eSATA - Has been enabled, but....

[P Smith]

Read post#992 http://dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=896977&postcount=992

[John4924]

I have a Seagate 750 Drive connected to my HR20 as listed previously in this thread. I haven't recorded a ton of stuff as of yet but I do have enough to give us an idea.

1-1/2 Hours of Local HD (MPEG4)
11 Hours of National HD (MPEG2)

This said I still show 90% Free.

I've been using this for a little over a week now and no problems. The case has a HDD Fan built in to it and sits about 90 degrees even while recording 2 shows while watching a 3rd. I don't really record any SD Content as I have 2 SD TiVO's for that :D

Please share what case you bought that has the fan built in. I would like to purchase one of these. :)

Cheers,
John

[funhouse69]

Please share what case you bought that has the fan built in. I would like to purchase one of these. :)

Cheers,
John

Hey John I posted it here a while back but it looks like it fell back a few pages. Here is the post. It was a good cheap case for only a single drive but for now a 750GB drive is all that I need but knowing me a RAID solution might be in the future. After all I have well over 3TB of storage in my house but not connected to my HR20 unfortunately.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=889203&postcount=976

[LDLemu4U]

I got the opportunity to gauge the capacity of HR20 #1 (with 1TB eSATA RAID), post 00EB, last night:


Deleted 5hrs of MP2, gained 4% disk free space => 1TB (minus D* portion) = ~ 125hrs MP2; roughly consistent with [(1000GB - 100GB)/200] * 30hr = 135hr

Recorded 2hrs of MP4, disk space diminished 1% => 1TB (minus D* portion) = ~ 200hrs MP4; roughly consistent with [(1000GB - 100GB)/200] * 50hr = 225hr

I'm betting that adding/subtracting something close to 10% would give more accurate numbers, but these estimates are precise enough to be very encouraging.

regards, billb....


On a 500 Gig Drive with recordings MPEG2: 18 hrs 54 mins , I have 74% left of recoding space. That would mean 26% used. If you do the math my total space is for 72 hrs 42 mins of recording space. Why the descrepancy...If I calculate based on your calculations, I would only have 60 hrs.

[Hoxxx]

Hey everyone I mentioned previously that I hard ordered an eSATA Case from NewEgg.com that has a built in fan rather than modifying the existing one I had. Well I received it today ahead of schedule along with a Seagate 750GB SATA II Drive. I have to say that this case is really cool and even has the same color Blue Power LED on it. So far is working perfectly with my H20. Of course I had to reset my favorite channels and any series recording settings I had as expected.

As instructed on this forum I powered off the unit by unplugging it, connected the eSATA cable, powered on the external enclosure then the HR20 and I have to say that to me it seems to come up in the "Normal" time but I'm pretty new to this so maybe there is a little difference but if so it is minimal! Is it possible that using a virgin drive might make it go a little faster then one that has stuff on it?

Here is the link for the case - Seriously for under $30 including 3 day shipping you just can't go wrong.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121022

Does anyone know how much record time I should see with a 750GB drive?


thanks lots for the link. I have one ordered

[GollyGee]

On a 500 Gig Drive with recordings MPEG2: 18 hrs 54 mins , I have 74% left of recoding space. That would mean 26% used. If you do the math my total space is for 72 hrs 42 mins of recording space. Why the descrepancy...If I calculate based on your calculations, I would only have 60 hrs.The video bandwidth can vary quite a lot.

One of these days, I'm going to plug my drives into a Linux box and browse around, and see if I can make some sense of how much space the recordings use.

[down2seagain]

I just installed a SG 500gb eSata seamlessly following tips in previous posts. Everything is up and running B U T... severe audio and video dropout, slow response, lock-up. Although I will power off and reinstall later today anyone have comments, tips, etc?

[GollyGee]

I just installed a SG 500gb eSata seamlessly following tips in previous posts. Everything is up and running B U T... severe audio and video dropout, slow response, lock-up. Although I will power off and reinstall later today anyone have comments, tips, etc?First thing to try is the good old RBR - Red Button Reset.

[P Smith]

I would separate those two parts - and test the enclosure/cable/disk on PC by heavy tests for 24 hours.

[Downrazor]

OK, I have been surfing this thread for a 1 and a half now...cant find an answer to my question! Please dont be angry with me if it painfully posted somewhere else.:confused:

OK, I purchased the Cavalry 500Gig external eSATA. Thats enough for my needs and simple enought to hook up. I DID hook it up per the info in some of the posts here. Worked fine. Although the contents of the main drive were not there. (this may be obvious info !?!?)

So my main question...will the info transfer over from the main drive or be accessable in any way on the external ??? Or must I swith back and forth...seems like a bad idea. My wife has the main drive basically full. That said...if I some way lose her saved recordings...I will be annihilated !!! Nor ever hear the end of it !!!:hurah:

Any info on this will be greatly appreciate. This website is the best !!! Great info on many things from lots a folks. Thanks for all the great info !:)

[funhouse69]

OK, I have been surfing this thread for a 1 and a half now...cant find an answer to my question! Please dont be angry with me if it painfully posted somewhere else.:confused:

OK, I purchased the Cavalry 500Gig external eSATA. Thats enough for my needs and simple enought to hook up. I DID hook it up per the info in some of the posts here. Worked fine. Although the contents of the main drive were not there. (this may be obvious info !?!?)

So my main question...will the info transfer over from the main drive or be accessable in any way on the external ??? Or must I swith back and forth...seems like a bad idea. My wife has the main drive basically full. That said...if I some way lose her saved recordings...I will be annihilated !!! Nor ever hear the end of it !!!:hurah:

Any info on this will be greatly appreciate. This website is the best !!! Great info on many things from lots a folks. Thanks for all the great info !:)

The internal drive is basically ignored by the system when an external drive is connected. At this point there isn't anyway to access them unless you remove the External Drive / Reboot. This will see the internal as the primary. So you can use both but only one at a time.

There is a possibility that you will be able to utilize both drives in the future but that hasn't been officially determined / released yet. Then again using the external eSATA port isn't either :D

[Downrazor]

The internal drive is basically ignored by the system when an external drive is connected. At this point there isn't anyway to access them unless you remove the External Drive / Reboot. This will see the internal as the primary. So you can use both but only one at a time.

There is a possibility that you will be able to utilize both drives in the future but that hasn't been officially determined / released yet. Then again using the external eSATA port isn't either :D

OK, I think it will be quite a while before she gets the main drive cleared out...I will hook it up then.

THANKS !!!!

[funhouse69]

OK, I think it will be quite a while before she gets the main drive cleared out...I will hook it up then.

THANKS !!!!

This is all personal preference - Since it isn't that big of a deal to power off the external enclosure and reboot the HR20 you can switch between the two. The problem is keeping track of what is on what drive. If you would go down this road keep in mind that each drive currently saves their own settings like Favorite Channels, Channels you receive and most importantly your Scheduled Recordings.

As I said keep your finders crossed that we will have the ability to use both drives in the future. I'm sure it will happen but in what configuration isn't clear. There is also some question as to how this will treat any recordings on external drives when / if the ability to use them both occurs. So keep an eye on this site and I'm sure the answers will be posted as soon as anyone knows for sure (of even has a hint) :p

[John4924]

OK, I think it will be quite a while before she gets the main drive cleared out...I will hook it up then.

THANKS !!!!

FWIW, I ordered & installed this drive...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134

in this case...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145167

I actually chose this case because of the dual eSata/USB interface for more flexibility if I ever want it.

I have had in operation for a couple of days now with absolutely NO problems. I have rebooted several times to make sure that recordings & settings stay on main drive when I remove eSata (and vice versa), and can assure everyone that they do! :) I have timed this process, and for me it takes ~6 minutes. I will make a few more "tweaks" to make it easier for the wife & daughter to do :D

Cheers,
John

[Steve]

Pretty good deal on the Seagate 750gb, I think. $230. Drive only. /steve

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4924331?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[funhouse69]

I saw this one on the Fry's Website.

It's a Seagate 750 in an eSATA Case for $279.99 with Free Shipping

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/5189186

[LDLemu4U]

Pretty good deal on the Seagate 750gb, I think. $230. Drive only. /steve

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4924331?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Wait till they bring out the 1TB and prices for these will surely go down fast!

[Hoxxx]

Wait till they bring out the 1TB and prices for these will surely go down fast!

I went to Fry's and bought the Seagate 750. I think this will keep me happy for awhile.
When all the new HD channels finally arrive then I will worry about going even bigger.

[GollyGee]

FWIW, I ordered & installed this drive...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134

in this case...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145167
I took one of those cases apart and I believe its design and construction quality is poor. I do not recommend that enclosure.

[masterdeals]

I saw this one on the Fry's Website.

It's a Seagate 750 in an eSATA Case for $279.99 with Free Shipping

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/5189186

I bought that same drive at Staples last week, and have been using it for 3-4 days and it's working perfect! ONly thing is the esata cable doesn't come with it, so I had to order that too. I bought from Staples because I work there :) so it's kind of the right thing to do.

Here is a link for anyone interested in the Seagate freeagent pro 750gb esata:
http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?ts=1176165189080&storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&productId=171040

http://www.staples.com/sbd/img/cat/std/s0198191_std.jpg

Pretty sharp looking to, especially for anyone with the black hr20.

[mrkim]

Just ordered a esata seagate 750 freeagent pro.. what kind of cable do i need ?and can you use it with your computer to store say photos and then use with dvr and go back and forth thanks kim

[P Smith]

Mr Kim - would you mind to read the thread and couple other with a keyword eSATA ? You will find plenty of answers what are not in your minds yet, but soon you'll find you'll need them :D.

[lorick]

Congratulations.... Great post to welcome someone to the forums... I am sure he feels welcome.:nono2:


Mr Kim - would you mind to read the thread and couple other with a keyword eSATA ? You will find plenty of answers what are not in your minds yet, but soon you'll find you'll need them :D.

[P Smith]

Congratulations.... Great post to welcome someone to the forums... I an sure he feels welcome.:nono2:
Well, imagine - you come into big library, where are a lot of ppl doing research, writing, reading, searching and start your curiosity from _innocent_ attempt to drag attention anyone to get simple answer what already printed on a huge wall posters everywhere.
There is better way to learn - search and read - and Internet provide enormous potential to do that.

[lorick]

You need an Esata to Sata cable. Try Fry's or Ebay. The drive can only be used for one or the other, not both. Hope this helps and welcome to the forums.....


Just ordered a esata seagate 750 freeagent pro.. what kind of cable do i need ?and can you use it with your computer to store say photos and then use with dvr and go back and forth thanks kim

[mrkim]

You need an Esata to Sata cable. Try Fry's or Ebay. The drive can only be used for one or the other, not both. Hope this helps and welcome to the forums.....

Hi thanks for the help by the way I have read all 41 of the posts but for some one new it can get a little confusing.

I ordered it form frys but it looks like i ordered the wrong cable I ordered a esata to easta what is the diffrence from a Esata to Sata thanks kim:)

[lucky13]

As I said keep your finders crossed that we will have the ability to use both drives in the future. I'm sure it will happen but in what configuration isn't clear. There is also some question as to how this will treat any recordings on external drives when / if the ability to use them both occurs. So keep an eye on this site and I'm sure the answers will be posted as soon as anyone knows for sure (of even has a hint) :p

I've raised this concern before. I have a Seagate 500 hooked up to one HR20, and the Seagate 750 mentioned here ready to hook up to my other HR20, as soon as I clear out more of the internal drive.

My concern is that, when DTV gets around to officially supporting the ESATA port, and enables the internal and external drives to work in tandem, it will reformat our existing external drives, and we will lose our stored recordings.

Since the current ESATAs lose 100gb to DTV's use, we do want to recover that extra space. But we need to be given the option, when the ESATA is supported, to have the external drive work in combination with the internal drive, or separately, as is now the case. That way, we will be able to clear out our drives before they're reformated.

Of course, it's possible that the software that officially enables the ESATA port will recognize DTV recordings on the external drive and simply release the 100GB; or that it will recognize the existing recordings but keep the 100GB off limits until we "reset everything." But all of us using this thread should stress to the DTV techs monitoring this site that we will be extremely upset if our recordings disappear one morning, or one night after a CE release.

After all, those of us who've been experimenting with the external drives (and I recognize that, since this is an unsupported feature, it is an experiment) have purchased higher-priced drives in order to keep more recordings available. And while we accept the risks of our unofficial use, we should nevertheless have our main concern (please don't delete our recordings) honored.

I will repost this in the CE thread.

[rhweimer]

Hi thanks for the help by the way I have read all 41 of the posts but for some one new it can get a little confusing.

I ordered it form frys but it looks like i ordered the wrong cable I ordered a esata to easta what is the diffrence from a Esata to Sata thanks kim:)

I believe you ordered the correct cable. Esata to Esata.

http://www.satacables.com/html/esata-external-esata-shielded-.html

Dick

[Hoxxx]

Okay I ordered this case .http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121022

went to Fry's and bought the Seagate 750-GB.
Installed it last week and it went flawless. I reset my record list and all is well.
after lots of record sessions I have lots of space available. I am very pleased with this upgrade and it only cost me around $250.00 to do it.

:hurah:

[lorick]

How much was the drive from Frys??? Nothing that cheap now.



Okay I ordered this case .http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121022

went to Fry's and bought the Seagate 750-GB.
Installed it last week and it went flawless. I reset my record list and all is well.
after lots of record sessions I have lots of space available. I am very pleased with this upgrade and it only cost me around $250.00 to do it.

:hurah:

[Hoxxx]

How much was the drive from Frys??? Nothing that cheap now.


I paid $ 219.00 out the door + tax. amazing price!

[oldavman]

Best Buy has the Western Digital My Book Premium ES Edition 500GB External eSATA drive for $179.00. Will this work with the HR20?

[Bish]

Just picked up a Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750Gb external with USB and eSATA for $239 + tax from my local Frys. Haven't tried it yet but I will this weekend.

[krock918316]

I just got the same drive (Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB). Will esata work on the HR20-100?

[WERA689]

Best Buy has the Western Digital My Book Premium ES Edition 500GB External eSATA drive for $179.00. Will this work with the HR20?

