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eSATA - DIRECTV recommended list

576K views 4K replies 404 participants last post by  mjfoxtrot 
#1 ·
Can I increase the recording capacity of my DVR?

For folks that are adding HDD capacity to their receiverss, DIRECTV has added the following FAQ to their web page:

DIRECTV.com
Yes, you can increase the recording capacity of your DVR or HD DVR simply by connecting an external hard drive with greater storage than the receiver's internal hard drive.

First, make sure you have a compatible receiver. Check the model number inside the small door located on bottom right corner of the front of the receiver. The model number should read either R22 (DIRECTV Plus® DVR) or HR20 or above (DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR).

You'll need an external hard drive that uses an eSATA connection. The following hard drive models are recommended:

  • Western Digital 500GB (model WDG1S5000)
  • Seagate 500GB (model ST30500SCA109-RK)
  • Western Digital 1TB (model WDG1S10000)
  • [STRIKE]Seagate 1TB (model ST31000SCA109-RK)[/STRIKE]

Follow these steps to connect the external hard drive:

  1. Turn off your receiver by unplugging the power cord. (Do not rely on the power button.)
  2. Look for the port on the back of your receiver labeled SATA.
  3. Connect the eSATA hard drive with an eSATA cable. Make sure the cable is firmly connected on both ends.
  4. Turn on the eSATA hard drive and give it several seconds to spin up to speed.
  5. Plug in the power chord of your receiver.

When your receiver reboots, it will automatically see the newly-connected hard drive. The hard drive inside your receiver will be disabled.

You now have expanded recording capacity. With a 1TB hard drive, you can record up to 200 hours of HD programming.

Please note: We offer this tip because we want to help you get the most out of your DIRECTV experience. It is recommended for advanced users who are comfortable working with electronic hardware. This modification of your DIRECTV system is not officially supported by DIRECTV.
 
#2,854 ·
RunnerFL said:
I agree with Rich. If you're still using a drive out of a FAP then you most likely have a dying drive on your hands. Watch what you can in a hurry and then replace the drive.
You gotta admit he got his money's worth out of the HDD in that FAP. I got rid of all of my FAPs years ago.

Rich
 
#2,859 ·
rahlquist said:
So hypothetical question. If your internal drive died, is it possible at that point to power down the DVR, install an external and bring the system back online?

Is the HR20 limited size wise for external drives?
Yup, you sure can save that 20 by doing just that. An even easier way to do it is to put an external drive on it. The size is limited to 2TBs, but that should be plenty. You'll get about 500 hours of recording if you were to fill up the 2TB drive. But you don't want to do that with a 20, you want to keep the HDD at about half full to three quarters full (doesn't matter what size drive you have) or you will start to have problems.

Rich
 
#2,860 ·
Rich said:
Yup, you sure can save that 20 by doing just that. An even easier way to do it is to put an external drive on it. The size is limited to 2TBs, but that should be plenty. You'll get about 500 hours of recording if you were to fill up the 2TB drive. But you don't want to do that with a 20, you want to keep the HDD at about half full to three quarters full (doesn't matter what size drive you have) or you will start to have problems.

Rich
Thanks Rich, I see the TT docks are a favorite, are there any non raid e-sata enclosures that make the grade?
 
#2,861 ·
rahlquist said:
Thanks Rich, I see the TT docks are a favorite, are there any non raid e-sata enclosures that make the grade?
Thermaltake makes an enclosure that has been used with some success. Here's a link to it. Personally, if you own the HR, I think you'd be better off putting the HDD inside rather than using an external device.

Rich
 
#2,863 ·
Rich said:
Thermaltake makes an enclosure that has been used with some success. Here's a link to it. Personally, if you own the HR, I think you'd be better off putting the HDD inside rather than using an external device.

Rich
Thanks, yeah I would much rather go internal strictly from the whole point of having more hardware, power demands, cables for the cat to play with etc.. I cant recall for sure if that receiver is owned stock or not. I guess i will have to check.

Well fudge, D* shows all of our units as leased, and I know for a fact the HR22-100 was an owned unit as we purchased it when the wife worked at D* there was special paperwork she had to fill out and. The first guy was in a quiet environment. Second guy was definitely in a call center. He sent me to an access card agent (the only ones they say can alter that particular flag). The third guy researched it, was able to pull the info on the contractor my wife worked through. Evidently as long as she was employed through them her purchased unit had an owned flag. Once she quit, they automatically revert back to a leased unit. :bang

He did point out that our HR20-100 and HR22-100 are no longer recovered units so in the event we deactivated either, all we would have to return would be the access cards.
 
