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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.
 
#3,054 ·
lenbo said:
got a new WDpurple 2tb and blacX today to go with my new hr44-700. How do I"activate"the hard drive ? With my PC ? Thanks
How did you make out? My experience is the same as bpratt, up to 2 TB will autoformat just fine with the HR44-700 (which is what I have). I'm using the Max5 enclosure and a different drive that is months old. I'm thinking of ordering one of the purple 2 TB like you got as a spare, with another Max5. That way I can take the older one and put it on a computer, and use the new one on the HR44-700. I'll clone the drive first, so I won't lose any programming.
 
#3,055 ·
Quick report on my upgrade to WD 2TB Purple Drives and TT Max 5 enclosures. All systems are happy, and the Max 5 I think is a better solution than the old TT bay, with no fan or dust protection. Sure looks nicer.

The Sabrent dual bay clone device worked great, once I figured out how to use it. The instruction booklet is terrible. The trick is to press and hold the "copy" button immediately after you power up the drive. This old-timer is accustomed to allowing drives 10-15 seconds to power up and get up to speed before attempting tasks.
 
#3,056 ·
Time for a new HDD.

I mostly have EURS drives.

It seems like the drive of the moment, according to WD, is the EZRX. Has this drive proven to be an OK drive?

It does not seem to be an AV drive.

Are we good with 3 TB drives yet? 4?
 
#3,058 ·
TomCat said:
Time for a new HDD.

I mostly have EURS drives.

It seems like the drive of the moment, according to WD, is the EZRX. Has this drive proven to be an OK drive?

It does not seem to be an AV drive.

Are we good with 3 TB drives yet? 4?
They've been fine in my owned HRs and on my leased 24-100. All 2TB drives.

Rich
 
#3,059 ·
TomCat said:
Time for a new HDD.

I mostly have EURS drives.

It seems like the drive of the moment, according to WD, is the EZRX. Has this drive proven to be an OK drive?

It does not seem to be an AV drive.

Are we good with 3 TB drives yet? 4?
Regular two tuner DVRs are stuck at 2tb drives. Genies however, go big... At least 12, maybe 16 or 18. Not completely sure.. It's not easy to get up there yet. :)

I have 4tb red drives in both my genies, and they work great so far. Then I see there's six to ones out now... :)
 
#3,060 ·
inkahauts said:
Regular two tuner DVRs are stuck at 2tb drives. Genies however, go big... At least 12, maybe 16 or 18. Not completely sure.. It's not easy to get up there yet. :)

I have 4tb red drives in both my genies, and they work great so far. Then I see there's six to ones out now... :)
You have 2 Genies?? :confused:
 
#3,066 ·
Still running the thermaltake max 5 and a WD AV-GP 2Tb drive.

I have my HR44 in the living room which records everything I schedule (non OTA locals). HR24 in the bedroom has the thermaltake add-on, also records everything except I get the OTA channels there. Allows for redundant recordings and OTA in the room with the best signal.

We dont watch much live, other than sports, so OTA is not an issue in the living room. PQ is just better IMO so I like to have recordings OTA.
 
#3,067 ·
RunnerFL said:
90% of people don't know how to write a good review in the first place nor do they know what they are actually reviewing when it comes to a hard drive. :)
And they don't know anything about the care and feeding of the HDDs. I've seen some really funny reviews on Amazon.

Rich
 
#3,068 ·
mocarob said:
Sorry TomCat. I seem to have over stepped my bounds by offering some info on my EZRX drive. Please accept my sincerest apology.
Oh no, it's always good to see negative opinions as well as positive opinions. We know some drives just fail, that's just natural. I have seen some uproariously funny reviews on NewEgg and Amazon. Gotta take them with a grain of salt.

I don't recall anyone else having problems with the EZRX drives, but it really isn't surprising.

Anyhow, no need to feel hurt.

Rich
 
#3,069 ·
RunnerFL said:
90% of people don't know how to write a good review in the first place nor do they know what they are actually reviewing when it comes to a hard drive. :)
It is hard to say something good about something that failed. To speculate about why it failed probably isn't wise just as it isn't wise to assume that the reviewer was somehow misusing the mechanism.
 