I just connected that very unit to my HR20-700 today. So far all is well. I lost the program guide and series links, as expected, and I'm waiting for the guide to repopulate to reset all my SL's.

[krock918316]

I wasn't sure what software version they enabled eSata, since the -100 is behind in updates.

Anyone have eSATA on a HR20-100?

[krock918316]

Nevermind.....I am reading that new software 0x146 is now available for the HR20-100 via a 02468 RBR!

:)

[ShapityTap]

I just connected that very unit to my HR20-700 today. So far all is well. I lost the program guide and series links, as expected, and I'm waiting for the guide to repopulate to reset all my SL's.

I have this exact same Western Digital Unit Premium Edition 500GB. I think I have the proper eSata to eSata Cable (which are very difficult to find; not many sales people seem to know what they are). Anyway the cables fit fine and I'm using the following steps religeously:

Unplug HR20 and eSata Disk.
Connect Disk to DVR w/eSata cables.
Plug in and Power Up Disk.
Plug in and Power Up HR20.

When the unit is up....I've still got all the data on my internal disk as if nothing has happened. I've tried it several times on both my HR20 units. One is on the National release and one is on the CE release, always with the same result. Any thoughts anyone?

BTW, great forum and thanks for all the help guys.

[funhouse69]

I have this exact same Western Digital Unit Premium Edition 500GB. I think I have the proper eSata to eSata Cable (which are very difficult to find; not many sales people seem to know what they are). Anyway the cables fit fine and I'm using the following steps religeously:

Unplug HR20 and eSata Disk.
Connect Disk to DVR w/eSata cables.
Plug in and Power Up Disk.
Plug in and Power Up HR20.

When the unit is up....I've still got all the data on my internal disk as if nothing has happened. I've tried it several times on both my HR20 units. One is on the National release and one is on the CE release, always with the same result. Any thoughts anyone?

BTW, great forum and thanks for all the help guys.

The steps that you mentioned should work fine. Since I believe that this External Drive also has USB what happens when you connect the drive to a PC? Does it detected it? If so you might want to delete the partition and then reconnect it to the HR20. It is possible that you got a defective unit or eSATA interface / cable. Without being able to connect it to something else it might be hard to troubleshoot. :(

[lucky13]

I have this exact same Western Digital Unit Premium Edition 500GB. I think I have the proper eSata to eSata Cable (which are very difficult to find; not many sales people seem to know what they are). Anyway the cables fit fine and I'm using the following steps religeously:

Unplug HR20 and eSata Disk.
Connect Disk to DVR w/eSata cables.
Plug in and Power Up Disk.
Plug in and Power Up HR20.

When the unit is up....I've still got all the data on my internal disk as if nothing has happened. I've tried it several times on both my HR20 units. One is on the National release and one is on the CE release, always with the same result. Any thoughts anyone?

BTW, great forum and thanks for all the help guys.

Try powering up the ESATA, then connecting the cable, then powering up the HR20. Make sure both units have been unplugged from the power source for a minute before reconnecting.

I had a short power outage last week, and my HR20 reverted to the internal drive. Gave me a scare for a moment till I realize what happened. ESATA hadn't powered back up because the power button on the drive wasn't pressed after power came back on. Took me several attempts to get the HR20 to see the external drive again, but the sequence described above worked for me.

[ez1putt]

Add me to the list of those who can't get his HR20 to recognize an esata drive. I'm a new member, just got my HR20 2 weeks ago. Everything has worked great but after picking up a seagate freeagent pro 750 gb drive yesterday at Fry's I'm gettig mega-frustrated. I bought an esata to esata cable, also at Fry's, and it fits right so I'm assuming I got the right one. I've followed the directions faithfully as far as powering down both units, hooking up the cable, powering up the drive then the HR20. It just keeps going back to the internal drive. Is there some trick to this? I tested the seagate drive with my laptop and it appears to be working fine. Guess I'll monitor this thread to see if anyone has any suggestions. Great forum by the way.

[ez1putt]

Finally got it to work. The only thing I can think of that I may have done differently in the sequence was that I powered on the drive before connecting it to the cable. I had previously been connecting it then powering it on. Hope this helps someone else.

[ShapityTap]

Finally got it to work. The only thing I can think of that I may have done differently in the sequence was that I powered on the drive before connecting it to the cable. I had previously been connecting it then powering it on. Hope this helps someone else.

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried this sequence as well, but alas no luck. I'm out of spare hours in my weekend. I'll be silently rooting for a supported eSata solution in the future. Back to Best Buy I go with my Disk, my receipt, and a slumped over defeated posture.

Thanks again everyone, the forum is a great resource.

[shortcut]

I purchased a 750gb Seagate FreeAgent Pro today at Fry's in Duluth, GA for $239.00 plus tax.

Better than the $300+ wanted everywhere else.

I haven't hooked it up yet, but I will by tommorrow.

[Bish]

Success Here. The Freeagent Pro installed without a hitch. Powered on the Seagate, powered on the HR20 and no problems. I will say this...the bottom of the drive where the esata interface board resides gets REALLY hot.

[shortcut]

Hooked up the FreeAgent Pro 750 and there you go... only issue is having to wait for the guide to populate to add all my Series recordings back in.

The FreeAgent is fairly bright with that band of orange light, but not that bad.

Very simple upgrade.
Highly recommended. :-)

[Tarheel115]

I posted in another thread and was told I needed esata - sata then another thread the another response said esata-esata cable... After buying the Seagate 750 Free Agent it has esata port which looks larger than the sata port on the rear of the hr20-700..Just a little confused and wanting to make sure I order the correct cable Thanks for the help..Any links to the correct cable from Fryes or anywhere else would help...

[GollyGee]

I posted in another thread and was told I needed esata - sata then another thread the another response said esata-esata cable... After buying the Seagate 750 Free Agent it has esata port which looks larger than the sata port on the rear of the hr20-700..Just a little confused and wanting to make sure I order the correct cable Thanks for the help..Any links to the correct cable from Fryes or anywhere else would help...The HR20-700 has an eSATA connector on the back.

[Tarheel115]

So esata -esata it is Thanks

[comp4pod]

How noisy is the FreeAgent Pro 750? I couldn't stand the loud seeks in my hr10-250 that I upgraded with a Seagate 750.

[guitarjim]

If I did have recordings on the internal Drive Could I watch them If the External was Disconnected ????

Thanks

I did hook up a Seagate ST3500601XS-RK 500GB eSATA External Hard Drive. When I did, I had a few recorded programs on the internal drive. When on the external all my setups where gone and the drive seemed to work fine. When I disconnected the external everything was back including the recorded programs and I was able to watch them.

Jim

[Steve]

Has anyone with a 750GB drive filled it up with HD yet? I'm curious how many storage hours are available.

Does D* take a fixed amount of space, or a % of the drive for the showcases? TIA. /s

[P Smith]

There is a thread from a person who made 3.75 TB disk (array). You can find more info there.

[Earl Bonovich]

Has anyone with a 750GB drive filled it up with HD yet? I'm curious how many storage hours are available.

Does D* take a fixed amount of space, or a % of the drive for the showcases? TIA. /s

Fixed

[John4924]

Has anyone with a 750GB drive filled it up with HD yet? I'm curious how many storage hours are available.

Does D* take a fixed amount of space, or a % of the drive for the showcases? TIA. /s

Haven't filled mine up yet, but from what I can tell based upon the "% available" meter, I "think" that the mpeg2 recordings take up ~6.5 Gb per hour of recording. D* takes a fixed amount of ~100 Gb (?), so 650 Gb remains for recording. And what I have noticed is that each hour takes up 1% of recording space.

So my guess would be 100 hours of mpeg2 recording, and maybe 150 hours? for mpeg 4 streams. See if this makes sense using your meter :)

[Steve]

Haven't filled mine up yet, but from what I can tell based upon the "% available" meter, I "think" that the mpeg2 recordings take up ~6.5 Gb per hour of recording. D* takes a fixed amount of ~100 Gb (?), so 650 Gb remains for recording. And what I have noticed is that each hour takes up 1% of recording space.

So my guess would be 100 hours of mpeg2 recording, and maybe 150 hours? for mpeg 4 streams. See if this makes sense using your meter :)Thanks, John! Very helpful :) /s

[strangelove]

Can anyone who bought the Seagate Freeagent Pro tell me the exact steps they used to get it to work? I got a HR20-100 the other day and a Freeagent Pro from Fry's. I'm been using the HR20 for a couple of days and today tried to get the ext HD attached. I have an esata to esata cable from monoprice. I've tried about a half dozen times with different sequences of attaching things but nothing. Is the Seagate orange light supposed to flash when the hard drive is in use, because right now it stays constant orange.

The way I've tried that I thought should have gotten it to work was:

Power off HR20 and then unplug it. Wait a couple of minutes. Plug in the Freeagent and then press the power on button on the Freeagent. Then plug the esata cable first into the Freeagent and then the HR20. Then plug in the HR 20 and wait for it to boot. Everytime I do that I end up back using the internal HD will all my old recordings present.

P.S. I don't know where to check what software version my box is running. It updated the software since I hooked it up, but I don't know the version.


Thanks

[Michael D'Angelo]

Can anyone who bought the Seagate Freeagent Pro tell me the exact steps they used to get it to work? I got a HR20-100 the other day and a Freeagent Pro from Fry's. I'm been using the HR20 for a couple of days and today tried to get the ext HD attached. I have an esata to esata cable from monoprice. I've tried about a half dozen times with different sequences of attaching things but nothing. Is the Seagate orange light supposed to flash when the hard drive is in use, because right now it stays constant orange.

The way I've tried that I thought should have gotten it to work was:

Power off HR20 and then unplug it. Wait a couple of minutes. Plug in the Freeagent and then press the power on button on the Freeagent. Then plug the esata cable first into the Freeagent and then the HR20. Then plug in the HR 20 and wait for it to boot. Everytime I do that I end up back using the internal HD will all my old recordings present.

P.S. I don't know where to check what software version my box is running. It updated the software since I hooked it up, but I don't know the version.


Thanks

:welcome_s to DBStalk

I have not set one up yet so I am not sure. But from what I have read you have to unplug the HR20. Then you have to connect the eSata cable to the HD. Then connect it to the HR20. Then plug in the HD and let it load. After it is done loading plug in the HR20 and it should take care of everything else by it's self.

[strangelove]

:welcome_s to DBStalk

I have not set one up yet so I am not sure. But from what I have read you have to unplug the HR20. Then you have to connect the eSata cable to the HD. Then connect it to the HR20. Then plug in the HD and let it load. After it is done loading plug in the HR20 and it should take care of everything else by it's self.

How long should I wait to let the hard drive load? I've tried plugging in the esata cable at several different points in the process, including how you described, with no luck. I've tried plugging the cable into the HD both before and after turning the HD on. I've tried only connecting the cable to the HD and then to the HR20 as well as connecting to both and then turning the HD on. I've usually only been waiting about 30secs after turning on the HD before hooking up the cable; do I need to wait longer?

Thanks

[Michael D'Angelo]

How long should I wait to let the hard drive load? I've tried plugging in the esata cable at several different points in the process, including how you described, with no luck. I've tried plugging the cable into the HD both before and after turning the HD on. I've tried only connecting the cable to the HD and then to the HR20 as well as connecting to both and then turning the HD on. I've usually only been waiting about 30secs after turning on the HD before hooking up the cable; do I need to wait longer?

Thanks

Not sure. Like I said I have not hooked up one yet. I would give it about 2 minutes. That should let it fully load. Let me know what happens.

[krock918316]

I just installed that same drive in my HR20-100S. Here are the steps I used to install my Freeagent Pro drive.

1. Power off the HR20.
2. Connect the esata cable to the drive and HR20
3. Power on the Seagate drive, and let it sit for a few minutes
4. Power on the HR20

I didn't press any buttons on my Freeagent, I just plugged it in, and the orange lights came on. I haven't noticed any activity lights blinking on the drive. Mine worked fine the first time I tried it this way.

[rayxxxle]

How long should I wait to let the hard drive load? I've tried plugging in the esata cable at several different points in the process, including how you described, with no luck. I've tried plugging the cable into the HD both before and after turning the HD on. I've tried only connecting the cable to the HD and then to the HR20 as well as connecting to both and then turning the HD on. I've usually only been waiting about 30secs after turning on the HD before hooking up the cable; do I need to wait longer?

Thanks

I don't have the Seagate, have a 3 Gen one terrabyte raid. The steps I used:
power down both drive(s) and HR20 by unplugging, not just turning them off.
Connect the cable to both units. After waiting about 5 minutes after unplugging everything and connecting the cable, Plug in the drive(s) and turn them on. Let them spin up (one minute should be more than enough. Then plug in the HR20 and turn it on. Should go through the complete power on sequence, and have the eSata as the operating drive. If not, you probably have a bad drive or cable. I had a couple of power outages :eek2: after the install, and they both came up at the same time with no problem. I now have a battery backup on both.
Errol

[krock918316]

rayxxxle,

A little off topic...but what kind of battery backup did you get? We just had some storms blow through, and the power flickered and missed about 5 minutes of recording. Thanks

[lucky13]

I don't have the Seagate, have a 3 Gen one terrabyte raid. The steps I used:
power down both drive(s) and HR20 by unplugging, not just turning them off.
Connect the cable to both units. After waiting about 5 minutes after unplugging everything and connecting the cable, Plug in the drive(s) and turn them on. Let them spin up (one minute should be more than enough. Then plug in the HR20 and turn it on. Should go through the complete power on sequence, and have the eSata as the operating drive. If not, you probably have a bad drive or cable. I had a couple of power outages :eek2: after the install, and they both came up at the same time with no problem. I now have a battery backup on both.
Errol

I have a SG 750 that I haven't connected yet, and a SG500 that's worked just fine. The sequence described above should always work.

When you want to switch back to the internal drive, it's not necessary to power both units down. Unplug the HR20, disconnect the ESATA cable from the HR20 only, power the HR20 back up, and you're set. To go back to the external drive, unplug the HR20, plug the ESATA cable back into the HR20, power up the HR20.
I've done this multiple times (though not with 14f) without a hitch.

