Using a hard drive from a Samsung SIR-S4120R in RCA 80?

[TAsunder]

My brother's Samsung SIR-S4120R is having issues. The hard drive is fine, but there are other issues such as not responding to any remote control. I have sent him my functional RCA DVR80 and he's up and running with that. We are trying to figure out if there is any way to get his old shows off the samsung onto the DVR80 that would be relatively easy for him.

Can he just swap the drives? I assume not, since there is different hardware and the linux build would be for a particular processor. Is there any way to take the samsung hard drive and update the OS on it so that it retains all the shows but works on an RCA 80?

I would prefer not to have to instruct him on going the full length of hooking both drives up, instantcaking them, and enabling MRV on both units, but it might come to that. Can he zipper both of them and still retain the shows on the samsung? Is remote control interaction required for the zipper / MRV process?

If you have any suggestions on how to fix the remote control issue I'm all ears. The same remote works with the DVR80.

Normally I'd suggest he just keep them both around, but watching shows on the samsung is a big PITA since he has to navigate manually using the front panel.

[classicsat]

If they are unhacked, no, as the content is encrypted to the mainboard's crypto chip. If you do hack, recordings made before the hack will be untrasnferrable.

The hardware is virtually identical, FWIW, so the software from one will work on the other.

You could try the RCA's front panel on the Samsung unit.

[TAsunder]

How hard is it to replace the panels? Are there diagrams online? I searched around but couldn't find them. He's going to crack open the samsung tonight if he can (assuming he has the right tools)... maybe it will be as simple as replacing the panel.

[classicsat]

There should be a couple torx screws and perhaps some clips, thats all.

[wscannell]

My brother's Samsung SIR-S4120R is having issues.
Slow response to the remote control is a sign that the hard drive is failing. The retries for the video take precedence and remote response becomes terrible.

[TAsunder]

Slow response to the remote control is a sign that the hard drive is failing. The retries for the video take precedence and remote response becomes terrible.

Wouldn't it respond slowly to faceplate buttons too then?

Anyway, he opened up the case and the faceplate appears to attach to the motherboard via a white cable. Can he just pull that cable as if it were an IDE cable or similar and insert it on the new one or is there a trick with the cable? I read some cautionary tales by weaknees about that cable and making sure it is fully inserted at all times; just want to make sure we have the right information first.

[classicsat]

There is no trick with the cable, it just needs to be straight and fully inserted.

[wscannell]

And never power on the TiVo without the cable connected.

[TAsunder]

He bought a replacement panel from weaknees which, as it turns out, is 15 minutes from his house. He installed it and now is up and running again. Thanks, all.

Comically, it cost him less ($29) for the panel than it did for me to ship my old RCA DVR 80 ($30).