Getting back to the original question...I just got a SA8000HD converter/DVR yesterday from Time Warner. It has two tuners so yes it can record two programs at the same time. They also claim (I haven't tried this yet) that you can watch either of the programs while they are being recorded or a third previously recorded program. Pretty impressive if it actually works as claimed. It isn't clear if that applies when recording in HD or not. I think that would take some serious computing horsepower inside the box.

I did try the digital output via the coaxial jack and it functioned on all channels, something my previous Pioneer converter did not do. The analog channels putting out a PCM signal and the digital and HD channels an assortment of Dolby Digital formats, mostly 2.0. There is a slight reacquisition delay through the Outlaw 950 but not excessive in my opinion. In fact when surfing between channels that output PCM there is no break or delay at all. But when switching between PCM and DD or even between two DD channels then there is a break and a resynching.

The most dissappointing aspect of the SA8000HD is the currently disabled DVI port. SA claims it is disabled while they develop HDCP compliance. They promise a download to enable the port in early '05. The sales guy at Time Warner told me that some of their early boxes from SA came with the port enabled but then they pulled back. Some Hollywood lawyers probably put an end to that if the port wasn't HDCP compliant. So for me it's component video for now. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long. A set of VCR archive outputs are also not operational awaiting a "future enhancement". It seems like SA wanted to get this box quick to market with the hardware and is continuing to write the software after it's in the field.

There are a couple other interesting aspects about the way this box operates. First it operates in either HD or SD modes but not both simultaneously. When in HD mode all the standard def jacks are dead (i.e. composite and S-video). This is kind of frustrating for me since I have it hooked to two different displays, one HD and an older SD RPTV for more casual viewing. When I want to switch displays I have to turn off the converter and go through a button pushing sequence during reboot to change the operational mode. The good news, and this is contrary to anything I was told or read, the HD channels ARE displayed when in the SD mode, albeit at the lower resolution and letterboxed.