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I really am confused by the HR20 and the info D* issues about it. Says on the box words to the effect that the unit will record up to 200 SD hours. Then I start to hear it has a 300 Gig hard drive. On a TiVo that would mean well over 200 hours. Just read the box again and it says up to 30 hours of HIDEF. Counted the hours on the HR20 that I use strictly for HDNET, UHD, SHOH, and HBOH. All MPEG2, right? 43 hours recorded, 10 percent empty. How much do these things hold, does anyone know for sure? Looks like 50 hours of HIDEF MPEG2 and God knows how many hours of MPEG4. I have been told that MPEG4 takes up less space than MPEG2. Is this true? I was told that you could record about 20 hours of MPEG2 and 50 hours of MPEG4.
Really confused,
Rich
Stuart Sweet
03-05-07, 03:01 PM
There isn't a direct correlation between time and volume of data, it's all relative. It could vary from channel to channel and program to program.
Also the HR20 has some space reserved for video on demand, which is not available to you.
As a very very general rule, I consider each hour of MPEG4 HD = 2% of available space. Each hour of MPEG2 HD = 3% of available space. Each our of SD = .5% of available space. That's a very very general formula.
Oh, and Welcome to the forums!
There isn't a direct correlation between time and volume of data, it's all relative. It could vary from channel to channel and program to program.
Also the HR20 has some space reserved for video on demand, which is not available to you.
As a very very general rule, I consider each hour of MPEG4 HD = 2% of available space. Each hour of MPEG2 HD = 3% of available space. Each our of SD = .5% of available space. That's a very very general formula.
Oh, and Welcome to the forums!
I thank you for welcoming me. Directv agrees with your numbers, but I still have about 50 hours of MPEG2 on my recorder. Curious, no?
I just checked the TiVo in my office. I think I put a 300 Gig hard drive in that and it shows 235 hours of capacity, SD of course.
jimb726
03-06-07, 02:23 PM
I thank you for welcoming me. Directv agrees with your numbers, but I still have about 50 hours of MPEG2 on my recorder. Curious, no?
I just checked the TiVo in my office. I think I put a 300 Gig hard drive in that and it shows 235 hours of capacity, SD of course.
I think there may be more space reserved on the HR20 than on the older HR10. Also one thing you may or may not be aware of is the fact that you can very easily add a SATA drive to your unit of any size you want. There are people on this site that have a terabyte of space on their HR20's. Remember though if you go with an external drive the replacement is used in leiu of the original drive no in addition to.
Jim
cygnusloop
03-06-07, 05:20 PM
Directv agrees with your numbers, but I still have about 50 hours of MPEG2 on my recorder. Curious, no?
Very curious indeed! I certainly wish that my DVR behaved this way. My experience has been more the opposite. I never seem to get quite as much as the marketing materials state. I just chalk that up to the fact that I record Dolby Digital when available, and that I prefer programming that *actually* has some movement in it. This was the case with my old TIVO as well.
So, the obligatory questions before getting to the bottom of this:
1) Your sure that you are counting right?
2) When you say MPEG2, you are sure that it is all MPEG2 HD programming? The D* SD programming is MPEG2 as well.
3)Once again, your sure that it is MPEG2 HD programming not MPEG4.
Sorry for the patronizing questions, but your claim is pretty incredible.
I can't imagine any other answer than that you somehow got a bigger drive.
lamontcranston said: "There isn't a direct correlation between time and volume of data, it's all relative. It could vary from channel to channel and program to program."
While I agree with this completely, I can't imagine it could account for a 66% increase in storage capacity. HD-Lite is one thing, but it's just not possible that the stream is *that* compressed, is it?
It has to be a bigger hard drive, right?:scratchin
davidord
03-06-07, 05:33 PM
Directv has reserved 100 Gigs for the upcoming showcase section of the hard drive for pseudo "on-demand" shows. As of yet, they have not used any of this space. I'm not sure of the exact number of hours for MPEG-4. But, it does hold more than MPEG-2.
HBO HD and SHO HD have relatively low bitrates. HDNet and Universal HD use middling bitrates.
If you were recording a lot of ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, the space would be going away quite a bit faster.
The range of bitrates according to the DFW Bitrate Monitor is 7.4 for HDNet Movies to over 18 for HD sporting events. This is why there is a significant disparity in the amount of space an hour of programming takes up.
HD-Lite is one thing, but it's just not possible that the stream is *that* compressed, is it?Given that the bitrate range is so wide, it is not only possible, its bloody likely.
Very curious indeed! I certainly wish that my DVR behaved this way. My experience has been more the opposite. I never seem to get quite as much as the marketing materials state. I just chalk that up to the fact that I record Dolby Digital when available, and that I prefer programming that *actually* has some movement in it. This was the case with my old TIVO as well.
So, the obligatory questions before getting to the bottom of this:
1) Your sure that you are counting right?
2) When you say MPEG2, you are sure that it is all MPEG2 HD programming? The D* SD programming is MPEG2 as well.
3)Once again, your sure that it is MPEG2 HD programming not MPEG4.
Sorry for the patronizing questions, but your claim is pretty incredible.
I can't imagine any other answer than that you somehow got a bigger drive.
lamontcranston said: "There isn't a direct correlation between time and volume of data, it's all relative. It could vary from channel to channel and program to program."
While I agree with this completely, I can't imagine it could account for a 66% increase in storage capacity. HD-Lite is one thing, but it's just not possible that the stream is *that* compressed, is it?
It has to be a bigger hard drive, right?:scratchin
I must admit that I have been doing the addition in my head, but I only have to add to around 50 and addition has never been a problem.