[LDLemu4U]

Haven't filled mine up yet, but from what I can tell based upon the "% available" meter, I "think" that the mpeg2 recordings take up ~6.5 Gb per hour of recording. D* takes a fixed amount of ~100 Gb (?), so 650 Gb remains for recording. And what I have noticed is that each hour takes up 1% of recording space.

So my guess would be 100 hours of mpeg2 recording, and maybe 150 hours? for mpeg 4 streams. See if this makes sense using your meter :)

Right, John.....I have a 500 gig and from my meter I estimate about 75 hrs of mpeg2 recordings.

[strangelove]

I just installed that same drive in my HR20-100S. Here are the steps I used to install my Freeagent Pro drive.

1. Power off the HR20.
2. Connect the esata cable to the drive and HR20
3. Power on the Seagate drive, and let it sit for a few minutes
4. Power on the HR20

I didn't press any buttons on my Freeagent, I just plugged it in, and the orange lights came on. I haven't noticed any activity lights blinking on the drive. Mine worked fine the first time I tried it this way.

:mad: Still no luck. I've tried everything. Unplugged both the HR20 and HD and let them sit for about 15min. Then hooked up the esata cable to both. Then I plugged the HD back in. My Freeagent won't turn on unless I press the power button on the base and then it turns orange (could this mean anything?). Then I waited another 15min with just the HD on. Then I plugged in the HR20 and waited for it to boot up (it takes about 30s for the HR20 to power on after plugging it in, is that normal?). The HR20 then boots up like normal but I'm back to the internal HD showing up with all my previous recordings.

This is getting really frustrating. I spent more on the HD than the HR20 and I don't know if the problem is the HD, the cable, or the HR20. I hope it's not the HD because I don't know what kind of trouble Fry's will give me for returning an opened HD if it's not defective. Plus there's no way the internal HD will be enough space for me. After 2d I already have 50% filled.

Any help please,

Thanks

[Bish]

:mad: Still no luck. I've tried everything. Unplugged both the HR20 and HD and let them sit for about 15min. Then hooked up the esata cable to both. Then I plugged the HD back in. My Freeagent won't turn on unless I press the power button on the base and then it turns orange (could this mean anything?). Then I waited another 15min with just the HD on. Then I plugged in the HR20 and waited for it to boot up (it takes about 30s for the HR20 to power on after plugging it in, is that normal?). The HR20 then boots up like normal but I'm back to the internal HD showing up with all my previous recordings.

This is getting really frustrating. I spent more on the HD than the HR20 and I don't know if the problem is the HD, the cable, or the HR20. I hope it's not the HD because I don't know what kind of trouble Fry's will give me for returning an opened HD if it's not defective. Plus there's no way the internal HD will be enough space for me. After 2d I already have 50% filled.

Any help please,

Thanks

Frys should give you no problems returning an open box as long as it is within the first 30 days. I have returned a few things and it has never been an issue.

One thing you could try is hooking up the FreeAgent to your PC via usb and see if you can "see" it. When I initially got mine i did a full test, made an image of the preinstalled software, and deleted the partition. THEN I hooked it up to my HR20 with everything turned off. Powered on the Freeagent, waited 10 seconds, plugged in the HR20 and it just worked.

[Steve]

Right, John.....I have a 500 gig and from my meter I estimate about 75 hrs of mpeg2 recordings.Did you mean to say MPEG-4? MPEG-2 recordings on my HR10 used to consume about 8 gigs per hour. If the same for the HR20, that would probably but you closer to 50 hours MPEG2 (after the 100 GB that D* uses). /s

[lucky13]

:mad: Still no luck. I've tried everything. Unplugged both the HR20 and HD and let them sit for about 15min. Then hooked up the esata cable to both. Then I plugged the HD back in. My Freeagent won't turn on unless I press the power button on the base and then it turns orange (could this mean anything?). Then I waited another 15min with just the HD on. Then I plugged in the HR20 and waited for it to boot up (it takes about 30s for the HR20 to power on after plugging it in, is that normal?). The HR20 then boots up like normal but I'm back to the internal HD showing up with all my previous recordings.

This is getting really frustrating. I spent more on the HD than the HR20 and I don't know if the problem is the HD, the cable, or the HR20. I hope it's not the HD because I don't know what kind of trouble Fry's will give me for returning an opened HD if it's not defective. Plus there's no way the internal HD will be enough space for me. After 2d I already have 50% filled.

Any help please,

Thanks


When connecting for the first time, or after a power outage:

1. Plug in the ESATA. If it has a separate power switch, turn that on.
2. Let the drive fully power up and get ready. 5 minutes should be more than sufficient.
3. Connect the ESATA cable to the drive.
4. Connect the ESATA cable to the HR20.
5. Power up the HR20.

I have made the mistake, after a power outage (happening too frequently lately--thanks, PEPCO), of just restarting the HR20. If you've had a power blip and the external drive no longer shows, disconnect everything: unplug power from both the dvr and the drive, and remove the ESATA cable from both. Wait a couple of minutes for both units to discharge. Then proceed as above.

Once the ESATA has been successfully connected, you should be able to switch between the internal and external drives without touching the ESATA drive:
1. Disconnect the power cord from the HR20.
2. Unplug or plug in the ESATA cord to the HR20 (depending on which drive you want to use).
3. Plug the HR20 back in.
This process will take little more than the HR20's reboot time.

[P Smith]

The rule #1 is connect interface cable FIRST, then connect power cable to the peripheral devices.
The rule #2 is power on all peripheral devices (disk, mouse :), monitor, etc) first, then turn on central box (PC, DVR, etc).

[Smuuth]

I don't know if this is a good buy, but Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000ND93DO/ref=s9_asin_title_1/002-5874084-8408853?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YANGEABH3QJ0481ET5B&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240301&pf_rd_i=507846) has it for $279.95

[Steve]

The rule #1 is connect interface cable FIRST, then connect power cable to the peripheral devices.
The rule #2 is power on all peripheral devices (disk, mouse :), monitor, etc) first, then turn on central box (PC, DVR, etc).Should the DVR be unplugged during Rule #1? Or just powered-down via the remote? TIA. /s

[Tom M]

I don't know if this is a good buy, but Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000ND93DO/ref=s9_asin_title_1/002-5874084-8408853?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0YANGEABH3QJ0481ET5B&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240301&pf_rd_i=507846) has it for $279.95While that's not a bad everyday price, if one keeps an eye out it can be had for about $100 less by using coupons and pricematching. Fry's had it on sale last week for $239 as well. By doing the PM+coupon thing I managed to score one for about $180 before taxes. I'm waiting for the UPS truck to show up today to give it a try. Picked up an esata-esata cable from monoprice so hopefully with the recent postings on hooking it up I'm good to go.

[P Smith]

Should the DVR be unplugged during Rule #1? Or just powered-down via the remote? TIA. /s
I presume all the devices unplugged from wall receptacles and doesn't have connection between when you decied to assemble.

[Tom Robertson]

Should the DVR be unplugged during Rule #1? Or just powered-down via the remote? TIA. /s

Unplugged power-down. "Off" via the remote is really "Standby" as the CPU is still running, the disk is still spinning, and the operating system is still very closely tied to the disk at that moment.

So unplug the power from everything is Rule #0. (Or step #0.)

Cheers,
Tom

[lucky13]

The rule #1 is connect interface cable FIRST, then connect power cable to the peripheral devices.
The rule #2 is power on all peripheral devices (disk, mouse :), monitor, etc) first, then turn on central box (PC, DVR, etc).

Yes, but it just doesn't work that way with the HR20 and ESATA, at least not for me. For whatever reason, when I follow the usual rule and connect the ext drive to the HR20 before powering up the drive, the HR20 just won't see it.
It seems always to work for me when I follow the steps in post #1069, above.

I'm very far from an expert in this. However, the brief instructions that came with the Seagate Freeagent also say (1) plug in the drive and (2) connect it to your computer. The on-line manual says to "connect the power and data cables," although that wording doesn't emphasize the order.

http://www.seagate.com/support/freeagent/FreeAgent_Pro_Data_Mover.pdf

[strangelove]

The rule #1 is connect interface cable FIRST, then connect power cable to the peripheral devices.
The rule #2 is power on all peripheral devices (disk, mouse :), monitor, etc) first, then turn on central box (PC, DVR, etc).

I've tried it both ways and still no luck. I hooked up the Freeagent to my computer and as soon as I plugged in the USB cable the drive turned on (it still doesn't automatically turn on with just plugging in the power cord unless the usb is plugged in as well). My computer detected the Freeagent no problem. I even reformatted the Freeagent HD but still no luck getting th HR20 to recognize it.

In light of this I think the problem is either the HR20 or the cable. Since the Freeagent won't turn on when hooked to the HR20 it seems like there is no connection being established between the two (it's like the HD doesn't even know it's attached to anything). So either the cable is dead or the port on the HR20 isn't working. Since the cable is brand new I'm leaning toward it being the HR20.

Again, my HR20 is a newly installed HR20-100S. It updated the software once it was initially installed, but I don't know to what version (I think it's 0x146). Is there a certain software version it needs to be to have the ESATA port active? Also, will Directv let me exchange the HR20 just because the ESATA isn't working (because I know that's not even a supported feature yet)?

[rekerdguy]

I've tried it both ways and still no luck. I hooked up the Freeagent to my computer and as soon as I plugged in the USB cable the drive turned on (it still doesn't automatically turn on with just plugging in the power cord unless the usb is plugged in as well). My computer detected the Freeagent no problem. I even reformatted the Freeagent HD but still no luck getting th HR20 to recognize it.

In light of this I think the problem is either the HR20 or the cable. Since the Freeagent won't turn on when hooked to the HR20 it seems like there is no connection being established between the two (it's like the HD doesn't even know it's attached to anything). So either the cable is dead or the port on the HR20 isn't working.

I'm having exactly the same problems as strangelove. I read through the entire thread, tried multiple different sequences of plugging in the cables and powering on the HD. I've also tried a new eSATA cable with no luck. I have two HR20-700s running 0x14f and tried a 500GB Seagate in addition to the 750GB. I can't get either HR-700 to recognize either Seagate drive.

Any fresh recommendations are welcome, thanks.

[strangelove]

Well, I ended up returning the Freeagent Pro. It seemed like something was up with the ESATA connection because I noticed I could get the FA to automatically turn on when connected to the HR20 if I really pressed in the cable and pushed it up a little. This made me think that the HR20 ESATA port was active but that the connection was bad. As soon as I let go of the cable on the FA the connection would be lost and the FA would power off. Even with holding the cable in place I was never able to get the HR20 to boot off the FA HD.

So I returned the FA and got the internal Seagate 750GB Fry's had on sale this week. I'm ordering the KINGWIN JT-35E-BK Aluminum 3.5" eSATA External Enclosure previously mentioned in this thread. It comes with it's own ESATA cable so in effect I'll have a new cable and external HD. If it still doesn't work then I know it's my HR20 and it'll be time to start calling up Directv. If this setup does work then it'll only end up costing a few bucks more than I paid for the Freeagent.

Thanks for all the help and I'll report how it works when I get the enclosure.

[CobraGuy]

I think I deserve a medal or something...I just read all 44 pages of this thread. (I need to get a life!)

This is what is obvious and what many here may not see without reading everything in the thread:

(1) Stay away from Thecus. Most of the issues have come from folks using that enclosure. Some are successful...many are not.

(2) Stay away from WD drives. I read about a lot more issues with those drives.

(3) Jumper your drives to 1.5 gb. That seems to be the most stable. Even if many are successful with the 3.0 rate, 1.5 seems to have less issues and there seems to be no loss of performance.

And lastly, if I hear anyone badmouth Microsoft again, I think I'll hit them in the mouth!! They write software a zillion times more complicated than what the HR-20 uses and have less issues. D* developers have their hands full...and they are working feverishly on the fixes. All this has done for me is develop a newfound respect for Microsoft and others who bring out very complicated code with less problems than we see here. I'm not bashing D*....I'm just applauding all the other developers who get it pretty well right the first time.

Oh yes...Strangelove...let us know how it goes with D* and your bad esata port. I have a feeling they won't do a thing for you because it's not officially supported. You may have to come up with another issue to get it replaced.

[GollyGee]

I'm having exactly the same problems as strangelove. I read through the entire thread, tried multiple different sequences of plugging in the cables and powering on the HD. I've also tried a new eSATA cable with no luck. I have two HR20-700s running 0x14f and tried a 500GB Seagate in addition to the 750GB. I can't get either HR-700 to recognize either Seagate drive.

Any fresh recommendations are welcome, thanks.Are you sure that you're waiting long enough? When the HR20 sees the new drive, it will format it, and it can take a long time to format 750 GB.

[Tom Robertson]

Are you sure that you're waiting long enough? When the HR20 sees the new drive, it will format it, and it can take a long time to format 750 GB.

It takes about 30 seconds. All the HR20 does is create a partition table with raw partitions.

Cheers,
Tom

[rekerdguy]

Are you sure that you're waiting long enough? When the HR20 sees the new drive, it will format it, and it can take a long time to format 750 GB.

Actually, I bought another set of eSATA cables yesterday (from Fry's this time) and both units worked immediately. The connectors on the Fry's cables were slightly different than the cables I bought previously and the fit was more snug. That was all it took. Thanks to all for your feedback.

[John4924]

I'm having exactly the same problems as strangelove. I read through the entire thread, tried multiple different sequences of plugging in the cables and powering on the HD. I've also tried a new eSATA cable with no luck. I have two HR20-700s running 0x14f and tried a 500GB Seagate in addition to the 750GB. I can't get either HR-700 to recognize either Seagate drive.

Any fresh recommendations are welcome, thanks.

This may be off the wall, but I remember a problem I had with an external drive for my computer awhile back. It seems that when I had the external disk drive plugged into a UPS, the disk would power up, but would NEVER be acknowledged by the computer. As soon as I would plug the drive directly into a wall plug, it would work just fine. Just a wild question; do you have this eSata and the HR20 plugged into a UPS? If so, just for grins, take the eSata directly to a wall outlet and see if this works.

