Merry Christmas. Here's my answer:
The Dreambox 7020:
because you can put a huge hard drive in it and it's got a huge following and therefor great support. It uses linux so will be supported/developed for, for a few years at least. CF slot built in, 2 Card slots, and 1 Common Interface slot. Can record onto it's own hd (if you add one) or a computer on your network. You can even plug an ADSL and/or Cable modem into it and connect to the internet without using a pc at all. Emulates almost every card on the market, with no further purchases necessary.
Have you bought one yet?
I say without doubt that on paper at least, the 7020 is the best receiver. disclaimer: ..for me :-googly