Adding A hard drive to the DVR

marshalldudley · 10-17-2007, 11:20 AM

I am looking at adding a hard drive to the DVR. My son, with Dish network has done this to his DVR, and the functionality is great. Once a movie or other program is captured to the internal hard drive, he can plug in an external hard drive, and move it to that drive. That way he can keep all his movies on one drive, kids programs on another, television series programs on another, and so forth. However from what I can gather the DVR that directv has does not let you do this. Instead, if you plug in a hard drive, the internal one is disabled. That is dumb.

That means that if you are capturing a movie, kids program, and a series installment during the night, they all have to go on the same drive, making everything very confusing and disorganized. It also makes it impossible to watch the stuff put on the internal drive, if you are wanting to save something coming in to an external drive. Does anyone know if this is a hardware limitation of their DVR or just plain dumb programming of the DVR? Hopefully it is programming, so they can fix it to work like Dish network's DVR does. I am aware of some Dish subscribers that are almost foaming at the mouth to switch to Direct because of the new HD offerings, and because they are not reducting resolution of the HD feeds like Dish is doing, but will not do so as long as the DVR has this limitation.

Marshall

BabyFett · 10-17-2007, 11:45 AM

Honestly, who has time to switch an external hard drive for every show they tape? Certainly not me. My internal hard drive is growing a bit crowded and I might add a monster external so I can tape more, but it seems like your quibble with DirecTV is pretty small compared to all the great advantages and HD programming you get with DirecTV. But to each his own.

marshalldudley · 10-17-2007, 12:59 PM

Exactly. That is my point. No one has the time to switch for each show, and they shouldn't have to. With the dish method, one can record for a week on the internal hard drive, then maybe once a week, move each show, movie, etc over to the drive you want to archive it on. That is impossible with the Direct System. With Direct, you have to continually switch drives, or end up with a total mess, plus you cannot watch stuff on the internal while recording something on one of the externals, or record two things at the same time, if they fall into two different categories.

We are talking about archiving, primarily movies. If all you are doing is recording episodes of a series, then deleting them after viewing them, then it is not an issue, and an external drive would not be needed at all.

It's not just my quibble. I know a number of Dish customers who would switch immediately if not for this problem.

Marshall

tifosi77 · 10-17-2007, 03:15 PM

The benefits are great, don't get me wrong But between this and not being able to (effectively) archive recorded programs to DVD, it's can be a real pain in the tookis.

CACougar · 10-17-2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tifosi77

The benefits are great, don't get me wrong But between this and not being able to (effectively) archive recorded programs to DVD, it's can be a real pain in the tookis.

It's a matter of programming. Right now D** is routing their resources to bringing HD online. Expect software upgrades in the future to address this. Future models will definitely have this option programmed. D** put CAT5 plug for a reason. I can see where in the future you will be able to read the DVR from your computer and move programs over to your computer. and/or you will be able to play DVR shows on your computer directly from the DVR. Like a reverse XBox effect, with xbox you can play all media in your computer on your tv via wireless network. I can't see why D** will not be there in the near future.

jnester74 · 10-17-2007, 06:25 PM

Well I definitely will have to use a much bigger Ext. HD cause with all this awesome HDprogramming Directv has added I am filling up way to quick. I have to keep on erasing stuff. I hate doing that.

BabyFett · 10-17-2007, 06:51 PM

There's also a reason why DirecTV doesn't offer this, because file sharing is illegal and allowing people to back up and archive digital copies is a gateway for file sharing.