You asked for fresh recommendations, so I am just throwing this out there. :)

Cheers,
John

[John4924]

Actually, I bought another set of eSATA cables yesterday (from Fry's this time) and both units worked immediately. The connectors on the Fry's cables were slightly different than the cables I bought previously and the fit was more snug. That was all it took. Thanks to all for your feedback.

I just noticed this reply, so please ignore my previous post..:D

[P Smith]

Shoot first, then ask a name ! :D:D

[lorick]

I have to disagree with this:

I think I deserve a medal or something...I just read all 44 pages of this thread. (I need to get a life!)

This is what is obvious and what many here may not see without reading everything in the thread:

(1) Stay away from Thecus. Most of the issues have come from folks using that enclosure. Some are successful...many are not.

I have had a Thecus since January and have NEVER had a problem.

(2) Stay away from WD drives. I read about a lot more issues with those drives.

I have 2 WD drives in my Thecus and have NEVER had a problem.

(3) Jumper your drives to 1.5 gb. That seems to be the most stable. Even if many are successful with the 3.0 rate, 1.5 seems to have less issues and there seems to be no loss of performance.

I did not jumper my drives and have NEVER had a problem

And lastly, if I hear anyone badmouth Microsoft again, I think I'll hit them in the mouth!! They write software a zillion times more complicated than what the HR-20 uses and have less issues. D* developers have their hands full...and they are working feverishly on the fixes. All this has done for me is develop a newfound respect for Microsoft and others who bring out very complicated code with less problems than we see here. I'm not bashing D*....I'm just applauding all the other developers who get it pretty well right the first time.

I am definitely on your side on this statement.

Oh yes...Strangelove...let us know how it goes with D* and your bad esata port. I have a feeling they won't do a thing for you because it's not officially supported. You may have to come up with another issue to get it replaced.

[CobraGuy]

I'm glad you are doing so well with that setup lorick. As I said...some are successful with that arrangement. But by far, most of the issues posted about are with Thecus/WD. It makes me wonder why many work just fine and others don't. Very strange....

[dezufnoC]

I have to disagree with this:

Cosign on that. I too have had mine since January and have not had a single issue with this box. I used maxtor hard drives in mine with the same positive results. Not sure what some of these people's issues are but this was the best solution for me to get 1TB of recording space and also the cheapest!

[lorick]

I'm glad you are doing so well with that setup lorick. As I said...some are successful with that arrangement. But by far, most of the issues posted about are with Thecus/WD. It makes me wonder why many work just fine and others don't. Very strange....


I think part of the reason is the Thecus solution is the most bang for the buck and has been used more then the other solutions. 1TB of space for less then $400.

[Tom M]

Got my 750GB FreeAgent Pro installed today after having to wait a week for monoprice to correct a shipping error and send me the correct cable. Had a couple of false starts but things came up the third time. First time around the drive light was on during boot up but then went out. Needless to say the hr20 didn't see the drive. I then had to go through a few attempts at getting the drive to light up again. After finally powering down everything and starting over things finally came up. Now for the hassle of setting everything up again as far as configuration and series links...

UPDATE:
Some weird things happened. I couldn't get the "one button guide" to work even though the screen would let me change it. After pressing OK it would revert back to normal. After doing the RBR the drive wasn't seen and had appaently spun down based on the feel of things. A power off (unplug) also didn't recover the drive so I had to go through the "unplug all cables" scenario. This brought the drive back up but when I went to customize the guide channels the CUSTOM labels were blanks. Very strange.

[oenophile]

I think part of the reason is the Thecus solution is the most bang for the buck and has been used more then the other solutions. 1TB of space for less then $400.No issues for me with Thecus--using since February. I agree, the Thecus seems to have been used more than any other enclosure (by far). If someone can come up with an enclosure that has been used more successfully (i.e. x people use Thecus okay and x+y people use some other enclosure okay), I would be surprised.

[strangelove]

Well, I ended up returning the Freeagent Pro. It seemed like something was up with the ESATA connection because I noticed I could get the FA to automatically turn on when connected to the HR20 if I really pressed in the cable and pushed it up a little. This made me think that the HR20 ESATA port was active but that the connection was bad. As soon as I let go of the cable on the FA the connection would be lost and the FA would power off. Even with holding the cable in place I was never able to get the HR20 to boot off the FA HD.

So I returned the FA and got the internal Seagate 750GB Fry's had on sale this week. I'm ordering the KINGWIN JT-35E-BK Aluminum 3.5" eSATA External Enclosure previously mentioned in this thread. It comes with it's own ESATA cable so in effect I'll have a new cable and external HD. If it still doesn't work then I know it's my HR20 and it'll be time to start calling up Directv. If this setup does work then it'll only end up costing a few bucks more than I paid for the Freeagent.

Thanks for all the help and I'll report how it works when I get the enclosure.


Well I got me a Seagate 750GB internal HD and this enclosure here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121022

Bingo, worked on the first try with my HR20-100S.

So either it was a problem with the Freeagent Pro (possibly a bad unit, the ESATA connector seemed a little wobbly) or a bad cable from Monoprice.

The only problem now is boy is the HD noisy. It's constantly chirping and I can hear it from across the room (like 15ft away). Is there anything that can be done about this. I know some HD manufacturers have acoustic management utilities but I didn't see anything on Seagate's web page.

[John4924]

Well I got me a Seagate 750GB internal HD and this enclosure here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121022

Bingo, worked on the first try with my HR20-100S.

So either it was a problem with the Freeagent Pro (possibly a bad unit, the ESATA connector seemed a little wobbly) or a bad cable from Monoprice.

The only problem now is boy is the HD noisy. It's constantly chirping and I can hear it from across the room (like 15ft away). Is there anything that can be done about this. I know some HD manufacturers have acoustic management utilities but I didn't see anything on Seagate's web page.

I put some rubber pads on the bottom of the HR20 and my Seagate 750GB hard drive..also when you are not watching TV, tune to a channel you do not receive (like channel 95 for me) and you will not have anything hitting the hard drive. :)

[lucky13]

Some weird things happened. I couldn't get the "one button guide" to work even though the screen would let me change it. After pressing OK it would revert back to normal. After doing the RBR the drive wasn't seen and had appaently spun down based on the feel of things. A power off (unplug) also didn't recover the drive so I had to go through the "unplug all cables" scenario. This brought the drive back up but when I went to customize the guide channels the CUSTOM labels were blanks. Very strange.

For those who are cutting edgers, you'll have to re-search for IAMANEDGECUTTER and reset your miscellaneous options after hooking up the ESATA.

The misc options screen seems to be dependent on the presence of IAMANEDGECUTTER in recent searches, and recent searches are stored on the hard drive. So you have to redo the process after hooking up a drive.

BTW, I just tested the Freeagent 750. Orange light didn't come on till the HR20 powered up, but it found the ext drive on first try. Still want to store a few more things on the int drive, so I powered down the dvr, unplugged the ESATA, and powered back up. Orange lights on the FA dimmed, but then came back on.

[hoss713]

I promised a follow-up after a month...

It's been just over 1 month since I replaced my HR20-700 and I'm happy to report, I haven't had a single issue with my eSATA setup.

For details, see my previous post:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=894712&postcount=981


lj

[lucky13]

Finally found a use for the Music and Pictures option.

I've been loading up the internal drive of one of my HR20s with series that my wife and I will get to in the months between May sweeps and the start of next season. I have most of Law and Order, Dresden Files, and a few others.

Before switching to the ESATA, I took pictures of the playlist--first in alpha order, then each group in date order (showing the episodes).

Downloaded the pix to a laptop on my network, and now the contents of the internal drive are visible (though not viewable) on the ESATA.

[AFH]

With the Seagate 750 HD or the Kingwin you guys mentioned, how many hours of HD will that allow you to record with a mix of SD? I'm to the point where I have about 10 HD movies on the HD in the HR20-700 and about 12 hours of HD television shows and I need more space so I don't feel pressured to watch this stuff right away before the HR20 deletes it.

[Steve]

With the Seagate 750 HD you guys mentioned, how many hours of HD will that allow you to record with a mix of SD? I'm to the point where I have about 10 HD movies on the HD in the HR20-700 and about 12 hours of HD television shows and I need more space so I don't feel pressured to watch this stuff right away before the HR20 deletes it.750 GB = 90 hours of MPEG-2 HD, and probably 125 of MPEG-4 HD.

MPEG-2 HD is about 8.3 gig/hour. SD is about 1.25 gig/hour. I think MPEG-4 is about 5 gig/hour. /s

[lucky13]

750 GB = 90 hours of MPEG-2 HD, and probably 125 of MPEG-4 HD.

MPEG-2 HD is about 8.3 gig/hour. SD is about 1.25 gig/hour. I think MPEG-4 is about 5 gig/hour. /s
Never measured it that exactly, but your math excludes the 50-100 gb (I've seen both numbers here) the DTV reserves for its own use.

[AFH]

Never measured it that exactly, but your math excludes the 50-100 gb (I've seen both numbers here) the DTV reserves for its own use.

So even with the eSATA drive, DTV reserves 50 to 100 gbs of that for their own use?

[lucky13]

So even with the eSATA drive, DTV reserves 50 to 100 gbs of that for their own use?

Yes, because right now the external drive replaces the internal drive; you cannot access them at the same time.

You won't lose your current recordings and settings--they'll still be there when you unplug the esata and power the dvr back up.

[lflorack]

Does anyone know if there are plans for making the addition of an eSATA drive to the HR20 a supplement to the internal hard drive rather than a replacement?

[lucky13]

Does anyone know if there are plans for making the addition of an eSATA drive to the HR20 a supplement to the internal hard drive rather than a replacement?

I've raised that issue and related transition concerns.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=912419#post912419

I've been repeatedly told that ESATA is near the bottom of the barrel for the DTV engineers.

Edit: Couldn't get insert link to work. Here it is: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=912419#post912419

[Steve]

Never measured it that exactly, but your math excludes the 50-100 gb (I've seen both numbers here) the DTV reserves for its own use.You're right. The gig/hour numbers for MPEG-2 HD (8.33) and SD (1.25) are correct, though. MPEG-4 (5) is my guess.

I think D* claims up to 50 hours HD for the stock 300 gig drive, which would make MPEG-4 closer to 4 gigs/hour (200/50). Maybe 4.5 gigs/hour for MPEG-4 is a better guestimate. /s

[John4924]

With the Seagate 750 HD or the Kingwin you guys mentioned, how many hours of HD will that allow you to record with a mix of SD? I'm to the point where I have about 10 HD movies on the HD in the HR20-700 and about 12 hours of HD television shows and I need more space so I don't feel pressured to watch this stuff right away before the HR20 deletes it.

I have actually measured bit rates for OTA mpeg2 channels when I had my media PC operational (prior to my HR20 :D ). What I observed is the stream bit rates were between 14 & 15 Mb(its)ps. If you work this out, this corresponds to 6.3 to 6.75 GB(ytes) per hour. So I use 6.5GB per hour on average. I have a 750GB external eSata, D* holds ~100GB for their use, so 650GB is available for recording. And this fits nicely with the "usage meter" on the DVR. I have observed that every hour of mpeg2 OTA I record takes up 1% of the recording space. :)

Cheers,
John

[Steve]

I have actually measured bit rates for OTA mpeg2 channels when I had my media PC operational (prior to my HR20 :D ). What I observed is the stream bit rates were between 14 & 15 Mb(its)ps. If you work this out, this corresponds to 6.3 to 6.75 GB(ytes) per hour. So I use 6.5GB per hour on average. I have a 750GB external eSata, D* holds ~100GB for their use, so 650GB is available for recording. And this fits nicely with the "usage meter" on the DVR. I have observed that every hour of mpeg2 OTA I record takes up 1% of the recording space. Weakness (http://www.weaknees.com/hughes-hr10-250.php) says a single drive 750GB HR10 will store 100 hours of MPEG-2. If that is D*'s MPEG-2, then it is more compressed than OTA. Your local affiliates may be throttling your bitstream.

The original HR10 with a 250 GB drive holds 30 hours of HD, or 8.3 gigs/ hour. That may be full bandwidth OTA HD, which explains the difference from 7.5 gigs above. I believe the Tivo s/w only uses about 1 gig of the drive. /s

[funhouse69]

I have actually measured bit rates for OTA mpeg2 channels when I had my media PC operational (prior to my HR20 :D ). What I observed is the stream bit rates were between 14 & 15 Mb(its)ps. If you work this out, this corresponds to 6.3 to 6.75 GB(ytes) per hour. So I use 6.5GB per hour on average. I have a 750GB external eSata, D* holds ~100GB for their use, so 650GB is available for recording. And this fits nicely with the "usage meter" on the DVR. I have observed that every hour of mpeg2 OTA I record takes up 1% of the recording space. :)

Cheers,
John

I agree with John - I went with a Seagate 750 in a case I picked up from New Egg back at the end of March and it's been working perfectly **Knock On Wood** :D I have a ton of stuff recorded on it and haven't gone past 55% yet. When I delete an hour long HD Show Mpeg2 it releases 1% of space. I'm SO glad I did this - I can't wait until they activate both drives but hopefully I won't loose all of my recorded shows when that happened. Lots of good stuff to watch like the Planet Earth Series which has not disappointed at all!

I can't comment on the SD Content as I haven't bothered recording any on the HR20. I use my 2 SD TiVO's for that.

So for anyone that is considering adding more space I say go for it. This has been very painless for me and the additional space is more than welcome. I will more than likely be replacing one of my SD TiVO's in the near future with another HR20 which will also have an external drive added to it. This one I might go with the 2 drive enclosure for even more storage in preparation for the new HD Channels that we all should see in September. If only I could figure out a way to connect this to my 3.2TB RAID Array - that would be sweet!

[John4924]

... If only I could figure out a way to connect this to my 3.2TB RAID Array - that would be sweet!

Funhouse, look at this thread....

