# VIP 211 Hard Drive



## amahdi

One question - my friend has a VIP 211 with no hard drive. Is there a way to get a new hard drive and install it. Can anyone let me know.....

Thanks.


----------



## CoriBright

Not yet. Wait a couple of months and there will be the option to add an external hard drive (for a fee of course) and get the appropriate firmware and software upgrade.


----------



## amahdi

CoriBright said:


> Not yet. Wait a couple of months and there will be the option to add an external hard drive (for a fee of course) and get the appropriate firmware and software upgrade.


Thanks - so right now there is no external hard drive for the 211? If not - are they going to roll one out for it?

Thanks.


----------



## Jim5506

It will be a USB hard drive, probably the same as works as External Hard Drive on the 622/722.

Hopefully, no guarantees, it will be swapable with the 622/722.


----------



## blooker68

Any word on when this option will be available?


----------



## snowcat

Since the 211 is not a DVR, what would you need a hard drive for? 

Never mind. I saw the other thread that showed that the 211 might be able to be converted to a DVR.


----------



## tcatdbs

I would want to archive with the 722 to EHD, then play back on the 211. If you had two EHD's that were swappable, that would eliminate the need for a second DVR, and be very nice to just plug in a HD to the 211 to watch arhived programs. Hopefully they won't "force" you to pay another DVR fee to turn on the EHD of the 211 (when it happens)


----------



## Jim5506

I don't believe they will require a second activation fee, but might add a DVR fee, and I've also heard that the 722/622 EHD and the 211 EHD might not be swappable.


----------



## PAdishuser

It has been another couple of months forever. Last time around it was July. Do we now have a new timeframe? While on the phone with a customer service rep on another matter I asked about the functionalty...he said it doesn't exist and has never heard about the functionality. I thought we were being told that the delay was in training the reps. Sounds like it will not happen this year.


----------



## kstevens

Still no news on the Hard drive?


Glor


----------



## tcatdbs

I don't care about DVR ability, just be nice to plug a 722 HD into the 211 USB port. It can't be a difficult software upgrade, why else would they have put the USB port there?


----------



## kstevens

That is all I want also. I'd be happy with the capability of playing shows I recorded off my 612 on my 211.

Ken


----------



## Adam368

Bump -- when will this be active?


----------



## P Smith

Soon. December perhaps ? As promised year ago .


----------



## Stewart Vernon

I'm trying to talk someone into getting Dish... and getting a ViP722 for the main room + activating the External Hard Drive feature. He would be going with one of the TurboHD HD-only packages as a new customer, and isn't sure if he needs DVR capability in another room or just a 2nd receiver.

I know the ViP211 doesn't have the external hard drive support yet... but am curious myself as to if there has been any new traction on this (if anyone knows). Also, the hope would be that it would fall into the "household" situation where if he activates for the ViP722, then whenever they do activate it for the ViP211 then he could take an already-being-used archive drive and just plug-n-play from that point.

Reason I ask is because there had been some initial concern that Dish might treat their non-DVR models (when activated) differently from the DVR ones... i.e. charge a separate activation fee, add a DVR monthly fee, not be swappable with other DVRs on the account. So I'm also wondering about that scenario.

The ideal situation is to be able to take recorded content from the main room into another room for viewing (not necessarily needing to record from that location) for the added convenience factor.


----------



## Jazba

Guys this is now available you can add an external Hard drive which will make it a DVR. There is a one time fee of $39.99 activation fee and the good thing is there is no monthly DVR fee..!!


----------



## P Smith

So much excitement for first post. 

Would be interesting to see a link to official announce.



Jazba said:


> Guys this is now available you can add an external Hard drive which will make it a DVR. There is a one time fee of $39.99 activation fee and the good thing is there is no monthly DVR fee..!!


----------



## puckwithahalo

...beat me to it


----------



## P Smith

L5.21


----------



## HDdude24

Nice is there a way to activate it with out calling in?


----------



## Lostinspace

I contacted online tech support, they said this feature is still in testing and not available. Anyone actually been able to activate it???


----------



## puckwithahalo

It's not available yet....soon though....and not the normal soon associated with that word on these boards.


----------



## zach

kstevens said:


> Still no news on the Hard drive?
> 
> Glor


what sofware version do u have in the box it may support EHD


----------



## Adam368

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Nov 11, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Original HD Receiver Can Convert to DVR with External Hard Drive 

DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the third largest pay-TV provider and digital television leader, today announced its award-winning ViP211(R) and ViP211k(R) DVR Conversion feature will be available at the end of the month. The DVR Conversion feature offers customers the ability to convert their single tuner ViP211(R) and ViP211k(R) into DVRs by attaching an external hard drive. 

The DVR Conversion feature is an ideal option for current ViP211(R) or ViP211k(R) customers who want to experience all the benefits of DISH Network's feature-rich DVRs with the simple addition of an off-the-shelf external hard drive. 

"As a leader in high definition, DISH Network continues to expand its HD solutions for our customers, including finding innovative ways to take our existing technology to the next level," said Jessica Insalaco, Chief Marketing Officer for DISH Network. "Now customers ready to add in the benefits of DVR recording to their HD receiver can do so with ease, simply by plugging in an off-the-shelf external hard drive." 

ViP211(R) or ViP211k(R) customers must call DISH Network to activate the DVR feature. Once activated, customers need to connect an off-the-shelf external hard drive between 50 GB and 750 GB. Customers can then access DVR menus similar to other award-winning DVR features, including name-based recording and search-based timer capabilities. Other features include a nine-day electronic programming guide, DVR functionality on both the satellite tuner and built-in OTA tuner, record and review conflict management, VOD capability, and the ability to play back a stored program while recording or watching another. 

The DVR Conversion feature - engineered by DISH Network's technology provider, EchoStar Technologies LLC, an award-winning digital media leader in set-top box design and deployment - was honored with an International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 

Customers pay a one-time activation fee of $39.99 to enjoy the DVR feature. More information on the ViP211(R) or ViP211k(R) DVR Conversion feature will be available toward the end of the month at dishnetwork.com.


----------



## Adam368

What works for the other VIP boxes will work for the 211?


----------



## P Smith

You should select that EHD what have "Dish Approved" logo on it.


----------



## kstevens

Does anyone know if a drive has been authorized for the 211k, can it be connected to another dvr like a 622?

Thanks,

ken


----------



## P Smith

kstevens said:


> Does anyone know if a drive has been authorized for the 211k, can it be connected to another dvr like a 622?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> ken


If you will re-read Recap of Tech Chat, you'll find an answer.


----------



## brant

I just chatted with dish about adding a DVR feature for the ViP222;

I asked if it was available; answer- "no"
I asked if it would be available in the future; answer - "I can't assure you anything"
I asked if they would meet the 150HD channels by year end promise; answer - "we're working towards it"

nice


----------



## Jim5506

P Smith said:


> If you will re-read Recap of Tech Chat, you'll find an answer.


That specific question was NOT answered.


----------



## P Smith

Not true, just listen carefully and you will get the answer: NO.
YES between 211 on same account (household key).


----------



## peano

I wonder if the 411 can be upgraded?


----------



## ShapeShifter

P Smith said:


> Not true, just listen carefully and you will get the answer: NO.
> YES between 211 on same account (household key).


Now that's a real bummer. I can see many cases where it would be nice to move a recording from a 612/622/722 onto an EHD, and then watch it on a 211. That would've been my primary use for a 211 with an EHD. But if that's the case, and it can't be done, then it won't work for me. So I guess I'm real glad I went ahead and got that third DVR, rather than waiting for this feature on the 211.

It still looks like a wonderful capability, but in my mind it's a significant limitation that it's not compatible with existing EHD usage on a single household key. How disssapointing. :crying_sa


----------



## P Smith

The 211 as DVR will have own separate domain of EHD. Perhaps Dish could change it in a future.


----------



## intrac

Is there a list somewhere of Dish approved drives?


----------



## P Smith

They have Dish logo on it - check TechChat recap.


----------



## intrac

The recap just mentions the following:
"USB 2.0, 50 GB to 750 GB, not USB powered" 
and also mentions
"MAKE SURE YOU GET A GOOD QUALITY DRIVE!
WD is labeling drives "DISH Network" compatible
500 GB Western Digital My DVR Expander product"

Will this WD product name refer to the 211 Drive as well as the 622/722?


----------



## P Smith

Yes.


----------



## lacruz

I have the WD My Book Essentials 500GB EHD. There is no way to power it down (without unplugging it from the wall) and the blue light stays on all the time. Is this ok, or will it wear out the drive sooner? I was thinking of buying a power strip with an on/off switch and plugging it into that so I could power it off when the receiver is off and I'm not planning on recording anything. Is this a good idea? I have a VIP 622, but am also thinking of getting another of these EHDs for my 211 when they activate the DVR function in the 211. Thanks for any replies...


----------



## HDlover

I think you can just unplug the USB cable, works for me on my 622. The light stays on but the drive goes to sleep for me if left pluged into the USB.


----------



## lacruz

HDlover said:


> I think you can just unplug the USB cable, works for me on my 622. The light stays on but the drive goes to sleep for me if left pluged into the USB.


Thanks. I ended up just unplugging the power cable from the back of the EHD. I plug it back in, the drive powers up, and the VIP 622 recognizes the drive again and all my recordings are there. Hopefully, this also works for the 211.


----------



## James Long

The ViP-211 may work differently, since DISH is using it for storing 9 day EPG data. It seems to be more of an extension of the receiver than an add on.

We'll learn more as the feature is released. I was disappointed in the limited information given on the Tech Forum ... all the "rules" should have been given. Too much is not fully revealed.


----------



## intrac

I was thinking getting the WD My Book which has auto shutdown when attached to a computer. The price is better than any of the 3 DVR Expander drives.

Is the USB port on the 211 active when the receiver is turned "off" ?


----------



## dld542004

Got the service upgrade (39.99 one time payment on next bill)for my 211. Works just like my 622 and 722 . Love the pause and review feature the most.


----------



## intrac

dld542004 said:


> Got the service upgrade (39.99 one time payment on next bill)for my 211. Works just like my 622 and 722 . Love the pause and review feature the most.


What drive are you using?


----------



## dkjohn

Can't get mine to work it sees the harddrive but keeps telling me to have it activated I have, talked to dish and that is the most fustrating thing because they have no clue when all else fail they just tell a big fat lie what an ordeal.


----------



## intrac

What drive are you using?


----------



## dkjohn

Zdata 640gb


----------



## Lostinspace

Got my external drive enabled (after 4 calls to support) and it's working fine. Western Digital My Book Essential 640 GB, $94.99 at Costco. The drive does not shut off when the receiver is turned "off", so apparently the USB port is active when the receiver is in standby. I'm from the old school (before the days when saving energy was more important than saving hardware) and hard drives are designed to be left running all the time, so that's fine.


----------



## HDlover

That drive goes to sleep on my 622 when not accessed for a while.


----------



## Lostinspace

HDlover said:


> That drive goes to sleep on my 622 when not accessed for a while.


Maybe I just haven't waited long enough


----------



## puckwithahalo

On the 211/411/211k, i'm wondering if that may not be a problem. I'm guessing that is where it will store the extended guide as well as the buffer among other things, I suspect it will be accessed by the receiver fairly frequently so may never go to sleep. Just a thought. not sure if its valid or not.


----------



## Jim5506

It appears to constantly be buffering data to the drive.


----------



## Jim5506

Another problem, I disconnected my drive while the 211 was running and it would not re-connect to it.

Deleted the partitions with XP 211 reformatted drive but still no DVR functionality.


----------



## P Smith

Jim5506 said:


> It appears to constantly be buffering data to the drive.


If it online, then would agree, but offline shouldn't.


----------



## P Smith

Jim5506 said:


> Another problem, I disconnected my drive while the 211 was running and it would not re-connect to it.
> 
> Deleted the partitions with XP 211 reformatted drive but still no DVR functionality.


Bummer !

Well, pioneers always getting surprises, not always pleasant.


----------



## Jim5506

Monitoring both forums P Smith?


----------



## P Smith

Posting on both ?


----------



## James Long

Jim5506 said:


> It appears to constantly be buffering data to the drive.


Even when the receiver is "off" (standby)?

Having the drive should add all the DVR features (skip back/pause/etc) and that would require constant buffering while TV is being viewed. This is in addition to actual DVR events and EPG storage (which is extended when the 211 drive is enabled).

I would expect it to not use the drive when the receiver is in standby (other than the guide update and any set DVR events). And I can see why disconnecting the drive would cause an issue.


----------



## P Smith

If the system written correctly, then it should not be an issue when you disconnect USB device(HDD here) during standby mode. Just commit changes often and wait for that signal from USB driver.


----------



## James Long

Disconnecting a drive while data is being written isn't a good idea. Some problems should be expected. I expect any serious ones will be addressed.

Unless the "live buffering" feature of the DVR is turned off or the receiver is turned off (standby) there is always something being written. Perhaps they need a "disconnect USB" option on a menu? They certainly need better recovery for when a drive is disconnected than what Jim5506 reported (if that experience is common).


----------



## dld542004

intrac said:


> What drive are you using?


Maxtor usb 2.0 500GB


----------



## intrac

With external HD on the 211, some here have reported problems with disconnecting the drive from the 211.

Just wondering what would happen during a power outage with the 211 and EHD losing power. Will the DVR function go nuts?


----------



## phrelin

If I were trying this, I would have the 211 and the EHD on a very large backup power supply.


----------



## P Smith

intrac said:


> With external HD on the 211, some here have reported problems with disconnecting the drive from the 211.
> 
> Just wondering what would happen during a power outage with the 211 and EHD losing power. Will the DVR function go nuts?


According to Jim5506's observation - yes.


----------



## Grandude

Does anyone have two VIP211s and successfully activated both EHDs with a phone call to Dish? I have checked my two and they do have the same house key. I would rather not be the tester on this until I hear that someone else has successfully done it.

I'm guessing that when you call for activation they do NOT ask for a receiver number so both should receive activation.

As for going into standby, I plugged a Maxtor Onetouch3 into one of my 211s and it did not go to sleep for two hours of just sitting there and this is without activation. I just now turned off (standby) that 211 and will see if it now goes to sleep.

I'm thinking that since so many people have had troubles with their Seagates going to sleep on their 6/722s and Dish has announced that they will release a new version of software to solve the problem, perhaps that has been incorporated into the 211 software already. All it would take is a simple read from the drive every so many minutes to keep it active. I'm quite sure that this could be done even with the 211 in standby. (Well, at least I'm hoping this is the case)


----------



## Lostinspace

Yesterday I activated the external HD on my 211. At that time I had plugged it in "temporarily" to verify the operation, but today I needed to shut everything down and rearrange equipment. 

When I powered back up both devices the external HD was not functional, nor did it show as being activated in the system setup screen. I powered down the HD, powered it backup up, and the 211 detected it. A message asking if I wanted to use the drive popped up, and said the 211 would need to restart. At that point the 211 locked up, it would not accept any input from the remote nor did the front panel power button work. However, after a power cord reset the 211 came back up, went through the acquiring satellite sequence, and everything now works, including the external HD. (It did not format the drive again, and the extended program guide was still there without going through the download sequence.)

There appear to be some timing issues in the software that need a bit of work.  Of course, if Dish would release some notes on how to use this new function, along with any limitations, that would be nice as well.


----------



## Jim5506

I have been able to connect a different EHD to my 211. It did the compatibility check, started a format, rebooted, performed a system integrity check, rebooted, formatted the EHD, rebooted , downloaded the guide data and is now working on an 80 GB EHD.

Now if we can only get the 250 GB drive to work.

Just don't unplug the usb while the 211 is active. I'm a little trepidatious about unplugging it while in standby, but I might - no I wont.


----------



## intrac

Dish really needs to put out a user guide for this and advertise this functionality.

Most users with 211s probably don't even know about this feature.


----------



## James Long

intrac said:


> Dish really needs to put out a user guide for this and advertise this functionality.
> 
> Most users with 211s probably don't even know about this feature.


At the moment that may be a good thing. 