TomLewandowski · 10-17-2007, 06:57 PM

DirecTV is using a proprietary operating system on the HR20 that is incompatible with any other operating system. Hence, you are unable to transfer recorded data from the HR20 to anywhere else via a file transfer protocol. The USB port currently only supplies power and no data transfer. The ethernet port serves only to receive from select hardware/software. This was very short-sighted on D*'s part, but I'm sure some day in the future, they'll correct this poorly designed unit to enable file sharing/transferring.

throwback559 · 10-17-2007, 07:52 PM

i want to do this on a hard drive to record HD BOXING , UFC and other sports should I ?

chrispap · 10-17-2007, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomLewandowski

DirecTV is using a proprietary operating system on the HR20 that is incompatible with any other operating system. Hence, you are unable to transfer recorded data from the HR20 to anywhere else via a file transfer protocol. The USB port currently only supplies power and no data transfer. The ethernet port serves only to receive from select hardware/software. This was very short-sighted on D*'s part, but I'm sure some day in the future, they'll correct this poorly designed unit to enable file sharing/transferring.

can we plug an external esata drive to it or not? would love 1T external.

TomLewandowski · 10-18-2007, 12:18 AM

Yes. An external SATA drive will work with the HR20-700. Do a search of this forum for specifics. Data being recorded to the new drive will only be usable with the HR20 it was connected to; you won't be able to later connect that drive to a different HR20 or a PC, to retrieve its data.

rightcoaster · 10-18-2007, 10:08 AM

Can anyone recommend a drive they've used successfully with the HR20 (preferably in the 1TB size range)? Does it matter whether you're using the HR20-100 or HR20-700?

Loves2Watch · 10-19-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BabyFett

There's also a reason why DirecTV doesn't offer this, because file sharing is illegal and allowing people to back up and archive digital copies is a gateway for file sharing.

That isn't the case with Dish Network because if you plug that external hard drive with recorded programs on it into another device or computer, it erases everything (or at least makes it unreadable so it looks erased).

Paullog · 10-19-2007, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rightcoaster

Can anyone recommend a drive they've used successfully with the HR20 (preferably in the 1TB size range)? Does it matter whether you're using the HR20-100 or HR20-700?

Seagate 750 gb Free Agent Pro---it isa an ESATA drive and it does work with the HR20---@70+ hours of HD recording!

rightcoaster · 10-19-2007, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paullog

Seagate 750 gb Free Agent Pro---it isa an ESATA drive and it does work with the HR20---@70+ hours of HD recording!

Thanks. $234.95 with free super saver shipping at Amazon. $24.75 more for a 6' esata cable. Looks like a winner.

10-17-2007, 11:20 AM	#1
marshalldudley High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 178	Adding A hard drive to the DVR I am looking at adding a hard drive to the DVR. My son, with Dish network has done this to his DVR, and the functionality is great. Once a movie or other program is captured to the internal hard drive, he can plug in an external hard drive, and move it to that drive. That way he can keep all his movies on one drive, kids programs on another, television series programs on another, and so forth. However from what I can gather the DVR that directv has does not let you do this. Instead, if you plug in a hard drive, the internal one is disabled. That is dumb. That means that if you are capturing a movie, kids program, and a series installment during the night, they all have to go on the same drive, making everything very confusing and disorganized. It also makes it impossible to watch the stuff put on the internal drive, if you are wanting to save something coming in to an external drive. Does anyone know if this is a hardware limitation of their DVR or just plain dumb programming of the DVR? Hopefully it is programming, so they can fix it to work like Dish network's DVR does. I am aware of some Dish subscribers that are almost foaming at the mouth to switch to Direct because of the new HD offerings, and because they are not reducting resolution of the HD feeds like Dish is doing, but will not do so as long as the DVR has this limitation. Marshall

10-17-2007, 11:45 AM	#2
BabyFett High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 234	Honestly, who has time to switch an external hard drive for every show they tape? Certainly not me. My internal hard drive is growing a bit crowded and I might add a monster external so I can tape more, but it seems like your quibble with DirecTV is pretty small compared to all the great advantages and HD programming you get with DirecTV. But to each his own. __________________ Magnavox 50" DLP HDTV (50ML8105D/17) HR20-100S Some Old Sony Receiver Non-progressive scan Sony DVD Player that kicks the upconverts asses Atari 2600