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=74560

I actually tried to order one of these about a month ago, and the company sent me an e-mail back saying they were "out of stock". You may want to give it a go to see if they are now available? If you are successful, please post. :)

Cheers,
John

[pcbosis]

I just ordered the following esata/usb hard drive for my dtv hd recorder. It is a 750gb Seagate external drive

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5189186?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

you will also need to purchase the esata to esata cable as the drive does not come with one.

http://shop3.outpost.com/product/5222607?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

The drive is on sale now for $239 including shipping and when I went to the Frys store near me they wanted $299 for the same drive so if you want to save $60 get it online.

[lucky13]

I have the SG Freeagent 750 and it works great. HR20 found it on the first try. I've been loading it up for 2 weeks, and still 85 percent free.
And the orange light is a nice complement to the DTV blue.

[MnGuy]

I have the SG Freeagent 750 and it works great. HR20 found it on the first try. I've been loading it up for 2 weeks, and still 85 percent free.
And the orange light is a nice complement to the DTV blue.


Cool. I was looking at the eSATA external HDs, but wasn't sure they would work. I might get one, but with summer coming and less shows to record, I may wait until the fall.

[TWJR]

I have the SG Freeagent 750 and it works great. HR20 found it on the first try. I've been loading it up for 2 weeks, and still 85 percent free.
And the orange light is a nice complement to the DTV blue.:) Finally got my SG FA 750 to work. I was turning on the HD after plugging in. When I did not turn on and plugged in the DVR the HD powered on. Everything worked fine after that. Even had a brief power outage. The DVR reset and the external drive was still there.

[mikek]

I just got my HR20 and having been reading a lot.

I read this thread I was wondering if the percentage graphic is accurate when you install a new HDD.

-mk

[bdeweese]

Just another quick success story for the Thecus 2050 and 2 x Samsung 500gb drives setup. Having literally spent hours over the past few years tweaking my HR10-250 to do just about everything except make dinner (even got the dailymail feature working so it would send me an email of all of my scheduling, issues, etc.) I must say this HR-20 add-on turned out to be the absolute easiest upgrade ever!! I ordered everything from Newegg and total cost for the 1tb was just under 380, including the case, drives and 3 day shipping. I know prices will fall once the 1tb's come out, but I think this is still pretty reasonable for right now.

The whole setup took about 10 minutes - installed the drives, powered up the 2050, rebooted the HR-20. After only a few extra minutes the system came back up with the external drive available and working. Only been up for a few hours so too early to declare it a problem free upgrade - but encouraged so far. I have the HR20-100, fwiw.

Thanks to this forum and others who pointed out this combination!!

Bob

p.s. - Since I know it has been asked before - I did not jumper the drives, and they are running Raid 0 - total of 1 tb minus the 50 -100gb dtv overhead.

[frivera28]

Any update on the Thecus 2050 uprgrade?

[Spanky_Partain]

I just got my HR20 and having been reading a lot.

I read this thread I was wondering if the percentage graphic is accurate when you install a new HDD.

-mk

The drive(s) must be equal to or larger than 300GB.

The percentage graph should work as expected.

Okay... I was corrected by my DirecTV contacts (after they saw the thread).
I had a mis-interpretation from our phone converstation yesterday...

When adding an external drive, DirecTV will use some of the space... the same amount they use on the 300gb drive now 50gb~100gb.

So if you add a 1TB drive, 900gb is for user recordings, 100gb is for DirecTV pushes. 21TB enclosure; 20,900gb for user recordings, 100gb is for DirecTV...

ShapeGSX and PoitNarf... I deleted our threads discussing that, since the basis of the discussion was wrong, and I didn't want to confuse future readers.

[bdeweese]

Any update on the Thecus 2050 uprgrade?


So far so good - thing is quiet as can be (I picked the samsung drives for that reason - though others may be just as quiet - not sure). System temp dropped a couple degrees - no real biggie. I know complaint has been that the thecus setup can run hot, depending on the drives and activity. Will have to monitor that - so far so good. Recorded several programs last night and watched a bit before heading off to work this morning and haven't noticed any issues whatsoever.

I had also considered the wd sg750 as an option, but decided on the thecus for a couple of reasons: cost per gb is a tad higher than the 750, but not much - I figure about .38/gb vs. .35/gb - by the time you factor in the added cost of a cable for the 750 (the thecus kit includes everything you need). Hope I did my math right ... Also, not that it will be needed necessarily, but the Thecus still gives me the option of tossing in a couple of 750's down the road, when prices come down - if that made sense to do at some point.

Btw, I know that there's been discussion regarding the 3.0 vs 1.5 transfer rate, and some have had to jumper theirs back to 1.5 (default unjumpered is 3.0 - correct?). Does the HR20 actually take advantage of the higher 3.0 speed, or is it simply a matter of it throttling back but still being able to work over that interface? Trying to figure out if I have any real world speed advantage over similar units that are jumpered at the 1.5.

Thanks!! Bob

p.s. I should point out that I am powering everything through a Panamax 5300 power surge protector/filter. This "may" help with issues some would have with voltage fluctuations, etc. Not sure how finicky the HR20 and/or esata drives would be, but just thought I should point that out ... just in case.

[frivera28]

[QUOTE=bdeweese;943613] Thecus still gives me the option of tossing in a couple of 750's down the road, when prices come down - if that made sense to do at some point.
QUOTE]

So you could have went bigger? Was is just because of the price?

[mgroups]

Those of you who have hundreds of GB of recordings on your eSATA drive, do you notice a significant slowing the HR20 functions such as loading the playlist and the to-do list, starting playback, etc.?

[funhouse69]

Those of you who have hundreds of GB of recordings on your eSATA drive, do you notice a significant slowing the HR20 functions such as loading the playlist and the to-do list, starting playback, etc.?

The short answer in my opinion is no - I've got as mentioned previously in this thread and in my signature a Seagate 750Gb connected to my HR20 and I've had it up to 80% capacity which believe me a LOT of HD Programming. I haven't noticed any performance hit at all.

That said I have heard of some people here that are using external RAID units that offer as much as 3Tb of Storage. I'd be very curious to hear their experience on this. They more than anyone would be able to shed some light on this.

BTW - I should mention that everything that I've recorded has been HD Content which includes national, local and OTA so MPEG 2 & 4 but SD whatsoever. I've got 2 SD Direc-TiVO's for that. I will eventually retire one of the TiVO's and get another HR20 to replace it. Probably as soon as the new bird goes up which should.

[Boleyc]

Got my 750GB FreeAgent Pro installed today after having to wait a week for monoprice to correct a shipping error and send me the correct cable. Had a couple of false starts but things came up the third time. First time around the drive light was on during boot up but then went out. Needless to say the hr20 didn't see the drive. I then had to go through a few attempts at getting the drive to light up again. After finally powering down everything and starting over things finally came up. Now for the hassle of setting everything up again as far as configuration and series links...

UPDATE:
Some weird things happened. I couldn't get the "one button guide" to work even though the screen would let me change it. After pressing OK it would revert back to normal. After doing the RBR the drive wasn't seen and had appaently spun down based on the feel of things. A power off (unplug) also didn't recover the drive so I had to go through the "unplug all cables" scenario. This brought the drive back up but when I went to customize the guide channels the CUSTOM labels were blanks. Very strange.

Tom, any update on your efforts to use the FreeAgent Pro?

[Tom M]

Tom, any update on your efforts to use the FreeAgent Pro?I've got it installed and it's working just fine, thank you. Mine sits outside the entertainment center so I don't have any heat issue, though I may get out some electrical tape to reduce the amount of orange light it produces. All things considered it's a worth while investment.

[scottp461]

My 1st HR20-100 suffered a fatal tuner 2 malfunction only 2 hours after initial power up, about 20 minutes after activation (it took a while!). A replacement is on the way, but this brings me to a question. How long should I wait before adding an eSATA drive to a new HR20-100? I know that you can't move the drive around between different units, but what, if any, problem is there with moving it to a new unit if the unit it was originally used with fails? Will it reformat when attached to the new one or will it need to be reformatted on a PC before it is attached? Or is there no way to "start from scratch", as it were, with a different HR20?

[Rich]

I just edited the original post... well a few minutes ago.

1) Yes, you will have to have the unit unplugged when adding and removing the eSATA drives
2) No, it doesn't retain your series links and other settings, it is like starting with a blank system.

Have been using the Cavalry ESATAs for several months and have gone thru seven or eight until finally getting updated units. These seem to have the noise problem licked, but I will have to use them for several months before I will trust them.

Anyhow, thru all the changes, my DVRs have kept the series links and the settings have remained the same. I just shut off one ESATA the other day so I could watch a movie on the internal HD and when I restored the ESATA the settings were unchanged.

[djt813]

Just got my HR20-700 and ready to expand storage capacity. I'm considering a 750 GB drive and a Raid 0 setup with dual 500 GB drives.

I like the Seagate FreeAgent 750 GM, but heard it gets a little hot and has no fan. Anyone have an update on heat issues? Do the Thecus, or other Raid capable enclosures, do better with heat?

Last, heard differing opinions on performance gains for FastPlay 1/2/3/4 when adding external Raid 0. Anyone want to chime in an opinion?

Derek

[Cyrus]

I know that you can't move the drive around between different units, but what, if any, problem is there with moving it to a new unit if the unit it was originally used with fails? Will it reformat when attached to the new one or will it need to be reformatted on a PC before it is attached? Or is there no way to "start from scratch", as it were, with a different HR20?

It won't reformat automatically, all the recordings from the previous unit will show up but you won't be able to play them. You can reformat it via rebooting hr20 and pushing REC and "down arrow" buttons simultaneously (the REC button will become red when the reformatting happens). "Reset Everything" option can also be used to reformat the drive but that is more drastic and will force you to go through the satellite setup and other stuff.

[rblancojr]

I have not hung around the forums here for many months, especially since I had put off getting HD from D* for various reasons.

I do recall reading about little issues here and there with the HR20. My question is, has anything changed in the last 4 or 5 months? Have bugs and other hiccups when using external drives gone away, gotten better...or worse?:eek2:

Please let me know your thoughts. I have mine being installed on May 31st and want to be ready for when I install the external Seagate drive.

Richard

[John4924]

I have not hung around the forums here for many months, especially since I had put off getting HD from D* for various reasons.

I do recall reading about little issues here and there with the HR20. My question is, has anything changed in the last 4 or 5 months? Have bugs and other hiccups when using external drives gone away, gotten better...or worse?:eek2:

Please let me know your thoughts. I have mine being installed on May 31st and want to be ready for when I install the external Seagate drive.

Richard

FWIW, I have 3 HR20-700s, and two of them have external 750 GB Seagate drives. They have been in operation for about 2 months, and I have NOT had a single problem. I have even powered the units down, removed the external eSata, powered back up, and the recordings, etc. are still on the internal drive. I then power it down again, plug in and power up external eSata, power up HR20, and everything on the eSata is there as before. I have done this numerous times without any problems. [This boot cycle takes about 6 minutes for me]

Now if we could only get the units in my home networked, and play ANY program from ANY HR20, from ANY drive [internal or external], THAT would be fantastic! :D

I think you will be really pleased with this unit.

Cheers,
John

[rblancojr]

Now if we could only get the units in my home networked, and play ANY program from ANY HR20, from ANY drive [internal or external], THAT would be fantastic! :D


John, have you ever tried moving one of the externals to a different HR20? If so, will the "other" HR20 read and play the content?

Also, what is your approximation on the amount of HD recording time that you get with the 720GB external? I know this depends on compression, but asking in case I decided to get two of the 720GB in a RAID setup.

Regards,
Richard

[pjo1966]

If I were to get an eSATA enclosure that held two drives, would it matter whether or not the drives were the same size? I have a 300GB drive sitting on my desk and would like to pair it with a 750GB drive. Is there any reason why this would not work?

[djt813]

If I were to get an eSATA enclosure that held two drives, would it matter whether or not the drives were the same size? I have a 300GB drive sitting on my desk and would like to pair it with a 750GB drive. Is there any reason why this would not work?

Think Raid settings (both 0 and 1) effectively require same size drives, or else will only use 300GB of the larger drive, thus losing the extra 450GB you would purchase. Might work with concatenate setting?

[John4924]

John, have you ever tried moving one of the externals to a different HR20? If so, will the "other" HR20 read and play the content?

Also, what is your approximation on the amount of HD recording time that you get with the 720GB external? I know this depends on compression, but asking in case I decided to get two of the 720GB in a RAID setup.

Regards,
Richard

I have not tried moving one to another HR20 because I have read here that the external hard drive is "coded" to the individual HR20. I was told that if you did do this, the "different" HR20 would reformat the drive to work with this individual unit. I guess this is "protection" to keep someone from moving their coded HD content to just about anwhere.

You need to realize that Directv keeps ~100GB of drive space for future use (VOD, etc.) so from a 750 GB hard drive, you have ~650 GB left for recording. Based on stream bit rates for some OTA channels here in New Orleans, I calculated that using ~6.5 GB/hr is a good approximation. So I assume 100 hrs of MPEG2, and 150 hrs of MPEG4 on a 750 GB drive.

Hope this helps :)

Cheers,
John

[elixir26]

If I were to get an eSATA enclosure that held two drives, would it matter whether or not the drives were the same size? I have a 300GB drive sitting on my desk and would like to pair it with a 750GB drive. Is there any reason why this would not work?

You should be able to do it with an enclosure that supports JBOD. (Just a Bunch Of Drives) Your system will be as reliable as the weakest drive...:)

Cheers

[Cyrus]

I have not tried moving one to another HR20 because I have read here that the external hard drive is "coded" to the individual HR20. I was told that if you did do this, the "different" HR20 would reformat the drive to work with this individual unit. I guess this is "protection" to keep someone from moving their coded HD content to just about anwhere.

I have tried this. It doesn't reformat the disk, but it gives you errors if you attempt to playback any of the recordings (some kind of authorization failure). You can go back to the original hr20 and play them back OK.

[John4924]

I have tried this. It doesn't reformat the disk, but it gives you errors if you attempt to playback any of the recordings (some kind of authorization failure). You can go back to the original hr20 and play them back OK.

