Go into preferences and tell it to "only record first run" shows... that way it skips the second/third/etc showings of the same show which show up on other channels-- eg. Rosanne.
I've had Tivo for 8 years... on my fourth box now. I keep giving the old one away as a present to my kids. And, yes, I have the Series 3 HD with dual receiver. It really is nice, but as you noted, pricey.
