Tonight it happened going from 71 to 61 and then from 61 to 22.

It did not happen going from 22 to 2.

Are you using an HD TiVo? If so, why even bother with the cable box: just get two cable cards. That's what we did and have had no problems for a couple years running

No HD.

And I have a lifetime subscription on the TIVO so I'd like to avoid an extra expense of an additional DVR as long as I can.

Something else that may or may not be related is the sound is delayed - their lips say one thing but the words coming out of the speakers say another.

I'm sure it's just a cable or a setting or maybe the cable box is bad. I didn't have any of these issues until the cable box came into play.

Which box are your speakers connected to, the cable or the TiVo? The speakers and monitor should be connected to the same box.

I have a surround sound thingie.

But I don't know what they are connected to. But there are AV cables going to/from the boxes and to the TV and to the surround sound :(