I'd assume the betas have had this software ... perhaps no one thought to acid test it by unplugging a spinning USB drive. Now as a bleeding edge customer you get to catch the problem.

It would be nice to see if "losing a drive forever" is common or a fluke. Time to get the tests underway.

I'm not going to violate our own support forum "no bash" rule ... but one would think that someone would have tried that acid test. It may be that the focus was on getting the feature to work and not on how a customer might "break" it.

Hopefully DISH will have an answer soon.


----------



## phrelin

When someone has their ViP211 DVR working (more or less) in the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Louis, or one of the other DMA's that is having the audio dropout problem on the ViP612/622/722's, it would be helpful if you could record the Fox Sunday night animated shows and determine if you are getting the audio dropout.

The best description of the audio dropout was posted as follows:


> I can report that the dropouts remain in the same spot when replayed. However, I find that the location of the drops can and do vary slightly. This is what helps me decipher words I cannot understand. My dropouts tend to be very short and may mute only a portion of a word or syllable. One time I might hear "The quick brown f__ jumped over the lazy dogs" Then when played back a second time, I might hear The quick brown _ox jumped over the lazy dogs" A third try might sound like "The quick brow_ fox jumped over the lazy dogs". etc. I find that it sometimes shifts.


 When playing back from my ViP722, the dolby on my A/V receiver resets (off/on) causing a significant interruption. The same recording played from my ViP612 does not cause a dolby reset, just a definite instantaneous hickup in the audio.

ABC and Fox HD recorded off the satellite tend to be the worst in most of the affected DMA's, though some of us see it also on CBS and NBC to a lesser extent. OTA has generally not been a problem. The dropout does not occur in "live" viewing, only in HD recordings.

I'll monitor this thread in hopes someone will report back, hopefully that no audio dropout problem exists for ViP211's.


----------



## dkjohn

Finally got my hard drive working with my 211 having never having a DVR this is great, one ? if anybody knows can I add a second hard drive on a different system I have a 211 in my bedroom and one in my family would like to have this function on both boxes.


----------



## GravelChan

Just a couple of comments. After reading other comments I was also wondering about what would happen if the power went off so I unplugged the hard drive then unplugged my 211k. Plugged them back in, the receiver booted and all was well. Looks like if you unplug the hard drive you will need to plug it back in and reboot, maybe power plug reboot to get back to normal. This is what really happens with the normal DVR's, that is the DVR is up and running when the receiver boots.

On getting the hard drive recognized to begin with. I called in and by the time the CSR got around to sending the authorizing signal, the acquisition screen that comes on when you first plug the drive in had disappeared. I never did get the formatting screen. I rebooted and still nothing. So I called back in, told the CSR when she was ready to send the authorizing signal to let me unplug the drive so I could plug back in and get the acquisition screen, then she could send it. It worked. It appears that if the acquisition screen is not up when they send the authorizing signal that is will not work. ???? 
this time.


----------



## puckwithahalo

The activation activates it per account, not per receiver, so yes, you can use it on all 211's on the account, with as many hard drives as you'd like.


----------



## dkjohn

Woo Hooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## dkjohn

Can someone tell me how to record one channel while watching another.


----------



## James Long

Buy a different receiver?

On the ViP-211 you should be able to record one channel while watching a previous recording. Perhaps OTA can be watched while satellite records (and/or vice versa). But there is only one satellite tuner. You can only watch or record one feed from the satellite at a time.


----------



## intrac

Dish says the following features are part of the new EHD support:

Once activated, customers need to connect an off-the-shelf external hard drive between 50 GB and 750 GB. Customers can then access DVR menus similar to other award-winning DVR features, including name-based recording and search-based timer capabilities. Other features include a nine-day electronic programming guide, DVR functionality on both the satellite tuner and built-in OTA tuner, record and review conflict management, VOD capability, and the ability to play back a stored program while recording or watching another.


----------



## Jim5506

Good news.

I reformatted my WD250GB EHD at work today. I also installed an 80 GB EHD at noon today and it inserted an additional step where it ran a system integrity check (code 770). After that the 80GB EHD worked.

Tonight, after recording Smallville, I put the 211 into standby mode and the activity indicator light on the 80gb EHD stopped blinking. I then disconnected it and connected the WD 250GB EHD.

I turned the 211 on and it detected the EHD and at first said the drive was the wrong size, so I unplugged the USB and reconnected it. Drive was detected and found compatible, format screen came up - OK, drive was formatted and 211 rebooted, downloaded guide data and is now operating as an external hard drive to my 211.

Moral of the story is DO NOT UNPLUG an EHD while the receiver is active - put it in stand-by or unplug the drive.

One thing of interest, my timers are still intact, so that data must be internal to the 211, not on the EHD.

Now I have 23.5 hours of storage space instead of the 7 hours I got with the 80 GB drive.


----------



## Jim5506

dkjohn said:


> Can someone tell me how to record one channel while watching another.


I just did that.

Tune in a channel and press the record button or set a timer. You can then switch to a channel that is of the other type (OTA or SAT) with a direct channel change or using the menu.

I was watching the Bengals Steelers on NFL (sat) so I pressed record and it started recording and I was able to switch to NBC (OTA) with no problem. If I try to change to another satellite channel, I get the usual this will stop the recording warning.

Recall button toggles between the two channels but buffer is not retained if channel is not being recorded.


----------



## newsman

It is good to hear/read some of these reviews. I went to Costco and bought the Maxtor OneTouch4 750GB EHD. I picked it up for $109. I want to make sure this drive is Kosher with my 211. Opinions? Ideas? Advice?


----------



## kkozma

Has anyone been able to test if its posible to view recorded content on a 622/722 yet? If I can't do that, I'm not interested...


----------



## P Smith

kkozma said:


> Has anyone been able to test if its posible to view recorded content on a 622/722 yet? If I can't do that, I'm not interested...


read this
http://dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=144987


----------



## kkozma

There is noting in that thread that answers my question. I.m trying to find out if a 622/722 with EHD enabled will be able to play back content recorded on the EHD from a 211 and vice versa. Ie, I unhook the hdd from my 211 and carry it downstairs to my 622.


----------



## klegg

Not sure if I can completely answer the question as I've not activated EHD on my 211, but I do know that I hooked up a 500Gb drive that was previously hooked to my 622 and the 211 informed me this drive was used on another receiver and needed to be formatted. I don't know if I could've just said "NO" and it would've worked, but that's what I saw...


----------



## P Smith

kkozma said:


> There is noting in that thread that answers my question. I.m trying to find out if a 622/722 with EHD enabled will be able to play back content recorded on the EHD from a 211 and vice versa. Ie, I unhook the hdd from my 211 and carry it downstairs to my 622.


No.


----------



## Rick_R

I posted this in the other 211 upgrade thread but it seems pertinent here.

I got the 640 GB My Book from BB for $99. Works great. I did have to call Dish two times to get it activated. The first guy was confused and activated back up storage on my 622 by mistake. The second guy deactivated the backup storage and activated the 211 Hard Drive. Hope I don't get two $39.99 charges.

It works just like my 622. The only difference I can discern is that it only has one satllite tuner. Every other feature and menu is identical to my 622. Except of course it has twice as much space as the 622.

The only drawback is the WD My Book has two 3/4 inch long blue lights on the front that flash. First one then the other then both. Since this is in my bedroom it is anoying at night. At three AM it was bothering my wife who threw a towel over it. I told her that was a no no as the drive has a lot of heat it needs to get rid of.

Rick R


----------



## klegg

Rick_R said:


> I posted this in the other 211 upgrade thread but it seems pertinent here.
> 
> I got the 640 GB My Book from BB for $99. Works great. I did have to call Dish two times to get it activated. The first guy was confused and activated back up storage on my 622 by mistake. The second guy deactivated the backup storage and activated the 211 Hard Drive. Hope I don't get two $39.99 charges.
> 
> It works just like my 622. The only difference I can discern is that it only has one satllite tuner. Every other feature and menu is identical to my 622. Except of course it has twice as much space as the 622.
> 
> The only drawback is the WD My Book has two 3/4 inch long blue lights on the front that flash. First one then the other then both. Since this is in my bedroom it is anoying at night. At three AM it was bothering my wife who threw a towel over it. I told her that was a no no as the drive has a lot of heat it needs to get rid of.
> 
> Rick R


I bought a Cavalry 1TB from Buy.com for $99 after $30 mail-in rebate. As for the blinking light on that WD (I have a 500GB like it), just slip a piece of black electrical tape over it...VOILA!!!!!


----------



## nightfly85

Dish is clearly having problems with this feature. I have now been on the phone for ~1hr trying to simply get the feature activated for my 211.

-11:00am: After some discussion, CS rep agreed that usb drive feature was available and enabled it for me, ~20 mins.
- 11:30am: 211 thinks it's not activated the driver feature, call dish again. Get disconnected. I wait.
-1:30pm Third CS rep stated that first CS rep activated the feature on the wrong receiver (I also have a 722)
-Third CS rep is going through the hoops, rebooting receiver, etc., but still staring at screen 499
- Finally now, 2:00pm I am formatting the drive. The receiver finally figured it out it's been activated. Oh good, another reboot, acquire, guide dl delay.


----------



## dkjohn

nightfly85 said:


> Dish is clearly having problems with this feature. I have now been on the phone for ~1hr trying to simply get the feature activated for my 211.
> 
> -11:00am: After some discussion, CS rep agreed that usb drive feature was available and enabled it for me, ~20 mins.
> - 11:30am: 211 thinks it's not activated the driver feature, call dish again. Get disconnected. I wait.
> -1:30pm Third CS rep stated that first CS rep activated the feature on the wrong receiver (I also have a 722)
> -Third CS rep is going through the hoops, rebooting receiver, etc., but still staring at screen 499
> - Finally now, 2:00pm I am formatting the drive. The receiver finally figured it out it's been activated. Oh good, another reboot, acquire, guide dl delay.


I feel your pain that was me a couple of days ago. after 7 yes 7 reps finally got the right one now it works like a charm.


----------



## peano

FWIW, this function IS NOT available on the 411 yet. Someone had posted here that it is but it ain't.


----------



## Jim5506

nightfly85 said:


> Dish is clearly having problems with this feature. I have now been on the phone for ~1hr trying to simply get the feature activated for my 211.
> 
> -11:00am: After some discussion, CS rep agreed that usb drive feature was available and enabled it for me, ~20 mins.
> - 11:30am: 211 thinks it's not activated the driver feature, call dish again. Get disconnected. I wait.
> -1:30pm Third CS rep stated that first CS rep activated the feature on the wrong receiver (I also have a 722)
> -Third CS rep is going through the hoops, rebooting receiver, etc., but still staring at screen 499
> - Finally now, 2:00pm I am formatting the drive. The receiver finally figured it out it's been activated. Oh good, another reboot, acquire, guide dl delay.


The 499 screen MUST be displayed when Dish sends the hit to the receiver to enable the DVR function, otherwise it may be a long wait.


----------



## Grandude

Jim5506 said:


> The 499 screen MUST be displayed when Dish sends the hit to the receiver to enable the DVR function, otherwise it may be a long wait.


Not true. All that is required is that the feature be activated on your account. Receiver doesn't even need to be turned on.
I have two receivers and one was in standby when the hit was sent. I turned it on later in the day and the drive I connected to it started it's format.:grin:


----------



## P Smith

Another urban legend just born. 

A few ppl found it works immediately when you see the 499 screen and Dish sending a 'hit' ( authorization message ), so it become a 'crowd requirement'.


----------



## intrac

It would be interesting to get responses from ppl looking at System Info One -- STB Lite (6-1-3) #7 -- pre and post the EHD authorization.

Since getting s/w 523 -- my #7 is at -2. I haven't activated yet.

I suspect that this is the EHD activation and changes to another number with authorization.


----------



## peano

Activating the DVR feature is just a tier added to the smartcard, just like adding a channel. Receiver can be on or off and not on any special screen. Just needs to be hooked to the satellite feed.


----------



## P Smith

Really ? Smart card update only ? 

I'm doubt - at least your theory have big hole in it - missing NVRAM update ie Household Key and who knows what else.


----------



## peano

Its just a tier add to all receivers on the account. I'll bet $1.00


----------



## P Smith

You lost it  - without proof it's just a specualtion.


----------



## newsman

I connected my 750gb Maxtor EHD to the 211. I received the 499 message. I called to get it activated. After 5 hours, nothing. I called again, and the second rep was able to get my unit going. This is my first time w/ a Dish DVR. It isn't as intuitive as my Tivo, but works well. Can I record shows by going online and sending a command to the system like my Tivo?

My receiver tells me I have 291+ hours of storage for SD, and 73+ hours for HD.


----------



## dkjohn

newsman said:


> I connected my 750gb Maxtor EHD to the 211. I received the 499 message. I called to get it activated. After 5 hours, nothing. I called again, and the second rep was able to get my unit going. This is my first time w/ a Dish DVR. It isn't as intuitive as my Tivo, but works well. Can I record shows by going online and sending a command to the system like my Tivo?
> 
> My receiver tells me I have 291+ hours of storage for SD, and 73+ hours for HD.


No


----------



## Rick_R

The 2" piece of electrical tape completely covered the WD My Book lights. My wife still doesn't sleep well but at least she can't blame the external hard drive.

After using this over the weekend I have disovered one thing that is different from my 622. I was recording a program while watching another previously recorded show. When I tried to go 300 x speed through the recorded show it went considerably slower than that. I assume this was due to the transfer rate of the USB port being maxed out.

Rick R


----------



## P Smith

Did you check LED activity that time ?


----------



## dkjohn

Is there anyway to erase the deleted programs on the hard drive with the EHD on the 211.


----------



## P Smith

dkjohn said:


> Is there anyway to erase the deleted programs on the hard drive with the EHD on the 211.


No.


----------



## dkjohn

Does it age off.


----------



## P Smith

Yes, that space will reuse, or if you want speed up the process just write non-stop ch101 .


----------



## Grandude

phrelin said:


> When someone has their ViP211 DVR working (more or less) in the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Louis, or one of the other DMA's that is having the audio dropout problem on the ViP612/622/722's, it would be helpful if you could record the Fox Sunday night animated shows and determine if you are getting the audio dropout.


So far not a definitive test but I recorded 24 on my 211 and did not get any dropouts. I did get dropouts on my 722 but only in the short time frame just before going to commercials.
My 211 is connected through a different receiver to a different TV which could be a partial explanation. With my setup, it would be impossible to connect the 211 where the 722 is. Well, it could be done but would be just to big a job to undertake.
I'll keep checking and report back when I get a chance.


----------



## David King

Ok, long time lurker. I have been waiting on this a long time. 

So is 750gb the max hard drive I can use? I have a Western Digital 1TB My Book. I dont care if the 211 can only see 750gb of the drive, I just dont want to have to spend money on a new drive.

TIA
David


----------



## P Smith

Try it, what you will lost ?


----------



## intrac

Some folks have tried the 1TB drive and it works.


----------



## P Smith

For sure it works for 622/722, but I saw one post today - it doesn't for 211.


----------



## James Long

Expect inconsistent results with 1TB drives. No guarantees. They may work or not on any ViP receiver, the only way to know for sure is to give it a try.


----------



## Rick_R

On the Dish Network Tech Forum they said that larger drives would work but dirves have to have only one lune or platter. If the hard drive unit is 2" thick or less it probably has only one platter. The larger hard drives sometimes get that capacity by putting in second platters. If they didn't use two platters the 1 TB will work fine. They said that if there are two platters it will work but the 211 will only be able to access one of the two platters.

Rick R


----------



## intrac

I think the main difference between using a product like WD's My Book vs My DVR is the drives are low power consumption. 

I just activated the My DVR Xpander made by Apricorn and when I opened it up, it had a WD Caviar Green low power consumption drive. It is very quiet, and works beautifully. Low power is a good idea on a drive that is always on. The Apricorn My DVR Xpander has both eSATA and USB connections.


----------



## Catdaddy

First time poster, long time lurker.

