I see you referring to this often. Even for someone like me who has some knowledge it is very confusing and not laid out well enough for me to use and understand. I am currently looking for an E2 cable box that has dual tuner so that I can record other channels. I have been using amiko t2 for some time but would like to move up the ladder. I want to spend no more than £150 on box/hard drive. Havent a clue looking at your list.
OP. Ill start you off.
Amiko Mini HD t2 - £50 single tuner. split your cable router line,flash the box,scan with your area codes and add a service. Every now and then you will need to rescan due to frequency changes by VM. Ten minute job. Great little starter box and good HD picture.