I have not run into issues with shows disappearing from the recording list. I think it only holds the most recent 2 or 3 instances of a show that repeats often, so that might presumably result in an older recording getting dropped in favor of a newer one. On occasion it will want to offer up certain episodes as On Demand (therefore with ads) rather than recorded -- I've not experimented to see exactly when this occurs but I think it has more to do with how the providers release the episodes. If it has really aired on a channel you have rights to, the recorded version will usually be selectable, just takes a few extra steps with the remote.