# New DVR Expander - up to 1TB!



## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

Info here:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-ent...tb-for-more-episodes-of-the-office-317390.php

And the product page:
http://www.apricorn.com/product_detail.php?type=family&id=37

The 1TB version is going for $329 after a $50 mail-in rebate - sweet!


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## dhhaines (Nov 18, 2005)

Rambler said:


> Info here:
> http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-ent...tb-for-more-episodes-of-the-office-317390.php
> 
> And the product page:
> ...


 I don't see any where that it supports the HR20/21...

Anyone know?


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## wismile (Jul 20, 2006)

dhhaines said:


> I don't see any where that it supports the HR20/21...
> 
> Anyone know?


Specs say yes...

"System Requirements - Any DVR with an active eSATA port "


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## jtn (Oct 18, 2007)

dhhaines said:


> I don't see any where that it supports the HR20/21...
> 
> Anyone know?


I have read it only supports up to a 750GB eSATA drive.


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## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

jtn said:


> I have read it only supports up to a 750GB eSATA drive.


Where did you read this?


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## jtn (Oct 18, 2007)

Rambler said:


> Where did you read this?


here on this site. Do a search.


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

well.. they sure put a lot of effort into their supported dvr list... sa 8300, sa 8300, sa 8300, sa 8300, sa 8300....


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

jtn said:


> I have read it only supports up to a 750GB eSATA drive.





Rambler said:


> Where did you read this?





jtn said:


> here on this site. Do a search.


As far as I know, that is incorrect. There are lots of people running a 1TB eSATA solution.

Do a search, you will find them. 

EDIT - Here is someone using a 3.75TB solution. Granted, it seems like the HR20 is only using 2TB of it, but that is a whole lot more than 750GB.


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## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

jtn said:


> here on this site. Do a search.


Well, I couldn't find any specifics on space limitations, but even still 750GB for the price is still a sweet deal.


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

i think the problem was for over 2 TB


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=104169


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## Michael D'Angelo (Oct 21, 2006)

Not sure what the limit is but it is more than 750GB.

The TenBox has 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB units. 

I think someone was even using 3.5TB.


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## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

AirRocker said:


> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=104169


Thanks - that's what I thought.


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## jdoug (Aug 16, 2006)

Looks decent. Has a fan, comes with a cable. Anyone have any experience with their products?


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

jtn said:


> I have read it only supports up to a 750GB eSATA drive.


Are you saying that the HR20/21 only supports a 750GB eSATA drive? If so, please provide a link as there are multiple people that have configured > 1TB eSATA solutions...

In this thread:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=104169

Earl said:


> When I first got your message... I did forward it on...
> Your post here has also "caught" their attention.
> 
> They are going back to build something similar insize... and test it in lab... to see what the actual "limit" is.
> ...


JTN, please do your own searching and/or post links to claims you make (re: the HR20 how much does it cost thread)


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

lol.... 16TB... that is crazy!


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## jbstix (Dec 29, 2005)

So is this basically just an external esata drive enclosure, similar to what others are using?

In other words, you either use this or the internal HR20/21 drive, it doesn't magically combine the two drives correct??? That's a D* software issue right?


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

jbstix said:


> So is this basically just an external esata drive enclosure, similar to what others are using?
> 
> In other words, you either use this or the internal HR20/21 drive, it doesn't magically combine the two drives correct??? That's a D* software issue right?


Correct, either internal or eSATA, not both.....yet.  <- _Insert wishful thinking here._


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

AirRocker said:


> lol.... 16TB... that is crazy!


Picture Jack Nicholson in full dress uniform...

"You can't handle that much TV...!!!" :lol:


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

AirRocker said:


> lol.... 16TB... that is crazy!


16TB would work out to be about 4000 hours of MPEG4 HD.


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

hilmar2k said:


> 16TB would work out to be about 4000 hours of MPEG4 HD.


over 166 days!