I was wondering if we will receive Video On Demand for the 211. The press release for the DVR upgrade stated that there would be VOD capability. Of course, we know that having that capability and having the actual feature are two different things. I've had the DVR upgrade since the 22nd. Thanks in advance for any responses.

By the way, I'm using a WD My Book Essential 750GB drive, and it works perfectly. No issues whatsoever.


----------



## surfdude85

o.k. guys, i have been lurking long enough. I see my local wally world is having a sale on "seagate's" 3.5 500gb ehd. Would this drive work o.k. with my 211? And, about how many recording hours are available with 500 GB? thanks in advance for any help .


----------



## intrac

Your seagate will work fine. You need a USB connection -- not eSATA.

The 500 GB will give you about 50 hrs of HD and 192 hrs of SD.


----------



## Rick_R

Mt 640 GB when empty said there was 62 hours of HD recording available. It assumes 10 GB per hour and it reserves 1 to 2 hours for the live buffer.

However on my 622 I have observed that this capacity is if the HD recording is MPEG2 using the full availaable bitrate with an OTA channel. With satellite MPEG4 the bitrate is considerably less and the capacity is between 2 times and 2 1/2 times the rated capacity.

Rick R


----------



## texag03

Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place but I can't find anyone else who has been unsuccessful in getting a 1TB drive to work. Seems like everyone hasn't had any problems. When i plug it in I get an error message (955) stating it is the wrong size (>750 GB).
I've tried the following with the same results:
1) New drive Out of box preformatted FAT32, no partitions.
2) Formatted to NTFS, no partitions.
3) Formatted to NTFS, 2 equal partitions.


EHD details
Fantom G-Force GF1000EU 1TB USB 2.0 / eSATA the internal drive is a WD 1TB Green (WD10EACS).


----------



## P Smith

Well, checking BF sales today and how 211 will accept Samsung 1TB disk. 

Bought Samsung HD103UJ for $99 - 1TB/7200 RPM/32 MB cache; attached to 211, after press Power button it did reboot then got normal request to format the disk, passed the step OK, then 211 did reboot itself and came with error 955: Wrong size, must be between 50 and 750 GB. 

Quick analysis of the disk did show normally formatted disk with consistent file system; 
as usual all three partitions are ext3 type; first partition have regular size 2 GB, second - 256 MB SWAP, third - rest of the disk ~930 GB.
First/third partitions have typical 'lost+found' folder.

So, the ViP211 L5.23 FW is inconsistent - format working fine, but DVR functions have some limit (hard coded size ? ) and cannot handle 1TB disk.
Perhaps ( as usual ) developers didn't have 1 TB disks in their hand when did develop the new functions, but later on bosses decide to release outdated software, as all promised dates slipped too far.


----------



## James Long

FYI: Previous formatting is irrelevant ... if the ViP recognizes the drive it will be reformatted to the format DISH uses.


----------



## eddieras

found this for $99

Western Digital My Book Essential WDH1U7500N at newegg-- i may pull the trigger on it for my 211 - i have a maxtor4 for my 722, but it sleeps too much!


----------



## phrelin

Sorry to repeat this post, but this past Sunday is really the first time anyone had to record the Fox Sunday night animated shows:



phrelin said:


> When someone has their ViP211 DVR working (more or less) in the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Louis, or one of the other DMA's that is having the audio dropout problem on the ViP612/622/722's, it would be helpful if you could record the Fox Sunday night animated shows and determine if you are getting the audio dropout.
> 
> The best description of the audio dropout was posted as follows:
> 
> 
> 
> I can report that the dropouts remain in the same spot when replayed. However, I find that the location of the drops can and do vary slightly. This is what helps me decipher words I cannot understand. My dropouts tend to be very short and may mute only a portion of a word or syllable. One time I might hear "The quick brown f__ jumped over the lazy dogs" Then when played back a second time, I might hear The quick brown _ox jumped over the lazy dogs" A third try might sound like "The quick brow_ fox jumped over the lazy dogs". etc. I find that it sometimes shifts.
> 
> 
> 
> When playing back from my ViP722, the dolby on my A/V receiver resets (off/on) causing a significant interruption. The same recording played from my ViP612 does not cause a dolby reset, just a definite instantaneous hickup in the audio.
> 
> ABC and Fox HD recorded off the satellite tend to be the worst in most of the affected DMA's, though some of us see it also on CBS and NBC to a lesser extent. OTA has generally not been a problem. The dropout does not occur in "live" viewing, only in HD recordings.
> 
> I'll monitor this thread in hopes someone will report back, hopefully that no audio dropout problem exists for ViP211's.
Click to expand...


----------



## newsman

phrelin said:


> Sorry to repeat this post, but this past Sunday is really the first time anyone had to record the Fox Sunday night animated shows:


I recorded The Simpsons on Sunday. I had no problems with the recording. I recorded OTA.


----------



## surfdude85

intrac said:


> Your seagate will work fine. You need a USB connection -- not eSATA.
> 
> The 500 GB will give you about 50 hrs of HD and 192 hrs of SD.


o.k. so I talked to a dish csr about what I wanted to do to get my 211 to work with my new usb hard drive. she said that right now this new way to record is only available with the 722 and 612. What is the deal? I thought this would work with my 211. Or, does she not know what she is talking about? any thoughts. Thanks, surfdude


----------



## P Smith

CAll again, but before that - re-read the thread from beginning.


----------



## intrac

Doesn't know what she is talking about. As P Smith says, call again.


----------



## jack206

Hi, I would like to know if it possible to connect a a portable HD that the power source is via the USB cable. Can it work? 

Because I made a test with and Ipod (40GB) , and my VIP211 turn on the IPOD and told me that the HD is the wrong size. 

Thanks for any info.


----------



## P Smith

Dish said NO, 

but according USB specs each port on powered USB hub, like inside of your PC, could provide up to 500 mA current to connected USB device by end of negotiation/enumeration.
We don't know if Dish follow the USB standards.
If someone willing to use USB sniffer program to reveal the negotiation data, then we will now for sure.


----------



## James Long

DISH wants the external hard drive to be separately powered. You might be able to get a USB drive to connect, but it is NOT RECOMMENDED and is more likely to fail.


----------



## wolfjc

James Long said:


> DISH wants the external hard drive to be separately powered. You might be able to get a USB drive to connect, but it is NOT RECOMMENDED and is more likely to fail.


If I recall correctly Dish said that you HAD to have an external power supply because there was not enough power in the USB connector on the VIP211.
So if dish says that you can't use the USB why are you people wanting to use the USB anyway?


----------



## James Long

It would be nice to have them powered together so a USB drive power would not fail at a different time than receiver power and cause conflicts. But the power supply in the 211 was not designed to power a full sized hard drive.

I was reserved in my comments because I expect someone will claim that they plugged in their XYZ 500GB hard drive and it works fine ... and try to start an argument over it. My worry would be "fine for how long?" Powering via USB is strictly against DISH's 'rules' for attaching a drive. Don't do it.


----------



## Mighty H

I looked on the Seagate site today, and their "Showcase" 500GB EHD says that its compatible with the VIP211. It's buried so deep in their website, its a wonder I even found it.

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/consumer_electronics/showcase/

thought that was worth a join and a post.


----------



## James Long

Compatibile DVRs:
* DISH Network

Good to see that on the specs.


----------



## intrac

There are others too : WD has the Dish DVR Expander, Apricorn has the DVR Xpander, and I believe IOMEGA has one also.

The main characteristic of all of these is very low power and USB interface.


----------



## Hunter844

I'm sure this is asking too much but is there a way to log onto my online account and activate this feature? It seems that since the CSR's are having trouble understanding what we want...perhaps Dish should cut out the middle man.


----------



## P Smith

Hunter844 said:


> I'm sure this is asking too much but is there a way to log onto my online account and activate this feature? It seems that since the CSR's are having trouble understanding what we want...perhaps Dish should cut out the middle man.


Many ppl found on-line chat much more pleasant and short in time for do that changes.

Little broadening your request and it will be perfect question fo Charlie Chat !


----------



## Mighty H

I think that only WD and Seagate have earned the "DISH Compatible" moniker


----------



## intrac

Apricorn also says DISH on it.


----------



## Grandude

It works. Today I moved my homebrew EHD from one 211 to my other 211 and after it rebooted up it worked just fine. All my recorded programs were there and I was able to access them.
I then moved the Maxtor EHD from my second 211 to the first one and it also came up just fine.
Removing or turning off the EHD causes the 211 to reboot which takes a bit of time since it for some reason has to find the satellites again and then download the program guide. Then putting the other EHD it also goes through this process again so moving an EHD isn't an instantaneous process.


----------



## Mighty H

I think that Apricorn is saying their product is compatible with DISH. 

For Western Digital and Seagate, pretty sure its a DISH statement of compatibility.


----------



## intrac

Grandude,

Good to know -- more info that's missing from the user guide -- oh what's that you say -- there is no user guide!


----------



## Rick_R

My wife complained that the WD external hard drive was making noise in the middle of the night. The hard drive is really quiet but when the bedroom is really quiet in the middle of the night you can hear, what I assume is the disk doing seeks, small thumps. I wondered why it was doing anything when the 211 was off. I know it is not really off but I wondered why any activity was necessary when it is off. After reading this thread I realized that it is constantly down loading Dish on Demand movies.

The noise is not bad but I wish it did not do it.

Rick R


----------



## P Smith

Only if you ordered it somehow. The "DVR" cannot get VOD/FVOD - it's short variant of 622/722 SW.

That activity mostly related to updating system tables and EPG/EEPG.


----------



## Hunter844

Rick_R said:


> My wife complained that the WD external hard drive was making noise in the middle of the night. The hard drive is really quiet but when the bedroom is really quiet in the middle of the night you can hear, what I assume is the disk doing seeks, small thumps. I wondered why it was doing anything when the 211 was off. I know it is not really off but I wondered why any activity was necessary when it is off. After reading this thread I realized that it is constantly down loading Dish on Demand movies.
> 
> The noise is not bad but I wish it did not do it.
> 
> Rick R


Give her my old 511 DVR for a night and she'll think what you got is quiet. Nothing like falling asleep to the crunching, cracking, clacking noise only to wake at 3 am in and hear it updating.


----------



## P Smith

Why not reschedule the process for a time when you're out at work ?


----------



## Rick_R

The 211 is set to update the EPG at 3:00AM. However the noise is not limited to that time.

Rick R


----------



## blkhouse

I have had luck with noisy external drives by placing them on an old mouse pad (kind with some foam). Sometimes it isn't the drive itself that makes the noise, but the drive sitting on something that acts like a sound radiator - (like over a drawer) or another time for me the surface actually vibrated with the drive.

Otherwise I would try the pad and a partial surround (don't cover the fan/vent area) with some sound deadening lining.


----------



## Texxen

i just activated my account for the "ERD" (External Recording Device") and it was all computer controlled,you did not talk to a person it was electronically computer generated. You answered two questions. They knew your account from caller id,told you of the $39.99 fee and in two seconds said it was activated. Now I see the "ERD" under VCR setup. I haven't booted my 211 so I don't think it's formatted/setup completely...
I have a Seagate 500G in a Airlink external box.

The DVR brochure has some good info....

http://www.dishnetwork.com/receivers/hd/vip211dvr/document/productBrochure.doc

http://www.dishnetwork.com/receivers/hd/vip211dvr/default.aspx

UPDATE..Ok two hours later I had to call E* anyway to get them to activate it. Too bad..the automated phone call went smoothly..but didn't work........

I had to unplug the USB cable from the 211 for ten sec. before the "Activated" screen came up...no harm done since it was a new/unformatted hard drive.


----------



## Texxen

I noticed a few things that people were asking about....

Why not change the time your receiver updates if you don't want to here it update at 3:00AM?? 
You can have it update any time of the day or do it manually.

Menu >8 >4



You CAN delete any recorded program...
I don't see why you have to wait and fill up your hard drive before the old recording gets deleted.

DVR > Highlight program > Edit > Delete


----------



## bcner715

dkjohn said:


> Can't get mine to work it sees the harddrive but keeps telling me to have it activated I have, talked to dish and that is the most fustrating thing because they have no clue when all else fail they just tell a big fat lie what an ordeal.


I've been trying to get the DVR functionality on my VIP211 working for several days. I was on the phone with advanced tech support for over an hour last week. I tried all the forums today and decided to call Dish Network again. After getting through the first tier support person, advanced tech support "noticed" that my smart card had not been authorized even though the DVR feature was activated on my account. It's amazing what can happen when you are able to speak to someone from this country.

Disk formatted, receiver restarted, now it's time to learn how to use DVR.

Thanks all for your help.


----------



## P Smith

_"tech support "noticed" that my smart card *had not been authorized *even though the DVR feature was activated on my account."_

If it was the case, you can't watch channels at all. Sounds as bad excuse.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

With the growing number of subscribers adding these EHDs to their 211's, you would think that E* would put out a tech bulletin to all their CSRs to educate them in the procedure to make the process a little less painful.

I really don't mind spending the money, but I loath having my time wasted due to inexperience.

Three things I learned on my 60th birthday:
 Time is your most precious asset
 Never pass up an opportunity to pee
 Sometimes your farts are "live"

.


----------



## newsman

Maxtor Onetouch4 750gb external hard drives available at Costco for $99. I have had mine running smoothly and bought it there for $109. No need to go to a 1TB drive.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

SO.... does anyone have the 'magic words' or keyword to say to the CSR to get them to fully comprehend exactly what you want them to do ref. enabling the DVR feature on your 211?


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

Never mind.... Online chat is definitely the way to go:

Took all of 5 minutes, tops.

Dilbert: * Thanks for contacting Dish Network chat, my name is Dilbert (Operator BR-xxx). How may I help you with your account?*
Cap'n P: I want to enable the DVR function on my new 211k receivers
Dilbert:* OK, I'd be happy to look into that for you*
Dilbert: * Do you have an active DISH account?*
Cap'n P: Duhhh....
Dilbert: * Can you verify the phone number and zip code on the account, please?*
Cap'n P: I thought that's how I accessed web chat to begin with. OK it's 999-555-5555 and the zip is 90210
Dilbert:* Great, let me look up your account*
Dilbert* OK, the external hard drive authorization will be shared between all receivers on your account that support external hard drives (VIP receivers only) and will cost a one time activation of $39.99.*
Cap'n P: Correct. That's what I want
Dilbert:* OK, do you want me to commit that change on your account?*
Cap'n P: Yes, please
Dilbert: *Great, the fee for the activation will be added to your next monthly billing statement*
Cap'n P: Thank you!
Dilbert: *No problem. Did I address everything to your satisfaction today?*
Cap'n P: Yes
Dilbert:*Great! Thanks for chatting with DISH Network, have a happy holiday season!*
Cap'n P: Thank-you and good-bye

-Click!-

.


----------



## GravelChan

Cap'n, you have been watching too much HeeHaw!


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

Cap'n Preshoot;1935026 said:


> Never mind.... Online chat is definitely the way to go:
> 
> Took all of 5 minutes, tops.


NOPE - that didn't do it. 
Dilbert got it wrong. When I got home tonight it didn't work 

So I called them.

First of all, a CSR cannot "do this" for you. You need to get to 2nd level Tech Support. That's the only way. So no matter how long you were on hold to reach a CSR, you still have more penance to pay (listening to more hold music) before you reach tech support.

Now then, while indeed Tech Support is able to "do it", they're only able if they remember how. Notice I said "remember". Apparently they all were trained, but that was some time ago and since they really do it so seldom, the "how-to" isn't being well retained by everyone. Indeed, the tech I reached said they had never done it before.

ANyway, here's the deal. On the Tech Support's screen they have a "drop-down" menu for enabling "External Storage" .... as in external storage for your 622/722, *NOT* for enabling the DVR feature on your 211/211k.

*THAT* my friends is on another drop-down menu below the external storage drop-down. So the tech has to do a double drill-down to get to the feature you want.

Yup.... Close to an hour on the phone :nono: but with some really good stick-toitiveness on the part of the tech, the magic button was finally found.

