I have a problem that I thought could get solved by phoning a few Rogers Plus Stores in Toronto. I have an HD8300 PVR and it is my second box since going with Rogers Cable and have had alot of issues with it. I tried phoning a few Rogers Plus Stores in Toronto and one of them told me that I could not rent an HD8642 PVR box because it cannot be new and must be refurbished first before rental. On one of the threads that I posted and was told it was availble for rent but now it isn't so I really don't know what else to do about it. Can someone please tell me besides calling Rogers CSR that would tell me it is available for rent but store is indifferent. Thanks in advance.

i picked one up for rental from the Rogers store on Yonge street, just north of Bloor.

FYI,

Bitablespore

I went to rent an HD PVR last week and was given an 8300HD but I didn't ask for anything different.

Funny thing is that, when I looked that weekend, I could find no mention of the 8642 on Rogers' web site and I could have sworn I've seen it featured there before.

I had no problem switching my 8300HD for a 8342HD at the Rogers Plus near Yonge and Davisville. This was about a month ago. They had tons in their cabinet at that time.

I swapped out my 8300 for an 8642 at the location at Bloor and Jarvis.

Leslie and York Mills has them too.

I tried locations in Markham/Richmond Hill with no avail. So Assume in downtown only.

Are the rental prices the same as the 8300, $24.99 a month?

Yes, they are the same.

Thanks :) We've decided to go back to Rogers after trying out Bell for a few months (thank goodness no contract) went and picked up the new PVR today, getting everything hooked back up this Sunday.

Does the rental 8642 have a larger HD capacity then the 8300?

The rental has a 160gig drive like the 8300 but of course can an external drive added on or you can buy one with a 160, 320 or 500 gig drive. :)

Best Buy sells a 1 TB PVR extender from Western Digital that is apparently compatible with the 8642. I believe the cost is $129.

I returned my rented 8300 and picked up an 8642 replacement in Kanata store without any problem. I did ask for the 8642 because I was having to many problems with 8300. So they are available for rent in the Ottawa area, but be sure to ask for it.

Can I switch it for one of the newer versions:
so basically this model:
http://www.allshopping.ca/public/shop/products/mediums/30/rogers_8300hd_pvr_digital_cable_box.jpg

for this one:
http://www.finehd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/8882220f58hd-pvr.jpg

I am renting both of them and have them "free for life"?

Or will Rogers fight me on it?

I've been wondering the same thing. I've had a few minor issues with my 8300HD, and was thinking that the new, smaller boxes might be a good idea.

Yes, this can be done. I have the old "winback for life" free HD PVR rental and I was able to exchange for the new 8642 (160GB) model.
I did it at a rogers Plus store. Confirm they have stock before you go.
As long as they do an exchange/swap, it won't affect your credit, since it's the same price and code on their system.

I just swapped my 8300 for a new 8642 here in Whitby. The girl assured me I would not lose the life-time rental.

I had 2 free for life. (1xSD, 1xHD) I swapped both after confirming that they had them in stock and would swap them.

Just be careful of the SD swap as they do not have an SD box any longer and when they swapped the SD one the free for life credit was removed. I called and I was told backend support would fix the problem. When I received my first bill after the swap I was charged for the SD->HD one. Anyway called in, they gave me a credit and said it will be changed by the next bill. I guess I will find out in about 1 week. Based on my experiance with Rogers and billing, I am sure I will be calling monthly for a least a few more

CS rep at the front st store downtown actually went to the back to specifically get me "one of the newer models" when I swapped to HD PVR a couple of weeks ago.

If I'm renting the HD 8300 PVR can I swap it for 8642 HD for the same rental price. If so, is it worth it?