I've had a Panasonic DMR-HWT250 for a year now and it's a nice bit of kit. 2 channel recording while you watch another plus all the usual PVR stuff. It also connects to the internet and allows you to program it remotely.
It has too many feature to mention here but it is available at John Lewis'.
The problem with trying a bike out is that there are no hills to speak of near our stockist. I tried out and bought a Freego Eagle but when I tried it on the hills near home I found I have to put in a lot of effort. The irksome hills are around the reservoirs in Sheffield.
I stand on the left of the bike, raise the left pedal to it's highest point, grasp the handlebars, left foot on the pedal, push down and, as the bike gains momentum, swing my right leg over. This works on most levels except really step inclines.
It would be interesting to meet up somewhere in Sheffield to compare the bikes' abilities to tackle the bigger hills. What are these nemesis hills, I might try them out with the Eagle to see how it copes.
I live in Stannington, a stone's throw from The Peak District, and have always been put off exploring due to the daunting return ride from any direction. My Freego, while not exactly propelling me up hill, at least takes about 50% of the effort on the steeper climbs. Have a look at Roper Hill on...
Here in Sheffield there are free cycle proficiency courses run by the council, unless they've been cut due to this mean spirited government and its ideologically driven attack on the public sector. Have a check on your local authority's website to see if they have anything similar.
I got clipped on a roundabout many years ago and took a tumble. One of the nice people who stopped to see if I was all right was a colleague who once he'd ascertained I wasn't go to go into work asked me if he could have my overtime. Such a caring soul.