The tech felt really bad for keeping me on the phone so long, tho I didn't mind so much (this time) because I could tell they were really making an effort and were also quite embarrassed that it wasn't working. Once the magic button was found, the tech felt so bad that they comp'd me the $39.99 activation fee.

Now *that is customer service!* - The folks at Comcast could sure take a few lessons from DISH.

Happily DVR'ing now with my new 211k's, I bid you all a very merry Christmas.

Cap'n P.

.


----------



## Jim5506

HMM...

I did it by a chat and it fired up in less than 5 minutes.

Of course I had heard that you need to have the screen up telling you to call dish to activate EHD (others say not).

But CSR"s can and have done this activation.


----------



## David King

ok, finally bought my hard drive. Got the WD My Book 750gb at newegg for $99.99. Did web chat to activate. It of course did not work. Went back on chat, they had to update it manually. Once they did that, worked perfectly.


Great deal. Way to go dish!!!!


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

Jim5506 said:


> HMM...
> 
> I did it by a chat and it fired up in less than 5 minutes.
> 
> Of course I had heard that you need to have the screen up telling you to call dish to activate EHD (others say not).
> 
> But CSR"s can and have done this activation.


No, it does not matter to have the activation screen up or not. That's an urban legend. The CSR I spoke to said what I needed was beyond her level of expertise, implying either she could not (or didn't know how to) enable the DVR option for a 211 amd so transferred me to 2nd level tech support, who also had never done it before but was willing to try it and eventually succeeded. It's a brand-new feature and several of the CSR's and Techs are simply not fully up to speed on the procedure.

Once you get someone on the other end of the phone (or chat) to do it right, you then (after activation) connect your EHD. It will recognize it as a USB device then next ask to format the drive.

The drive format process really doesn't take long. Upon completion of formatting, your receiver then performs a full reset, reacquires the transponders, then downloads the guide. Once the guide finishes downloading, you are then 'golden' and ready to begin DVR'ing.

Incidentally, once you perform the DVR conversion, your 211 now holds a full 9-day EPG instead of the original 44 hours.

As for the poster who commented that his WD My Book was noisey.... you may want to return it for another. Mine (750 GB) is quiet as a mouse. Either you have hyper-sensitive hearing or something's loose.

.


----------



## P Smith

Yes, I can confirn - that activation took time without 499 message.


----------



## newsman

Cap'n Preshoot;1935514 said:


> As for the poster who commented that his WD My Book was noisey.... you may want to return it for another. Mine (750 GB) is quiet as a mouse. Either you have hyper-sensitive hearing or something's loose.
> 
> .


Agreed. My Maxtor is silent, as far as my ears can tell. I put a little electrical tape over the light, and it doesn't light up my room at night either.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

newsman said:


> Agreed. My Maxtor is silent, as far as my ears can tell. I put a little electrical tape over the light, and it doesn't light up my room at night either.


What model Maxtor did you get? Size? Cost?


----------



## newsman

Maxtor Onetouch4 750gb at Costco. At the time it was $109. As of last week, it was $99. Newegg.com has it for $94.99 w/ free shipping.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

newsman said:


> Maxtor Onetouch4 750gb at Costco. At the time it was $109. As of last week, it was $99. Newegg.com has it for $94.99 w/ free shipping.


Thanks! I bought the 750 Western Digital (My Book Essential) for one of my 211s but would like to find something less expensive (and much smaller size) to put on the other. I may just buy a drive case (about $20) and stick am 80 or 120 gb drive in it. I really don't need even that much space as I only want it for the "Pause Live TV" feature on that set, but it's getting hard to find small (good quality) name brand drives.


----------



## P Smith

Try Termaltake BlacX - easy to change disks and do not require a fan - VERY quiet.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

P Smith said:


> Yes, I can confirn - that activation took time without 499 message.


I'm really curious as to why that would be? What would the onscreen 499 message have to do with speed of activation? The 499 message is only present with the drive connected to a receiver that has not yet been DVR-enabled (activated). If plugged in to one that *HAS* been DVR-enabled you get the usual USB detected message then the disk format screen pops up.

Activation is a simple matter of them "hitting your cam" with the activation bit (enabling that tier), similar to enabling a premium movie tier (or buying a PPV via online ordering). It happens instantly and does not even require rebooting the receiver. The receiver reboot comes after drive formatting is complete and the drive won't format until the receiver is DVR-enabled.

.


----------



## P Smith

You forget HHK updates , it happen in NVRAM area. Check Counters screen.


----------



## Hunter844

Got up this morning, got on online chat...dude activated it. I commented to him I was looking at the Seagate Freeagent 500gb and he said by far they've had more people calling with problems using that drive over others. So I opted for the WD Mybook 500gb from Walmart. 

Got home and plugged that bad boy in...."please call to activate". No I don't think so...so I get back on the internets and the guy had me going in 15 minutes. The past two or three times I've had to contact Dish...I've went over online chat and it seems to be far better way to communicate with them and much quicker. For one you communicate your thoughts in print and the CSR can sit there for a few minutes to let that soak in if nothing else.

Either way it's nice to finally have some recording ability in HD...I've been using my HTPC for local stuff but now I can do satellite which makes it much nicer.


----------



## newsman

Hunter844 said:


> So I opted for the WD Mybook 500gb from Walmart.


Did anyone cash in on the deal at Target for this hard drive? They were going for $77!:eek2: I don't think they're on sale anymore. I picked one up yesterday.


----------



## db130

I cobbled together a homebrew version of the Apricorn DVR Xpander by pairing an Apricorn EZ bus dts enlosure(usb+eSata) with a Hitachi deskstar 3.5" 750g 7200 rpm SATA drive. The Apricorn is a robust aluminum housing for heat dissipation plus it has a fan underneath the hard drive for additional cooling(an important feature with this hard drive in particular, because it is known to run hot). The fan in the enclosure runs quietly enough that the wife has not even commented on it. It also has a discrete on/off switch if i wanted to turn off the hard drive.

Both products were purchased with rebates and cashback promos during this past year and the net cost was around $90. 

I would have included URLs for the products I have described, but I am a noob here so I must get the prerequisite number of posts first. i hope this helps someone.


----------



## Hunter844

newsman said:


> Did anyone cash in on the deal at Target for this hard drive? They were going for $77!:eek2: I don't think they're on sale anymore. I picked one up yesterday.


No, I never think to even look at Target. The stores around here are a joke for the most part. I like the WD though...seems to be a real smooth operator so far. After hearing some of the horror stories of people complaining about noise issues...I am pleased with this drive so far. The little blue flashing lights don't get on my nerves though I could see where some might be affected. I've got it sitting right next to the Cyberpower battery backup unit that has blue lights all over as well so it just blends right in.

A friend asked if I could take the drive and hook it to a computer and then burn shows to dvd. Not sure what the format is...I'm sure there is a way. Just wondering if anyone has tried doing that yet. I have a very limited desire to do that.


----------



## James Long

Hunter844 said:


> A friend asked if I could take the drive and hook it to a computer and then burn shows to dvd. Not sure what the format is...I'm sure there is a way. Just wondering if anyone has tried doing that yet. I have a very limited desire to do that.


The content is encrypted on the drive and can only be read by your receiver and other ViP-211s on your account.


----------



## newsman

Walked into my local Costco this evening. They had the 750gb Maxtor Onetouch 4 Plus for $99.99. The Plus model adds a firewire400 in addition to the USB 2.0 port. Not a bad deal.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

newsman said:


> Walked into my local Costco this evening. They had the 750gb Maxtor Onetouch 4 Plus for $99.99. The Plus model adds a firewire400 in addition to the USB 2.0 port. Not a bad deal.


Newegg (dot com) still has the WD My Book Essential 750 GB on sale for $99.99 with no sales tax and free 3-day shipping. Here's the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136176

.


----------



## newsman

Cap'n Preshoot;1949099 said:


> Newegg (dot com) still has the WD My Book Essential 750 GB on sale for $99.99 with no sales tax and free 3-day shipping. Here's the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136176
> 
> .


Pretty good deal!


----------



## BobaBird

Now that this has been available for awhile, has anyone maxed out the timers? Is it still 10? Is it different if you've done the DVR conversion?


----------



## GravelChan

BobaBird said:


> Now that this has been available for awhile, has anyone maxed out the timers? Is it still 10? Is it different if you've done the DVR conversion?


I do have the DVR conversion, I don't know how many timers are allowed but I checked and I have 17. I had kind of expected that the timers were
kept on the hard disk but I changed the hard disk and they were still there.


----------



## Mighty H

I'd recommend a unit that DISH has deemed compatible. That includes the Seagate showcase 500GB for $139.99 on the seagate web site http://www.seagate.com/showcase they also have a 1TB unit that's doesn't yet look to have formal compatible if you need more than 500GB.


----------



## newsman

Mighty H said:


> I'd recommend a unit that DISH has deemed compatible. That includes the Seagate showcase 500GB for $139.99 on the seagate web site http://www.seagate.com/showcase they also have a 1TB unit that's doesn't yet look to have formal compatible if you need more than 500GB.


Why spend more than needed? 750gb EHDs are going for $99 on newegg.com and at costco. Those by WD and Maxtor have been reported to work just fine w/ the 211. Just because DN says its compatible doesn't mean we should have to shell out an extra $40 for the drive and get 250gb less space.


----------



## GrumpyBear

Compatible External Hard Drives
While most major manufactured external hard drives are compatible with the ViP 211® and the ViP 211k® HD receivers, a minimum 50GB is required and maximum 750 GB drive is permitted.

Buy a real brand at the best price, you can get. Only real requirements are above.


----------



## Mighty H

most drives will work...however, I'm using one that DISH has tested with their DVR to be sure it works. I'm hoping that way I minimize the opportunity for problems...more hassle free.


----------



## neljtorres

I brought a Western Digital 500gb my book essentials and it records 50 hrs in HD and 200 SD


----------



## Jim5506

I have a cheap Chinese USB to SATA/EIDE converter and an external HDD from an old laptop that works just fine.

Both cost me less than $50.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

Mighty H said:


> most drives will work...however, I'm using one that DISH has tested with their DVR to be sure it works. I'm hoping that way I minimize the opportunity for problems...more hassle free.


I've read where others have mentioned "Dish Approved" so where might this list of "Dish Approved" EHDs be found?


----------



## P Smith

In Charlie Chat thread(s).


----------



## GrumpyBear

Cap'n Preshoot;1964794 said:


> I've read where others have mentioned "Dish Approved" so where might this list of "Dish Approved" EHDs be found?


You can find it here
Dish External Harddrive
As you will see they have a marketing agreement with Seagate, and do point out that most others will work as well.


----------



## blkhouse

From the brochure on dishnetwork.com [products-hd receivers-211 (learn more), learn more again - conversion user's guide], it doesn't say very much but here is the exact wording on drives. By the way the only one they recommend is Seagate.

Purchase a DISH compatible USB 2.0 external hard drive from your local consumer
electronics store or visit www.dishnetwork.com/DVRconversion for online access to
purchase a DISH Network compatible external hard drive. Look for the red DISH Network compatible sticker:

The External Hard Drive must:
a. Be between 50 GB minimum to 750 GB maximum (external hard drives containing
more than one physical internal disk may not be recognized by the receiver).
b. Have its own external power supply (not powered using the USB connection to the
receiver.)
c. Support USB 2.0.
Note: Most brand-name external hard drives are compatible. Do-it-yourself kits and
expandable racks may not be compatible. Only single-disk hard drive units are supported.
Currently, you can only connect one USB device (such as a hard drive or PocketDISH) to the
receiver at one time. However, you can connect different external hard drives one-at-a-time
(for example, to dedicate one drive for movies and one for sporting events).


----------



## newsman

GrumpyBear said:


> You can find it here
> Dish External Harddrive
> As you will see they have a marketing agreement with Seagate, and do point out that most others will work as well.


Your link is 404. Here is a better one:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/receivers/expandYourDVR/default.aspx


----------



## GrumpyBear

newsman said:


> Your link is 404. Here is a better one:
> http://www.dishnetwork.com/receivers/expandYourDVR/default.aspx


Fixed it. Its the same link too.


----------



## peano

For the three of us Dish subs that have both a 411 and 211............if you activate your 211, the 411 gets activated automatically. No emails to CEOs or anything. You don't even mention the 411.


----------



## P Smith

Perhaps owners of 411 should tell CSR it is 211 ?


----------



## peano

P Smith said:


> Perhaps owners of 411 should tell CSR it is 211 ?


I meant to try that first. I bet it will work. ($1.00)


----------



## poyzin

Just an opinion . . . I own a VIP622, VIP612, DVR-501(non HD) and a "converted" VIP-211. Putting aside issues such as number of tuners and number of outputs, The VIP211 with the added hard drive is BY FAR the most bug free of the four. Who would of thought that Dish would have done a better job of adding DVR functionality to a non DVR receiver than they did with building one that was supposed to be a DVR in the first place? BTW, the 612 is the worst. You can't even skip forward without it hanging 50% of the time plus it's loaded with audio problems. I love my 211 + hard drive. Now I wish they would come up with a way of using the ethernet ports to view content on the other DVRs on my home LAN or FINALLY implement the web based scheduling. Direct is really hawking this feature in their marketing (great commercial BTW).


----------



## Rduce

Twice in the last week I have awoken to find that my 211 doesn't even know there is an EHD hooked to it. It has taken a power button reboot before it all works properly again any ideas on what might be going on? I'm guessing it has something to do with the 3 am update...


----------



## opus74

So after reading all the great things about a 211k & an EHD...my EHD arrived today from NewEgg (I ordered it 2 days ago with free shipping!).

Plugged it in decided to use online chat as suggested here.....Vanessa came on and said she could activate the EHD feature on both of my 211k boxes for $39.99 per month per box....would I like her to do that?

I asked her if that was correct almost $80/month every month. 

"Yes sir, you shouldn't have bought the 200 series box for DVR, you should have got a 600 or 700 series, then it's only 5$/month."

Are you sure about this.....????

Yes sir.

Thanks..Good bye.

Immediately logged back in. A guy named Israel said $ 39.99 for the account, gave me the HD specs and asked if it's a go. I said yes. Done in less than 5. HDs activate and reboot in another 5...done.

I wonder if Vanessa knows how to pocket the extra $$$?

I'm a new sub (Monday) but it took 3 sales folks before I got the package I wanted, now 4 days later it takes 2 to add a feature. It seems like telephone roulette is the rule, not the exception.


----------



## blkhouse

I had our EHD activated two weeks ago, and Wow it works amazing well. This is the 1st time we have had a DVR and we have had no glitches while recording or replaying.

It also took me 3 tries to get it activated (accidentally charged twice), and an insistence that the 211 is now DVR capable. The tech support department did state that if your hard drive has a sleep mode you may have a problem.

We need something real quiet, because for right now we are sleeping 6' away from the hard drive while we renovate the bedroom. Thanks for the people who made suggestions because this combination works real well.

Thermaltake BlacX eSATA Hard Drive USB/Esata Docking Station
[I got one with an esata interface in case it didn't work out I could put it on my PC]

Western Digital WD 750GB SATA Greenpower Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD7500AACS

approx $120

It is kind of fun to wake at 3AM. The 211 actually powers on (green light) while it is getting the guide.


----------



## James Long

blkhouse said:


> It is kind of fun to wake at 3AM. The 211 actually powers on (green light) while it is getting the guide.


The reboot time can be changed. I have mine set for 7am but it can be any time of day.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

blkhouse said:


> ...It also took me 3 tries to get it activated (accidentally charged twice), and an insistence that the 211 is now DVR capable...


One would think *BY NOW* that the CSRs would have figured this out. I'm sorry, but this smacks of incompetence.

.


----------



## JeffN9

I can tell you from my experiences the csr's do not have it figured out yet.

I activated the ext. HD on my 211 about a month ago. It took two calls and about 90 minutes on the phone to get it working. I did get them to waive the $39.99 fee though because of the hassle. They told me that since the feature was now active on my account that I could hook up an ext. HD to my 622 at a later date and it would work, wrong. When I tried to hook up a HD to my 622 last week a message told me to call in to activate it. After about 30 minutes on the phone this time it started working. The tech csr had to get a supervisor to help. Just for the heck of it I checked my account on line the next day and sure enough not one but two $39.99 charges. I called to have those charges credited just in the nick of time. The next day they would have charged my credit card $80 + tax along with my regular charges. 

