My reason for jumping into the market was for D-Theater tapes.....which I love the format....HD image with increased audio. It is that much better than DVD. I h ave not recorded anything yet....no firewire output on my HD STB. I plan on upgrading in the fall. If you are unaware of the problems of the JVC unit....visit AVS forum for the details. Also, JVC is releasing a new unit which will decode DTS soundtracks...which have yet to appear on a D-Theater tape (chicken and the egg)....I woul dimagine that is forthcomming.