# WeaKnees Now Offering HR20 Upgrades



## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

Setting aside the fact that it is probably easier to add an eSATA, and the fact that there is no mention of the -100 (sorry, HundredNation), *how does this work with leased boxes?*

There is no mention of the fact that pretty much all HR20s are leased.

The Story...
http://www.streettech.com/modules.p...=article&sid=1832&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

The deal at weaKnees...
http://www.weaknees.com/hr20-700-directv-hd-dvr.php


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## krock918316 (Mar 5, 2007)

cygnusloop said:


> Setting aside the fact that it is probably easier to add an eSATA, and the fact that there is no mention of the -100 (sorry, HundredNation), *how does this work with leased boxes?*
> 
> There is no mention of the fact that pretty much all HR20s are leased.
> 
> ...


I like the guys at weaknees (i upgraded a series II Tivo with them), but why would anyone send in their HR20 to get a larger drive, when all you have to do is plug in an eSata drive?

Unless they are carrying over any shows already recorded on to the new drive, I see no reason to go this route.


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## say-what (Dec 14, 2006)

Plus, you can get much better deals on an eSata than what they're asking for the upgrade....


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

Must be a dip in the demand for upgrades on the HR10s.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Let's say there was no warranty issue and you spend the money to have Weakness replace your internal drive, because you don't know how to do it yourself. If that HR20 ever needs to be replaced by D*, you're going to have to ship it back with the upgrade and lose your investment, no? /s


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

I've ordered from Weaknees before as well.

But with e-SATA, it's now $280-$295 for the top-of-the-line Seagate 750GB DB35 drive at several sites, plus $50 for a good e-SATA enclosure (I just got two Antec MX-1's).

Just plug it in and it works. 

And if the HR20 ever fails then you easily just move the drive to the next HR20 (losing shows of course). 

Or move the drive to any follow-on DVR (DB35 has a 5-year warranty).

And the HR20 warranty stays intact.


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## judson_west (Jun 15, 2006)

Probably only 10-20% of the total HR20 user base even knows what a hard drive is let alone what eSATA stands for.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Sixto said:


> I've ordered from Weaknees before as well.
> 
> But with e-SATA, it's now $280-$295 for the top-of-the-line Seagate 750GB DB35 drive at several sites, plus $50 for a good e-SATA enclosure (I just got two Antec MX-1's).
> 
> ...


So you're saying if you're going to pay D*$299 for an HR20, it's a wash whether you go with Weaknees unit at $699 or D* + External. Makes sense.

I guess the issue I still would have is what happens when the Weaknees 90-day warranty expires? If I knew how to move the upgrade drive to another HR20, I really wouldn't need Weaknees in the first place. Plus I no longer have the original drive to put back in the unit I need to return (assuming I have the D* warranty plan). /s


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Two things:

1) By doing this upgrade, you will be violating your leasing agreement with DirecTV... Unless WeaKness has worked out to be an authorized upgrade partner (which they haven't).

2) For the 750gb upgrade....
Almost $250 premium for them to spend 30 minutes of labor, and shipping.
As there is no software upgrading, like there is with the TiVo's.
You can't copy the recordings from old to new...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136131&ATT=22-136-131&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch


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## premio (Sep 26, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Two things:
> 
> 1) By doing this upgrade, you will be violating your leasing agreement with DirecTV... Unless WeaKness has worked out to be an authorized upgrade partner (which they haven't).


Then this phrase "WeaKnees.com is the only authorized DirecTV reseller offering upgrades and warranties on DirecTV DVRs in-house. Shop with confidence; check out our warranty on all upgraded DirecTV DVRs." found at http://www.weaknees.com/directv-hd-dvr.php, is incredibly misleading.

-n


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## Smuuth (Oct 4, 2005)

As stated by Earl and others, this is not a bargain and if you have to replace your HR20 for any reason, you lose the drive that was installed by Weaknees.

750GB Seagate Drive $199.99 (with free shipping)

Antec MX-1 ESATA enclosure $48.36


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Two things:
> 
> 1) By doing this upgrade, you will be violating your leasing agreement with DirecTV... Unless WeaKness has worked out to be an authorized upgrade partner (which they haven't).





premio said:


> Then this phrase "WeaKnees.com is the only *authorized DirecTV reseller* offering upgrades and warranties on DirecTV DVRs in-house. Shop with confidence; check out our warranty on all upgraded DirecTV DVRs." found at http://www.weaknees.com/directv-hd-dvr.php, is incredibly misleading.
> 
> -n


Well... I didn't see that...
I have sent a couple emails out to find out if that is in fact, if it does turn out to be true...