If you want to hook up an ext. HD plan to spend some time on the phone and check your account the next day. Even though it was a pain to get them working I do enjoy having both.


----------



## TNVOL1111

I have had my two 622 DVR's activated for an EHD for about a year now and other than the EHD's (Fantom's) going bad there has been no trouble.

Question I have is if I have already paid the $39.99 to activate the EHD for my 622's then is all I have to do is plug in an EHD to my 211 to add this feature to the 211 or do I have to call DISH to activate the 211 receiver for EHD and pay another $39.99? I was under the understanding that the $39.99 I paid about a year ago then covered all my DISH receivers.


----------



## JeffN9

They told me that the $39.99 fee (which was waived) covered my whole account. In other words I would not be charged a 2nd fee when I activated the 2nd HD. 

I hope you don't have to but you should plan on calling in to get the new one activated.


----------



## Jim5506

The EHD on the 722/622 is an archiving EHD while the EHD on the 211 is for DVR functionality.

They are seperate and each has a $39.99 onetime fee.

The 211 also does not incur any DVR fees whatsoever after you activate the EHD, so it is similar to a 508 in that respect.


----------



## Stewart Vernon

Adding to the above...

Not only is the enabling fee separate for the 622/722 and the 211... You cannot swap an external hard drive from a 211 to a 622/722 or vice-versa even if you pay both enabling fees.

You can share a 211-connected hard drive with other 211 receivers on your account for one fee. Same for multiple 622/722 receivers on your account. You just can't mix 'n match between the DVR and non-DVR models.


----------



## JeffN9

None of the 3 or 4 csr's that I talked to in the whole process ever mentioned the enabling fees being separate. I was simply told that the one fee covered the whole account.

I guess that in my case it was a good thing that they weren't sure about what they were doing.


----------



## newsman

One of my neighbors just had DN installed. He knows the setup in my house. He asked the installer about the 222 becoming DVR enabled w/ an EHD. The installer said it will be available soon. He didn't know how soon. Is it still a rumor? What's the deal w/ the 222?


----------



## James Long

JeffN9 said:


> None of the 3 or 4 csr's that I talked to in the whole process ever mentioned the enabling fees being separate. I was simply told that the one fee covered the whole account.
> 
> I guess that in my case it was a good thing that they weren't sure about what they were doing.


One fee covers the whole account, but each fee is for a different function.


----------



## opus74

I don't think the 222 is available yet. Just the 211 and 211k.


----------



## cwc

dkjohn said:


> I feel your pain that was me a couple of days ago. after 7 yes 7 reps finally got the right one now it works like a charm.


So what was the problem. I am having the same issue with my 211 and have had two csrs and one supervisor. Still no luck and he submitted a TPR, but said that was all he could do. They even removed the capability and added it back in. I also get the 499 screen. I even put the drive back on the computer and did a reformat/erase to see if that would help. no luck. I have reset the receiver several times. no luck.

Help,
CW


----------



## blkhouse

I can only tell you what they had me go through to get mine working. I wouldn't bother reformatting the drive because Dish uses some odd format type.

1) I had to remove the drive, and when I mean remove I mean disconnected as well as power down the drive.
2) Through the CSR, the tech rep reactivated my 211, and either they rebooted or I did. We went through a 2 minute countdown.
3) I now reinstalled my drive, and then it worked.

For some reason I had to remove the drive before it would activate.

Just one user's experience.


----------



## matt314159

I activated my 411 the other day with a 750GB My Book Essentials. The CSR didn't know how to do it, transferred me to a tech. He was outsourced-sounding and asked me to hold a minute while he looked it up (shame on me, but I thought, "here we go, we can barely understand each other, this is going to spell trouble). He came back on the line, informed me of the one-time $39.99 fee, and off to the races I went. It formatted the hard drive, rebooted, and voila! single-tuner DVR for no montly fee!

I also got a VIP211k delivered yesterday, that I bought on ebay. I activated the receiver yesterday, but just now, I plugged a Seagate FreeAgent 750GB into that box, and it activated right away, and formatted, and the box is in the process of rebooting even as I type this. 

I gotta admit I LOVE having two DVR's without a DVR Fee! In fact I like my VIP211K so much (runs way cooler than the 411) I'm thinking of buying a 2nd 211K and trading it out for the 411. 

I just wish it could address hard drives bigger than 750GB. I had a My Book Office Edition 1TB I tried to hook to it, but it scanned the drive and told me only drives up to 750GB were supported. Luckily, I have lots of drives laying around (just switched to a couple of 1.5TB eSATA drives, to replace my 750GB My Book, my 1TB My Book, and my 750GB FreeAgent, and I hadn't gotten rid of any of the drives yet. Glad I didn't because I was able to put them to good use!


----------



## opus74

Anyone have an idea when the 211k will accept a 1T drive? They mentioned on the tech chat last week..."soon".

A more definitive answer would be nice.

Thanks.


----------



## newsman

I wonder why a "k" model would and the other 211 model would not. I am happy with 750gb of space for my model, but more is more.


----------



## P Smith

opus74 said:


> Anyone have an idea when the 211k will accept a 1T drive? They mentioned on the tech chat last week..."soon".
> 
> A more definitive answer would be nice.
> 
> Thanks.


No one Dish/DTV marcom or developer allow to post [definitive] answers here.


----------



## jbaer15

opus74 said:


> Anyone have an idea when the 211k will accept a 1T drive? They mentioned on the tech chat last week..."soon".
> 
> A more definitive answer would be nice.
> 
> Thanks.


Now or as of the 18th.....


----------



## opus74

jbaer15 said:


> Now or as of the 18th.....


Could you expand a little on that answer ...?


----------



## jbaer15

opus74 said:


> Could you expand a little on that answer ...?


L455/L524 SW works with 1 TB drives (1 drive type...not 2 500 gigs together).


----------



## matt314159

I can confirm, I just hooked the very same 1TB My Book Studio Edition that refused to work last week (threw an error message saying essentially, "sorry but only drives up to 750GB are supported), and this time it told me it needs to format....the receiver restarted, and it is currently formatting. A step it never got to last time. 

That works out well for me, as I wanted my 750GB Seagate Freeagent Pro for my computer tower because it has an eSATA port on it in addition to USB2.0, and I enjoy file transfer speeds about 3x what I can get with USB2.0. My 1tb My Book Studio edition is USB2.0 only, so it will be perfect for DVR functionality while freeing up the faster (albeit a little smaller) drive for use on my computer.

Okay, drive just finished formatted and the receiver is rebooting, 'gonna go play with it and make sure all is well with the new drive.

*edit...yup, working fine now! Sweet!


----------



## newsman

matt314159 said:


> I can confirm, I just hooked the very same 1TB My Book Studio Edition that refused to work last week (threw an error message saying essentially, "sorry but only drives up to 750GB are supported), and this time it told me it needs to format....the receiver restarted, and it is currently formatting. A step it never got to last time.
> 
> That works out well for me, as I wanted my 750GB Seagate Freeagent Pro for my computer tower because it has an eSATA port on it in addition to USB2.0, and I enjoy file transfer speeds about 3x what I can get with USB2.0. My 1tb My Book Studio edition is USB2.0 only, so it will be perfect for DVR functionality while freeing up the faster (albeit a little smaller) drive for use on my computer.
> 
> Okay, drive just finished formatted and the receiver is rebooting, 'gonna go play with it and make sure all is well with the new drive.
> 
> *edit...yup, working fine now! Sweet!


Thanks for the update. Looks like it may be time to upgrade the EHD.


----------



## P Smith

L454 for 211 does support 1TB disks. See the log:
[DBG_GRP_MW]<mw_hd_device_select.c:249> <02/21 09:01> open :/dev/sda
[DBG_GRP_MW]<mw_hd_api.c:901> <02/21 09:01> get_drive_capacity: 1953525168 sectors 
[DBG_GRP_MW]<mw_hd_api.c:904> <02/21 09:01> Size in Gb: 931
[DBG_GRP_MW]<mw_hd_xmd_format.c:49> <02/21 09:01> HD: Reformating External Main Hard Drive.
[DBG_GRP_MW]<mw_hd_xmd_format.c:75> <02/21 09:01> Going to format partition 0 and command is mke2fs -m 0 -q -jF /dev/sda1 
[DBG_GRP_MW]<mw_hd_xmd_format.c:75> <02/21 09:01> Going to format partition 2 and command is mke2fs -LEHD -m0 -b4096 -TLargefile4 -i7626752 -jF /dev/sda3 
[DBG_GRP_MW]<miniwatchdog.c:809> <02/21 09:03> Reformating of external hard drive done ....
[DBG_GRP_MW]<miniwatchdog.c:810> <02/21 09:03> Reformat finished at time ..................


----------



## opus74

Is there a way to "force" an upgrade? 

One of my 211k has the new L455; the other still has L454. Naturally, the one with L454 is where I want to put the 1TB drive......


----------



## P Smith

Swap them or you could try reboot and keep it offline for 10 min after reboot.


----------



## Rudedog

Found this on another site...

"This software update is spooling to receivers with L040-L522. If you have L523 you won't get it until probably this week."

Do you put your receiver in "standby" at night. If not then the updates will not download.


----------



## P Smith

Rudedog said:


> Found this on another site...
> 
> "This software update is spooling to receivers with L040-L522. If you have L523 you won't get it until probably this week."
> 
> Do you put your receiver in "standby" at night. If not then the updates will not download.


That's *RandallA's *regular reports overthere.


----------



## opus74

Woo-Hoo !! 

Got home from work, forced a download (with instructions from Ryan)....got the new version 455 for the 211k. Plugged in the 1 TB WD hard drive that last week wouldn't work...and now formatted for 392.5 hours of SD and/or 98 hours of HD.

Thanks to everyone who helped !!!

...and a pppphhhhbt to the one naysayer who PM'ed me that it would never work (so much negativity from a "hall of famer") 

Peace.


----------



## Hunter844

Has anyone experienced rebooting problems since having the ext hard drive? On one OTA channel if the signal breaks up even for a split second it sometimes causes a lock up and subsequent reboot. I'm guessing it's messing up the buffer somehow.


----------



## intrac

Since getting 524, my 211 has been locking up, re-booting, and generally going nuts.

It seems to happen most when the EPG is on screen.

It is definitely 524 related, since it was fine with 523. I like the added info for the DVR, but since activating the HD with 523, I never had a re-boot - either manually or by itself.


----------



## skeets13

524 has caused me frequent rebooting, locking up, picture break up. Couldn't watch Heroes last week! Older recordings seem to be unaffected from what I've tried so far. Technical service says they'll get back to me in 3 days.


----------



## newsman

No problems here... yet, with 524. Keeping my fingers crossed that the DVR will record Heroes, since I am not home to watch it.


----------



## cwc

I am having the same issue and it seems to be associated with the Guide and an OTA channel.

CWC


----------



## Grandude

Hunter844 said:


> Has anyone experienced rebooting problems since having the ext hard drive? On one OTA channel if the signal breaks up even for a split second it sometimes causes a lock up and subsequent reboot. I'm guessing it's messing up the buffer somehow.


Yes, same problem on my 211s with programs recorded earlier. Tried recording a new program, two hour movie and it played through just fine. Never had the problem with 523 software.


----------



## mesalum

I was not as lucky. Recorded a new show last night, Survivor on HD CBS on DISH from Sacramento. It froze within the first 5 minutes.

The DISH technician that was out yesterday said that DISH is having a problem with the locals in HD. It appears they know there is a problem.


----------



## Grandude

mesalum said:


> I was not as lucky. Recorded a new show last night, Survivor on HD CBS on DISH from Sacramento. It froze within the first 5 minutes.
> The DISH technician that was out yesterday said that DISH is having a problem with the locals in HD. It appears they know there is a problem.


I've been running some tests this morning and have found that both CBSHD and NBCHD locals FROM Dish fail every time I record them. ABC and Fox are both OK.
I haven't had any problems, yet, with non-LIL channels like HDNET and ESPN.
I haven't tried the SD versions of CBS and NBC yet.


----------



## eddieras

tried to record harry potter and got 25 one minute recordings! tough to watch in short bursts!


----------



## mesalum

Last night I recorded Amazing Race from both the HD and OTA sources. I watched the OTA version today and no problems. I then watched the HD version and it too was ok. No reboots. So I thought I would try to watch the previous weeks HD version. It did not freeze the box at the previous point but it did later when the show was almost done.

I don't know why it handled the previous reboot area; it is noticeable because the screen does pixelate.

Oh well.

I am encouraged that my DVR'ed version of the OTA source did not hang. From this point on I will DVR both sources for my shows on NBC and CBS.


----------



## Bob Hess

mesalum said:


> I was not as lucky. Recorded a new show last night, Survivor on HD CBS on DISH from Sacramento. It froze within the first 5 minutes.
> 
> The DISH technician that was out yesterday said that DISH is having a problem with the locals in HD. It appears they know there is a problem.


Not sure I would believe the technician. Dish is not currently having a problem with CBS in Sacramento.


----------



## mesalum

DISH has some kind of problem with CBS in Sacramento. When I watch DVR'ed episodes of Amazing Race (a CBS show) it reboots my VIP211. An episode DVR'ed before the L524 update did not reboot the VIP211 prior to the L524 update. Now that episode, along with all DVR'ed since the L524 update reboot the VIP211. I have just proved that DVR'ing from the OTA feed of CBS in Sacramento does not reboot the VIP211 just the HD version from DISH. So there is something in the stream that is affecting the VIP211.


----------



## Grandude

I did a little further testing yesterday. Started viewing programs on both CBS and NBC from Dish LIL and then paused both for five minutes and then started watching delayed by five minutes. Both 211s eventually hung up and rebooted.
Watching the live stream not delayed causes no problem on either 211.


----------



## Bob Hess

mesalum said:


> DISH has some kind of problem with CBS in Sacramento. When I watch DVR'ed episodes of Amazing Race (a CBS show) it reboots my VIP211. An episode DVR'ed before the L524 update did not reboot the VIP211 prior to the L524 update. Now that episode, along with all DVR'ed since the L524 update reboot the VIP211. I have just proved that DVR'ing from the OTA feed of CBS in Sacramento does not reboot the VIP211 just the HD version from DISH. So there is something in the stream that is affecting the VIP211.


This is a nationwide problem, not just Sacramento.

Robert Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
CBS13 KOVR / CW31 KMAX


----------



## mesalum

Bob Hess said:


> This is a nationwide problem, not just Sacramento.
> 
> Robert Hess
> Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
> CBS13 KOVR / CW31 KMAX


Ok thanks Bob. It's nice when you know you are not alone. It's very frustrating. Especially when I hadn't come across this problem until my receiver was updated with a new version of the software.

Now that I see your title can you shed some light on the problem? What is wrong with the data stream that causes the box to freeze and eventually reboot. Is there anything I can do on this end to keep the box from reacting this way? When available I am going to use OTA for DVR'ing the locals.

Thanks again

Jeff Temple
Software/Hardware Engineer
Intel


----------



## Bob Hess

mesalum said:


> Ok thanks Bob. It's nice when you know you are not alone. It's very frustrating. Especially when I hadn't come across this problem until my receiver was updated with a new version of the software.
> 
> Now that I see your title can you shed some light on the problem? What is wrong with the data stream that causes the box to freeze and eventually reboot. Is there anything I can do on this end to keep the box from reacting this way? When available I am going to use OTA for DVR'ing the locals.
> 
> Thanks again
> 
> Jeff Temple
> Software/Hardware Engineer
> Intel


Jeff,

Actually, I don't have a clue. That's why I came here. After seeing the problem, I knew it had to be a bug. Sure enough, it appears to be affecting all of the VIP-211 DVR users, although I recorded Reaper last night and it was fine.

