The advantage of a Sky+ box over a DVD recorder is that the Sky+ box records to the hard disk and so if you watch a program and dont want to keep it you can delete it from the Sky box.
But on a DVD recorder you will have to use a DVD disk every time you want to record anything, and if you dont want to keep it you have wasted a DVD.
I think you will find that most people who have a Sky+ box are very happy with it and are amazed by its ease of use and capabilities.
Not technically challenging at all, if you want to record something you just press the big red Record button on the sky remote control. No need for start times or end times and so on, the Sky+ sorts it all out for you.
And if you want to record every episode of a series you just press the "Series Link" button. Easy Peasy.
If I were you I would got for a Sky+ box.
You can get a DVD recorder at a later date.