Post is a little confusing, so bear with me if I have got this completely wrong.
I hazard a guess that you are pressing the record button on a highlighted programme in the guide..
First option should be Record this programme or Record whole series
Second option will be SD or HD….note if you select HD whilst viewing the SD channel option in guide then it may appear as if your timer is not set as you will not see a record icon…scroll down to the HD version of channel and you will see icon.