How can I purchase a cable receiver/DVR? Seems like a scam to have to rent one for years.

Unfortunatly renting something isn't the same thing as leasing to own. Otherwise I would own like 4 houses by now.

With that said, you can purchase DVR's from Tivo and use it with Cox. They also have different purchase options, but most require a monthly subscription. Also, if your looking for encrypted channels, you would need a cable card, and possible a tuner adapter. 

You could also buy a PVR. A PVR is like a DVR, but no TV tuner inside. It requires you to plug something into it for a video source. You could rent a HD cable box, connect it to the PVR, and record that way. That would save you the monthly DVR fee from Cox, and the hassle of needing a cablecard or tuner adapter. It would mean two boxes though, and possible confusion switching between the two.The main reseller of PVR's is Hauppauge.

Last, if your really looking to geek out, you can basically build your own DVR/PVR. You would need some kind of TV tuner PCI card (or external adapter) and special software that runs on your computer. You would need to dedicate a computer to that function though, and this is NOT for the ameatuer. If you haven't build a computer from scratch, then I don't suggest this option. Otherwise, see here for more info.

Thank you for your response. After posting this question, I browsed other posts about cable boxes and definitely learned that being able to exchange a non-working box for another is a great benefit. Some customers reported getting as many as three or four in a row to try and resolve reception difficulties. So, instead of seeing the monthly fee as a rental fee, perhaps I'll consider it insurance . . .

Thanks for your informative reply. Indeed, I am technologically incompetent, so I won't be building my own devices. Also, would rather not add to the number of devices attached to the TV (already have a Roku and a DVD/VCR player). I'm resigned to renting the box. What it comes down to, as I noted in the reply from Cox, is that by renting, customers can continuously return a non-working or obsolete set. Can't do that past the warranty period with other purchased devices. Back on the old days, Ma Bell forced customers to rent telephones (landlines). Customers wound up paying for those phones many times over. After deregulation, customers were free to buy their own phones, and most did. Thought the situation with cable boxes might be analogous, but with technology changing so rapidly, its probably better to be able to return the devices when needed -- either for new models or when we get tired of paying for cable!

There is a fairly inexpensive alternative if all you need is an HD Set-top-box tuner. There are no associated monthly Guide fees.

Samsung GX-SM530CF Cable Box and Streaming Media Player with Built-In Wi-Fi
www.amazon.com/Samsung-GX-SM530CF-Streaming-Player-Built-In/dp/B00EYO241Q/

You would need to rent a CableCARD from Cox for $2/mo and you get the Tuning Adapter for free.
http://ww2.cox.com/residential/support/tv/article.cox?articleId=b8889a60-d706-11df-66a2-000000000000

Listen to BryaninPHX for anything Cable related. Nice to see you posting around these parts. 

". Some customers reported getting as many as three or four in a row to try and resolve reception difficulties. "

Ummm...that may be something else too. Technicians are engineers, who like to find the "solution of least resistance". I imagine alot of boxes get swapped out for reasons that have nothing to do with the box. You see this happening with modems too. Sometimes its just to rule certian things out, other times its at customer request, but I think a unknown portion of the time, its just applying a band aid fix because you don't know, or don't want to fix, the actual problem. 

Your point still has plenty of merit though. If nothing else, maybe its worth the peace of mind. Especially if you live anywhere there are frequent thunderstorms or problems with electrical conditioning, factors that play into "actual" hardware failure.