Is this a good external hard drive?

[Joe Las Vegas]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1216424110394

I plan on getting this external hard drive to store movies..., anyone has experience with external hard drives? any tips, comments?
All the external hard drives are pretty much 320GB which is pretty good, and this is the least expensive, I reseached the DN website and I know about the $40 fee to activate the box, and I have the 722 HD DVR.



Can this also be used as an external recording device since it has a HHD built-in? http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/nav...=5&item=390656

[holyhoohoo]

try this one. it's 500gb instead of the 320gb for $10 bucks more.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1185271084002

[Joe Las Vegas]

Originally Posted by holyhoohoo

try this one. it's 500gb instead of the 320gb for $10 bucks more.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1185271084002

Many rewievers said it crashed after a year or so and they lost their data, doesn't sound good.
What if I get a DVD recorder, I can route the HDMI out from the DVR to the DVD recorder and from the DVD recorder to the TV, that should work too, DVD's are more reliable to have than a external HDD, don't you think?, plus dvd's can be played anywhere.

[Acerbean]

Originally Posted by Joe Las Vegas

Many rewievers said it crashed after a year or so and they lost their data, doesn't sound good.
What if I get a DVD recorder, I can route the HDMI out from the DVR to the DVD recorder and from the DVD recorder to the TV, that should work too, DVD's are more reliable to have than a external HDD, don't you think?, plus dvd's can be played anywhere.

It doesn't matter which brand of HDD you use, the issue is with the receiver's USB interface. I have tried 2 different external HDDs and built an external HDD using an enclosure and have had the same intermittent problems. The only thing I haven't changed is the receiver itself but I'm doing that as soon as the leased 722 gets here. My owned 622's TV2 coaxial output stopped working so I needed new gear and I will try my 3 external HDDs on the new 722 and see what happens. I have not tried to watch my external HDD shows since I received the "Turbo" software update, don't know if these external HDD issues are addressed in this update or not, we'll see.

[Brisbane]

My only advice is get the biggest size. With Dish DVR, supposedly 750 GB. I have a 500 GB Maxtor and a 750 GB WD mybook. They work great, never a single problem.

[jim5506]

My advice is to buy a hard drive dock and buy multiple smaller drives (250-320GB) to switch out on it.

You therefore have less chance of losing all your data with a crash (which WILL happen).

Bigger is not always better.

[Brisbane]

Never thought I'd hear a guy from Texas say that !

[Joe Las Vegas]

If those external hard drives are not reliable for safekeeping, then I'll get a DVD recorder.
Do DVD recorders have a HDMI in and out, so that I can run HDMI from the 722 thru the DVD recorder, then to the tv, like a cable for VCR's? how would I connect it?
Anyone has a DVD recorder to save movies on DVD's from your dish box?

[Brisbane]

I have a DVD recorder too but it is SD. There is nothing quite like the simplicity, HD quality and yes reliability of a DVR with a nice big fat hard drive. And even it it ever did crash, my god they are only TV shows.

[Joe Las Vegas]

Forget HDD, I'm getting a sony DVD recorder/VCR combo, it records from cable or satellite boxes and it can record from a VCR tape to a DVD, so that's great and it's only $148, so I'll be getting it soon.

S-video connection is what? I never used that, is it better than A/V (I suspect it is) but is it better, as good as, or worse than a component connection?

[jim5506]

In order to record HD off satellite outside VIP ect. you must use EHD or Hauppauge HD PVR (component connection) or Black Magic HDMI input card - latter two require dual core PC.

[Joe Las Vegas]

Originally Posted by jim5506

In order to record HD off satellite outside VIP ect. you must use EHD or Hauppauge HD PVR (component connection) or Black Magic HDMI input card - latter two require dual core PC.

As long as the DVD recorder records 720p into 480p on DVD's, I'll happy with that, 480p is good.

[jim5506]

Never have seen a DVD recorder that does 720p, normal res for DVD is 480i.

[Joe Las Vegas]

Originally Posted by jim5506

Never have seen a DVD recorder that does 720p, normal res for DVD is 480i.

I said into 480p, downconvert HD from the box to the DVD recorder, and aren't DVD's 480p?

[Joe Las Vegas]

I just put a DVD in my 5.1 system, and the TV reads 480p SD, so I know it's not HD 720p, but 480p is still good quality, so even if the DVD recorder records 720p HD stuff and makes 480p DVD's for safekeeping it will be good PQ, it's not a VCR, I know we're all going HD, but DVD quality PQ is still good to go IMO.