Need help selecting a standalone DVR/PVR system for digital cable tv

[semmel]

Hi.

We have been using the ex-Road Runner now-Comcast DVR box Explorer 8000 for many years, and it is finally dying on us (and with it over 50 recordings that we never got a chance to watch - argh!).
We actually have a second DVR that we got from them as a possible replacement, but it is even worse - loud HD that will randomly start rattling like during a defrag, very slow response time during video play (causing half a second of missed audio each time you pause and play) and other stuff.

So I am 110% sick of anything that Comcast may throw at us, and I am ready to go shopping!

I have looked around a little on some of my favorite sites (including here), but didn't find any short list of current systems with some form of a rating or feature comparison. So I was hoping that some of the people reading here might be able to give me some advice.

Here's what I am looking for:
-standalone system that hooks up to the incoming cable and to our TV
-must have digital tuner and fully work with Comcast Digital Cable including tv guide and on demand (I spent half an hour on the phone with Comcast, and their techs said this was possible with a 3rd party system, so I hope that once in a while they might be correct about something...)
-2 or more tuners so I can record 2 shows or record 1 and watch 1
-ability to play recorded shows while the box is recording
-a good tv guide system or a more detailed system to choose how often recurring shows are recorded would be great
-must be somewhat quiet - it will be located in our bedroom (no, I won't go as far as suggesting water cooling)
-must be able to pause live tv
-must be able to react quickly to the remote - if I click pause and then push play again, I do NOT want to miss 2 seconds of audio while the video already plays!

What would be major bonuses:
-ability to record off shows to a PC without the need of a capture card (which I have, but it would be nice to just copy an MPEG2 etc. file over) - burning to DVD is another possibility, but direct-to-PC is preferred
-expandability to higher hard drive capacity or ability to add additional drive inside or through USB/Firewire
-selectable compression/quality factor, ideally for every recording separately (I don't need cooking shows at full quality, hehe)
-we got used to the DVR feature of the "rewind 10 seconds and then play" button, so that would be a nice bonus
-being able to play recorded video on another computer somewhere else in the house through the network

I am also considering the possibility of building a computer for this purpose with capture cards and TV output, but I don't know if there are digital capture cards with access to all of Comcast's digital channels and on demand programs and free (!) tv guide implementation to select recordings.
If my best and cheapest option is to build a PC, any help on that would also be appreciated. I would consider either Windows XP (no Vista, ever!) or Linux, depending on what recommendations I can get. With PC components, I would need a little more help in figuring out which components would be needed to keep it cheap but working well. And with Linux I may need a little extra help still since I'm still sort of a beginner on Linux.
I have looked at a few software solutions for this before, but that was half a year ago.

With any recommendation, I would strongly appreciate advice on where to buy any systems or components, and I do not mean B*stB*y! I have a MicroCenter store in the area that I trust, but they do not seem to have much on their site, and I also like to shop at NewEgg. But any other place you guys say is trustworthy will be considered.

No idea if that might make it cheaper, but I would probably by my own hard drives if possible.

Oh, I should mention that I am not a fan of TiVo - I don't like automatic "recommendations", and I would prefer a FREE program guide plus a little more freedom, and NO additional recurring payments after I buy the thing.
If someone can convince me that these (admittedly old) restrictions no longer apply with TiVo (or maybe never did), I might consider it.

And another one:
I would prefer to avoid putting a Comcast digital box there and buying a box that records off its output and has an IR blaster to remote control the box - there must be better systems for that, and I would need to rent TWO additional boxes when my goal is to get rid of one...

I don't think I'll be the only one interested in this topic, so I hope it'll attract a lot of answers!

Thanks so much for anything you can offer me!
You guys have never disappointed me before

[jagabo]

You'll need a cablecard equiped device to display or record encrypted QAM (pretty much everything except your local broadcast stations). The only one I know of is:

http://ati.amd.com/products/tvwonderdigital/index.html

And you'll probably find Comcast isn't interested in getting their end of the system working -- even though they are required by law.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2959&p=5

That story is two years old but things don't appear to be getting any better:

http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2008/06/cablecard-uptake-abysmal-as-most-wind-up-in...-top-boxes.ars

You can't select the recording quality. All these do is save the MPEG stream (in encrypted form) that the cable provider is sending you. Recordings will be locked to your computer. You will not be able to copy them elsewhere. Well, you can copy them, you just can't play them elsewhere.

Analog cable is a different story. There are lots of cards with analog cable tuners. Hauppauge, ATI, etc.

[semmel]

Thanks for your answer.

I finally found a few more articles about the topic that pretty much confirmed the bad situation, so I decided to check into TiVo after all - and was amazed at the amount of features they offer! Most of them I may never use, but the best thing is that I can always get most content off the TiVo through my network and their (free) software.
Considering I am paying more than their fee for my current broken DVR, I figured they might be worth a try after all.

Comcast's site claims that they DO offer CableCards now - I have yet to call them to confirm this, though (which I will do in a few minutes).

[jagabo]

the best thing is that I can always get most content off the TiVo through my network and their (free) software.

Really? I thought they closed that "loophole". After reading a bit, it looks like you're right.

[semmel]

Yea, I was surprised, too.

There is a free piece of software you can download from their site that allows you to download unprotected (!) files from the Tivo to your PC. If you buy a license for the program, you can also use it to download files to a portable device or UPLOAD files to the Tivo.

The issue may be the "unprotected" video - I'll have to see what all I actually CAN download to the PC then...

Since you seem to be interested, I'll post it here once I get my Tivo - should be 3 days or so.

[jagabo]

The issue may be the "unprotected" video - I'll have to see what all I actually CAN download to the PC then...

Since you seem to be interested, I'll post it here once I get my Tivo - should be 3 days or so.

Yes, please let me know...