#3,070 ·
harsh said:
It is hard to say something good about something that failed. To speculate about why it failed probably isn't wise just as it isn't wise to assume that the reviewer was somehow misusing the mechanism.
Nowhere did I say the reviewer was misusing the mechanism....

I disagree with "it is hard to say something good about something that failed'. Drives fail out of the box, that doesn't warrant a bad review of the device. Get a replacement then give an honest review once you've used the device for a while. Giving a DOA device a bad review is like giving a car a bad review because a tire went flat on your way home from the dealership.

I saw a review of a 4k TV the other day.... The guy gave the TV 1 star because there are no 4k broadcasts in his area. REALLY???? That's the TV's fault? That's what I'm getting at.
 
#3,071 ·
RunnerFL said:
Nowhere did I say the reviewer was misusing the mechanism....

I disagree with "it is hard to say something good about something that failed'. Drives fail out of the box, that doesn't warrant a bad review of the device. Get a replacement then give an honest review once you've used the device for a while. Giving a DOA device a bad review is like giving a car a bad review because a tire went flat on your way home from the dealership.

I saw a review of a 4k TV the other day.... The guy gave the TV 1 star because there are no 4k broadcasts in his area. REALLY???? That's the TV's fault? That's what I'm getting at.
That's the kind of review I was talking about. Amazon gives you a chance to explain to these dolts just how dumb they sound. Politely, of course. I remember reading one review somewhere a couple years ago about how disappointed the reviewer was when he hooked up his 3D TV and didn't get a 3D picture. He had no 3D content to watch, just assumed that a 3D set would play anything in 3D. The reviews of AVR sets are usually pretty funny too.

Rich
 
#3,072 ·
RunnerFL said:
Drives fail out of the box, that doesn't warrant a bad review of the device. Get a replacement then give an honest review once you've used the device for a while.
Why do you suppose they drive cars off of the assembly line?

If there's a non-negligible chance that the drive you buy is going to be DOA, that's certainly something to consider. It speaks to the tolerances it was designed to and how much care went into insuring that it was good when delivered. If the specifications say that the drive can take a 40g jolt, they should survive shipment. If they're shipping them out without testing them, that needs to be known.
 
#3,073 ·
harsh said:
Why do you suppose they drive cars off of the assembly line?

If there's a non-negligible chance that the drive you buy is going to be DOA, that's certainly something to consider. It speaks to the tolerances it was designed to and how much care went into insuring that it was good when delivered. If the specifications say that the drive can take a 40g jolt, they should survive shipment. If they're shipping them out without testing them, that needs to be known.
So you have never bough anything, a refrigerator, cooktop, router, computer, TV, etc that was DOA? Lucky you….

I guess computers are perfect after all and recalls are just for fun and to scare folks…. GM… Anyone??????
 
#3,074 ·
harsh said:
Why do you suppose they drive cars off of the assembly line?

If there's a non-negligible chance that the drive you buy is going to be DOA, that's certainly something to consider. It speaks to the tolerances it was designed to and how much care went into insuring that it was good when delivered. If the specifications say that the drive can take a 40g jolt, they should survive shipment. If they're shipping them out without testing them, that needs to be known.
You just don't get it.... A drive failure within days of installing it does NOT warrant a bad review of a drive, period.
 
#3,075 ·
peds48 said:
So you have never bough anything, a refrigerator, cooktop, router, computer, TV, etc that was DOA?
Comparing a commodity like a hard drive to a computer or a TV isn't really fair.

Maxtor (now a subsidiary of Seagate) used to turn out a lot of DOA and short-lived mechanisms. Quantum (hard drive division acquired by Maxtor) had an even worse problem with DOA and stiction.

Does it make sense to you to put your eggs in a basket that is known to have a much higher actual MTBF than the engineers predicted?
 
#3,076 ·
RunnerFL said:
You just don't get it.... A drive failure within days of installing it does NOT warrant a bad review of a drive, period.
Do you not consider the ability to function over time as a key attribute of a hard drive?

What is the point at which the functionality becomes questionable?

With a DIRECTV DVR, it takes a while to build up a collection but for general storage purposes, you have to worry about drives that have a demonstrable likelihood of not lasting through at least the retail warranty period.
 
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