Thanks for the answer. This is good to know! :)

Cheers,
John

[Rich]

FWIW, I have 3 HR20-700s, and two of them have external 750 GB Seagate drives. They have been in operation for about 2 months, and I have NOT had a single problem. I have even powered the units down, removed the external eSata, powered back up, and the recordings, etc. are still on the internal drive. I then power it down again, plug in and power up external eSata, power up HR20, and everything on the eSata is there as before. I have done this numerous times without any problems. [This boot cycle takes about 6 minutes for me]

Now if we could only get the units in my home networked, and play ANY program from ANY HR20, from ANY drive [internal or external], THAT would be fantastic! :D

I think you will be really pleased with this unit.

Cheers,
John

Problems with heat? I am thinking of getting a couple of them if my Cavalry upgraded units go South. Have read reports of the Seagate ESATA running very hot.

[mgroups]

I connected a Seagate Freeagent 750GB drive to my HR20-100 using the proper power up and connection sequence. The HR20 does not move the existing playlist or copy the recordings to the Freeagent. The playlist appears as blank, but then, when I record a show, that show shows up on the otherwise empty playlist. Any ideas what the problem is?

[lucky13]

I connected a Seagate Freeagent 750GB drive to my HR20-100 using the proper power up and connection sequence. The HR20 does not move the existing playlist or copy the recordings to the Freeagent. The playlist appears as blank, but then, when I record a show, that show shows up on the otherwise empty playlist. Any ideas what the problem is?

There is no problem. That's how it works.

Your prior recordings and SLs are saved on the internal drive.
If you need to access them, you need to power up (unplug the DVR) with the ESATA disconnected from the dvr.

There are many posts in this thread on this topic.

[mgroups]

Lucky13, thanks for the quick response. I read the thread quite a while ago and only copied down notes on the starting sequence. I thought everything got copied to the eSATA.

So I was planning to return the drive because I thought it was not acting right with the HR20 and also because it was not working right with a PC (tried with two PCs and two USB cables). The drive shows up as new hardware and is listed in Device Manager, but no drive letter shows up and it does not show up in Disk Management. I wonder if that is a result of something the HR20 did to it.

Has anyone else tried connecting the Freeagent drive to a PC with a USB cable after using it with the HR20?

By the way, the drive is 199.00 at BB today and tomorrow.

Edit: I hooked up the drive to my PC again and now it shows up in Disk Management, with three "Unknown Partition"s and about 702GB of total storage. So apparently the HR20 reformatted the drive in a format not understood by Windows and/or the BIOS. If I wanted to use it as a computer drive in the future I could presumably reformat it as an NTFS or FAT drive in Disk Management and it would then be assigned a drive letter for each partition.

I meant to save the software that came with the drive to another drive prior to hooking it up to the HR20. Oh well.

[Milominderbinder2]

External Seagate 750 GB with case $199 just through Memorial Day:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8294017&type=product&id=1172277308443

Normally $369.

- Craig

[Hoxxx]

Wow that is a great price. It won't be long before a 1TB is that price.

[TWJR]

Just got my HR20-700 and ready to expand storage capacity. I'm considering a 750 GB drive and a Raid 0 setup with dual 500 GB drives.

I like the Seagate FreeAgent 750 GM, but heard it gets a little hot and has no fan. Anyone have an update on heat issues? Do the Thecus, or other Raid capable enclosures, do better with heat?

Last, heard differing opinions on performance gains for FastPlay 1/2/3/4 when adding external Raid 0. Anyone want to chime in an opinion?

DerekI've had it hooked up for about 2 weeks. The base gets hot. I have it sitting on a ceramic coaster. No problems and it's very quiet. I do power it off every couple of days. Not sure if it's necessary or not.

[Adamantium]

This is very interesting since Directv screwed me shortly after buying the 700 hour HDTivo. I am wondering if the following would work:

http://www.cooldrives.com/jbquswsa23gh.html

Does there seem to be a concensus favorite when it comes to the brand, size, reliability, etc. of HDs?
Also is there a difference in cables as far as transfer speeds or does it matter?
Lastly, what is the longest length of cable I could get to remotely locate my external HDs(to help with heat, sound, etc.)? Thx in advance!!

[hadji]

This is very interesting since Directv screwed me shortly after buying the 700 hour HDTivo. I am wondering if the following would work:

http://www.cooldrives.com/jbquswsa23gh.html

Does there seem to be a concensus favorite when it comes to the brand, size, reliability, etc. of HDs?
Also is there a difference in cables as far as transfer speeds or does it matter?
Lastly, what is the longest length of cable I could get to remotely locate my external HDs(to help with heat, sound, etc.)? Thx in advance!!


too bad rellerratings for that place is terrible.

[FireWire]

too bad rellerratings for that place is terrible.

Then go to DATOptic or it reseller and get the SBOX-R
w ww.datoptic.com/cgi-bin/web.cgi?product=Sbox-R&detail=yes

It's quiet, hardware raid 1, 0, 10 - it means system independent

you can have 3.75TB space for recording

I like it because it fast and design for 24/7 operation

[P Smith]

Correction of Earl's guess.
He wrote:

(these numbers are estimates)If if you add a 500gb drive; 400gb will be for user space, 100gb for DirecTV. If you had 21TB; 20,900gb for user space, 100gb for DirecTV Edited from original post


Since the numbers widely accepted as written into stone, I'd like to bring them into reality.

320 GB disk ( original ) in HR20-700 have three partitions:
- Swap: 0.5 GB ( double of internal RAM size )
- System data, user settings and logs: 15 GB
- Recordings: rest of the disk space.

[Steve]

Correction of Earl's guess.
He wrote:


Since the numbers widely accepted as written into stone, I'd like to bring them into reality.

320 GB disk ( original ) in HR20-700 have three partitions:
- Swap: 0.5 GB ( double of internal RAM size )
- System data, user settings and logs: 15 GB
- Recordings: rest of the disk space.By this you mean Showcases are stored in the 15GB? Or the Recordings space? Thx. /s

[mrhoads]

External Seagate 750 GB with case $199 just through Memorial Day:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8294017&type=product&id=1172277308443

Normally $369.

- Craig

I just went and bought the drive from BestBuy. But they do not have the eSATA cable and don't know where to get one. Then I found out that there is a SATA, eSATA, lSATA, and ISATS. The HR20-700 says it has a SATA connector, The Drive says it has a eSATA connector.

Does anyone know what cable I need and where I can get one??????
I just ordered a eSATA M/m cable from Amazon but have no idea if that is the correct cable.

[Bish]

I just went and bought the drive from BestBuy. But they do not have the eSATA cable and don't know where to get one. Then I found out that there is a SATA, eSATA, lSATA, and ISATS. The HR20-700 says it has a SATA connector, The Drive says it has a eSATA connector.

Does anyone know what cable I need and where I can get one??????
I just ordered a eSATA M/m cable from Amazon but have no idea if that is the correct cable.

eSATA male/male is what you need so the one you ordered should be fine. At least that's what I got for my FreeAgent Pro 750Gb.

[grate88]

I just went and bought the drive from BestBuy. But they do not have the eSATA cable and don't know where to get one. Then I found out that there is a SATA, eSATA, lSATA, and ISATS. The HR20-700 says it has a SATA connector, The Drive says it has a eSATA connector.

Does anyone know what cable I need and where I can get one??????
I just ordered a eSATA M/m cable from Amazon but have no idea if that is the correct cable.

Just looked it up - you should be good.

You don't want the cable that has a little L shape to it - that is the wrong one - I learned the hard way.

[mrhoads]

Just looked it up - you should be good.

You don't want the cable that has a little L shape to it - that is the wrong one - I learned the hard way.

I bought that one also. After I could not get it to work I was told it was the wrong cable and that no one had the correct cable but they were on order. Why would Best Buy sell a drive and not even know what cable to use.

[Villager]

A Thought on Failure

I'm running 0164 on my HR20, and purchased the SeaGate Free Agent 750 GB, and an eSATA-eSATA cable (1 m) from MonoPrice. I have had no success getting the HR20 and the 750 drive to talk to each other. I unplug both units, wait, and then have used every conceivable combination of cable connection and powering up units (although I always power up the HR20 last with the eSATA cable connected). All to no avail.

The Seagate works fine using the USB-USB cable with either my laptop or my desktop, either before or after attempts at HR20 connections.

What I have noticed is that either end of the eSATA-eSATA seems snug and secure in the HR20 socket, but neither end feels snug or secure in the Seagate. The failure then seems likely to be a failure of the cable to make a connection with the Seagate unit. I'll look for another cable tomorrow and try that. Others in the forum have commented on failed connections. I'm wondering if Seagate used a batch of eSATA connectors that are just a bit off the mark.

[P Smith]

I would try connect by eSATA to PC and check if the connector/internal cabling is OK. Perhaps SATA-USB glitching and blocking eSATA bus ?

[Villager]

I would try connect by eSATA to PC and check if the connector/internal cabling is OK. Perhaps SATA-USB glitching and blocking eSATA bus ?

No eSATA enabled PC available to test your idea! Thanks for the suggestion.

[CliffV]

Here is an interesting problem. I just bought a 750 GB Seagate Freeagent Pro ($199 at Best Buy) and a E-SATA to E-SATA cable ($9 Fry's). I followed the instructions in this thread (several times) and couldn't get the external drive to work.

I noticed that the E-SATA jack on the Freeagent drive was recessed about 1/16th of an inch more than the E-SATA jack on the HR20. I guessed that the cable couldn't make it far enough into the jack. So, I got out my trusty XACTO knife and removed the soft plastic from around the jack on the Freeagent drive. The cable now plugs fully into the jack.

Once I did this, the HR20 recognized the drive first thing. I'm now up and running.

Of course, I'm sure this voids the warranty on the drive. :-)

[P Smith]

Cutting same slack on cable plastic would reduce the loss ;).

[Villager]

I noticed that the E-SATA jack on the Freeagent drive was recessed about 1/16th of an inch more than the E-SATA jack on the HR20. I guessed that the cable couldn't make it far enough into the jack. So, I got out my trusty XACTO knife and removed the soft plastic from around the jack on the Freeagent drive. The cable now plugs fully into the jack.

Once I did this, the HR20 recognized the drive first thing. I'm now up and running.

Of course, I'm sure this voids the warranty on the drive. :-)

So, great minds think alike! I thought that the problem might be something along these lines-- but I had no solution to offer.

[Villager]

OK!!!!

I used my trusty, authentic Swiss Army knife and trimmed some of the rubber from the plug. (Screwing up the plug would cost me <$6 and screwing up the Seagate would cost >$200.) It did take me two tries but finally the HR20 recognized the Seagate. One thing I noted was that the famous red light came up briefly during the bootup procedure, and then the notice about the change to the "white" GUI from DirecTV.

So, 8 hours later, and thanks to a few good suggestions, I'm in business.

[mrhoads]

OK!!!!

I used my trusty, authentic Swiss Army knife and trimmed some of the rubber from the plug. (Screwing up the plug would cost me <$6 and screwing up the Seagate would cost >$200.) It did take me two tries but finally the HR20 recognized the Seagate. One thing I noted was that the famous red light came up briefly during the bootup procedure, and then the notice about the change to the "white" GUI from DirecTV.

So, 8 hours later, and thanks to a few good suggestions, I'm in business.

8 hrs later???? What happened for those 8Hrs?

[Robert Norman]

I installed the 750 GB Seagate Freeagent Pro and a E-SATA to E-SATA cable I ordered from buy.com and by following the instructions listed in this forum and everything came up on the first attempt and the amount of time did not seem any longer then the normal power up. I turn on the Seagate drive and after a couple of minutes plugged the E-SATA cable into the HR20-100s. I then plugged the HR20-100 into electricty and after it came up it retained all my settings except for custom channel list and programs to record. I figured I have to do a complete setup like when I first installed the HR20-100s. I really was surprised that it retained all of this information.
Thanks all for your information. Of course I lost all my previous recordings for it does not see the internal drive like stated in this forum.
Mike

[MnGuy]

I am going to buy the Seagate FreeAgent esata hard drive today at BB for 199. I ordered an esta cable from monoprice. Is this the cable I will need?

2882 SATA External Shielded Cable - eSATA to eSATA (Type I to Type I)

[lucky13]

Of course I lost all my previous recordings for it does not see the internal drive like stated in this forum.
Mike

Just remember that your previous recordings are not lost, just hidden.
You can watch them anytime you like by disconnecting the ESATA drive and rebooting:

Safely power off the HR20:

Restart from menu (DO NOT reset everything--that will wipe your drive)
When the first welcome screen comes up, disconnect the HR20 power cord

Disconnect the ESATA from the back of the HR20
Reconnect the power cord to the HR20.

[Tom M]

I am going to buy the Seagate FreeAgent esata hard drive today at BB for 199. I ordered an esta cable from monoprice. Is this the cable I will need?

2882 SATA External Shielded Cable - eSATA to eSATA (Type I to Type I)That's the one I'm using with my FA 750GB drive.

[Villager]

I am going to buy the Seagate FreeAgent esata hard drive today at BB for 199. I ordered an esta cable from monoprice. Is this the cable I will need?

2882 SATA External Shielded Cable - eSATA to eSATA (Type I to Type I)

That is the cable that I bought and am using. However, keep in mind that if the cable does not fit securely into the FreeAgent connector, you might want to trim a little of the rubber (1/16"?) from the cable to expose a little more of the metal so it can go further into the socket and make a good connection.

There is some plastic on the panel of the FreeAGent with the eSATA connector which may prevent the plug from fully inserting.

[mrhoads]

I just got my cable and pluged it into the 750 GB drive from Bestbuy. Powered up as described and wahla, everything works. This is extremely simple if you can just find the cable. Don't know why it is not advertised. My neighboor is going Dish because they advertise that they will be able to add a drive by yearend. I showed him mine and he was shocked.

[djt813]

Another success story, and from the lesser-tech-capable crowd. Got my Seagate FreeAgent 750 GB - unfortunately bought last week from NewEgg before y'all posted the amazing Best Buy deal this week. Got an eSATA cable shipped with my order for only $6.

Took two tries before it worked, but just the cable connectivity thing... pushed them in more firmly and was up and running.

Now just to repopulate the scheduler and fill it up with movies!

Thanks to all contributors, a big help getting some of us running.

