pioneer dvr-810h/zenith hd-520 sat receiver compatability (1 Viewer)

Is anyone having a problem with the pioneer dvr-810h dvd recorder paired with the zenith hd-520 sat receiver?
I can not get the tivo to control my receiver with respect to changing the channels. Pioneer said the units are not compatable!

Title edited to list the components about which you're asking. The original title ("dvd-r/tivo compatibility") asked a different question.

M.

Apparently the only way known to control the 520 (or the nearly identical Sony HD200) is some elaborate hack to translate serial commands. I don't think it's worth it. You'd have to constantly switch between SD & HD mode anyway, risking blank recordings if you forget, local OTA HD channels would require setting timers on the 520 as well, and you couldn't record anything else while watching HD. Tivos just weren't designed to work with HD receivers.

Depending on which of the devices is returnable, and what capabilities you just have to have now, I would recommend one of the following:
- wait for HD-DirecTivo, 2-3 months, get a cheaper DVD-R without Tivo. Advantages: dual recording in HD! + better editing capabilities on the DVD-R. Disadvantages: cost, wait.

- get a current SD DirecTivo, only $99 now, get cheaper DVD-R. Advantages: independently record 2 other SD shows while watching a different one on the Zenith. Much better AV quality than recording to the Pioneer. Disadvantage: have to subscribe to locals via DirecTV in order to record them, $5/month extra receiver fee, $5/month Tivo fee (unless you have Total Choice premier).

Either solution would require running in extra lines from your dish multiswitch. But it's worth it to be able to record different shows independently, and in higher quality.