T, The comparison is between 480p(DVD) and 720p or 1080i(HD)

I had the use of a Philips 985 DVD recorder last summer for 2 weeks. The unit worked fine but the image quality was not quite as good as pre-rec DVDs.

I have seen the JVC Digital VCRs in both pre-rec playback as well as off the air HD recordings. The image quality was as good HD as I have ever seen. I have heard of picture problems with tape dropout.