Used or Refurbished DVD Tivo??

[bs0755]

I have been researching the Tivo DVD units over at the AVS forums, and I thought I had decided on purchasing a used Pioneer DVR 810H, based on the fact that it seemed to have a much higher build quality. However, upon visiting this site, I am having second thoughts--It seems as though hard drive and burner failures are quite common on the Pioneer units???

I already have 2 Tivo HD units, that are hooked up to 3 TVs. I originally was going to purchase a stand alone Panasonic DVD recorder, in order to occasionally burn DVDs of programming from my 2 Tivos. I did not even know that the Tivo DVD units even existed until I was doing research on the Panasonic. A Tivo DVD recorder really appeals to me, because I could hook it up to my third TV, and also it would seem to make the burning process that much easier. Also, since I already have two other Tivos, I don't really have a need for anything more than Tivo Basic that comes on the Pioneer.

At any rate, I am not sure which way to go now. It almost seems as though I would be better off getting a refurbished Humax over a used Pioneer? However, I would then be forced to get a paid Tivo subscription...

Perhaps I should just go with my original choice of a Panasonic DVD recorder?

Thanks for any input!

[WhiskeyTango]

HD content can not be transferred to a Series 2 Tivo so you wouldn't be able to burn any HD DVD's. Also, you can only burn programs that were recorded on the burner Tivo. You will not be able to burn any shows that were transferred from another unit. You may just want to use Tivo Desktop and transfer shows from your Tivo's to your PC and burn DVD's from there.

[EvilMidniteBombr]

I've been happy with my refurbed Toshiba RS-TX20. I had to have the HDD replaced when it was still under warranty. I haven't had any failure of the DVD drive. Of course there have been some coasters come out of it. But it still works.

[CuriousMark]

My Humax DVD burner TiVo is still going strong with its original hard drive and DVD burner drive. I wouldn't worry about the posts you see of people needing to do repairs, they really are a minority of users. No one comes and posts that all is well, there is no point. The take-away you should get from those posts is that if you do have a problem, there are fixes available that work well and don't cost much.