I have no problem eating crow on that first statement...
However, the 2nd one still stands pat.

Edit:
My guess is, reading it a third time... (I highlighted part of your quote)

They are an authorized *reseller*..... 
Not an authorized UPGRADE company...

Which I take as:
They are an authorized reseller... who will also pre-mod a system, and then take responsibility for it.
They however, that statement doesn't mean they are an authorized "UPGRADE" company....


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

premio said:


> Then this phrase "WeaKnees.com is the only authorized DirecTV reseller offering upgrades and warranties on DirecTV DVRs in-house. Shop with confidence; check out our warranty on all upgraded DirecTV DVRs." found at http://www.weaknees.com/directv-hd-dvr.php, is incredibly misleading.
> 
> -n


Ahh...
Missed that page before. So they are selling them (no mention of lease anywhere) either stock, or with the upgrade. An extra $500 for the 750GB, and an extra $700 for the 1TB. I guess this is a slightly different issue than sending it in for an upgrade, although still not a "good" deal.

As was asked before, what if you buy an upgraded box, and it craps out (what are the chances) D* replaces with a stock box (refurb at that) and your screwed??

EDIT: I see Earls supposition above. I will be very curious what info he receives.....


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## gio12 (Jul 31, 2006)

Frys has the SG FAP 500GB drive for $169 and Free Shipping!

How many hours of HD will a 500gb hold? I need another one sson for another HR20 coming.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

gio12 said:


> Frys has the SG FAP 500GB drive for $169 and Free Shipping!
> 
> How many hours of HD will a 500gb hold? I need another one sson for another HR20 coming.


500gb 
~90 - 100hrs of MPEG4


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> They are an authorized reseller.....
> Which will handle all the returns and processing of damaged systems... aka... DirecTV won't be involved.


Isn't BB/CC an authorized reseller? If I "buy" my HR20 there, don't I have to deal with D* for any replacement issues? How would weaKnees be any different? (Beyond the 90 day warranty period.)


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## say-what (Dec 14, 2006)

It could be that they're adding in D*'s surcharge to own instead of lease the and converting the units to owned, thus the premium charged......but not sure how that would work on a leased unit shipped in for the upgrade.

Still wouldn't do this, too expensive and not as easy as adding an eSata


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

cygnusloop said:


> Isn't BB/CC an authorized reseller? If I "buy" my HR20 there, don't I have to deal with D* for any replacement issues? How would weaKnees be any different? (Beyond the 90 day warranty period.)


They are authorized resellers...
As I understand it... with the leased boxes... the authorized resellers get out of the picture after the sale... (I know Crutchfield though, with Ken S, did work with him though).

Costco, now states for DirecTV... all returns and things are done with with DirecTV (IIRC).

What I was referring to with Weakness, is that they may tell you not to work with DirecTV if you are having a problem, but with them.... and they would replace or do what ever they need to do with the unit, since it was opened and "modified".


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

OK, folks, clearly, if you want to "roll your own" eSATA is a better financial choice. I'd like to keep this thread from becoming a "What's the best deal on an eSATA?" There are plenty of those.

The topics for discussion:

How do weaKnees upgrades work with leased HR20s?

If you buy/lease an upgraded HR20 from weaKnees, what happens if the HR20 dies before/after the weaKnees 90 day warranty?

And the like...


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Even if the warranty stays ...

The exact same drive that Weaknees uses with an MX-1 case is about $330. Can get cheaper drives for $70 less. The Weaknees offer is $449. Apples-to-apples then is about a $120 difference (more) thru Weeknees. Give or take a few dollars for sales tax if you buy locally.

With the Weeknees upgrade you 1) may lose the warranty, 2) you lose the original drive so who knows what you do if you ever need to return your HR20, 3) if you ever need to switch HR20's or upgrade to D*'s next DVR (whenever that is) you're back to square one. A Weeknees benefit is that you don't need to assemble anything.

With the e-SATA upgrade, you need to buy two parts (DB35 + MX-1), takes literally 5-10 minutes to install, plug it in, and re-boot. No issues with the warranty, can easily upgrade later to another HR20 or successor to the HR20, and can easily replace the drive if it ever fails (5-year warranty).