[mgroups]

According to my calculation based on a 24%-full Freeagent 750GB, all of it HD programming from D*, I can get about 140 hours of HD on the drive. Is that consistent with what others are finding?

[rsblaski]

I just checked the BB site and they still have the SG FreeAgent Pro 750 GB listed at $199.99 after instant rebate. What's funny is they have the 500GB version at the regular price of $219.99.
I thought that the sale price was only good through Memorial Day weekend.
I really can't justify an e-sata drive yet as neither of my two hr20s have ever gone below 30% available. We are able to pretty much keep up with what we record.

[John4924]

According to my calculation based on a 24%-full Freeagent 750GB, all of it HD programming from D*, I can get about 140 hours of HD on the drive. Is that consistent with what others are finding?

If it is mpeg4 recordings, then I would say this is very consistent with my 750 GB eSata. :)

In my case, I figure 100 hrs mpeg2, and 140-150 hrs mpeg4.

Cheers,
John

[Robert Norman]

Is there anyway to attach more then one 750 GB Seagate Freeagent Pro via a E-SATA to E-SATA cable to the HR20-100s? Best buy $199 price makes it worthwhile to attach more if one could.
Mike

[mrhoads]

I just checked the BB site and they still have the SG FreeAgent Pro 750 GB listed at $199.99 after instant rebate. What's funny is they have the 500GB version at the regular price of $219.99.
I thought that the sale price was only good through Memorial Day weekend.
I really can't justify an e-sata drive yet as neither of my two hr20s have ever gone below 30% available. We are able to pretty much keep up with what we record.

As of June 1st it is still on sale at Bestbuy for $199.00. I also wanted to buy more because of the price but sanity finally set in. You can always hook them up one at a time. You could have a shelf full of them and plug them in one at a time. My neighboor asked me if I ever watch anything or do I just record :sure:

[mgroups]

In my case, I figure 100 hrs mpeg2, and 140-150 hrs mpeg4.

Isn't everything that currently comes from D* mpeg2? I had assumed 100 hours based on 6GB/hour, but I am getting 140 hours.

[mgroups]

You could have a shelf full of them and plug them in one at a time. My neighboor asked me if I ever watch anything or do I just record :sure:
Has anyone tried hot-swapping two eSATA drives with the HR20?

[Tom M]

Has anyone tried hot-swapping two eSATA drives with the HR20?
Pretty sure that won't work as the OS is on the drive.

[mgroups]

Has anyone tried hot-swapping two eSATA drives with the HR20?Pretty sure that won't work as the OS is on the drive.
But if each drive has been "married" to the HR20 previously, the OS is on both drives.

[Tom M]

But if each drive has been "married" to the HR20 previously, the OS is on both drives.I'm afraid that you're missing the point. You'd also be pulling the drive that has the swap space on it so the box would get very, very upset about you removing the drive. One thing you have to remember is that the HR20 is always recording to the drive even if you aren't actually recording a program at the time. If you doubt it you can always just pull the cable and see what happens :eek2:

[P Smith]

Has anyone tried hot-swapping two eSATA drives with the HR20?

If you can't deduct an answer from the post (http://dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=956812&postcount=1147), then DON'T DO THAT !!!

[P Smith]

Pretty sure that won't work as the OS is on the drive.
Nope.

[John4924]

Isn't everything that currently comes from D* mpeg2? I had assumed 100 hours based on 6GB/hour, but I am getting 140 hours.

No, the local digital [if you get them] is mpeg4.

[Redwingsinhd]

As a noob to the board, let me first express appreciation for the wisdom and perspective members openly share here.

I recently picked up the SG FreeAgent Pro 750 to connect to an HR20, but have trouble getting it to be acknowledged by the HR20.

I have followed the instructions spelled out in this thread, unplugging the HR20, connecting the eSata cable to both the Seagate and re-powering both units. As both units power up, the orange light on the Seagate lights up (a successful connection?) and the HR20 successfully starts up.

However, when I open the HR20 list menu for recorded programs, it shows the previously recorded content from the internal hard disk, along with the same % free amount. It seems that the Seagate is not visible to the HR20 o/s.

I'm at a loss for what might be the culprit here. I'm hoping that I've missed something elementary...:confused: I would welcome any ideas.

(BTW, my eSata cable is from Monoprice, and, yes, I have trimmed off the excess plastic edge from the plug entering the Seagate).

[Richard Chalk]

I bought two of the 750 GB units at the $199 BestBuy deal, but I would really like to open the enclosures, change out the internal drives in the HR20, and put the 320 GB drives into the enclosure.

I dismounted all the connector assembly from the bottom, but I could not find a way to remove the metal side panels. I suspect they may be held in place by double-sided sticky tape, or some similar method, since there are no fasteners visible anywhere.

Has anyone done this?

Thanks
Richard

[John4924]

As a noob to the board, let me first express appreciation for the wisdom and perspective members openly share here.

I recently picked up the SG FreeAgent Pro 750 to connect to an HR20, but have trouble getting it to be acknowledged by the HR20.

I have followed the instructions spelled out in this thread, unplugging the HR20, connecting the eSata cable to both the Seagate and re-powering both units. As both units power up, the orange light on the Seagate lights up (a successful connection?) and the HR20 successfully starts up.

However, when I open the HR20 list menu for recorded programs, it shows the previously recorded content from the internal hard disk, along with the same % free amount. It seems that the Seagate is not visible to the HR20 o/s.

I'm at a loss for what might be the culprit here. I'm hoping that I've missed something elementary...:confused: I would welcome any ideas.

(BTW, my eSata cable is from Monoprice, and, yes, I have trimmed off the excess plastic edge from the plug entering the Seagate).

A couple of basic questions:

Assume you have the latest software installed? [0x15c for the -700]
Do you have a PC that you can hook the eSata to [to verify it is not defective?]

For my setup, I powered the eSata first, then the HR20.

[Redwingsinhd]

A couple of basic questions:

Assume you have the latest software installed? [0x15c for the -700]
Do you have a PC that you can hook the eSata to [to verify it is not defective?]

For my setup, I powered the eSata first, then the HR20.

Not certain if I have the latest--I will check for the version. I do recall that the release version current installed is from May 15.

I have connected the unit to a PC (via USB) without problem.

Thanks.

[Redwingsinhd]

Not certain if I have the latest--I will check for the version. I do recall that the release version current installed is from May 15.

I have connected the unit to a PC (via USB) without problem.

Thanks.

I just d/loaded and installed 0x15c. Unfortunately, this did not resolve my problem. I also powered the eSata first, followed by the HR20--to no avail.

I'm going to order a different eSata cable and see if that makes a difference.

[P Smith]

If the cable works for PC, then look for a reason elsewhere.

[Bish]

Just to add my 2 cents. I have one FreeAgent Pro 750 that worked first try on one of my HR20's. Last week I bought another one for my wife's new HR20 and I could not get it to work. I tried everything short of plugging it into the other working HR20 and I could not get it to work. Worked on USB no problem to my PC.

I finally pulled the drive out of the FreeAgent and swapped it with the internal drive and it works great. I figure I lost the 5 yr warranty on the drive but I really wanted this working over the weekend. Took about 20 minutes to swap the internal drive.

Lastly, remember, the OS is not on the hard drive, it is stored in a chip.

[CliffV]

I finally pulled the drive out of the FreeAgent and swapped it with the internal drive and it works great.

Just curious. How did you get the drive out of the FreeAgent. Are there hidden screws?

[Bish]

Just curious. How did you get the drive out of the FreeAgent. Are there hidden screws?

Not such an easy task. The two halves are pressed together where 4 clips engage once put together to lock into place. I used a credit card on the top to start separating the halves. Once i could get a grip, I pulled the top apart until I could see the two top posts. I could push a screwdriver to release the two upper clips. I could not get to the two lower clips so I pulled until one came loose and the other broke. Really is not much to the enclosure. I did not want the enclosure anyhow so I didn't really care about breaking it.

[CliffV]

Not such an easy task.

OK, Thanks.

[Villager]

If the cable works for PC, then look for a reason elsewhere.

It is a totally different cable!

For PC: eSATA to USB (supplied by Seagate in package)
For HR20: eSATA to eSATA (not supplied by Seagate-- need to buy elsewhere)

Actually, I was wrong. The cable supplied by Seagate is USB to USB.

[P Smith]

I have PCIe eSATA card for the cases ;).

[ANT531]

I had the same issue with eSata cable from Fry's. Bought a cable from Ebay and it worked. Try oakground ebay store. Bought the Type I to Type I eSata cable.

[MnGuy]

I purchased an ESATA to ESATA cable from monoprice and unplugged the HR20. I plugged in the FreeAgent and connected the ESATA cables and turned on the HR20, but like others, it is not seeing it.

[Michael D'Angelo]

I purchased an ESATA to ESATA cable from monoprice and unplugged the HR20. I plugged in the FreeAgent and connected the ESATA cables and turned on the HR20, but like others, it is not seeing it.

I believe you have to unplug the HR20 first. Then plug in the eSata cable into the HD and then into the HR20. Then plug in the HD power and let that start up. After it starts all the way up you plug in the HR20.

[MnGuy]

I figured it out. I had trimmed the rubber, but thought that end went into the HR20, not the new drive. I unplugged and when it rebooted, the (new) drive was empty. Wonder if I should have waited till the Fall. 199 was a great price, but I won't need the space this summer, and the price will probably better by then, or the same price for a bigger drive. But 750gb is pretty damn big.

[mgroups]

External 750GB drive

SD: 500 Hours
HD (MPEG2): 75 Hours
HD (MPEG4): 125 Hours

This is, of course, assuming DirecTV based their estimates on the capacity of the entire hard drive instead of just what is available to us.

My HR20 with a 750GB Seagate Freeagent currently has 35 hours of HD on it and it shows 75% of the disk is available. Only one hour of the 35 is a local channel and none of the material is SD. According to my calculations, the drive is good for about 140 hours of MP2. Any idea why this differs so much from the D* estimates?

How does this compare with the GB/hour others are actually getting with their HR20s or other HD DVRs?

[romwarrior88]

Is there a way to turn off the light of the FreeAgent Pro?

[P Smith]

Disconnect wires inside of the box.

[Steve]

Or cover them with tape. :) /s

[P Smith]

Use black paint.

[Steve]

FreeAgent Tools utility disk has option to turn lights off. Of course you need to be connected to the computer to do this. Hopefully drive will "remember" when you reconnect it to the HR20.

http://www.seagate.com/support/freeagent/FreeAgent_Pro_Data_Mover.pdf

As you will see, I must be smart. :lol: /s

[Villager]

Lights Off?

True, you can turn the lights on/off when connected to a PC, but they are ON when used with the HR20.

[Steve]

So no setting memory in the drive? Don't' own one, so i can't check. I'd try turning it off via PC, then connecting it back to the HR20. Just trying to be helpful. :) /s

[P Smith]

Do that without powering off the FA box - swap eSATA cable.

[HofstraJet]

Does anybody know whether a cable plugged into the eSATA port on the HR20 but not plugged into an external drive will prevent the HR20 from seeing the internal drive? I would like to swap between internal and external drive, but getting to the back of the HR20 is a hassle, but the external drive is easily accessible and I can just unplug it and restart when I need the internal drive.

Thanks!

[P Smith]

Cable doesn't play here - if you saw internal pictures - there is short cable between PCB and connector on back.

[PlanetBill]

Does anybody know whether a cable plugged into the eSATA port on the HR20 but not plugged into an external drive will prevent the HR20 from seeing the internal drive? I would like to swap between internal and external drive, but getting to the back of the HR20 is a hassle, but the external drive is easily accessible and I can just unplug it and restart when I need the internal drive.

Thanks!

Cable doesn't play here - if you saw internal pictures - there is short cable between PCB and connector on back.


I think he he is suggesting leaving the eSata cable plugged into the HR20 but not plugged into the external drive. Will just having the eSata cable plugged in, but not connected to anything, render the internal drive inoperable?

Good question, I would like to know also before I go out and buy a BFD.

[Robert Norman]

Is there a way to turn off the light of the FreeAgent Pro?

Black electrical tape does a wonderful job. I left a very small opening on the side so I can see that it is on.
Mike

[Steve]

I think he he is suggesting leaving the eSata cable plugged into the HR20 but not plugged into the external drive. [...]Correct. I think P Smith means that since there is already an unconnected cable connected from the motherboard to the rear connector, extending that unconnected cable externally will make no difference. /s

[PlanetBill]

Wasn't sure if the rear connector had some sort of 'switch' built in it. Kind of a detection thing...

[Steve]

Wasn't sure if the rear connector had some sort of 'switch' built in it. Kind of a detection thing...Good point, but turns out it's just a passive connector. /s

[HofstraJet]

Thanks for the responses - PlanetBill assessed my question correctly. I will plug in the eSATA cable and just leave it unplugged on the other end and I will plug in my drive when I want to use it.

[jeff125va]

Also, not that it will be needed necessarily, but the Thecus still gives me the option of tossing in a couple of 750's down the road, when prices come down - if that made sense to do at some point.
I might not be understanding correctly, but is this accurate? The information I found on the Thecus 2050 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822102002) says that it supports a max capacity of 1TB.

[GollyGee]

I might not be understanding correctly, but is this accurate? The information I found on the Thecus 2050 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822102002) says that it supports a max capacity of 1TB.The 1 TB "limit" was written when 500 GB was the largest drive capacity available. The Thecus unit can accommodate larger drives (http://www.thecus.com/products_spec.php?cid=1&pid=3&PHPSESSID=5ce19ce9e226a01c8acc4ba32ed04bb4).

[jeff125va]

The 1 TB "limit" was written when 500 GB was the largest drive capacity available. The Thecus unit can accommodate larger drives (http://www.thecus.com/products_spec.php?cid=1&pid=3&PHPSESSID=5ce19ce9e226a01c8acc4ba32ed04bb4).
Cool, thanks. Didn't think it made sense as opposed to just getting a regular enclosure with a 1TB drive.

[pjo1966]

I need to pick up an eSATA cable at a B&M store. I assumed that Radio Shack would be the place to go, but no dice. I'm going to Fry's tomorrow. If they don't have it, I'm open to suggestions. My HR20 is being installed on Monday and I want to hook up the eSATA drive right away.