#2,864 ·
rahlquist said:
Thanks, yeah I would much rather go internal strictly from the whole point of having more hardware, power demands, cables for the cat to play with etc.. I cant recall for sure if that receiver is owned stock or not. I guess i will have to check.

Well fudge, D* shows all of our units as leased, and I know for a fact the HR22-100 was an owned unit as we purchased it when the wife worked at D* there was special paperwork she had to fill out and. The first guy was in a quiet environment. Second guy was definitely in a call center. He sent me to an access card agent (the only ones they say can alter that particular flag). The third guy researched it, was able to pull the info on the contractor my wife worked through. Evidently as long as she was employed through them her purchased unit had an owned flag. Once she quit, they automatically revert back to a leased unit. :bang

He did point out that our HR20-100 and HR22-100 are no longer recovered units so in the event we deactivated either, all we would have to return would be the access cards.
You can deactivate them and then, by purchasing a new access card, reactivate them and they should show up as owned. I think.

Rich
 
#2,866 ·
The drives will run hotter installed inside in case that may be a concern for some. By switching to external my drives temps dropped 10-15 degrees. After running actively cooled external enclosures and the Thermaltake docks for a few years, the drives last longer running that 10-15 degrees cooler.
 
#2,867 ·
CCarncross said:
The drives will run hotter installed inside in case that may be a concern for some. By switching to external my drives temps dropped 10-15 degrees. After running actively cooled external enclosures and the Thermaltake docks for a few years, the drives last longer running that 10-15 degrees cooler.
I dunno. All I know for sure is that I have more problems with external HDDs than I do with internal HDDs. I'm down to one external HDD right at the moment and when that one goes it might be the last one. I don't have the technological background to do anything but report what I experience. I know you have that background and I can't argue with that.

Rich
 
#2,868 ·
I may have been one of the fortunate ones, but I truthfully have never had an issue with an external drive hooked up to any of my HR's...until the drive started to fail of course. One thing I did was always use one of the several highly recommended drive/enclosure combinations. I never strayed to any of the off brands....and I never used any of the pre-packaged ones like the Calvary's, I ALWAYS bought the drives of my choice and put them in the enclosures of my choice, never skimping because this one or that one was on sale....not that I thought you ever did either Rich, but I read plenty of posts from people that did.
 
#2,869 ·
CCarncross said:
I may have been one of the fortunate ones, but I truthfully have never had an issue with an external drive hooked up to any of my HR's...until the drive started to fail of course. One thing I did was always use one of the several highly recommended drive/enclosure combinations. I never strayed to any of the off brands....and I never used any of the pre-packaged ones like the Calvary's, I ALWAYS bought the drives of my choice and put them in the enclosures of my choice, never skimping because this one or that one was on sale....not that I thought you ever did either Rich, but I read plenty of posts from people that did.
But even the external devices that we've recommended have problems. TT is never gonna fix that on/off switch and that kinda sours me on them. Even returning them when they go south is a hassle I don't care to deal with. You actually have to pay the shipping on a return item to them. It's gotten to the point where I don't know what to recommend.

Rich
 
#2,875 ·
P Smith said:
reading Amazon's testimonial I wouldn't take a risk of try it as its behavior is unknown with DVRs and you can't return it (they will exchange )

adding to that it has no SATA 6.0 Gbps support
Considering that the eSATA ports on the HR34/44 only run at 3.0 Gbps, they are not "eSATA 6G" ports, I'd say the enclosure would work just fine.

As for the Amazon testimonials.... You may want to read them. Some were posted in 2012 from people saying they own one. Considering they just came out that's not possible. You can't believe everything you read on Amazon.
 
#2,876 ·
hasan said:
Success! My previous post outlined an epic fail between a WE30EURS/ThermalTake BlacX Dock and my HR44-700. I returned them and this is what worked:

The following worked perfectly, first try, no special treatment, just quickly assemble the enclosure, drop the drive in, push forward to mate with connectors, flip holding clip. Ready to go.

Western Digital WD20EURX (2 TB SATA III, Amazon)

ThermalTake Max 5 Active Cooking Enclosure (Amazon: double quiet fans, lighted if desired)
Thank you Hasan for your detailed writeup of what worked for you.

I followed your exact advice and now have what appears to be a fantastic 2TB expander for my new HR44.
 
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