While Weaknees has been great in the past, doesn't seem compelling at this time for the HR20.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

Where's my gun? 
I see the need to shoot myself in the foot.
Nothing against Weaknees.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

cygnusloop said:


> OK, folks, clearly, if you want to "roll your own" eSATA is a better financial choice. I'd like to keep this thread from becoming a "What's the best deal on an eSATA?" There are plenty of those.
> 
> The topics for discussion:
> 
> ...


Fair enough:

"How do weaKnees upgrades work with leased HR20s?"
They will probably work just fine... as all they are doing is dropping in a larger SATA drive, and closing the box... plug it in and make sure it boots up.

There is no software or any configuration necessary.

"If you buy/lease an upgraded HR20 from weaKnees, what happens if the HR20 dies before/after the weaKnees 90 day warranty?"

That there is the most important question out of this.....
And right now... my guess is that you will be in a big bind past the 90 days...
As it will violate your lease agreement, since the case was opened and modified...

And I doubt Weakness will be sending you the 320gb drive back with your unit... so you would then have to go purchase the exact 320gb drive, put it into the unit... before you ship it back... and hope they don't examine it "that" closely


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> And I doubt Weakness will be sending you the 320gb drive back with your unit... so you would then have to go purchase the exact 320gb drive, put it into the unit... before you ship it back... and hope they don't examine it "that" closely


And like I said back in post #8, if you knew how to put a drive back in, you wouldn't need Weakness in the first place!  /s


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> "How do weaKnees upgrades work with leased HR20s?"
> They will probably work just fine... as all they are doing is dropping in a larger SATA drive, and closing the box... plug it in and make sure it boots up.
> 
> There is no software or any configuration necessary.


Sorry, I meant "work" in the sense of "violation of the lease agreement" and "Do you get your 320GB drive back". Essentially, the same issues as if you "bought" your HR20 from weaKnees, I guess.

Or, is it the same? Would they assist in replacing a box (outside the warranty period) that was bought from them, but not with a box that was only upgraded?

Seems like weaKnees is opening a can of worms for themselves here. I can't quite figure out what their business model is....


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## gio12 (Jul 31, 2006)

cygnusloop said:


> "What's the best deal on an eSATA?" /quote]
> 
> Well, who has the best deal on the Seagate FAP 750gb? It might get another instead of the 500gb model.


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

I'm personally very interested for what Earl hears back... as there is a VERY good reason why someone would want an internal hard drive compared to an eSATA drive... unless something has changed, or is about to change...

Last year when Earl did his first review of the HR20 and we knew about the eSATA (before it was turned on), I planned to get the largest hard drive I could get to hook up to it later this year. I also intended on upgrading both my TiVo Series 3 (I only have one now) with an eSATA drive later this year as well... but something has happened since then, DirecTV and TiVo have both turned on the eSATA option, but have done so in a way that makes it useless to me. 

What I mean, is that with the HR20 (last I heard), the eSATA takes the place of the internal hard drive (bypassing it altogether), and should you unplug the eSATA or the power goes out, you lose all your recordings. The TiVo Series 3 eSATA option is in addition to the internal hard drive, but it splits recordings between the internal and external hard drive, and should the power go out or you unhook the device, you lose all your recordings.

As someone who lives in the South where thunderstorms can be had almost every day during the hot months (March-October) with the exception of this year and last (drought), power outages are common and can last anywhere from seconds (which would be fine with a UPS) to hours (which rules out the UPS). We've already had one power outage that lasted longer than a UPS would have this year had I had an HR20 with eSATA, and I expect more once it starts cooling off later this year.

Thankfully, I can still upgrade my TiVo Series 3 internally, since I own it (will own them), but I'm out of luck on the HR20 unless they've changed how power outages affect the eSATA connection, or are planning to shortly...

~Alan


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Just a couple of thoughts on this thread...

1. The Weaknees offering is an internal drive rather than external. That could be a benefit to some folks.

2. There is no warranty on the HR-20 that I can find they seem to disclaim any warranty whatsoever. There is a leasing agreement that may forbid doing the modification.

3. I have never dealt with Weaknees so I can't be sure, but if they offer quality tech support that should be worth something.

4. For a device that is supposedly "stable" and "reliable" there are a whole lot of people worried about having to return it to D for repairs/replacement. That kind of thought never occurred to me with my old Sony unit...it just worked. It appears that I'm not alone in being concerned about the quality of the HR-20 at the present time.

