Which multimedia hard drive is right for you?  You can read through all of our tests in our Product Survey: Multimedia Hard Drives, or you can get straight to business by looking at our selection of the best multimedia hard drives currently available.

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Today, multimedia hard drives aren't just a place to store your photos, videos and music: many now include digital TV tuners, recording capability and plenty of advanced features.  We've been particularly impressed by those that act as a virtual film library, with previews of the cover of your DVDs and detailed information about every title.

Before we look at our four favourites, here are some criteria you can use to make your choice:

• HD Video Support: this is absolutely vital, and the most important thing to check.  Ideally, you want a model that can play Full HD content encoded using H.264, or, more commonly MPEG-4 AVC.  It should also be able to recognise MKV files, as it's a very common container format.
• Screen: if listening to your MP3 collection is a key feature for you, then you'll want to check the quality of the display, as it will allow you to play music without turning your TV on.  Be careful though, as not every media centre which has a screen allows you to bypass the TV in this way.
• Network Support: if all of your media is on a computer and you don't want to copy it to an external hard drive, then you'll want to be able to access it over a network.  You've got the choice between a wired (Ethernet) connection or WiFi, but if you choose the latter, look for devices that support the 'n' standard, which are faster.
• HD Digital TV Tuner: if you want to be able to record television programmes on your multimedia hard drive, it'll need to have a tuner.  If you can, opt for a model with dual HD TV tuners: as well as being able to record in HD, you'll also be able to record one channel while you record another.
• Interface: this is an element that's often overlooked, but it's the secret to an enjoyable media centre experience.  The interface has to be clear, simple and practical.  On the other hand, it should also have advanced features like showing previews all of the photos in a folder or the ability to manage an interactive film library (with previews of film covers and extra info).

Our Favourites:

Entry level but good value for money
Compatible with all formats and easy-to-use, but no network access

Western Digital WD TV STORES £     Ebuyer  43.93  Conrad UK  53.52  Dell Business  71.29  Pixmania.co.uk  74.90  Comet  79.97  Laskys  81.84  Compare prices

This small player doesn't actually include a hard drive, so you'll need to plug in a USB memory stick or connect an external hard drive to provide content.  The interface is very attractive and the number of compatible file formats can rival the very best. The only downside is the lack of network connectivity.  For that, you'll need to upgrade to the WD TV Live, which is not that much more expensive.

Records HD TV
Can handle HD video and enjoys two HD digital TV tuners

Dvico Tvix 6632N STORES £     Pixmania.co.uk  308.00                      Compare prices

As well as supporting a huge range of HD video formats, this little box also has two HD TV tuners, meaning you can watching one channel while recording another.  The interface is particularly nicely done, and you can create your own video jukebox with film covers and extra info. We're also glad to report that it includes both 802.11n WiFi and Ethernet.  And if you can rely on the digital tuner in your TV for watching one channel while recording another, you can always plump for the slightly cheaper Tvix 6631N, with just the one tuner.

More features, more power and more customisation
A great all-rounder with a large scene and room for a Blu-ray disc player

PopcornHour C-200 STORES £     Pixmania.co.uk  273.00                      Compare prices

With a top-of-the-range decoding chip, the PopcornHour C-200 can handle just about any format.  Better still, there's room for you to fit a Blu-ray optical drive for a PC and turn it into a Blu-ray disc/DVD player.  This really is the most powerful of the lot, and it also benefits from a very active user base. The PopcornHour community has developed YAMJ, a tool for creating a movie jukebox with previews of the film cover, plot summaries and so on.

Small and powerful
HD video support, mobile and with room for a hard drive

Xtreamer 2.5 Find the best price

The decoding chip in this portable player can handle HD video and most common multimedia formats.  Despite its mall size, it can accommodate a 2.5'' hard drive, which  makes it very mobile. We're also fans of the network port and the frequent updates from the manufacturer.