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

so... who's gonna be the first to do it??? i wanna see a 16TB setup!! :lol:


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## jtn (Oct 18, 2007)

Thaedron said:


> Are you saying that the HR20/21 only supports a 750GB eSATA drive? If so, please provide a link as there are multiple people that have configured > 1TB eSATA solutions...
> 
> In this thread:
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=104169
> ...


There is conflicting information, so you will just have to take a risk and try it. Many reliable forum members contradict others, so I can't say for sure.


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

jtn said:


> There is conflicting information, so you will just have to take a risk and try it. Many reliable forum members contradict others, so I can't say for sure.


Doesn't get much more reliable than Earl.


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## jtn (Oct 18, 2007)

Thaedron said:


> Doesn't get much more reliable than Earl.


I'm not saying Earl or anyone else is unreliable, but it's the individual who has to decide if they need that much or if it can handle that much space. It seems very high considering many computers that are newer models cant see 2 TB drives.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Rambler said:


> Info here:
> http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-ent...tb-for-more-episodes-of-the-office-317390.php
> 
> And the product page:
> ...


Looks like another external HD to me...you can get a 1TB eSATA external at Costco for $299.


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## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

Ken S said:


> Looks like another external HD to me...you can get a 1TB eSATA external at Costco for $299.


True, but this is a DVR specific model. If that equates to better reliability still remains to be seen.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

jtn said:


> There is conflicting information, so you will just have to take a risk and try it. Many reliable forum members contradict others, so I can't say for sure.


I would love to see a post that says there is a limit of 750GB on eSATA. Please share these elusive posts with the rest of the class.


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## Smuuth (Oct 4, 2005)

Ken S said:


> Looks like another external HD to me...you can get a 1TB eSATA external at Costco for $299.


Do you have a link? The only eSATA drive I have seen at Costco for anywhere close to that price is the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB for $199. They do have a Western Digital 1 TB external drive for $349 but it is not eSATA.


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## dervari (Dec 1, 2005)

Looks to be a Ten Box killer!


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## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

dervari said:


> Looks to be a Ten Box killer!


Well, Tenbox has options for much more storage capacity, but at a significantly higher cost. For the price, a 1TB DVR Expander definately seems to be a pretty good deal.


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

I'm all in favor of increased storage capacity, but without the ability to move recordings between units, having >1TB of recorded content rendered useless by a failed HR20 is an ugly scenario.


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## 2000voltz (Sep 21, 2007)

Thaedron said:


> I'm all in favor of increased storage capacity, but without the ability to move recordings between units, having >1TB of recorded content rendered useless by a failed HR20 is an ugly scenario.


yes, but not really any worst than the internal going bad.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Smuuth said:


> Do you have a link? The only eSATA drive I have seen at Costco for anywhere close to that price is the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB for $199. They do have a Western Digital 1 TB external drive for $349 but it is not eSATA.


It was at their store. It was one of their Lifebook series. 1TB and 4 connection methods.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Rambler said:


> True, but this is a DVR specific model. If that equates to better reliability still remains to be seen.


I've purchased some Apricorn products in the past and they haven't been shoddy. I don't know what drive they're using in this enclosure though.


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## Dusty (Sep 21, 2006)

Ken S said:


> It was at their store. It was one of their Lifebook series. 1TB and 4 connection methods.


That is true. I also saw them in one store. It was $299, 1TB, eSATA. There was no Seagate Free Agent in stock at that store. I went to a different store the second day. I found Seagate, but no Western Digital 1TB eSATA. I don't know if it means they are switching the line after Seagate runs out.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

jtn said:


> There is conflicting information, so you will just have to take a risk and try it. Many reliable forum members contradict others, so I can't say for sure.


Unless you can provide a source for your comments, its unlikely to be true. There are a number of folks here that have utilized larger capacities and believe me if 750GB were the limit we'd know about it.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Ken S said:


> Looks like another external HD to me...you can get a 1TB eSATA external at Costco for $299.


