# Can / Should I use an external hard drive



## ganz (Jan 18, 2006)

I would like to hookup an external hard drive to my HR-24. Out of fear of old information in former posts I thought I would ask for advice. Can / Should I install an external hard drive? I am using an HR-22, HR-24 and replacing an HR-20 with what ever they send me. A Tech Rep suggested this with my last receiver upgrade. This time the Tech Support Rep had no idea what I was talking about when I asked what hard drive DirecTV recommends.

I am considering an external hard drive for two reasons.:
1) I am sick of losing content with each receiver upgrade (every year of two). Can I "plug" the drive into any receiver or is the hard drive linked to a particular receiver? 
2) I would like the extra capacity with a 1 or 2 TB hard drive

I have a Whole Home setup so content is shared between receivers.

Any thoughts/recommendations are appreciated.
Thanks,
ganz


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

1.) No, recordings are tied to the receiver.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

The only things that would survive and be usable is your series links, history etc. And I believe anything recorded OTA from an AM21 would still work.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

DIRECTV does NOT offer a long-term archiving solution/option. The satellite delivered content goes as the DVR that recorded it goes.

Know also that the internal 500GB drive spins unused when you "add" an external drive.

As it turns out, off-the-shelf eSATA solutions never really materialized. DIRECTV did name a few recommended drives:

http://news.directv.com/2011/08/11/increase-recording-capacity-on-your-dvr-or-hd-dvr/

The famous 'eSATA thread' discusses possible solutions amongst is 2,800+ posts:

http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/151703-esata-directv-recommended-list/?hl=%20esata


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

DirecTV has no external hard drive recommendations because they are not officially supported by DirecTV.

While, if your DVR dies, you can't just plug the hard drive into a new DVR and retain the content, the use of an external hard drive can prolong the life of a DVR, which will reduce the need to replace it. The majority of DVR failures are due to hard drives. The majority of hard drive failures are due to heat. If you use an external hard drive in a dock or a fan-cooled case, the hard drive will run cooler than it would if it were inside of the DVR. Therefore, it's less likely to fail.

If you want more space, there is no reason not to get an external HD.


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## kaminar (Mar 25, 2012)

Don't stress. If not techno advanced, follow this advice for peace of mind..

1. Get yourself a nice eSATA external hard drive (4TB for $150 from Seagate, Western Digital, et al) off amazon (with 2-3yr replacement warranty)..
2. Attach to DVR of choice (Genie Genie Genie Genie Genie, k?)
3. Record to your heart's content..up to 100 different series..
4. Watch all the shows you ever wanted..
5. Over time--in a year or two or 3--the drive or the HD-DVR will have some issues. Chances are, you can get a free HD-DVR upgrade, yay!
6. Then re-use the eSATA drive you have (note: it will be wiped clean for new recordings, so watch down what you absolutely cannot miss)..
7. Worst case, plunk down another $100-150 for a new generation eSATA drive (6TB or more)..
8. Rinse and repeat, as they say in fashionable circles.

Good luck!

-=K=-


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

Or buy a DVD recorder and plug it inline with the receiver then record it, It won't be HD but SD upconverted but its better than losing all those precious recordings, or a HD PVR like the Hauppauge there's plenty on Amazon.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

kaminar said:


> Don't stress. If not techno advanced, follow this advice for peace of mind..
> 
> 6. Then re-use the eSATA drive you have (note: it will be wiped clean for new recordings, so watch down what you absolutely cannot miss)..


Not quite, it won't actually be wiped, just unwatchable other than for the AM21 exception.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Bill Broderick said:


> DirecTV has no external hard drive recommendations because they are not officially supported by DirecTV.


Apparently you missed the link that I posted.

The fact that DIRECTV considers EHDs "unsupported" is a reason to consider not doing it (although there is probably little risk other than possibly missing a few recordings if the turns out the setup doesn't work right).


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