or two and it's been fantastic. The real brucie bonus though is the ability to copy films off to DVD. This means we can archive the various kids films off for our lit'lun and make copies for her friends. It all being in the same box makes it really easy to do.
It's also really useful to be able to record hours and hours of late night music from the radio stations and then take the DVD into work to play. Of course, using re-recordable DVD's means that you can record a new show over the last one if you want.