That Western Digital My Book 1 TB eSATA at Costco will not work with a DVR.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Smuuth said:


> Do you have a link? The only eSATA drive I have seen at Costco for anywhere close to that price is the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB for $199. They do have a Western Digital 1 TB external drive for $349 but it is not eSATA.


Costco does have a WD 1 TB My Book eSATA for $299 that will not work with a DVR.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

rich584 said:


> Costco does have a WD 1 TB My Book eSATA for $299 that will not work with a DVR.


Thanks for the note .. I haven't been following the eSATA progress closely so perhaps you can enlighten me. Do you know why it won't work or is it just something that was discovered via trial & error and that's as far as we know?


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## Smuuth (Oct 4, 2005)

Ken S said:


> It was at their store. It was one of their Lifebook series. 1TB and 4 connection methods.





Dusty said:


> That is true. I also saw them in one store. It was $299, 1TB, eSATA. There was no Seagate Free Agent in stock at that store. I went to a different store the second day. I found Seagate, but no Western Digital 1TB eSATA. I don't know if it means they are switching the line after Seagate runs out.


It must have been a few local stores that had them. I have seen the World Edition My Book, but those do not have an eSATA connection. Based on the Western Digital website, only some of them have eSATA.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Spent four hours yesterday hooking the WD My Book 1 TB eSATA to various HR20s and failed each time. Could not get the HR20s to recognize the eSATA. Tried various eSATA cords and trimmed one.

Finally gave up and called WD tech support. First words out of the tech's mouth, "They will not work with DVRs". They make "DVR Expanders" made specifically for DVRs. But only 500 Gigs so far.



Doug Brott said:


> Thanks for the note .. I haven't been following the eSATA progress closely so perhaps you can enlighten me. Do you know why it won't work or is it just something that was discovered via trial & error and that's as far as we know?


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Smuuth said:


> It must have been a few local stores that had them. I have seen the World Edition My Book, but those do not have an eSATA connection. Based on the Western Digital website, only some of them have eSATA.


Smuuth,

They were a new item at the Boca Raton Costco and surprised me a bit. They had a LOT of them though so they may be getting distributed now. It wasn't the World Edition it was this model.


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

2000voltz said:


> yes, but not really any worst than the internal going bad.


Agreed, but as the amount of content at risk goes up, so would the corresponding disappointment when none of it will ever be viewable.

With an eSATA enclosure you can prevent data loss via a RAID configuration of your choice. But virtually eliminating your chances of data loss due to disk failure does you no good if the data is not in any way portable to another D* DVR within your household.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

rich584 said:


> Spent four hours yesterday hooking the WD My Book 1 TB eSATA to various HR20s and failed each time. Could not get the HR20s to recognize the eSATA. Tried various eSATA cords and trimmed one.
> 
> Finally gave up and called WD tech support. First words out of the tech's mouth, "They will not work with DVRs". They make "DVR Expanders" made specifically for DVRs. But only 500 Gigs so far.


Well, he may be of the same school as some of the CSRs that work for DirecTV..ie..making it up as they go along

If something is a true eSATA interface it should work with the HR20. I looked at their manual and I don't see any mention of any kind of special "drivers".

It does come HFS (Mac) formatted, but that shouldn't matter to the HR20 at all.

Did you follow this sequence?

1. Shut down HR20 (Power completely off)
2. Connect HR20 to the Drive with an eSATA (Not USB) connection
3. Powered up the Drive.
4. After the drive had spun up. Power on the HR20

If it worked you would notice that there was nothing in your Playlist, History or To Do list.

Were the cables you tried working in another device. I've heard of stories where there's a problem with some eSATA cables and HR20s.

Are you able to test the drive in another device...it could be bad as well.

Hope this is of some help.


