We've got a Sony hardrive/dvd recorder, the feature you mentioned is called "chasing playback" on the Sony range, and as mentioned above, timeslip on Panasonic. If it has a hard drive, it will almost certainly be capable of it. Bit dissapointing that none of the sales people know, though. I'd find a vendor that knows the product. We went through three different variations of set up while getting our system sorted out, all at no extra cost which I thought was fair, having bought component hometheatre amp, speakers/sub, tv and dvd recorder all from the same outlet. It's a big enough investment that someone should be able to advise you exactly what you're getting, what it's compatable with, how to set ot up, and how "future proofed" it is. Gone are the days you can "plug 'er in and let 'er rip" without a hell of a lot of reading and cross-referencing.