DVR options?

[cellio]

The TiVo that I bought (used) 4.5 years ago is showing signs of malaise -- probably the hard drive (again) but it's hard to tell. This is my second TiVo and I'm not exactly enchanted by their subscription model -- required if you want program data, which is pretty essential for programming recordings, but when they say "lifetime subscription" they mean lifetime of the box. If I watched a lot of TV that might be worth the cost, but it's hard to justify for the amount I watch. And their monthly subscription is a non-starter; that's just a way to pay them even more money for the relatively small amount I watch. I'm also not enchanted by the tendency of their technical-support people to respond to every problem with "you should buy a new TiVo".

I'm looking for an alternative and appealing to my DW brain trust for suggestions.

Some specifics:

• I have FiOS TV from Verizon (comes with the Internet service), an over-the-air antenna, and a single ordinary HD TV. Whatever I get needs to fit into that. Ethernet is available and preferred over WiFi.

• Currently the only Verizon equipment I have is a cablecard (M-card). I'm open to changing that.

• I never watch live TV. All TV is the result of programming a recording device. I don't care whether the programming interface is on-screen menus, a web browser, or an Android app.

• I'd like programming to be "fire and forget". I use TiVo's season passes, which catch things like "this episode started late because of a football game" or "next week's show moves to Wednesday".

• I occasionally benefit from being able to record two simultaneous programs. I can't imagine a use for, err, is it six that TiVo is up to now?

• One TV. I don't need to stream the signal anywhere else. I don't watch TV on other devices.

• TiVo proactively records things it thinks you might like and suggests them to you. I don't care.

• TiVo continuously records whatever channel currently has focus so that if you're 15 minutes late to the start of something you wanted to watch, you can still rewind and watch it (if it was that channel, I guess). I don't care, and I suspect that this behavior is why their hard drives fail.

Here are the options I know about:

• New TiVo: they only sell the Bolt now, which, with "lifetime" subscription, appears to be about a $900 proposition. Nope.

• Used older TiVo with subscription: that's what I did last time; I got my current TiVo with subscription on eBay for about $250. I'm not sure what older model I'm looking for if I go this route.

• Some other DVR manufacturer -- there must be some, you'd think, but I'm having trouble finding ones that are still being made, and it's not always clear what works with what TV providers. Please tell me TiVo has competition? (Got a rec for this, which requires a cable box and isn't currently available.)

• Rent from Verizon. I don't yet understand what other equipment would be required and, thus, what this would cost. (I could, of course, ask them. I'd like to know about other options first so that I have context if they offer a time-limited deal, which they've done before for other things.)

• I understand that one could theoretically build a DVR starting with a computer, some parts, and a soldering gun. I am not that person. I'm open to buying such a thing in a ready-to-plug-in-and-go state.

Anybody have input on any part of this? Thanks!