Got to agree 100% with Cohen. You can even set TIVO to record a few minutes before or after the prgram to avoid ending and beginning problems. 5 yr statisfied TIVO customer. I liked it so much I bought the stock, but got creamed back in 2001. It is not a good stock.
Actually with my Tivo, I can download the programs onto my laptop,and then I can watch them forever. Forever, ever? Forever, forever. Then I can then burn them onto dvds with my dvd burner.
Just make sure to add some time to the ending time of the recording. I used to get pissed when taping Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO and the recording would end before the previews for the next week. I started adding 10 minutes to the end record time and haven't had any problems since. I love my dvr.