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## 2000voltz (Sep 21, 2007)

Thaedron said:


> Agreed, but as the amount of content at risk goes up, so would the corresponding disappointment when none of it will ever be viewable.
> 
> With an eSATA enclosure you can prevent data loss via a RAID configuration of your choice. But virtually eliminating your chances of data loss due to disk failure does you no good if the data is not in any way portable to another D* DVR within your household.


agreed, I watch something right away if its that important to see, I just can't watch three shows at once so I only have to hang onto them untill the weekend to get caught up. the stock internal was just to small when you add sporting events ect. with my 750 gb I don't think I ever got up to 50% yet (I watch and delete) but I was always getting up to 20% on the stock drive so I was cutting it close and wanted a bigger cushion. More people use thier drives for a libary than I thought they did. I can understand that, but I don't want to be let down thinking it would be there forever, as you pointed out.

also heres a 1tb drive for $289 and it comes with the cable.
http://www.buy.com/prod/cavalry-1tb-2x500gb-usb-esata-disk-array-raid-kit/q/loc/101/205770649.html


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## Rambler (Nov 9, 2006)

2000voltz said:


> also heres a 1tb drive for $289 and it comes with the cable.
> http://www.buy.com/prod/cavalry-1tb-2x500gb-usb-esata-disk-array-raid-kit/q/loc/101/205770649.html


If... it's DVR compatible. Remember, some eSATA drives are not.


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## Tidalcloud (Sep 18, 2007)

Dell has the 750gb Seagate FreeAgent Pro for $239. Is the Seagate confirmed as dvr friendly?


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## Smuuth (Oct 4, 2005)

Ken S said:


> Smuuth,
> 
> They were a new item at the Boca Raton Costco and surprised me a bit. They had a LOT of them though so they may be getting distributed now. It wasn't the World Edition it was this model.


Interesting - I will have to watch for them at my Costco.

Thanks. 



Tidalcloud said:


> Dell has the 750gb Seagate FreeAgent Pro for $239. Is the Seagate confirmed as dvr friendly?


Lots of people are using the Seagate FreeAgent Pro successfully with the HR20 and HR21.

Incidentally, Costco has it for $199.


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## spectrumsp (Aug 30, 2006)

I have had attached to my HR20 for the past week an MX-1 enclosure with the WD "Green" 1 TB HDD...and it works beautifully! I even used the esata cord included with the enclosure without an issue...

Hope this helps...


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Would someone please explain the specifications mandated for a "DVR Compatible" drive?

My guess is it's a made-up marketing term which is meaningless.

Noise, Temperature and ability to write multiple streams with simultaneous reads at reasonable speeds would be the keys. MTBF would be nice too although almost every drive can handle years of constant use.


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## FredZ (Aug 22, 2007)

Has anyone tried this Apricorn DVR Xpander drive and does it work in the HR20?


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

I've hooked up at least 15 eSATAs, Cavalrys (junk) and FAPs (great) and I know how to do it. This is the first one I had that would not be recognized by the HR20. I tried it on four HR20s, four different jumpers, trimmed one jumper and nothing I did helped. I believe that tech. He told me right away that it wouldn't work with a DVR. I have called Seagate for tech help and have been very impressed with their techs. To compare the HD companies tech support to D*'s techs is not a fair comparison.

But, if you have doubts, do something empirical and buy one at Costco and try it yourself. You can have all the opinions and read their manuals and express all the logical conclusions you want, but until you try one yourself, you really should be able to accept the conclusions of those that have. I might have been the first, but if you read the eSATA thread you will see others have had the same problem.



Ken S said:


> Well, he may be of the same school as some of the CSRs that work for DirecTV..ie..making it up as they go along
> 
> If something is a true eSATA interface it should work with the HR20. I looked at their manual and I don't see any mention of any kind of special "drivers".
> 
> ...


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## 2000voltz (Sep 21, 2007)

rich584 said:


> I've hooked up at least 15 eSATAs, Cavalrys (junk)


sorry if you had a problem, but I strongly disagree...


