LF : DVD recorder

[red_red]

hi,
now that xmas has come and gone.... I have birthdays to look after.
one of my friends have mentioned wanting a DVD recorder.. so a bunch of us
has decided to go in together to get this for him...

Any suggestions on what to look for in a DVD recorder ?
what to stay away from ?? any experiences with the ones you have ?
We are looking at spending around 200.00.

thanks for any info.