10-17-2007, 06:25 PM	#6
jnester74 Loving my new Blu Ray Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bothell, Wa Age: 35 Posts: 483	Well I definitely will have to use a much bigger Ext. HD cause with all this awesome HDprogramming Directv has added I am filling up way to quick. I have to keep on erasing stuff. I hate doing that. __________________ 97 18 Gamertag: NestHawk TV: Samsung - 56" 1080p LED Engine DLP HDTV Audio: Onkyo 705 w/hdmi Player: Toshiba A35--Sony BDP-S350 Gaming: X-box 360 ELITE w/HD-add on

10-17-2007, 06:51 PM	#7
BabyFett High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 234	There's also a reason why DirecTV doesn't offer this, because file sharing is illegal and allowing people to back up and archive digital copies is a gateway for file sharing. __________________ Magnavox 50" DLP HDTV (50ML8105D/17) HR20-100S Some Old Sony Receiver Non-progressive scan Sony DVD Player that kicks the upconverts asses Atari 2600

10-17-2007, 06:57 PM	#8
TomLewandowski Quest Studios Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Green Bay, WI (Transplanted from Detroit) Posts: 280	DirecTV is using a proprietary operating system on the HR20 that is incompatible with any other operating system. Hence, you are unable to transfer recorded data from the HR20 to anywhere else via a file transfer protocol. The USB port currently only supplies power and no data transfer. The ethernet port serves only to receive from select hardware/software. This was very short-sighted on D*'s part, but I'm sure some day in the future, they'll correct this poorly designed unit to enable file sharing/transferring. __________________ Hitachi P42H401 42" Plasma HD TV DirecTV HR21-700 HD DVR In-wall Axiom Front/Rear Speaker System KLH Center & Subwoofer Sony DTS-DE485 Dolby Digital/DTS Surround Sony DVP-NS75H Upconvert DVD Sony RM-VL600 Universal Remote

10-17-2007, 12:59 PM	#3
marshalldudley High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 178	Exactly. That is my point. No one has the time to switch for each show, and they shouldn't have to. With the dish method, one can record for a week on the internal hard drive, then maybe once a week, move each show, movie, etc over to the drive you want to archive it on. That is impossible with the Direct System. With Direct, you have to continually switch drives, or end up with a total mess, plus you cannot watch stuff on the internal while recording something on one of the externals, or record two things at the same time, if they fall into two different categories. We are talking about archiving, primarily movies. If all you are doing is recording episodes of a series, then deleting them after viewing them, then it is not an issue, and an external drive would not be needed at all. It's not just my quibble. I know a number of Dish customers who would switch immediately if not for this problem. Marshall

10-17-2007, 03:15 PM	#4
tifosi77 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 31	The benefits are great, don't get me wrong But between this and not being able to (effectively) archive recorded programs to DVD, it's can be a real pain in the tookis.

10-17-2007, 07:52 PM	#9
throwback559 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 403	i want to do this on a hard drive to record HD BOXING , UFC and other sports should I ?

10-18-2007, 12:18 AM	#11
TomLewandowski Quest Studios Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Green Bay, WI (Transplanted from Detroit) Posts: 280	Yes. An external SATA drive will work with the HR20-700. Do a search of this forum for specifics. Data being recorded to the new drive will only be usable with the HR20 it was connected to; you won't be able to later connect that drive to a different HR20 or a PC, to retrieve its data. __________________ Hitachi P42H401 42" Plasma HD TV DirecTV HR21-700 HD DVR In-wall Axiom Front/Rear Speaker System KLH Center & Subwoofer Sony DTS-DE485 Dolby Digital/DTS Surround Sony DVP-NS75H Upconvert DVD Sony RM-VL600 Universal Remote

10-18-2007, 10:08 AM	#12
rightcoaster You bet your life! Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minneapolis Age: 56 Posts: 373	Can anyone recommend a drive they've used successfully with the HR20 (preferably in the 1TB size range)? Does it matter whether you're using the HR20-100 or HR20-700?

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