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## bhelton71 (Mar 8, 2007)

Ken S said:


> Would someone please explain the specifications mandated for a "DVR Compatible" drive?
> 
> My guess is it's a made-up marketing term which is meaningless.
> 
> Noise, Temperature and ability to write multiple streams with simultaneous reads at reasonable speeds would be the keys. MTBF would be nice too although almost every drive can handle years of constant use.


Would it be port-multiplier vs standalone raid controller ? Thats the only thing I can think of.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

rich584 said:


> I've hooked up at least 15 eSATAs, Cavalrys (junk) and FAPs (great) and I know how to do it. This is the first one I had that would not be recognized by the HR20. I tried it on four HR20s, four different jumpers, trimmed one jumper and nothing I did helped. I believe that tech. He told me right away that it wouldn't work with a DVR. I have called Seagate for tech help and have been very impressed with their techs. To compare the HD companies tech support to D*'s techs is not a fair comparison.
> 
> But, if you have doubts, do something empirical and buy one at Costco and try it yourself. You can have all the opinions and read their manuals and express all the logical conclusions you want, but until you try one yourself, you really should be able to accept the conclusions of those that have. I might have been the first, but if you read the eSATA thread you will see others have had the same problem.


I don't disbelieve you and I was trying to help (which may have been a mistake on my part)..but a device is either an eSATA device or it's not. In reality the drive shouldn't know if it's hooked up to a DVR, Music Jukebox, Mac, PC, Amiga, etc.

Now, if they're doing something that requires something special to communicate with a computer that's okay...they should just not label the device as eSATA compat. I guess it's also possible that the HR20 isn't able to low-level format the drive the way it comes. I wonder what would happen if you partitioned it as FAT32 on a PC and then plugged it into the HR20. Just a thought...

I'm assuming that you called Western Digital for support and not Seagate as the device I'm talking about is made by WD.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Ken S said:


> I don't disbelieve you and I was trying to help (which may have been a mistake on my part)..but a device is either an eSATA device or it's not. In reality the drive shouldn't know if it's hooked up to a DVR, Music Jukebox, Mac, PC, Amiga, etc.
> Now, if they're doing something that requires something special to communicate with a computer that's okay...they should just not label the device as eSATA compat.
> I'm assuming that you called Western Digital for support and not Seagate as the device I'm talking about is made by WD.


Of course I called WD for support. I called Seagate before I purchased my FAPs.

I realize you were trying to help, but I really was not seeking help, just reporting on my experiences. Empirical experiences that I hoped would be used as information to be used when purchasing that product. I had the same opinion you have concerning an eSATA being an eSATA, but apparently that is not true. Paradigms are difficult to let go of.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

2000voltz said:


> sorry if you had a problem, but I strongly disagree...


Don't leave me hanging, what do you disagree with?


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## bhelton71 (Mar 8, 2007)

Got another WD report in another thread

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=107710


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

rich584 said:


> Of course I called WD for support. I called Seagate before I purchased my FAPs.
> 
> I realize you were trying to help, but I really was not seeking help, just reporting on my experiences. Empirical experiences that I hoped would be used as information to be used when purchasing that product. I had the same opinion you have concerning an eSATA being an eSATA, but apparently that is not true. Paradigms are difficult to let go of.


Ahh, I was foolish. I should have known that you would have tried everything before reporting on an issue with the drive. My apologies for responding with help on a forum. 
Arrogance can also be difficult to let go of.


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## 2000voltz (Sep 21, 2007)

rich584 said:


> Don't leave me hanging, what do you disagree with?


I find my drive to be pretty relieable, I don't feel its junk at all. but thats just my opinion.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

I called a buddy of mine that runs an IT department at a company that is largely Mac based. He's the one that told me about the new 1TB WD externals.

They have been having a problem in getting the devices to format for Windows use. The device comes HFS+ (Mac) formatted. He said they've been able to do it, but it wasn't easy and Partition Magic, didn't do it.

