I am from Canada and have been thinking about getting a recorder but know nothing about them.......literally nothing. If there are any Canadians who know about this stuff could you answer a few questions? I have Shaw and all I want is a "Tivo like" box to record shows and such .... what would be my best option be?

Not sure if it's an option in your locale but many cable companies these days offer DVR services right in their cable packages. Might be able to save some scratch and not have to buy Tivo...