[HofstraJet]

CompUSA?

I know amazon.com sells them and ships quickly, but the costs may be steep

[mndwalsh]

Just purchased my esata solution:

Antec MX-1 and a Seagate 750gb drive

antec enclosure is built very nice and is very quiet even with the internal fan in it, upplugged the blue led on it so you don't even know it is running. Installed the drive plugged it in, rebooted and done, very, very easy. I have my internal drive at 98% free so it was a good time to do it.

Got them both at BB, could have saved more money elseware or on-line but it was a spur of the moment thing and I got the wife's OK so I ran with it.

[pjo1966]

CompUSA?

I know amazon.com sells them and ships quickly, but the costs may be steep

CompUSA's website says that the cables are available on-line only, their stores don't carry them. Fry's should have them, though their website claims to be sold out.

[Redwingsinhd]

I just d/loaded and installed 0x15c. Unfortunately, this did not resolve my problem. I also powered the eSata first, followed by the HR20--to no avail.

I'm going to order a different eSata cable and see if that makes a difference.

Just FYI, I tried another cable (Tripp-Lite), and it worked perfectly. This cable fits snugly into the eSata drive, unlike the Monoprice piece I tried initially.

[mganga]

any rumors out there about when we'll be able to use both internal and external drives at the same time?

[P Smith]

No rumors.

[Cyrus]

A rumor I heard is that it will never be done on the hr20/hr21/etc model line. Maybe in the next generation set top boxes (HMC?).

[mganga]

dang.

[pjo1966]

Just purchased my esata solution:

Antec MX-1 and a Seagate 750gb drive

antec enclosure is built very nice and is very quiet even with the internal fan in it, upplugged the blue led on it so you don't even know it is running. Installed the drive plugged it in, rebooted and done, very, very easy. I have my internal drive at 98% free so it was a good time to do it.

Got them both at BB, could have saved more money elseware or on-line but it was a spur of the moment thing and I got the wife's OK so I ran with it.

I've been doing some reading at TivoCommunity. Some people have reported problems with the Seagate FreeAgentPro that was on sale at BB. I wonder if I should exchange it for the setup you got. The one I have has a 5 year warranty, but that won't do me much good if the drive dies while I have endless hours of recordings on it. I haven't used the drive yet. The HR20 is coming tomorrow. :confused:

[uttrekr]

Here is an interesting problem. I just bought a 750 GB Seagate Freeagent Pro ($199 at Best Buy) and a E-SATA to E-SATA cable ($9 Fry's). I followed the instructions in this thread (several times) and couldn't get the external drive to work.

I noticed that the E-SATA jack on the Freeagent drive was recessed about 1/16th of an inch more than the E-SATA jack on the HR20. I guessed that the cable couldn't make it far enough into the jack. So, I got out my trusty XACTO knife and removed the soft plastic from around the jack on the Freeagent drive. The cable now plugs fully into the jack.

Once I did this, the HR20 recognized the drive first thing. I'm now up and running.

Of course, I'm sure this voids the warranty on the drive. :-)


Fry's must be selling a different cable in DFW. I got the $6.99 I-Connect eSata-eSata cable and it worked fine without any cutting.

One thing though - I really wish there was an intuitive way to figure out if the upgrade worked. (e.g. a display that said you have XX hours of HD like Tivos do or alike). I didn't trust the loss of programming so I restarted the HR20 Sans Ext Drive and the old programs were there so I'm assuming I'm good to go now.

[GollyGee]

My HR20 with a 750GB Seagate Freeagent currently has 35 hours of HD on it and it shows 75% of the disk is available. Only one hour of the 35 is a local channel and none of the material is SD. According to my calculations, the drive is good for about 140 hours of MP2. Any idea why this differs so much from the D* estimates? By my calculations, you should be able to get at least 30 hours of HD for every 250 GB.

My guess (only a guess) is that perhaps your external drive isn't actually being recognized, and you've been filling up your internal 250 GB drive.

Two ways to test this:

Easy way: Take a look at the drive's activity lights.

Harder, more accurate way: Take a look at your recording list, then power off your box, disconnect the eSATA cable, reboot, and take a look at your recording list. If it's unchanged, then your eSATA drive hasn't been doing anything.

[pjo1966]

Fry's must be selling a different cable in DFW. I got the $6.99 I-Connect eSata-eSata cable and it worked fine without any cutting.

One thing though - I really wish there was an intuitive way to figure out if the upgrade worked. (e.g. a display that said you have XX hours of HD like Tivos do or alike). I didn't trust the loss of programming so I restarted the HR20 Sans Ext Drive and the old programs were there so I'm assuming I'm good to go now.

That's the same cable I got at Fry's and it fit fine too. It was the only one they were selling, and was the last one on the shelf.

I decided to go with the drive I had. It's in a well ventilated area. I'm hoping for the best.

[jeff125va]

I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything since it seems almost too simple (at least to a former DirecTiVo upgrader). I have a brand new hard drive, never been connected to anything. I just pop it in an enclosure, turn off my HR-20 (gets delivered/set up tomorrow morning), connect it, turn it back on and that's it?

[P Smith]

YES !!!

[Marco in HD]

What does it mean when the orange light "strobes"?

[Villager]

I presume you mean the orange light on the Seagate Free Agent Pro. A section of the orange band will brighten and dim as there is disc activity-- reading and writing data to the hard drive.

[jeff125va]

Wow, that was easy. I wasn't sure at first if it worked because I didn't think the settings that the installer had entered (zip code, etc) would still be there when I booted up to the eSATA drive. But I recorded a few minutes of a show, unplugged the unit, disconnected the drive, rebooted, and the show wasn't in the list.

[Marco in HD]

I presume you mean the orange light on the Seagate Free Agent Pro. A section of the orange band will brighten and dim as there is disc activity-- reading and writing data to the hard drive.


Yes, that light.:)

That doesn't seem right, it only blinked when I first set it up. Was a problem, which I'll explain latter but, it's recorded a bunch of stuff without blinking... weird. I think I would rather it not blink.

[lucky13]

Yes, that light.:)

That doesn't seem right, it only blinked when I first set it up. Was a problem, which I'll explain latter but, it's recorded a bunch of stuff without blinking... weird. I think I would rather it not blink.

I've been using the FA pro for more than a month, and I've never seen the orange stripe blink.

[Villager]

I've been using the FA pro for more than a month, and I've never seen the orange stripe blink.

It is only about an inch that brightens, and it doesn't brighten a great deal. It is just noticeable. On the front edge, near the center. It is called the "activity light".
When connected to a PC, you can use the FA Tools software to turn the lights on/off. But, it seems that any settings made with a PC don't continue when you go to the eSATA connection. It is mentioned in the sotware mentioned above.

[Pluvious]

Is this price good?.. Fry's has the FA pro 500GB model for $179 today. Please respond since I'll go get it.. The best price I found online is $199 so far.

I've been thinking I'll need the extra space and since I just got the HR20 last week, I'm really new to all this. I'm already at 55% full. :(

What size is the original drive in the HD-20 -100 model?..
Should I bite the bullet and get the 750GB right off the bat. or will 500GB be a NICE bump??

[pjo1966]

Is this price good?.. Fry's has the FA pro 500GB model for $179 today. Please respond since I'll go get it.. The best price I found online is $199 so far.

I've been thinking I'll need the extra space and since I just got the HR20 last week, I'm really new to all this. I'm already at 55% full. :(

What size is the original drive in the HD-20 -100 model?..
Should I bite the bullet and get the 750GB right off the bat. or will 500GB be a NICE bump??


I believe the original is 300.

[Pluvious]

Yikes.. if it's only 300 now. adding a 500GB doesn't seem like the way to go. I wish I had caught that BB sale for the 750GB model. Guess I'll have to wait until it comes around again...

BB has the 500GB model at $169.. but still.. I'm thinking I better get the 750GB now.

[P Smith]

Original is 320 GB SATA; at Fry's 500GB disk $110, 750 GB - $200.

[T40T]

My first post.

I've read this thread off and on over several months. I spend a handful of hours reading here and trying things out every so often, and end up quitting in frustration.

I have a FreeAgent 750GB that I bought a couple months ago, before anyone mentioned them by name on this forum, and before you could buy eSATA ones in stores and you had to order them online. I've tried 2 different eSATA cables to no avail. I just tried a new drive I got 2 days ago and I'm still having problems. I've tried pretty much every possible boot up strategy I've encountered in this thread many times, and nothing happens.

I've tried plugging an eSATA cable into the HD first and then the HR20, I've tried the HR20 first, I've tried booting up with the external HD on and off.

The red eSATA cable I got from Monoprice does have a slighty shorter metal connector than the black Startech I got from Amazon. The cables seem to be looser on the old drive than the new one, but nothing happens with the new one either.

I hooked up the first drive to my compter via USB today and removed all the stuff but the untouchable system file folder, hoping that maybe that might resolve conflicts, even though there have been people here saying that's not necessary.

I paid extra to get the first drive shipped fast so I could tape Planet Earth, but had no idea there was no eSATA cable included. I rushed the delivery of the first cable, paying more than the cost of the cable on shipping, and nothing.

After a while, I reset the whole unit, losing all my stuff, hoping that might solve the problem with the external drive not being recognized.

My HR20 is hovering around 95% full, and things keep deleting themselves if I forget to check "Save until I delete" (we should have the ability to make that the primary default option), like a couple of the Star Wars movies (thankfully not the original trilogy), and lost brownie points with my girlfriend by it deleting a Discovery HD doc about Bulgaria, where she spent 2 years in the Peace Corps. It's not possible to record all the things I want and watch them at my own pace.

What exactly are people talking about trimming? The plastic housing on the cable that the metal connector comes out of, or the plastic flange prong thingies on either side of the metal connector? The connector on the drive itself?

Can someone give me a definitive, step-by-step instruction set to follow, so I don't have to go through this thread for the 20th time to read all sorts of conflicting things?

I'm thinking of throwing in the towel on the FreeAgent and getting internal drives and an external housing. I could take back the new FreeAgent, and use the other for my computer.

Meanwhile, my PS3 is hardly functioning after the latest update, and my computer won't connect to my Motorola Q to update its software, my Samsa only transfers partial songs, my vacuum broke, one of my laptops' battery won't charge (I've sent the computer back to the company 3 times for repairs, but they can't fix it permanently), and my car's Check Engine Light is on. I used to be The Tech Guy, but I just can't keep up anymore.

Sorry for venting my frustrations.

[Villager]

My first post.

MyWhat exactly are people talking about trimming? The plastic housing on the cable that the metal connector comes out of, or the plastic flange prong thingies on either side of the metal connector? The connector on the drive itself?

.

Here is (I hope) a (rather poorly focussed) photo of what I cut from the Monoprice red eSATA cable in order to get it to seat itself into the Seagate FA Pro. The black section is photographed next to two quarters. The thickness of the piece cut is about the thickness of the two coins.

[P Smith]

Something being circumcised ! :D Sorry, but the picture is too blurred - I can't resist. :)

[T40T]

thanks for the picture, Villager. where on the cable does that come from?

P Smith - I was on the phone with someone when I read that, after taking a nap. I had to read it a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things! It's not the most common word to see on these forums.

[Villager]

thanks for the picture, Villager. where on the cable does that come from?


Sorry about the focus, but I don't have a close-up attachment. At either end of the red cable (from Monoprice) there is an area of black plastic which covers the transition between the red cable and the metallic plug. I trimmed that small section of the plastic from the end in order to expose more of the metal. The problem is that the plastic prevents the plug from going far enough into the socket (because Seagate put a sheet of plastic on the drive enclosure housing the socket). By trimming (or circumcising, if you wish) a small amount of the black plastic, which is easy to do with a Swiss Army knife-- the plastic is soft, the plug can now be fully inserted into the socket. Now it can make contact, and it will work!

It is really pretty simple. Use either end of the cable. Find the black plastic covering and trim a small amount (about 1/8") from the end covering the metal plug. (Trimming it from the end covering the red cable wouldn't help solve the problem would it?) Now, the end that you have just modified is the end that you want to plug into the eSATA drive. The other end (unmodified) plugs into the HR20 securely without modification.

[Steve]

It's not the most common word to see on these forums.Not common, but apparently descriptive, as confirmed by Villager's subsequent post. :lol: /s

[pavlov]

I too am having trouble getting my drive to work. I've got the latest firmware and I'm trying to use a 750gb Freeagent Pro. At first I thought my cable wasn't in there good enough but when I pushed the cable in a bit harder the drive lit up (it was connected to the HR20). No matter what I try I always seem to boot to the internal drive. Any thoughts? Do I have to push anything when I turn the HR20 back on to get it to format the drive? This is a new HR20 (well, replacement unit...) so it has nothing on it and is hard to tell if it is the new drive or not...

[Villager]

I too am having trouble getting my drive to work. I've got the latest firmware and I'm trying to use a 750gb Freeagent Pro. At first I thought my cable wasn't in there good enough but when I pushed the cable in a bit harder the drive lit up (it was connected to the HR20). No matter what I try I always seem to boot to the internal drive. Any thoughts? Do I have to push anything when I turn the HR20 back on to get it to format the drive? This is a new HR20 (well, replacement unit...) so it has nothing on it and is hard to tell if it is the new drive or not...

1. Look for "pulsing" light on front edge (about 1 inch in center on front edge) of FA Pro indicating disc activity.

2. Record a few hours of HD content. Check the percentage usage of the memory by using the LIST command on the HR20. If 1-2% has been used, you are on the external; if significantly more, than you are still on internal.

[masterdeals]

I've bought two of the seagate 750gb freeagent drives, and this is the cable I'm using. It is only $7 and they do 2nd day air for $9. They have an 18" and 36" version from TrippLite.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=4165021&RSKU=4165021

I also bought one at Compusa that had a totally different connector, but nothing indicating the conectors on the package - it just said E-SATA cable. It is hard to buy the right ones with the different connectors.

MWave describes it as simply a 7pin to 7pin cable, they need to standardize these connectors or name them something :)