A bad b-band converter. Why the hell would one bad converter on a dual-tuner box cause them both to not work?
You asked about the bad converter.
The answer is that the bad one was connected to Tuner # 1, had the bad one been on Tuner 2 it would have booted normally and you would have thought EVERYTHING was good to go., but when you decided to watch something other than you were recording, you would have experience problems with it, so it was actually a good thing that it happened this way.
Sounds like it was NOT the box itself, from what your saying , seeing a bband replacement solved the problem.
Take some time to get use to the new unit and you will like it, if you automatically decide you don't like it, it will take time.
Have you had an HD DVR's before, try the ones th Cable companies are using, you'll love this one....
IF your a previous TIVO owner, it WILL take some getting use to, as it does for all of them, but the majority come back and talk about how they like it AFTER they give it time to grow on them.
Patience, give it time to understand and you'll get the hang of it.
Jimbo