P.S. Earl is correct. Crutchfield treated me fantastically in handling returns on the HR-20. Whether they are allowed to do so now I can't say. They may just be eating the boxes or have a relationship with D that allows them to take returns.


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

Ken S said:


> 4. For a device that is supposedly "stable" and "reliable" there are a whole lot of people worried about having to return it to D for repairs/replacement. That kind of thought never occurred to me with my old Sony unit...it just worked. It appears that I'm not alone in being concerned about the quality of the HR-20 at the present time.


I'll go out on a limb, Ken, and assume that you owned your SONY unit. Given that the HR20 came out almost a year ago, I imagine most people chose the lease option, rather than pay ~ $800 to buy. That means that most folks who feel they might at some time want to change providers, or maybe upgrade in the future, would need to return the HR20. DIRECTV _might_ have an issue with the original drive being pulled and replaced.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Ken S said:


> 4. For a device that is supposedly "stable" and "reliable" there are a whole lot of people worried about having to return it to D for repairs/replacement. That kind of thought never occurred to me with my old Sony unit...it just worked. It appears that I'm not alone in being concerned about the quality of the HR-20 at the present time.


Well, I would have this worry about *any* consumer device where if modified like this would void warrenty and/or lease. I'm not worried about my HR20 failing but on the other hand if it does I know DirecTV will replace it.

But it wouldn't set with me that if that so slight chance there is a problem and it needs replacing that I wasted $400 on an internal drive that I cannot remove. At least with the eSata solution if the HR20 dies I just lose all my recordings, not my investment in the drive itself.

I will say, it would be nice to get a refurb someday with a 500 GB drive in it because someone returned a Weeknees HR20. 

Back more on topic, all in all it's a bad deal. Cheaper and easier to get an eSata drive. And you can bet that once the eSata connection is officially supported by DirecTV that they will most likely sell these drives and ship them to you or have an installer install them should you need that.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

BTW, does anyone know if they're replacing the existing drive or just getting a second drive in there somehow?


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Ken S said:


> BTW, does anyone know if they're replacing the existing drive or just getting a second drive in there somehow?


There is no support in the HR20, for a 2nd drive...
As the SATA bus is one or the other (internal or external).

Based on the two listings...
They appear to be using either a single 750gb drive or a single 1tb drive.


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## dragonbait (Jan 20, 2007)

Alan Gordon said:


> DirecTV and TiVo have both turned on the eSATA option, but have done so in a way that makes it useless to me.
> 
> What I mean, is that with the HR20 (last I heard), the eSATA takes the place of the internal hard drive (bypassing it altogether), and should you unplug the eSATA or the power goes out, you lose all your recordings.


You do lose access to the recordings, but you do not lose the recordings upon disconnection of the eSATA drive from the HR20. Once the HR20 and eSATA are synced back up all the existing recordings on the eSATA drive are available again.

Yes, a power failure would end up causing my HR20 to revert to the internal drive and that is why I do have a UPS running the eSATA and the HR20. Any outage that exceeds the capabilities of my UPS is annoying but not the end of the world. I just restart the eSATA drive wait for it to fully boot and then start the HR20. Once the HR20 is booted everything that was there before the outage is still there. In fact I simulated this case a couple weeks ago when I upgraded the UPS to a higher capacity model.

Does that make the DirecTV eSATA more useful to you?


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

Earl Bonovich said:


> There is no support in the HR20, for a 2nd drive...
> As the SATA bus is one or the other (internal or external).
> 
> Based on the two listings...
> They appear to be using either a single 750gb drive or a single 1tb drive.


Didn't they have an offer about a year and half ago to anyone who could figure out how to upgrade the R15 because the drive was tied to the unit.

Did D* do something different to with the HR20 (vs the R15) so the drives are not tied to the unit, or did Weaknees figure it out, or am I imaging that offer being out there.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

raott said:


> Didn't they have an offer about a year and half ago to anyone who could figure out how to upgrade the R15 because the drive was tied to the unit.
> 
> Did D* do something different to with the HR20 (vs the R15) so the drives are not tied to the unit, or did Weaknees figure it out, or am I imaging that offer being out there.


Yes, weaKness offere $20k to anyone that could figure out how to upgrade the R15. No one ever claimed it.

What was done differently, is that on the HR20... there is nothing that needs to be done. The HR20 uses the entire space of the drive, automatically.... and has been that way since day 1. (there where people that dropped a new drive in the day they got it), it was not locked to a certain size.

The data on the drive is tied to the unit though...


