My hubby and I have been considering the purchase of one of these recorders. Do you all have any recommendations as to the most bang for our buck? Also, My uncle's TIVO malfunctioned and erased entire seasons of shows...is this a common occurance or just a fluke?

I have never heard of this being a problem with the TIVO. I don't have one but everyone I know that does have one loves it. I have heard it takes a little to get used to how to work it but once you know how it is really easy to use.