I have the Comcast Scientific Atlanta 8300HD box.

I have recently had problems when I record a SD program or rewinding and
watching the SD I am actively watching. The recorded picture is very much
pixalated. Is this a common problem with this box? Do I need to have it
replaced? Is there a fix? There does not seem to be a problem
with recording my HD stations.

Thanks for your help with this, Hokie...

If the DVR you have has bad recordings on SD, but has a good picture while watching "live" TV on the same channels, then you have a bad DVR and it needs to be replaced. This problem can not be fixed at the customer's home. Sorry. You can either trade DVR's at the office, or have a cable service tech come out and replace the bad DVR. I recommend having a tech come to your home and set it up for you. This should be at no cost to you, since it's the cable company's equipment that failed.

- Cable Tech

Our SA8000 does this with recordings periodically-- all we have to do is perform a reset on it (unplug, press + hold power button and plug in until it shows boot) and it starts working just fine. Doesn't fix the previous recordings, but it corrects the problem for a while before it does it again.

My point is that the DVR should not do it at all. You're paying for a service that you want to work the way it should ALL the time. I don't have this problem with my 8300HD, and have never had to reboot/reset it, and you shouldn't have to either.

- Cable Tech

Our SA8000 does this with recordings periodically-- all we have to do is perform a reset on it (unplug, press + hold power button and plug in until it shows boot) and it starts working just fine. Doesn't fix the previous recordings, but it corrects the problem for a while before it does it again.

Holding the power button isn't necessary. Simply the act of unplugging/re-plugging forces a cold boot the same way it does on a computer (and after all, a DVR is just a computer that's optimized for streaming video).

Thanks for the replies. I had to unplug the STB for unrelated reasons yesterday, so I will see if my future recordings are still bad. If so, I will trade the box... Unfortunately, I do have a few favorite shows saved on the box and I will loose those...

Hokie

I do have a good picture while watching "live" TV and my HD stations do
record ok. Sometimes my recorded HD stations are not as clear as watching
them "live" and they sometimes look as if I am watching them from a different
recorded media. Not sure how to explain this, and this is an extreme
example, but they look somewhat like I am watching them on film. Not quite
as bad as 8MM, but still they have a different appearance.

If the DVR you have has bad recordings on SD, but has a good picture while watching "live" TV on the same channels, then you have a bad DVR and it needs to be replaced. This problem can not be fixed at the customer's home. Sorry. You can either trade DVR's at the office, or have a cable service tech come out and replace the bad DVR. I recommend having a tech come to your home and set it up for you. This should be at no cost to you, since it's the cable company's equipment that failed.

- Cable Tech

Yeah, it sounds like that DVR needs some repair work done on it. Your recorded shows should look as good as if you were watching them live. As for your recorded shows, you could copy them to a VHS or DVD recorder.

- Cable Tech