The channels I am recording on are HDNET, UHD, HBOH and SHOH and I believe they are all MPEG2 and they are the only channels I am using. All movies. All 5.1 DTS sound. All HIDEF.
I have not taken the top off the unit to check the size of the hard drive and I do not remember anywhere on the operating system that gives you the available hours like the TiVos do. TiVos I know and understand. But this thing puzzles me. When a TiVo says it has (and I am using a standard def TiVo in this example) it has 235 usable hours, when you approach that limit, it lets you know. And it will not record more than the usable hours listed.
The other HR20 I have has been used strictly for MPEG4 (NYC area locals, 2-cbs, 4-nbc, 5-fox and 7-abc) and I have had plenty of room but have not totalled the hours. If I am correct and am getting 50 hours of MPEG2 and then find out that the other receiver is getting the same amount of hours for MPEG4 (which it should, I expected to get about 50 hours of MPEG4 recording) then we will know that for whatever reason, I got a larger hard drive in that one unit.
The next time I fill up the DVR with movies, I will take a calculator and total up the hours. I must admit that I have made bigger mistakes than this before, maybe it is me. Or...
The next time I fill up the DVR with movies, I will take a calculator and total up the hours. I must admit that I have made bigger mistakes than this before, maybe it is me. Or...
Or you have a number of bad 0 length recordings that when you play them will ask you right away if you want to delete them. Not sure how long you've had the unit, but this is a known bug (seems to have improved with 0x134 though so I'm not sure if it is still there).
-steve
Or you have a number of bad 0 length recordings that when you play them will ask you right away if you want to delete them. Not sure how long you've had the unit, but this is a known bug (seems to have improved with 0x134 though so I'm not sure if it is still there).
-steve
Have had the two HR20s since November. Never had that particular problem. Everything I have set to record has done so on each DVR. Today I counted (in my head) about 33 hours with 24 percent of the drive empty. Seems like that would equate to about 50 hours, no?
As a matter of fact, the only problem I have now is the occasional momentary lockup, just a second or so. And I am watching movies that were recorded after the 0x134 update.
I have no idea why this is happening. I did nothing to alter the unit.
Thanx,
Rich
cygnusloop
03-08-07, 02:38 PM
Well, Rich, I record most of my HD stuff off the same channels that you do, plus some OTA locals, and I am getting nowhere near the recording space that you are, more like 27 hrs max.
I officially vote bigger drive.
veryoldschool
03-08-07, 02:48 PM
I officially vote bigger drive.
We can't be that lucky... my vote. :D
bobnielsen
03-08-07, 03:23 PM
Or you have a number of bad 0 length recordings that when you play them will ask you right away if you want to delete them. Not sure how long you've had the unit, but this is a known bug (seems to have improved with 0x134 though so I'm not sure if it is still there).
-steve
I never had that bug occur until 0x134 and it is there on 0x13B also. This only occured when I wanted to record the National Geographic HD preview, so may be related to that. The second time (0x13B) it did that but also recored the program, however the part two program didn't record at all. either time.
Well, Rich, I record most of my HD stuff off the same channels that you do, plus some OTA locals, and I am getting nowhere near the recording space that you are, more like 27 hrs max.
I officially vote bigger drive.
I took my calculator in hand an hour ago and I have 40 hours of recorded MPEG2 with 10 percent left on the drive. Still sounds like 50 hours, no? Somebody must have an answer to this puzzle.
I have also found a way to add larger hard drives, but have to wait until I get my next HR20 later this month to experiment.
Rich
veryoldschool
03-09-07, 01:42 PM
I have also found a way to add larger hard drives, but have to wait until I get my next HR20 later this month to experiment.
Rich
Using the eSATA connector doesn't work for you?
Dawn Knight
03-09-07, 03:16 PM
I have exactly 24 hours of mpeg2-only recordings on my HR20, exclusively from HDNET channels 78 & 79 and from HBO ch 70. That's it. I have checked and all the recordings are viewable/good. I only have 27% space remaining. By my calculations, I can store a max of 32.9 mpeg2 hours this way! I would be considerably happier with twice this capacity.
I forgot to mention in my previous posts that the HR20 that I am getting so many hours of MPEG2 on is a refurbished unit and, while I can't imaging why, perhaps they put a larger hard drive in it.
Rich
veryoldschool
03-10-07, 03:15 PM
I forgot to mention in my previous posts that the HR20 that I am getting so many hours of MPEG2 on is a refurbished unit and, while I can't imaging why, perhaps they put a larger hard drive in it.
Rich
IF it was a refurb and needed a drive replaced [I still find it hard to believe that D* fixes anything, but that's another story...] it could have had a drive size increase. How many times have we gone to replace a drive & found one twice as big for half the price? Well this happens to me all of the time....:lol:
IF it was a refurb and needed a drive replaced [I still find it hard to believe that D* fixes anything, but that's another story...] it could have had a drive size increase. How many times have we gone to replace a drive & found one twice as big for half the price? Well this happens to me all of the time....:lol:
Both of my HR20s are refurbished. I have had many TiVos that were refurbished and worked as they should. Would they put in a bigger hard drive? All I can say is that I am consistently getting about 50 hours of MPEG2 recordings and how else can you explain that?
Using the eSATA connector doesn't work for you?
Does using the eSATA port allow me to go out a buy a "my book" type external HD and just plug it in to the unit? Or is there a special type of HD that is required?
veryoldschool
03-10-07, 04:28 PM
Does using the eSATA port allow me to go out a buy a "my book" type external HD and just plug it in to the unit? Or is there a special type of HD that is required?
This might help you: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=66201
Using the eSATA connector doesn't work for you?
Waiting for the 1TB unit to come out.
Rich
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