For more on the local scene, see my blog.

www.cbs13.com/blogs

- Bob


----------



## Bill_K

I am considering the addition of a USB Hard Drive to my 211K. Has anyone seen a breakdown of the popular external USB HDDs that work with this receiver – in terms of popularity, those that work, those that don’t? I’m visioning a bar graph. Also, I am interested to know if those external USB units with power save work with the 211, and if so, which manufactures. Thanks.


----------



## Jim5506

The 211 receiver is constantly buffering data to the EHD so there is no need to worry about the power saver mode.

I use a Thermaltake BlacX 2.5/3.5 SATA to USB dock and have a stack of 250 GB STAT hard drives that I swap in and out of the dock. Absolutely no problems, just turn the dock off, pop out the drive and pop another in and turn the dock back on. the receiver recognizes the dock was turned off then recognizes when it is turned back on and reads or formats the new drive. This way I keep genres seperate and TV shows all on their own drive.


----------



## Bill_K

Jim,
Thanks for your response – I’ve read your post regarding the solution you mention in this forum. The potential downside is that the HDD may require more power than the Themaltake can provide – essentially, startup issues….and, more capacity, more platters, more current. Does Themaltake provide a drive compatibility chart? It is however, a pretty ‘elegant’ solution to creating a video library.

Also, I’ve read the posts that describe firmware issues with the 211K. Have you had any recording problems? Will you confirm that 1TB drives with this receiver/firmware?

Thanks, Bill


----------



## blkhouse

We use the same set up (Thermaltake) with a 700+ GB Western Digital Green drive, and we have had no real problems. It is exactly the same as any other enclosure it just doesn't have a fan - quiet.

Western Digital Green drives are recommended for Tivo devices, so they work fine here. The only limitation of the 211 is that it only has a single tuner, and because usb is a serial connection we have had some "stuttering" (pauses during a final write) while we were watching a previously recorded DVR program.

For us it is liveable.


There are no hdd lists for enclosures usually there is only a limitation on capacity.


----------



## Bill_K

Thanks for comments. Does everyone experience a 'stuttering' problem with the external USB HDD?. Manufactures (DISH receiver/HDD) typically provide a large buffer memory to avoid this problem. If everyone experiences this problem, then it is on the Dish end. If not, this could be an HDD/Them problem.


----------



## blkhouse

I only get a stutter when I watch a DVR program when I am also recording. This could be a limitation of the USB, or it could be my Hard drive is a little slower.


----------



## Jim5506

I have not noted any studdering.

It is not uncommon for me to be recording OTA and one SAT channel sumultaneously on my 211 and watch a recorded show also.

I am not using my Thermaltake on the 211, I use a cheap Chinese SATA/EIDE to USB converter I bought for about $12 with a 250 GB Seagate EIDE drive with an external power supply (came with the cheap Chinese adapter).

As a matter of fact for a while I had an 80GB laptop IDE drive connected to this with NO external power and it worked.

I'll add a picture when I get home this pm.

If USB is a data bottleneck for the 211, I can see where it would be a MAJOR problem for the 222.


----------



## Rudedog

Greetings all...

I too have been having some difficulty with my ViP211 hard drive. I first activated the DVR function on my two 211 receivers and started having audio dropouts and video washout on OTA recorded shows. I forced Dish to upgrade me to the 211k model and the audio dropout problems ceased. 

But now I have a problem with video freezing during playback for a minute or more. After I wait a bit the playback resumes were it left off at. I have also had times when the programs fails to record at all. My recording guide says that the shows are there and the recording times are correct. But when you go to play them it goes to a black screen then stops playback after a few seconds. It does not matter if it is a Dish or OTA channel. The only thing that is in common is that they all are HD broadcasts.

I thought that it might be a drive issue so I replaced it the other night but still am having the same problems. I also wondered if by recording a OTA and HD broadcast from Dish at the same time it was putting too much of a load on the USB drive or the receiver thus causing the failure. But that theory was proven false when I had a recording failure while only recording one HD show from a Dish channel.

My next troubleshooting plan is to swap the 211k receiver with the one that I am not having problems with and start using it with a heavy recording schedule. I only use my other receiver to record a couple of shows a night and never have more than one going at a time.

I will be an interesting experiment to see if the other 211k receiver has the same issues once I start using as much as the other.


----------



## newsman

Rudedog said:


> Greetings all...
> 
> I too have been having some difficulty with my ViP211 hard drive. I first activated the DVR function on my two 211 receivers and started having audio dropouts and video washout on OTA recorded shows. I forced Dish to upgrade me to the 211k model and the audio dropout problems ceased.
> 
> But now I have a problem with video freezing during playback for a minute or more. After I wait a bit the playback resumes were it left off at. I have also had times when the programs fails to record at all. My recording guide says that the shows are there and the recording times are correct. But when you go to play them it goes to a black screen then stops playback after a few seconds. It does not matter if it is a Dish or OTA channel. The only thing that is in common is that they all are HD broadcasts.
> 
> I thought that it might be a drive issue so I replaced it the other night but still am having the same problems. I also wondered if by recording a OTA and HD broadcast from Dish at the same time it was putting too much of a load on the USB drive or the receiver thus causing the failure. But that theory was proven false when I had a recording failure while only recording one HD show from a Dish channel.
> 
> My next troubleshooting plan is to swap the 211k receiver with the one that I am not having problems with and start using it with a heavy recording schedule. I only use my other receiver to record a couple of shows a night and never have more than one going at a time.
> 
> I will be an interesting experiment to see if the other 211k receiver has the same issues once I start using as much as the other.


Have you tried different USB cables?


----------



## mesalum

I am having AT&T uverse installed on Thursday and if I am satisfied with it's performance I will be cancelling DISH. After much investigation it appears they are unable to successfully encode/decode HD information for the local channels. It's a problem them have had for a long time and that is unacceptable. Now I know whey they don't really advertise the external usb harddrives for their HD receivers. Oh well, it was an exciting concept.


----------



## Bill_K

I added the external usb hdd option to my vip211k last night, but the 'dvr' function is not the same as my vip622. Specifically, the menus 'movies & more', 'tv entertainment', 'my media', and 'dishonline' are not in the DVR menu. Also, the remote slingguide connection does not work with the vip211k.

Even though the vip211k is connected to the network, the 'dvr' function does not utilize the ethernet connection.

Does anyone know if Dish plans to add these features to the vip221k?

BTW - I took Jim506's advice and purchased the Thermaltake dock. Thanks for the suggestion Jim.

vip211k software version L455


----------



## Jim5506

'movies & more', 'tv entertainment', 'my media', and 'dishonline' are extra functionalities on other parts of the Internal HDD of the 622/722/612/722K and I doubt seriously they will be added to the 211/211K.

Same for sling guide support - requires much more internal memory and such. I am just glad my 211 works fine with it's EHD.


----------



## Dave St

harddrives are only in dvr models 612 and 722 for hd. 211 and 222 are set up without dvr as such no hard drive.


----------



## Motorin

It seems I'm seeing conflicting info regarding whether an activation is for the entire account or each receiver. I have a VIP 722 and a VIP 211 and am awaiting shipment of a WD 750GB EHD to use on the 211. I am aware that they are of a different format so the EHD cannot be used between the dedicated DVR vs. the 211 DVR upgrade. Is it dependent on the Rep you get as to what gets activated? If both get activated then I need to get that additional drive on order.


----------



## P Smith

Yes, plus you should pay two times the same amount $39.99 for two different services; yes, the disks are NOT interchangeable. 622/722 is one service, 211/411 - other.


----------



## Lostinspace

There is a separate activation fee for the 722 and for all 211x receivers on your account.


----------



## AZDAD

Is anyone still having any problems with the 211 and the adding on of the EHD for dvr capibility? I was wanting to do this, but decided to wait as some were having some troubles (not sure if it was due to newest software release on the 211) with picture/audio and receiver rebooting itself.


----------



## P Smith

No one having any problem with 211 EHD.

Time to make decision by yourself, Azdad !


----------



## intrac

The EHD add-on to the ViP211 worked beautifully.

Since V524 software was downloaded with some nice additional features, the ViP211 seems to run into lockup problems and crashing when the ViP's tuner is on an OTA channel and setting up the timers to record a program on non-OTA.

The problems occur with a certain regularity. They don't seem to occur when recording non-OTA and watching non-OTA.


----------



## newsman

I haven't had any problems w/ the EHD addition on the 211. Even w/ software 5.24, I've been crash free.


----------



## Grandude

intrac said:


> The EHD add-on to the ViP211 worked beautifully.
> 
> Since V524 software was downloaded with some nice additional features, the ViP211 seems to run into lockup problems and crashing when the ViP's tuner is on an OTA channel and setting up the timers to record a program on non-OTA.
> 
> The problems occur with a certain regularity. They don't seem to occur when recording non-OTA and watching non-OTA.


Not quite true. My 211s freeze/reboot whenever I try to watch a recorded program from CBS or NBC which was recorded from the non-OTA channels. I am patiently waiting for a solution to this problem. 
CBS is Channel 5 and NBC is Channel 11 in the San Francisco DMA where I live and I live too far away from the tower to receive them OTA.

I also get a reboot just about every day for seemingly no reason at all and usually happens when I first try to watch anything that day.


----------



## AZDAD

Guess I'll wait until they send out a new software patch or revert back to the older version. I haven't had any problems with my Vip211 and don't want to start off that way by calling and adding the ehd dvr feature until they get this thing fixed.


----------



## Rudedog

Rudedog said:


> Greetings all...
> 
> I too have been having some difficulty with my ViP211 hard drive. I first activated the DVR function on my two 211 receivers and started having audio dropouts and video washout on OTA recorded shows. I forced Dish to upgrade me to the 211k model and the audio dropout problems ceased.
> 
> But now I have a problem with video freezing during playback for a minute or more. After I wait a bit the playback resumes were it left off at. I have also had times when the programs fails to record at all. My recording guide says that the shows are there and the recording times are correct. But when you go to play them it goes to a black screen then stops playback after a few seconds. It does not matter if it is a Dish or OTA channel. The only thing that is in common is that they all are HD broadcasts.
> 
> I thought that it might be a drive issue so I replaced it the other night but still am having the same problems. I also wondered if by recording a OTA and HD broadcast from Dish at the same time it was putting too much of a load on the USB drive or the receiver thus causing the failure. But that theory was proven false when I had a recording failure while only recording one HD show from a Dish channel.
> 
> My next troubleshooting plan is to swap the 211k receiver with the one that I am not having problems with and start using it with a heavy recording schedule. I only use my other receiver to record a couple of shows a night and never have more than one going at a time.
> 
> I will be an interesting experiment to see if the other 211k receiver has the same issues once I start using as much as the other.


**Update**

I swapped out the USB cable with no success.

I then swapped out my problem unit with my other 211k that I was not having problems with. Worked for a couple of days and I thought that I had solved the problem and it was a defective receiver. So I set up all my timers again and left for a week vacation figuring that my shows would record without any problems and they would all be waiting for me once I returned. Boy was I ever wrong on that one. The day after I left my 211k rebooted itself for some unknown reason and would no longer see my USB drive. All the shows that I had setup to record were never done. So I rebooted it and again the drive was there and was ready to start recording shows again. But last night while watching a recorded OTA HD recording it rebooted for no reason and it has done it a couple of times today as well.

I have come to the conclusion that the EHD option on the 211/211k receivers is a complete piece of sh*t and that anyone considering it should think twice. It has made my Dish Network service unreliable and I am considering making the switch to another provider.


----------



## nightfly85

My 211 worked fine before the card swap. I have the external HD feature activated as well.

But now since the card swap and with my third replacement 211 I still get freezing/hanging of the video/audio and the DVR functionality is useless. What's the point of calling up and getting yet another replacement?

Shoddy, sad, and frustrating.

Update: disconnected the external drive, unplugged receiver for a hard reset and have not had an issue since then. 

For me, this issue has nothing to do with OTA channels. It was happening on any SAT channel I viewed.


----------



## stoneymonster

Wow same issue here: watching (recorded) CBS 5 in the bay area last night == crash city. I just attached the EHD over the weekend and had no problems until those shows. I am not using OTA, just satellite channels. I wonder if there's an encoding or bitrate trigger for the issue?


----------



## P Smith

Or your USB-SATA controller is not in par with 211 EHD requirement.

Or your HDD is bad ( bad sectors, 'slow' sectors).


----------



## stoneymonster

Well, since I did some research first and bought a drive that others on the forum said was working (simpletech 500GB), I doubt it's the SATA controller. I suppose I could have a faulty drive, but since the symptoms match everyone else here and on satelliteguys.us *AND* dish has asked for cases, mentioned a beta, and all this seems to have started with L524, I think it more likely there is a software issue


----------



## Grandude

P Smith said:


> Or your USB-SATA controller is not in par with 211 EHD requirement.
> Or your HDD is bad ( bad sectors, 'slow' sectors).


Here in the SF Bay Area, both ch 5, CBS and ch 11 NBC have this problem. Just cannot watch a program recorded from either of these channels without the dang 211 freezing then rebooting. Something is amok with those two channels and the Dish211s. 
I have two VIP211s using two different EHDs and both fail on these two channels only.


----------



## RickDee

Grandude said:


> So far not a definitive test but I recorded 24 on my 211 and did not get any dropouts. I did get dropouts on my 722 but only in the short time frame just before going to commercials.
> My 211 is connected through a different receiver to a different TV which could be a partial explanation. With my setup, it would be impossible to connect the 211 where the 722 is. Well, it could be done but would be just to big a job to undertake.
> I'll keep checking and report back when I get a chance.


If this has been asked & answered before, I apologize. Since you have a 211 and a 722 and you have the EHD activated, can you use the same EHD with both receivers?

Once before I saw it posted that you couldn't, but I am interested. I'm thinking of getting a 211 or 222 as a backup for when the 622 craps out again. I had my 622 for almost 3 years and now I am waiting for my 3rd replacement in 3 months.


----------



## P Smith

NO.

Posted many times they are different structure - EHD for 622/722 is additional disk with DishArc folder(s), while "EHD" for 211 is full SYSTEM disk similar to internal inside 622/722.


----------



## Grandude

RickDee said:


> If this has been asked & answered before, I apologize. Since you have a 211 and a 722 and you have the EHD activated, can you use the same EHD with both receivers?
> 
> Once before I saw it posted that you couldn't, but I am interested. I'm thinking of getting a 211 or 222 as a backup for when the 622 craps out again. I had my 622 for almost 3 years and now I am waiting for my 3rd replacement in 3 months.


Well, this has been asked and answered many times but I am willing to repeat here. 
No, it is an entirely different setup on the EHD. On the 622 it is formatted and is used strictly for archiving and playing back from the archive.
On the 211 it is formatted somewhat differently. I don't know the specifics but it no doubt has a partition used for 'live' trick features like skip back, pause, etc. 
I you move from one to the other, 622 to 211 or 211 to 622 the receiver asks you if you want to format it. This of course will erase anything on the EHD. You have no other option other than disconnecting it and moving it back to where it was.


----------



## Cap'n Preshoot

newsman said:


> I haven't had any problems w/ the EHD addition on the 211. Even w/ software 5.24, I've been crash free.


Ditto. No issues. Pause/record live TV works as it should, record OTA working, record sat channels working. Note that neither of my two 211k's have access cards. These were shipped to me in the middle of the last card swap, so either the new CAM code is already embedded or else I still have cards coming that I haven't yet received. (Firmware vers L456, however)

.


----------



## frasson

I am brand new to this. Just paid for the EHD activation yesterday.

Here goes my issue . 
Every disk I plug-in in the Vip211 triggers the message saying an EHD has been recognized and it's been checked for compatibility .
After a few seconds a message shows up asking to call the 888 number to activate it.

After spending some time with Dish tech support, he confirmed actication is OK , but for whatever reason the disk is not being recognized . According to him, if it were , a message requesting authorization to format the disk would have shown.

Well, my issue is I tested with 4 disks already .

A 160GB FD
A 400GB Iomega
A 500 GB FD
A 1TB FD 

and they all have the same behaviour , i.e. , no request to format the disk.

