SAT-60 stuck, should I get HR10-250?

[spiffy]

Hi everyone,

I've been out of the loop for a while, as I've been perfectly happy with my SAT-60 (non-mod) for the last several years. But while trying to install a Slingbox last night, I pulled the power cord from the back of the SAT-60, and that seemed to have killed my beloved DTivo. (It's stuck on "Powering Up" loop)

1) I would really appreciate some links on how to troubleshoot this thing -- doing a casual research, I read that the loop can be caused by many factors -- I am not convinced it's completely dead yet, so I want to see if I can revive it somehow.

2) Which brings me to now -- I don't want any down time -- I read that HR10-250 is still the Tivo interface, and even though it has only 250GB as opposed to a dual-160GB of a regular R10 at Weeknees, it does do HD and price is about the same. (I don't have HD right now; but I may want to take advantage of it somewhere down the line.) The Tivo interface is really important to me though.

Any thoughts on what I should do? I'm leaning toward just going to Best Buy or CC and get the HR10-250 and then I can take my time to figure out how to fix the SAT-60. To be honest it's money I don't have; but if I am to fix it or buy either way I have to spend more...

Thanks in advance,

Spiffy

[litzdog911]

1) You can easily replace/upgrade the hard drive yourself. Check out the resources in the Tivo Upgrade Center Forum here, especially Weaknees' thread at the top of the forum. You can also buy preimaged drives from sources like Weaknees, or do-it-yourself software utilities like PTVUpgrade's InstantCake.

2) I use both. Once you start recording HiDef programs that 250GB drive can fill up pretty fast, so having the T60 for standard-def recordings is very nice. If your dish's outputs are all filled up you can add a multiswitch so that both DVRs can use both satellite tuners.

[spiffy]

Thanks for the info on the upgrade! I just got off the phone with DTV, and they were going to offer me a refurb unit (w/Tivo interface, but they won't tell me which model) for just paying shipping and handling. I'm kinda nervous about a refurb, even though it's technically "free". Should I take the deal?

(I think I'm going to try to replace the HD on my SAT-60 anyway, since I have nothing to lose at this point. Will the stock fan be enough if I want to add two big drives? I guess I should ask this question in the Upgrade Forum...)

[litzdog911]

Thanks for the info on the upgrade! I just got off the phone with DTV, and they were going to offer me a refurb unit (w/Tivo interface, but they won't tell me which model) for just paying shipping and handling. I'm kinda nervous about a refurb, even though it's technically "free". Should I take the deal?

(I think I'm going to try to replace the HD on my SAT-60 anyway, since I have nothing to lose at this point. Will the stock fan be enough if I want to add two big drives? I guess I should ask this question in the Upgrade Forum...)

DirecTV is offering you a good deal. Don't worry about the fact that it's refurbished.

As far as two drives in your T60 .... I wouldn't do it. You're better off with one bigger drive than two drives due to the heat generated and double the chances of drive-related problems.

[spiffy]

OK, thanks again for the info, I will call DTV back and get the refurb then -- I'm guessing it's "free" because they're going to consider that as a leased unit? At least it's still cheaper than paying $399 for a "leased" HR10-250...

Do you know if Weeknee's online instruction will still work if I want to replace the SAT-60's stock drive (assuming HD is the cause of death) with, say, a 400 or 500 GB? I just sort of browsed the threads in the Upgrade Center, and it's totally overwhelming... :(

[litzdog911]

...

Do you know if Weeknee's online instruction will still work if I want to replace the SAT-60's stock drive (assuming HD is the cause of death) with, say, a 400 or 500 GB? I just sort of browsed the threads in the Upgrade Center, and it's totally overwhelming... :(

No, the Sony SAT-T60 is a "Series 1" design that cannot support hard drives larger than 137GB. If you use a larger drive, the T60 will only "see" 137GB. That's why the largest single-drive Weaknees kit is 160GB, providing about 120 hours of capacity.

[maleintheusa]

I just went through this with my R-10 getting stuck in the powering up loop. DirecTV sent me a replacement but it is on lease and I have to send my original R-10 back to them. So I don't know if I would be altering that Sony Sat -T-60 until I found out that I don't have to send it into DirecTV. I also have a Sony Sat T-60 and i do believe it is about to give up the ghost. It is VERY VERY slow to change from watching tv to Tivo Central or the List. DirecTV told me that if the Sony does give out, they will replace it but I would have to send the original Sony back to DirecTV.

[spiffy]

The level 2 tech support I spoke with clearly told me that since my SAT-60 is out of warranty, I can do whatever I want with it. My only concern with with a refurb unit, aside from the fact that it's a refurb, is whether DTV is going to charge me another leased fee on top of the DVR fee I am already paying every month (plus two mirroring fees for two other receivers.) I will call them today and find out; if they're going to charge me another five dollars a month, I might as well buy a new one and own it from Weaknees or similar places...

If I understand correctly, Sony has stopped producing SAT-60 for a few years now; so unless you somehow bought a brand-new one within a year, I don't know why DTV still considers that a leased equipment and asking you to send it back. I paid $349 for mine back in the days through DTV; and I remembered being told if the machine broke after the warranty, tough luck for me...