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Yes, weaKness offere $20k to anyone that could figure out how to upgrade the R15. No one ever claimed it.


Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't the R15 come out BEFORE DirecTV started their LEASING program? That would be a BIG difference between them offering a reward for information on how to do it to a R15 back then to offering it on a HR20 now...

~Alan


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

dragonbait said:


> You do lose access to the recordings, but you do not lose the recordings upon disconnection of the eSATA drive from the HR20. Once the HR20 and eSATA are synced back up all the existing recordings on the eSATA drive are available again.
> 
> Yes, a power failure would end up causing my HR20 to revert to the internal drive and that is why I do have a UPS running the eSATA and the HR20. Any outage that exceeds the capabilities of my UPS is annoying but not the end of the world. I just restart the eSATA drive wait for it to fully boot and then start the HR20. Once the HR20 is booted everything that was there before the outage is still there. In fact I simulated this case a couple weeks ago when I upgraded the UPS to a higher capacity model.
> 
> *Does that make the DirecTV eSATA more useful to you?*


TREMENDOUSLY!!! That makes me feel a whole lot better... but is this a new thing, because I could have sworn I read that everytime you "hook" the eSATA back up it reformats the drive... I used to read the eSATA thread a lot, but I kind of took a few months off... and only scan it every now and then now...

If the above is true, the only reason why anyone would have any desire to upgrade the internal is to save power that the enclosure would use... but other than environmental reasons, most people would rather forget the trouble and pay the extra money...

~Alan


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## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

Alan Gordon said:


> TREMENDOUSLY!!! That makes me feel a whole lot better... but is this a new thing, because I could have sworn I read that everytime you "hook" the eSATA back up it reformats the drive... I used to read the eSATA thread a lot, but I kind of took a few months off... and only scan it every now and then now...
> 
> If the above is true, the only reason why anyone would have any desire to upgrade the internal is to save power that the enclosure would use... but other than environmental reasons, most people would rather forget the trouble and pay the extra money...
> 
> ~Alan


You read incorrectly, or they wrote incorrectly. There is no reformat every time you hook the eSATA up. Putting a larger drive inside the HR20 is seeking a solution where there is no problem, with lots of potential side-effects.

For the "casual" user, it's a silly idea. For the techno-geek, I'm sure it's seen as fun.


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## arnolddeleon (Dec 7, 2006)

There is one other thing of note, the 750GB drive that Weakness uses is the
ST3750840SCE

http://www.seagate.com/docs/pdf/datasheet/disc/ds_db35_7200_3.pdf

Those seem to go for a little more than the regular 750GB drives.

arnold


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Alan Gordon said:


> Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't the R15 come out BEFORE DirecTV started their LEASING program? That would be a BIG difference between them offering a reward for information on how to do it to a R15 back then to offering it on a HR20 now...
> 
> ~Alan


Correct... the R15 did come out before the leasing program went into full string.

But the reward had to do with the fact, that on a technical level.... there is no way to update the size of the R15's hard drive.

The whole leasing aspect of this aside, on the technical level the HR20 is really a connect and go (be it internal or external). The R15... you can put a 500gb drive in, and it still will only use the 160 (or something like that)


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

arnolddeleon said:


> There is one other thing of note, the 750GB drive that Weakness uses is the
> ST3750840SCE
> 
> http://www.seagate.com/docs/pdf/datasheet/disc/ds_db35_7200_3.pdf
> ...


Excellent point, arnold.

OK, that drive goes for $300-$350.

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1063897

And it looks like a pretty good choice for an HD-DVR.

So, with the Seagate db35 750GB and a ~$50 enclosure, we have:

HR20 + 750GB eSATA ==> $600-$650

weaKnees 750GB HR20 ==> $799

$150-$200 premium for the weaKnees box, apples to apples.


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

Or, if your upgrading:

750GB drive and enclosure, $350-$400

weaKnees 750GB upgrade, $449

That's only $50-$100 premium. Is _that _too much to pay for an upgraded internal drive on a leased HR20, with D*'s blessing?

If the upgrade has D*'s blessing,
and if you get to keep the drive.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Alan Gordon said:


> If the above is true, the only reason why anyone would have any desire to upgrade the internal is to save power that the enclosure would use... but other than environmental reasons, most people would rather forget the trouble and pay the extra money...


