Most definently.. You can record 2 HD, record 1 HD and 1 SD, recod 2 SD.... all at the same time as watching something that already has been recorded. You can also record 1 HD or 1 SD, and watch an HD or SD live at the same time

There are already programs out there for copying video off a 501 and Dishplayer. That being said we at DBSTalk.COM have been staying away from that kind of talk because the MPAA and NAB folks have been keeping an eye on this, we dont want a lawsuit so we have been not allowing talk about this topic on our board. That being said the 721 is a different bird, from what I know the videos on the hard drive are encripted, to break the encription basicly means you hack the box completely. We are not a pirate site and do not support pirating of satellite signals so again these issues are not being discussed there. I think soon you will need permission from the NAB and MPAA to go to the bathroom. The entertainment industry has gone nuts. I am sure you heard that one of the Senior VP's of AOL has called PVR owners theives because many are using their PVR to skip commercials.