I'd like a cheap HDTV STB for both OTA and
non-subscription (free) cable channels for standard TV
recording (s-video) on a DVD recorder (DVD-RAM). To
accomplish this mighty task the STB needs to be
programmed for the channel-day-time independently of the
program listings since apparently these are not usually
available except for real cable and satellite.

I've found that some DirecTV boxes (maybe Hughes
HIRD-E8, Mitsubishi HD-5, and TOSHIBA DST-3000)
support OTH reception and are time programmable to
match my recorder. Used, these run about $20-$30 on
eBay with the remote.

Can anyone offer some suggestions on what other satellite
boxes might be suitable for this purpose?

There are now DVD recorders coming out with ATSC tuners built in, I suggest you look into those.

I've been following the PrimeDTV PHD-205 thread hereabouts. I'm still going to sit on the fence for a couple of more months, to see how the product evals go from our fellow forum members. It's got QAM, ATSC and NTSC reception, and S-Vid out (plus Component/DVI when you're ready to upgrade). About 150 clams or so...