Rogers SA8300 High Definition PVR (Refurbished)

I used to have a deal where I was getting one of the newer Cisco boxes as a free rental but since Rogers stopped contracts a few months back, I couldn't get this deal again. The newer Cisco boxes do have a nicer GUI, however, I hate that they constantly update at 2am every few nights even while I'm watching it. I also had issues with two boxes freezing outright and not recording what was supposed to be recorded.

Enter the SA8300HD. I'd had one of these for several years and it worked well. A co-worker reminded me that these refurbished units were available via The Shopping Channel for a good price. I ordered one on a Monday and I had it on a Wednesday. The box I received was a little roughed up while shipped via Canada Post, however, the PVR itself only had a little bit of rubbing along the top left back corner seam of the unit. The remote enclosed was brand new and unused. After a quick clean, and 10 minutes on the phone with Rogers, the PVR was activated and up and running.

It does have the issues with the firmware where the Hard Drive will not spin down but does have the most current firmware on it. For the price, and with a 2-year-warranty, this box would be paid for in less than a year if you were renting it at the current rate.

The one added bonus about the SA8300HD is that it allows you to record past the expected end-time of a show by minutes rather than 5, 30, etc.

This HD/PVR has been on my wish list for a few years now, but was just too expensive at other venues. When I saw it advertised here at TSC at a significantly lower and more affordable price, I was very happy. Delivery was amazingly quick...ordered late Thursday night, arrived Monday afternoon, installed it on Tuesday morning (very easy) and was taping a program in the afternoon. Customer service was awesome, activation was quick and painless. We are SO HAPPY we bought this, we were very tired of fiddling with our very-old finnicky VCR. Thank you to everyone for your reviews, the reviews helped convince us to take a chance with a refurbished box. Ours works beautifully! The best gift we've given ourselves in years.

This HD8300 PVR box came to my door in about a day. I thought the shipping would be 7-10 days. Activation was a breeze! Call the number that's on the actual box and took only 10 minutes of my time to activate. Couldn't of asked for any better service. Highly recommend if anyone is fed up with high rental charges.

Just purchased this unit through the shopping channel. It arrived quickly, probably within 4 days. The unit has some scratches on it but generally looks ok. Easy to set up and didn't have any problems with Rogers intializing it. There is a problem with the unit however. We realized that the volume would cut off when we scrolled by channel 5. Seems odd, but we never use that channel since its the t.v. guide so we just blocked the channel and the problem is solved. We probably should have sent it back and asked for another one but the hassel of it all didnt seem worth it. I would probably buy again through the shopping channel if and when we need another.

Comments about Rogers SA8300 High Definition PVR (Refurbished):
Didn't want to shell out the full price for a new boxes. So I decided to go with this refurbished model. One to replace a standard definition box and the other to replace a rental box. Shipping was really quick. Pleased to see that it came with an HDMI cable and remote. Works perfectly, with no problems. I would definitively buy again.
I would recommend this product.

Item was in great condition and the remote was brand new. Good shipping time. Easy to get authorized. Rogers was unusually helpful in this case.

Last fall I purchased 2 Rogers SA8300 High Definition PVR's (Refurbished)for each of my daughters' rooms. I had absolutely no issues from ordering the product to delivery, setup was super easy and surprisingly Rogers had them initialized in less than 10 minutes. I have just purchased a 3rd one for my bedroom so that when I feel like tucking in early I have my own selection of shows to choose from. The family room PVR does get a little full from time to time with everyone recording their favorite programs to watch in their spare time. Thanks Shopping Channel for another great purchase!

I have rented this model for a few years and was tired of paying monthly fees. Very happy with the condition the product was received in and set-up was minimal. Ended up purchasing one for a friend too and they are also very happy with it!

Just a heads up that it takes a couple of days for the 'Search' function to work but it does eventually. A minor inconvenience and not something that should deter you from this purchase.

It is quicker in reponding to changing channels and on screen menus, than the pevious non Rogers PVRs.

When I got the box, I phoned Rogers on Sunday and Monday morning the tech showed up to set it up for me. I was not charged any hookup fee at all. He even took back the rental box I used. No more $20 monthly charge for the PVR. It works fantastic except for the remote. It was faulty, but the tech gave me a new one.