They must be doing something that doesn't allow the HR20 to format the drive. He's going to bring over one that he formatted to FAT32 to see if it works this weekend. I'll post the results and try to see if we can't figure out an easy method for people to use this device.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

It would probably be even better to have it formatted as ext3, since that is a more likely acceptable and recognizable format for the Linux code on the HR2X boxes


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Kinda makes you think about my arrogant post, doesn't it. Haven't we disagreed before?



Ken S said:


> I called a buddy of mine that runs an IT department at a company that is largely Mac based. He's the one that told me about the new 1TB WD externals.
> 
> They have been having a problem in getting the devices to format for Windows use. The device comes HFS+ (Mac) formatted. He said they've been able to do it, but it wasn't easy and Partition Magic, didn't do it.
> 
> They must be doing something that doesn't allow the HR20 to format the drive. He's going to bring over one that he formatted to FAT32 to see if it works this weekend. I'll post the results and try to see if we can't figure out an easy method for people to use this device.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Here is what I posted on another thread today:

I just counted eSATA receipts and it looks like eight Cavalrys and six Seagates. One FAP was destroyed by a berserk "refurbished" 100 which then destroyed it's internal drive.

Of the eight Cavalrys, the first six were horribly noisy, clicking and banging. Took one apart and could not find a seating problem. Had to be the HD. And they have these tiny little fans that are really fast and really noisy. Got two of the updated versions and one was immediately noisy and the other worked perfectly for about four months. Traded it in for an FAP.



2000voltz said:


> I find my drive to be pretty relieable, I don't feel its junk at all. but thats just my opinion.


I don't recall you saying how long you have had the Cavalry, but the first six I had came with no bases and were horribly noisy. Recorded really well tho. I had three of them in one room and the fan noise was annoying.

I took them all back and got the next generation eSATA. Took one back immediately because the HD was clicking and whining. The other one worked perfectly (except for that nasty little fan) for four months. Traded it in for a cheaper FAP. The last two Cavalrys came with bases and were visibly different.

The nice thing about the FAP is that it has no fan, but comes in a case made of a special heat dispersing plastic (feels like aluminum, but it is plastic). Perfectly silent.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

rich584 said:


> Kinda makes you think about my arrogant post, doesn't it. Haven't we disagreed before?


As I said earlier. I apologize for trying to help you and for not understanding beforehand that your post was purely for information's sake and not to be responded to.

Is there some point you're trying to prove?

As for disagreeing with you before...I don't recall. I'm sorry if I have forgotten any previous conversation with you. If one occurred it just didn't leave a lasting impression.

Have a nice weekend.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

CCarncross said:


> It would probably be even better to have it formatted as ext3, since that is a more likely acceptable and recognizable format for the Linux code on the HR2X boxes


CC,

I'll try a few things including ext3. If I'm lucky we'll have a way to easily utilize the drive...if not we'll have a drive to stay away from .

I hope we're not going to end up with "flavors" of eSATA. drives.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

To date, the best single drive eSATA solution I have seen is the ANTEC MX-1 with the drive of your choice. I feel its a far superiior enclosure to any discussed here. If you choose, you can put one of those AV rated drives in it. Overall, probably turn out to be the quietest and most reliable setup you could ask for. I dont quite trust those buy it like it is units....of course I'm referring to the FAP and WD MyBook drives or similar products.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Ken S said:


> As I said earlier. I apologize for trying to help you and for not understanding beforehand that your post was purely for information's sake and not to be responded to.
> 
> Is there some point you're trying to prove?
> 
> ...


No particular point. Just stressed out after spending a week with the WD eSATA and trying to get a replacement HR20 from D*. Tired of people (I'm talking about D* CSRs and stupidvisors now") twisting my words or not understanding the "point" I'm trying to make.

I'm not going to comment on the little digs. Let's just drop it. Or not. Your choice. Personally, I'd prefer not to bicker.


