How am I annoyed by my Comcast DVR? Let me count the ways.

I was frustrated when it failed to record four programs during premiere week in September. I was irked when it skipped a new episode of "Grey's Anatomy" during November sweeps. I grew vexed last month when it claimed to be 100 percent full and refused to record more programs, even though I knew it was only about 30 percent full (after deleting one half-hour show it reverted to saying it was just 34 percent full).

The irony is, I actually love my Comcast DVR (even though I'm on the second one after having similar problems with the first box). It's a fantastic innovation, a wonderful piece of technology that makes it easier for viewers to become programmers. It's also cheaper than TiVo service -- but you get what you pay for.

My Comcast DVR's unwillingness to function as programmed has led me into a co-dependent, distrustful relationship with the box atop my TV.

And I'm not alone. After asking readers if they have experienced any problems with Comcast's DVR, I was somewhat surprised to receive two dozen responses from similarly discontented Comcast customers.

The complaints about the DVR were mostly along the lines of:

Not recording scheduled programs consistently.

Recording programs that were not scheduled to be recorded.

Recording a program for just a few seconds and stopping (with or without a "this show was interrupted during recording" error message).

Setting the dual tuner DVR to record two programs at the same time, but it only records one.

Sluggish or no response to commands from the remote.

Inability to adjust to scheduled broadcast times, such as programs that run to a minute past the hour.

Taping every episode of a series, not just the new ones.

Recording programs for only a portion of their running time.

Freezing during playback.

DVR claims it's full when it's not.

Inability to get help from Comcast with a DVR or other service issues.

I had hoped to chat with a Comcast engineer about these problems. Some of these problems may be particular to individual boxes, but after hearing the same complaints from many customers -- not just locally, but nationwide if you Google "Comcast and DVR" online -- I suspect others are not.

But Comcast did the exact wrong thing. Instead of explaining why some of these hiccups occur -- I suspect recording programs that aren't new has more to do with how networks and listing services label shows than anything Comcast can control -- and acknowledging that the DVR is still a relatively new technology with kinks to be ironed out, they opted to hide behind corporate-speak, which is unlikely to placate disgruntled customers.

"Tens of thousands of Comcast customers in the Pittsburgh area are currently enjoying their DVR services," wrote Jody Doherty, vice president of public relations and community affairs for Comcast's Three Rivers Region systems, in an e-mail. "With the ability to record shows and watch them whenever they want, DVR is quickly becoming one of our most popular product offerings. The issues the Post-Gazette has raised are isolated incidents. We are happy to reach out to the customers who contacted the Post-Gazette to address their individual needs."

So as I often am in the TV Q&A column when Comcast customers can't get help from the company's call center, I'm the middleman. If you have problems with your DVR, e-mail me and include a notation that I have your permission to forward your query along to Comcast.

New neighbor for WQED

Traffic will be blocked late Monday morning on Fifth Avenue in front of WQED Multimedia in Oakland for what's described as a "big, big" announcement.

Maybe one of the Mister Rogers-themed dinosaurs from 2003's Carnegie Museum of Natural History DinoMite Days will get a permanent home in front of the WQED building. That would certainly brighten the hulking, fortress-like WQED headquarters -- not the most welcoming building in town.

Up to 1,000 passersby will also receive a gift of some sort from the station.

Mr. McFeely from "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" will arrive aboard a trolley at 11:30 a.m. with students from Turner Elementary in Wilkinsburg to begin the festivities.

KDKA pre-emption

The "Children's Hospital Free Care Friends Telethon" will air Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. on KDKA-TV. That night the 6 p.m. news will run just a half-hour, followed by "CBS Evening News" at 6:30 p.m. The pre-empted episode of "NCIS" at 8 p.m. will air at 1:37 a.m.

TV Q&A

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about the new Pittsburgh Zoo polar bear commercial, "The Wire" and KDKA's behavior in the Pastor Dugan case. Read it online at www.post-gazette.com/tv.