Which makes me believe is not really a disk issue , but something wrong on the VIP211 unit or SW .

Anybody had a similar problem ? any suggestions ?

Thanks


----------



## newsman

I'm guessing you haven't read through this thread. The solution has been posted already. Call back, get yourself routed to tech help and explain your situation. The CSR did not activate the EHD properly. This has happened to me, and I believe a couple of others before.

Welcome to DBStalk.



frasson said:


> I am brand new to this. Just paid for the EHD activation yesterday.
> 
> Here goes my issue .
> Every disk I plug-in in the Vip211 triggers the message saying an EHD has been recognized and it's been checked for compatibility .
> After a few seconds a message shows up asking to call the 888 number to activate it.
> 
> After spending some time with Dish tech support, he confirmed actication is OK , but for whatever reason the disk is not being recognized . According to him, if it were , a message requesting authorization to format the disk would have shown.
> 
> Well, my issue is I tested with 4 disks already .
> 
> A 160GB FD
> A 400GB Iomega
> A 500 GB FD
> A 1TB FD
> 
> and they all have the same behaviour , i.e. , no request to format the disk.
> 
> Which makes me believe is not really a disk issue , but something wrong on the VIP211 unit or SW .
> 
> Anybody had a similar problem ? any suggestions ?
> 
> Thanks


----------



## Jim5506

frasson said:


> I am brand new to this. Just paid for the EHD activation yesterday.
> 
> Here goes my issue .
> Every disk I plug-in in the Vip211 triggers the message saying an EHD has been recognized and it's been checked for compatibility .
> After a few seconds a message shows up asking to call the 888 number to activate it.
> 
> After spending some time with Dish tech support, he confirmed actication is OK , but for whatever reason the disk is not being recognized . According to him, if it were , a message requesting authorization to format the disk would have shown.
> 
> Well, my issue is I tested with 4 disks already .
> 
> A 160GB FD
> A 400GB Iomega
> A 500 GB FD
> A 1TB FD
> 
> and they all have the same behaviour , i.e. , no request to format the disk.
> 
> Which makes me believe is not really a disk issue , but something wrong on the VIP211 unit or SW .
> 
> Anybody had a similar problem ? any suggestions ?
> 
> Thanks


Call Dish and have them send a re-hit to your receiver, it is activated according to Dish but the receiver does not know that.


----------



## frasson

Thanks, newsman, Jim !

Yes, I missed some of the comments in the mid pages of this long thread . I apologize for being "lazy" .

After trying 3 more times, I've got someone at Dish ( chat support ) who finally sent the proper trigger , the receiver stopped asking for activation .

I am up and running now . 

I think I damaged a HD in the process of trying several . Oh, well :-( ...

Oh, BTW , not clear if there was a factor or not, but replacing one my USB cables made a difference . The support gal said it could be a USB 1.0 "cable" . Never heard of a USB 1.0 "cable", only USB 1.0 drives . I think that particular cable was damaged .

Just for the record in case somebody else finds similar problems. 


THANKS AGAIN


----------



## newsman

Enjoy your EHD! I have not had any problems since I started.


----------



## Jim5506

If one of your EHD's seems to be "damaged", put it in a PC and have the PC delete the partitions on that drive. When you reconnect it to the receiver, it should format it successfully.


----------



## P Smith

Or connect the disk to Linux PC and run ext2fck for EHD partitions.


----------



## Rick_R

When I activated my 211's USB disk drive it took several phone calls. The first phone call said he activated the drive but when it didn't work I called back and discovered that by mistake USB drive backup for my 622 was activated. Then they actually activated the USB drive for my 211. When I got the bill I found that they charged me for both of the USB hard drive features and I had to call again to have the 2nd $39 credited.

However it works great and I wouldn't trade if for anything else.

Rick R


----------



## dnavas

A single phone-call activated my 211. All auto/voice-activated.

I'm using a SimpleTech (re)drive. We'll see how much punishment it puts up with. The one downside is that the drive never spins down. If the blinking light in front is anything to go by, it appears my receiver is sending out a command every minute or two. I have no idea whether the drive would otherwise spin down. Certainly the 211 does not de-power the USB port when "off", which is as expected (it'd be swell if the 211 would actually shut farther down that it does -- it soaks a pretty quarter+ amp and generates plenty of heat when 'off').

The drive is quiet, but hardly silent. In a room with ambient noise around 38db, I'm seeing roughly 42db at a foot or two away from the drive (when spinning -- I haven't down read/write noise tests). In a quiet room, late at night, you will hear the whisper of the drive.

Measured at the outlet, the drive uses 7W (again while spinning, not while reading/writing). This compares favorably to my Seagate FreeAgent which takes 11W (although, once booted into XP, the Seagate will spin down and consume only 3W -- note that the Seagate does not spin down until I log in :shrug: ).

The adapter is a sideways-extending model, which works well for closely-spaced power strips, but might wind up poking out the back or up in the air for other types of strips.

The USB cable is a short 1m-ish one. This is a common, if odd, trade-off for external harddrive companies to make. It can't be more than a few dimes difference, and one would think that the purpose of getting a (relatively large) external harddrive is to place the thing somewhat farther away from the computer, but, I've made this cable work for my environment.

There is no on/off switch. Pull the USB cable and the drive spins down. I'm not sure that's a swell idea for daily use, but for occasional swaps it probably works fine.

And, yeah, the drive really is that ugly 

Hope that's enough detail for everyone.

-Dave


----------



## newsman

dnavas said:


> There is no on/off switch. Pull the USB cable and the drive spins down. I'm not sure that's a swell idea for daily use, but for occasional swaps it probably works fine.


Do you pull the USB cable out or shut the drive down (by pulling out the power cord) every night? Sounds like you want quiet at night and to save a few $ by using less power.


----------



## dnavas

newsman said:


> Do you pull the USB cable out or shut the drive down (by pulling out the power cord) every night? Sounds like you want quiet at night and to save a few $ by using less power.


Good heavens, no, I wouldn't do either. I'm afraid I've been misunderstood. I mean to suggest that while one _could_ pull the USB cable out every night, that that seems *unwise*. My 211 is not in the bedroom (not that it would do much good -- there's no TV in there either), and so I have no need for an ultra-quiet / spun-down HD. 38db is probably quieter than ambient noise levels with my DVD player running, and at anyrate, I wouldn't consider the drive a distraction while watching TV. I include the noise information I do as I know others care.

As far as power consumption, I see a lot of reviews stating things along the lines of "manufacturer claims low power consumption, we are unable to verify". Apparently a Kill-a-watt meter is beyond the technical competence of reviewers these days. Again, the information is provided for people that are looking for it. If you know what you are burning, you'll know how much heat you need to dissipate.... I wish I had it for all of the alternatives 

7W is something like a couple of quarters a month. The DVR uses something on the order of four times that amount while off, and my Onkyo receiver is using five times that amount while it listens for the HDMI-CEC signal from my monitor to turn itself on. I don't consider 7W egregious, but I also wouldn't stack a couple dozen of these drives in a small, fanless environment either.

Hope that makes sense,
-Dave


----------



## P Smith

newsman said:


> Do you pull the USB cable out or shut the drive down (by pulling out the power cord) every night? Sounds like you want quiet at night and to save a few $ by using less power.


You shouldn't do that !
External disk for 211/411 is a SYSTEM disk, not like EHD for 622/722.
211 FW using the disk at any time when it need to - swapping, EPG populating, etc, not just for play/write your recordings.


----------



## dnavas

P Smith said:


> You shouldn't do that !
> External disk for 211/411 is a SYSTEM disk, not like EHD for 622/722.
> 211 FW using the disk at any time when it need to - swapping, EPG populating, etc, not just for play/write your recordings.


There is an option in the DVR menu that will allow you to do a graceful shutdown if you want. Pulling a cable is not a graceful shutdown. Neither, btw, is a hard On/Off switch.... This is what I meant by "*unwise*".

'Never EVER mess with a jumper you don't know about, even if it's
labeled "sex and free beer".' -Dave Haynie

-Dave [not related, and regretting I ever mentioned this...]


----------



## EdN

I read somewhere that a larger HD can be used if it is a single platter type. Is this still true? How can you tell if it's a single platter type HD? Are the more recent 1TB WD drives single platter?


----------



## P Smith

EdN said:


> I read somewhere that a larger HD can be used if it is a single platter type. Is this still true? How can you tell if it's a single platter type HD? Are the more recent 1TB WD drives single platter?


You did read that from wrong post - in reality it was one SPINDEL or one LUN limitation.


----------



## nrspr007

I have a VIP211 (Software L526) with a Seagate FreeAgent 250Gb hard drive. The dvr option was activated and everything went smooth. I did some programming pause and some on the fly recordings with excellent results. However, when I try to see the TV Guide to make some schedule recording it only shows the next two programs and after that it says "No Info Available". I hit to go further on the guide and the message 316 is shown on the screen: " Program information is outdated. Retrieve program information from the satellite now?" I hit yes, then it started downloading the guide, when finished I just got the same result. Same error message 316 is shown at the TV Guide.
Before connecting the hard drive and dvr option the TV Guide was correctly downloaded showing at least 2 days ahead of programming. Well, I did some troubleshooting myself and unplugged the hard drive, reset the receiver and guess what? The TV Guide was up and running well again.
Ok, plug back the hard drive, surf the TV Guide and again it only shows the next to programs only.

I did call Dishnetwork for support. They did several things:
-check switch
-hard reset (unplug power cord for 15 seconds)
-warm reset (press and hold power button for 7 seconds)
-software update


Nothing worked out. They write down the issue and told me to call back next day since no workaround was found to solve this situation.

Thanks for your support.


----------



## newsman

nrspr007 said:


> I have a VIP211 (Software L526) with a Seagate FreeAgent 250Gb hard drive. The dvr option was activated and everything went smooth. I did some programming pause and some on the fly recordings with excellent results. However, when I try to see the TV Guide to make some schedule recording it only shows the next two programs and after that it says "No Info Available". I hit to go further on the guide and the message 316 is shown on the screen: " Program information is outdated. Retrieve program information from the satellite now?" I hit yes, then it started downloading the guide, when finished I just got the same result. Same error message 316 is shown at the TV Guide.
> Before connecting the hard drive and dvr option the TV Guide was correctly downloaded showing at least 2 days ahead of programming. Well, I did some troubleshooting myself and unplugged the hard drive, reset the receiver and guess what? The TV Guide was up and running well again.
> Ok, plug back the hard drive, surf the TV Guide and again it only shows the next to programs only.
> 
> I did call Dishnetwork for support. They did several things:
> -check switch
> -hard reset (unplug power cord for 15 seconds)
> -warm reset (press and hold power button for 7 seconds)
> -software update
> 
> Nothing worked out. They write down the issue and told me to call back next day since no workaround was found to solve this situation.
> 
> Thanks for your support.


Have you thought about going to a bigger HD? 250GB is not much room for storage. I have a 750GB, and it seems a lot of people have a 1TB drive. Perhaps your drive is nearly full and cannot store the guide data? I believe the guide data is stored on the EHD. Delete some programs and see what happens.


----------



## nrspr007

newsman said:


> Have you thought about going to a bigger HD? 250GB is not much room for storage. I have a 750GB, and it seems a lot of people have a 1TB drive. Perhaps your drive is nearly full and cannot store the guide data? I believe the guide data is stored on the EHD. Delete some programs and see what happens.


Thanks for your feedback. The hard drive is empty, I just removed everything before connecting it to the vip211. Also, the vip211 format the drive this week and I have no recordings on it right now.


----------



## newsman

nrspr007 said:


> Thanks for your feedback. The hard drive is empty, I just removed everything before connecting it to the vip211. Also, the vip211 format the drive this week and I have no recordings on it right now.


Have you tried a different drive? Perhaps it could just be the drive?


----------



## P Smith

newsman said:


> Have you thought about going to a bigger HD? 250GB is not much room for storage. I have a 750GB, and it seems a lot of people have a 1TB drive. Perhaps your drive is nearly full and cannot store the guide data? I believe the guide data is stored on the EHD. Delete some programs and see what happens.


Irrelevant, as EPG storing into different partition then your recordings.


----------



## Grandude

newsman said:


> Have you tried a different drive? Perhaps it could just be the drive?


I second that. I would first try a different drive, 250 IS big enough, and if that still fails I would ask for a new receiver from Dish.


----------



## RJRobb

Are you sure you see the 119 sat? In the past this was the only sat that had the 7 day epg. Without it you would only see a couple hours in the guide.


----------



## nrspr007

RJRobb said:


> Are you sure you see the 119 sat? In the past this was the only sat that had the 7 day epg. Without it you would only see a couple hours in the guide.


You bring a good point. If epg outside 119 only displays a few hours then that's my problem. I am currently pointing to 110 and 61.5. The reason why is that I live in PR and before August less than 10 HD channels were available. I decided to point my 6 feet antenna to 61.5. I got good reception on transponder 29, which is the one that USA use to get the Turbo HD packages. However, I tried hard with Dishnetwork to obtain those packages in PR, but they were unable to activate it. Then August arrived with close to 40 HD channels so I give up with the Turbo HD idea, but left the antenna pointing to 61.5.
I will move the antenna to point back to 119, this way I'll see if the epg is available for at least 7 days. Also, with that I will solve the problem with HBO, only channel 300 is available in 110.


----------



## P Smith

I can't get a point of the allegation - only 119W keep a week of EPG data.

There still a lot of installs with one LNB - 101W only...


----------



## Dario33

Just picked up a WD MyDVR Expander (500gb) -- looking forward to being able to record on my 211k.


----------



## Rick_R

I got a second 211 for my wife's office computer. Then she said she would like to pause the TV when the phone rings. So I got another WD My Book Essentials 640 GB hard drive. Since my account had the 211 hard drive already activated I just plugged the new drive in. I got the message it had recognized it and asked me if I wanted to format it. After about 10 minutes it had formatted it and downloaded the guide data and bingo it works just fine.

Rick R


----------



## surfdude85

quick question. If I get a ehd for my 211, can i run the power via usb 2.0, or do I have to use an external power source? what drives out there use external power sources? They seem to all rely on the usb port for power. thanks for any advice and help here...


----------



## P Smith

You should avoid using DVR's USB ports as power source. 

While specs by USB org required provide up to 500 mA load to external device, I'm not sure if Dish a member of the org and get registration of USB port for DVR. They mentioned a few times during own customer chats - it shouldn't be used as power source. Perhaps, it could be true, but I would reserve my final opinion before real tests will be conducted.


----------



## nrspr007

Now it works. Pointing back to 119 and works fine.



nrspr007 said:


> You bring a good point. If epg outside 119 only displays a few hours then that's my problem. I am currently pointing to 110 and 61.5. The reason why is that I live in PR and before August less than 10 HD channels were available. I decided to point my 6 feet antenna to 61.5. I got good reception on transponder 29, which is the one that USA use to get the Turbo HD packages. However, I tried hard with Dishnetwork to obtain those packages in PR, but they were unable to activate it. Then August arrived with close to 40 HD channels so I give up with the Turbo HD idea, but left the antenna pointing to 61.5.
> I will move the antenna to point back to 119, this way I'll see if the epg is available for at least 7 days. Also, with that I will solve the problem with HBO, only channel 300 is available in 110.


----------



## jake2071

Well....I got dish installed last week. Ive never gone satellite but im tired of time warner. I got 2 211k's and one 722 (all HD).
Software version for the 211k's is L458RGGD-N.
I am using a Seagate FreeAgent Desk 1TB EHD model:ST310005FDA2E1-RK w/the usb cable that came with the ehd.