Depending on where your HR20 is placed, the addition of an external drive may not be practical or possible. E.g., one of my four HR20's is inside a cabinet with limited space available for an external drive. Another HR20 is mounted sideways on a wall bracket, sitting behind a katty-corner wall-mounted plasma panel. /steve


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## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

Steve said:


> Depending on where your HR20 is placed, the addition of an external drive may not be practical or possible. E.g., one of my four HR20's is inside a cabinet with limited space available for an external drive. Another HR20 is mounted sideways on a wall bracket, sitting behind a katty-corner wall-mounted plasma panel. /steve


That sounds aesthetically pleasing, Steve. Being a long term electronics junkie, and a slob, I don't have the same aspirations and some times lose site of those with a modicum of class.

I use a 7 ft tall 19" rolling rack, with movable and slotted shelves, so I can pretty much do anything I want. My aesthetic angle is covered with MagnaPlanar front mains.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

hasan said:


> My aesthetic angle is covered with MagnaPlanar front mains.


Sweet! Bet they sound awesome!  /s


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## solo1026 (Mar 21, 2006)

From all I have read on the HR20-700 all you would have to do is open the unit and replace your 300GB with a new HD. Am I correct? You don't have to do anything to the software.


I can do this


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

solo1026 said:


> From all I have read on the HR20-700 all you would have to do is open the unit and replace your 300GB with a new HD. Am I correct? You don't have to do anything to the software.
> I can do this


And in doing so, you just violated the lease agreement, and broke a seal.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

solo1026 said:


> From all I have read on the HR20-700 all you would have to do is open the unit and replace your 300GB with a new HD. Am I correct? You don't have to do anything to the software.


Besides the warranty issues described earlier ... and per Earl's review of the -700 last year ... replacing the drive in a -700 is not a trivial task ... must easier in a -100 ... but breaks the warranty seal ...


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I didn't see it mentioned, but the only benefit I could possibly see to upgrading the internal instead of using eSATA is that the 750GB drive could run quieter or cooler than the drive that's in there. 

I seem to recall someone saying that the HR20 did not run any cooler when using eSATA, which could mean the internal drive is still powered up even when it is unused. 

Keeping my HR20 in a closed cabinet, and since it was 112 in SoCal yesterday, and I don't want to pay a ton of money for A/C, heat is a concern.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Sixto said:


> Besides the warranty issues described earlier ... and per Earl's review of the -700 last year ... replacing the drive in a -700 is not a trivial task ... must easier in a -100 ... but breaks the warranty seal ...


"or so you've heard", right? Not that you've done it


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

Well, there could be some people who paid over $800 and OWN their HR20s, so they can do what they want. Replace the hard drive ... paint it black ... you know. The usual upgrades! 

(P.S. I'm not one of those people!


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## georgeorwell (Jun 21, 2007)

cygnusloop said:


> Or, if your upgrading:
> 
> 750GB drive and enclosure, $350-$400
> 
> ...


That price is a little off for the 750GB. The Seagate Free Agent that a lot of us use is only $250.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

lamontcranston said:


> "or so you've heard", right? Not that you've done it


lc, correct!

Haven't done it and don't plan to. eSATA has been flawless.


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

georgeorwell said:


> That price is a little off for the 750GB. The Seagate Free Agent that a lot of us use is only $250.


I understand there are cheaper options, but for a fair comparison to the weaKnees upgrade, my estimation was for the Seagate DB35 Series ST3750840SCE, the same drive they use. See post #40.


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## ICM2000 (Sep 14, 2006)

Smuuth said:


> As stated by Earl and others, this is not a bargain and if you have to replace your HR20 for any reason, you lose the drive that was installed by Weaknees.
> 
> 750GB Seagate Drive $199.99 (with free shipping)
> 
> Antec MX-1 ESATA enclosure $48.36


Anyone know if the SATA cable included with the Antec MX-1 is compatible with the HR20? Thanks.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

ICM2000 said:


> Anyone know if the SATA cable included with the Antec MX-1 is compatible with the HR20? Thanks.


The eSATA cable with the MX-1 is fine. Just installed two MX-1's.


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## LI-SVT (May 18, 2006)

hasan said:


> That sounds aesthetically pleasing, Steve. Being a long term electronics junkie, and a slob, I don't have the same aspirations and some times lose site of those with a modicum of class.
> 
> I use a 7 ft tall 19" rolling rack, with movable and slotted shelves, so I can pretty much do anything I want. My aesthetic angle is covered with MagnaPlanar front mains.


Sounds cool, got pictures?


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