I know it's not what you're after but we've got a JVC DVD recorder and it's pretty simple to use. It has a RAM disc facility for watching while recording so you can zip through the adverts, though you do have to 'fast forward' through them rather than press a '30 secs' button - I really like the sound of that!
It's a great machine, easy to use with 'one touch' recording or a simple-to-use menu system for VideoPlus numbers, though probably not as easy as the Sky system.
It also has sockets for camcorder inputs. I've been putting all our tapes on DVD for archiving and ease-of-use. If it's a DV tape, then you've got synchronous tape start and DVD recording.
At £190ish for a good 'name' machine pretty good value. Suits our needs, we've got cable rather than Sky...
Cheers,
The Odd One