I first hooked up the EHD to a 211k. It checked for compatibilty and was ok then took me to the activation screen. I call dish to get it activated and the guy assumed i wanted the VIP722 activated. I wasnt thinking to tell him make sure i wanted the 211k activated. I read here in the forum that each different model receiver needs its own activation and of course...its own seperate fee. Ok, the guy said he activated it so we got off the phone. I was thinking i would reboot the receiver and it would format the EHD. Well, it didnt. I called to dish again and told them my story. She said the EHD was activated and i said it never asked to reformat and doesnt work. I told her that i read that there was a seperate activation for the 211k and 722 and i think the first person activated the 722. She told that i only need one activation. She took me through the typical BS and it did not work. She said she would have to put in a work order ans it would take 48-72 hours....f**k that. I was getting pissed. I couldnt wait 48-72 hours so The next day i chatted with tech support via the website and right off, they told me the 722 ehd was activated and not the 211k. I knew it...thanks to the forum. The had to charge me $40 again for the 211k activation but are giving me$40 credit for the 722 and unactivating that one.

Ok, I hooked up the EHD and it asked to format right away and it is working good. I decided to see what would happen when i take the EHD to my other 211k which is why i wanted the 211k and ehd. I wanted to see if it would keep my timers and my recorded programs. I went to the first 211k, then the dvr menu and clicked "remove dvr". It said it will shut down the EHD, then remove it becuase the receiver will reboot in 15 seconds.....so i did. I took it to the 2nd 211k, plugged it in. It checked for compatibily and then said it will reboot the reciver for ehd access. It rebooted and was working ok. My recorded movies were there and playable. I now checked to see if my timers were there. They werent. But that was ok because this 211k is only to watch a movie here and there and then return it to the 1st 211k.
So it seemed fine on the 2nd 211k. Now, i removed the EHD via the dvr menu then put the EHD back into the 1st 211k. It asked to reboot and everything was good. I check the timers and they were back. I guess the timers list are stored the the receiver and not on the EHD. Ok, the timers were there but they were not in the daily schedule. When the reciver rebooted, it did not do a program guide update. I read in the stick at the beginning of the forum to do a "manual" program guide update to refresh the timers daily schedule after an OTA scan. I figured this was the same for moving the EHD from receiver to receiver. I updates and the timers were all ok now. I guess the nightly update would have fixed this too.

So.....everything seems to be working fine. Some people in this forum said that seagates had a sleep issue. I havent had that problem...yet. Maybe the receiver is constantly sending a signal to prevent the EHD from sleeping. So it is working ok. Maybe i have the latest receiver software....I dont know.

It is a little time consuming for going from receiver to reciver but oh well. I dont want time warner and i wont be doing it too often. Hopefully everything will still be working fine in the future becuase i read that things seemd good at first and then later starting messing up. Well see. Well...thats my long as* story.

later...


----------



## newsman

I have a Maxtor 750gb EHD that seemed to die tonight.  While recording Grey's Anatomy, my wife decided to hit start over to watch it from the beginning. Well, the system froze. Rebooting, and the 211 says the EHD is no longer there. I tried to repair it w/ my Mac. No dice. Should I try w/ my PC? Thankfully my Tivo seems to be working well.

If my EHD is truly fried, any recommendations for a new one?


----------



## P Smith

Test the drive itself first (remove it from an enclosure) - by MHDD (under DOS or boot from its CD) or Victoria under Windows.
Then Linux (Ubuntu is good) for test EXT3 partitions.


----------



## whyohwhy

Can I use a USB Drive for storage? I'm thinking of using a 4GB flash drive. I should be able to store a few minutes of buffering for rewinding, yes?


----------



## jbaer15

whyohwhy said:


> Can I use a USB Drive for storage? I'm thinking of using a 4GB flash drive. I should be able to store a few minutes of buffering for rewinding, yes?


No you can not, no flash or hybrid drives.


----------



## P Smith

Try 64 GB flash drive, EHD size is starting from 50 GB, but remember - the 211 use 'EHD' as SYSTEM disk also.


----------



## jbaer15

Flash drives of any size is not supported for DVR use. I am the 211 Platform Manager.


----------



## P Smith

Nice to see someone who is in charge !

OK. What about SSD with USB port ?
Another question (perhaps rhetorical) - why 211 using pure EXT2/3 file system, not that hybrid as 622 ? It was been bad experience with 522/625 not counting 721/921 with XFS. I thought you did learn the lesson.


----------



## jbaer15

Not at this time. :


----------



## P Smith

Yeah, those guys from SI Dept are stubborn.


----------



## EagleTar

Just wanted to make sure that the vip211 will support a 1tb ehd.Found a great deal on one but didn't want to buy it if its not compatible.

Thanks


----------



## P Smith

Did you miss my reports ?


----------



## zigzag

Ok, it's been a while since any posts on this thread. I'm a new VIP211 user and have found (by trial and error) that the WD passport SE drive with USB power works for a few hours, then reports USB external HDD has been unplugged.

Has anyone used a external USB powered HDD sucessfully? I need a really compact, low power drive for this application (inside RV).

Passport looked perfect, but it drops (or is dropped) at random intervals. Thought it might be drive spindown, but according to WD (if they have any clue what they are talking about), this drive does not spin down. Interestingly their website has a utility for the Passport SE drive to disable spindown (again.. makes me wonder if they know what they are talking about), but also interesting is that the utility does not run on the drive that is specifically designed to run on.

So, again... anyone know of ANY super compact drive that will work with USB power? I see that Flash drives will not from reading the above posts. Has that been addressed or is this still the case?

Thanks to all


----------



## P Smith

If you can afford 1TB SSD .. why not use it? 
BTW, what size of HDD in it ? What model of HDD specifically inside ?
Did you try Linux program to change of the power saving params of the HDD ?


----------



## Skootch

Hi, I just activated a new 211K to replace my aging 4900 that I use in my RV. While on the phone with Dish tech support, I asked what size external HD I could use and was told by Mary (the tech from Ohio) that any of the VIP receivers, including the 211K, support up to a 2 TB drive. After hearing that I was all set to buy a 2 TB EHD but then I see on this site that it has been mentioned a few times that the 211K only supports up to a 1 TB drive. There was one post from a Dish employee who stated he has a 1.5 TB drive working, but never responded when asked what particular brand and model it was. I will anxiously await any and all replies to confirm or discredit what I was told. Thanks guys.


----------



## thomasjk

The limit is 1GB for the 211s and 2gb for all other VIP series.


----------



## Skootch

thomasjk said:


> The limit is 1GB for the 211s and 2gb for all other VIP series.


That's what I thought, but why would Mary tell me otherwise? Also, why would a Dish tech who posted here state he is using a 1.5TB drive? Has anyone tried anything above 1 TB and had it work? With external drives being so cheap nowadays, I want to get the biggest I can.


----------



## thomasjk

Mary was misinformed. You can ask one of the Dirt team members here but you will get the same answer I gave you. No one has been able to use anything large than 1GB with a 211. See this link http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=189697&highlight=211+EHD+size


----------



## P Smith

Perhaps it's time to make new tests: try 1.5 and 2 TB drives. 
We got new FW recently for 211, for sure.


----------



## surfdude85

Keeping up subject on this thread, Office Depot just put in there ad, a seagate 1 tb freeagent "goflex" ehd for 59.99. Will this ehd work with my 211? Just wondering? Would like to upgrade from 500 to 1 tb, if I could... Thanks in advance for your help here...


----------



## newsman

surfdude85 said:


> Keeping up subject on this thread, Office Depot just put in there ad, a seagate 1 tb freeagent "goflex" ehd for 59.99. Will this ehd work with my 211? Just wondering? Would like to upgrade from 500 to 1 tb, if I could... Thanks in advance for your help here...


If it is powered by USB, no. If it has an external power source, yes it SHOULD work.


----------



## Ray [email protected] Network

surfdude85,

The following is the requirements for the EHD on any of our receivers:

Requirements
EHD must have the following features: 
USB 2.0 
External power source (not powered by the receiver's USB port) 
Minimum size of 50GB
Maximum size of 2TB for DVR receivers/*1TB for non-DVR receivers - 211, 211k, 411 receivers*


----------



## surfdude85

Thanks, up and running great. 99 hours of HD, and 350 of SD. works for me. Thanks guy's..


----------



## P Smith

Time to correct old records, at least for one model with FW *L5.63*: *ViP211* is working with *1.5 TB drives*; when it's empty, it has 147h45m/591h00m free for HD/SD recordings.

Partition1: 2 GiB, P2: 256 MB, P3: 1.498 TiB.

Who want to check 2 TB drive ?


----------



## P Smith

No one .

OK, I did the test for you, again. Perhaps someone with 3 TB would check if there is no limit now ?

ViP211, L5.63, WD WD20EADS: empty *2 TB drive* - 197h26m/789h45m for HD/SD.

Partition1: 2 GiB, P2: 256 MB, P3: 1.998 TiB.


----------



## P Smith

How good is your empty drive for ViP211/411/211k ? Post your results and I'll update the table.



Size TB|HD time|SD time|FW|P3 size GiB|HD/SD days
0.25|23h33m|94h15m|L5.63|247.7|1/3.9
0.5|48h26m|193h45m|L5.63|497.8|2/8.1
0.75|(73h15m)|(293h0m)|L5.63|(747.8)|(3.1/12.2)
1.0|98h7m|392h30m|L5.63|997.9|4.1/16.4
1.5|147h45m|591h00m|L5.63|1,498|6.2/24.6
2.0|197h26m|789h45m|L5.63|1,998|8.2/32.9
3.0|(296h47m)|(1,187h9m)|L5.63|(2,998)|(12.4/49.5)

If my Excel skills are still good, then here are the equations and calculated values in ():
Thd = 5960.9x - 75.552 min
Tsd = 23843x - 300.07 min
P3s = 1000.2x - 2.3229 GiB
where is x = HDD size in TB.

PS, After looking at the formulas, I see some solid points:
- P3 size is equal total size minus 2 GiB for P1 and 256 MB for SWAP (duh!)
- reserve for internal needs is equivalent to 300 min of SD time or 75 of HD time
- estimate 1 min of SD should take 42 MB and 1 min of HD - 168 MB space

3TB row is just a math exercise.


----------



## BobaBird

I adapted the table for the EKB, http://www.dishuser.org/byodvr.php


----------



## P Smith

Good idea - perhaps I should pass all my tests to you first and then post an URL as answer.


----------



## karrank%

Searched here but no answers, apologies if it's been previously covered.

I have a 211k w/ 640GB EHD and wondered how the DVR works, or doesn't, as you approach the upper limit of the HDD storage. 

Will it say something like "no more recording tll you make more room" 

Will it delete the oldest recordings?

Will it compress what you have left to make more room?


----------



## Ray [email protected] Network

I have not run across this so I will need to research this for you. I can only assume it would be handled by deleting the oldest recording to make room for the new one but again let me check to make sure. Thanks.



karrank% said:


> Searched here but no answers, apologies if it's been previously covered.
> 
> I have a 211k w/ 640GB EHD and wondered how the DVR works, or doesn't, as you approach the upper limit of the HDD storage.
> 
> Will it say something like "no more recording tll you make more room"
> 
> Will it delete the oldest recordings?
> 
> Will it compress what you have left to make more room?


----------



## P Smith

Ray, you could add to the your research about EHD another question of the kind ? 
We have big HDD now (2TB) and total number of recordings is maxed to 1000, what will happen when the number will be reached ? 

BTW, there is another bug (?) - number of recordings is wrong, it's not counting recordings inside of 'folders'.


----------



## karrank%

Ray [email protected] Network said:


> I have not run across this so I will need to research this for you. I can only assume it would be handled by deleting the oldest recording to make room for the new one but again let me check to make sure. Thanks.


Thx Ray, I haven't exceeded the limit (yet) but noticed what seemed like a huge difference in quoted remaining time, SD vs. HD and that got me curious exactly what the behavior of the system is as it approaches its storage limits.


----------



## Ray [email protected] Network

There is a limit of 999 events each that can be stored on an EHD and internal HD . Once you exceed this number, the receiver will reboot. Folders and each recorded event counts as 1 item. There is not a limit to the number of EHDs you can use but 999 events is the limit. This is a receiver hardware limit.



P Smith said:


> Ray, you could add to the your research about EHD another question of the kind ?
> We have big HDD now (2TB) and total number of recordings is maxed to 1000, what will happen when the number will be reached ?
> 
> BTW, there is another bug (?) - number of recordings is wrong, it's not counting recordings inside of 'folders'.


----------



## BobaBird

Ray C said:


> There is a limit of 999 events each that can be stored on an EHD and internal HD .


Ray, is that each or combined?


----------



## karrank%

Thx for looking into it Ray; am I missing something or can this event number (999--anyone there know this Cain fellow) be translated into a storage (GB) limit?


----------



## P Smith

karrank% said:


> Thx for looking into it Ray; am I missing something or can this event number (999--anyone there know this Cain fellow) be translated into a storage (GB) limit?


Post#330 has the formulas, just use them. 
*
Because only you would know how long EACH record on your EHD.*


----------



## P Smith

BobaBird said:


> Ray, is that each or combined?


On each drive. It's file system (actually meta data) limitation - internal names of data files starting from #8000 (es8000.bm/wtt/tsp), next range(for VOD) starts from 9000 - so, the limit is 1000.


----------



## P Smith

Ray [email protected] Network said:


> There is a limit of 999 events each that can be stored on an EHD and internal HD . *Once you exceed this number, the receiver will reboot.* *Folders* and each recorded event counts as 1 item. There is not a limit to the number of EHDs you can use but 999 events is the limit. This is a receiver *hardware* limit.


Well, someone didn't get it .
1. We can't exceed the limit, that's obvious - the question is (more precisely): say EHD has 992 recordings already and the 211 has a timer for one program per day; in a week the limit will be reached; what will happen at beginning of second week ? 
OK, the box will reboot, but the number of records will be same (maxed to 1000) and next event by the timer will bring the box to reboot again and no recording will happened? 
My thought it will start erase oldest unprotected records like DVR does if no free space on the drive.
2. Folders doesn't counting.
3. It's the software limit.


----------



## P Smith

Oh, Ray - other bug: 211 last FW version shows "NR" letters adding to any other ratings, like "R,NR" or "PG-13,NR".


----------



## karrank%

P Smith said:


> Post#330 has the formulas, just use them.
> *
> Because only you would know how long EACH record on your EHD.*


D'oh!

:icon_dumm


----------



## Ray [email protected] Network

I'll need to check on this. I haven't seen it so far. I'll let you know what I find out. Thanks.



P Smith said:


> Oh, Ray - other bug: 211 last FW version shows "NR" letters adding to any other ratings, like "R,NR" or "PG-13,NR".


----------



## tcatdbs

Does anyone know if the 4 Disharc files (in the folder defining each recording) from a 211, can be dragged to the diaharc folder of a 722 ext HD, and be seen on the 722?


----------



## P Smith

tcatdbs said:


> Does anyone know if the 4 Disharc files (in the folder defining each recording) from a 211, can be dragged to the diaharc folder of a 722 ext HD, and be seen on the 722?


Nope.


----------



## Al Fischer

Exactly why not?


----------



## P Smith

If you'll look into both file systems... 
There is no short answer for un-experienced in writing file system person.


----------



## Al Fischer

P Smith said:


> If you'll look into both file systems...
> There is no short answer for un-experienced in writing file system person.


Hmmm, you have piqued my interest....


----------



## lsokoloff

So what is the latest and greatest external hard drive to use with the 211? Any suggested vendors? 

Thanks.

Len


----------



## P Smith

WDC 2 TB in TT BlacX


----------



## Hunter844

FYI 

Calvary caxb series 1 tb works fine on my new 211k.


----------



## Hunter844

My 1tb died, might have been due to leaving it on top of my subwoofer but I really thought it was shielded. It may have just decided to die. Who knows.


Bought a replacement hard drive on cyber Monday...hoping the 1.5 tb works for me if not I will have to rethink some things. 

Don't know what my software is on that 211k, think its L5.52.

Edit: 1.5tb works on 211k.


----------



## newsman

Hunter844 said:


> My 1tb died, might have been due to leaving it on top of my subwoofer but I really thought it was shielded. It may have just decided to die. Who knows.
> 
> Bought a replacement hard drive on cyber Monday...hoping the 1.5 tb works for me if not I will have to rethink some things.
> 
> Don't know what my software is on that 211k, think its L5.52.


You should be fine. The 211s take up to a 2TB EHD.


----------