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## ITSec_Guy (Sep 23, 2007)

He may be confusing this with the Dish Network DVR... IT can only support 750GB... Clearly the HR20 can take 2TB+ of data! That is a non-issue!


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

rich584 said:


> No particular point. Just stressed out after spending a week with the WD eSATA and trying to get a replacement HR20 from D*. Tired of people (I'm talking about D* CSRs and stupidvisors now") twisting my words or not understanding the "point" I'm trying to make.
> 
> I'm not going to comment on the little digs. Let's just drop it. Or not. Your choice. Personally, I'd prefer not to bicker.


Fair enough...I can understand the frustration...that's enough to put anyone over th edge.

I have a new set of rules for myself when I have to call DirecTV. I figure it's going to take at least two hours, I'm going to get disconnected at least twice and transferred twice. I'm also going to hear some really, really good on-hold advertisements...over and over and over again .

I'm going to find a solid, relatively inexpensive 1TB(+) solution for the HR series. I'm not happy with anything I've seen so far. Maybe I'll just start making them.


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## FredZ (Aug 22, 2007)

FredZ said:


> Has anyone tried this Apricorn DVR Xpander drive and does it work in the HR20?


This question seems to have been lost in the lenghty discussion about the WD drive. So I am asking again: has anyone tried this Apricorn DVR Xpander? Does it work in the HR20?


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## spectrumsp (Aug 30, 2006)

FredZ said:


> This question seems to have been lost in the lenghty discussion about the WD drive. So I am asking again: has anyone tried this Apricorn DVR Xpander? Does it work in the HR20?


I have the MX-1 w/1 WD "green" 1TB HDD connected...I have yet to hear of any enclosure/HDD not being recognized by an HR20...that's not to say that the Apricorn might be the first...


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## Tidalcloud (Sep 18, 2007)

jbstix said:


> So is this basically just an external esata drive enclosure, similar to what others are using?
> 
> In other words, you either use this or the internal HR20/21 drive, it doesn't magically combine the two drives correct??? That's a D* software issue right?


I think this is more than just the enclosure. It appears to be the entire package - enclosure + drive. Otherwise how could they list "whisper quiet SATA drive" as a feature.


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## FredZ (Aug 22, 2007)

I ordered the 1TB Apricorn DVR Xpander hooked it up using the supplied cable and it is working great.


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## davemayo (Nov 17, 2005)

FredZ said:


> I ordered the 1TB Apricorn DVR Xpander hooked it up using the supplied cable and it is working great.


Any issues getting the MIR?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Excellent, keep us up to date.


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## FredZ (Aug 22, 2007)

davemayo said:


> Any issues getting the MIR?


What is "MIR"? Is that the manufacturer's rebate? If so, I just sent it in so it will be 6-8 weeks before I know about that.


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## davemayo (Nov 17, 2005)

FredZ said:


> What is "MIR"? Is that the manufacturer's rebate? If so, I just sent it in so it will be 6-8 weeks before I know about that.


Mail-in Rebate. Thanks for the info.


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## davemayo (Nov 17, 2005)

FredZ said:


> I ordered the 1TB Apricorn DVR Xpander hooked it up using the supplied cable and it is working great.


Does this drive do a good job keeping itself cool?


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Rambler said:


> The 1TB version is going for $329 after a $50 mail-in rebate - sweet!


FYI for those that have been reading this thread: The rebate is only good for another week (11/30/2007)


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## SirJW (Nov 13, 2007)

Uggh, Why doesn't DirecTV just offer internal upgrades and all these threads wouldn't even need to exist.



So the million dollar question is, does it work w/ the HR-21?


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## davemayo (Nov 17, 2005)

SirJW said:


> Uggh, Why doesn't DirecTV just offer internal upgrades and all these threads wouldn't even need to exist.
> 
> So the million dollar question is, does it work w/ the HR-21?


Nevermind my post. I was wrong. It does work with the HR-21, but some drives have had issues. There are several threads about this.


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