[bareyb]

TiVo just announced the implementation of eSATA and the officially supported TiVo Hard Drive available ONLY from Best Buy. So this begs the question. Are our OLD hard drives still going to work or will TiVo upload some software that will make any but their drive useless? I literally JUST installed TWO Hard Drives into MX-1 cases. Now I wonder if I ought to just return them... Has anyone heard anything from TiVo Inc. or TiVo Pony about using other drives other than the official TiVo drives?

 

[dvr4me]

I'm sure it's just a tivo branded esata hard drive. I'm betting there is nothing special about it and any esata external drive would work.

It's most likely an item that someone without the tech knowhow can go into Best Buy and purchase off the shelf and feel warm and cozy that it is a Tivo drive but it's actually just a rebadged WD or Seagate in a Tivo labeled esata case.

Of course I could be wrong and they could limit it to a certain drive type/manufacturer in the software and if it isn't "the official Tivo drive" then it won't work.

 

[Arcady]

I hope it is home-theater-shaped. That is, a box the size of a stereo component. I don't want some random extra box hanging off the back of my stereo rack.

 

[bareyb]

I just got off the phone with TiVo Inc. support and they don't know anything about the new drives. Just that they are coming out on the market at some point. No ETA and no info on how big they might be or if us folks with our own drives are going to be "out of luck". He did feel that ONLY the TiVo branded drive would be officially supported though.

I can't believe TiVo would hobble other drives just to force you to buy their own. That's not like them at all. So I guess I'll sit on installing my new drives until I hear more news.

 

[GoHokies!]

I think that it'll be a situation like the USB wireless adapters. The Tivo adapter will be the only one "officially" sanctioned, but there will be many others that fit the bill.

Since an ESATA drive is and ESATA drive, I expect that we shouldn't see that many problems.

 

[Neenahboy]

TiVo just announced the implementation of eSATA and the officially supported TiVo Hard Drive available ONLY from Best Buy

Link?

 

[dvr4me]

I think that it'll be a situation like the USB wireless adapters. The Tivo adapter will be the only one "officially" sanctioned, but there will be many others that fit the bill.

Since an ESATA drive is and ESATA drive, I expect that we shouldn't see that many problems.

I concur. Tivo will "officially" support their branded drive, but other non-tivo branded drives will work fine. Tivo most likely knows that a lot of other business is generated due to people wanting to backup and upgrade their drives. This just gives the average joe a way to do it via retail.

 

[jrm01]

I don't think it was an official Tivo announcement, just the news from engadget:

Also in TiVo news, we understand the eSATA port will be enabled for external storage in short order, and Best Buy will have the retail exclusive on the external drive, which will supposedly be a small striped RAID array.

 

[jfh3]

TiVo just announced the implementation of eSATA and the officially supported TiVo Hard Drive available ONLY from Best Buy. So this begs the question. Are our OLD hard drives still going to work or will TiVo upload some software that will make any but their drive useless? I literally JUST installed TWO Hard Drives into MX-1 cases. Now I wonder if I ought to just return them... Has anyone heard anything from TiVo Inc. or TiVo Pony about using other drives other than the official TiVo drives?

Chill. There is no technical reason why existing eSATA drives would/should stop working.

If Tivo is coming out with their own box, it's a "Tivo logoed plug and play" solution, just like the Tivo wireless G was for wireless support.

I suspect those of us with an MX-1/DB35 will have a better external drive than those with the Tivo-branded ones.

 

[HDTiVo]

I don't think it was an official Tivo announcement, just the news from engadget:

I suppose, because over an hour later there is nothing official on the wire services or the TiVo site.

So what's the box fee and the monthly service price for 1,2,3 yr commitment?

 

[jrm01]

So what's the box fee and the monthly service price for 1,2,3 yr commitment?

According to the Tivo website at this time the box fee is:

$$products.PG1023.price00

 

[HDTiVo]

According to the Tivo website at this time the box fee is:

Quote:
$$products.PG1023.price00

That's the $200 Gift Cert fee for the TiVo HD. 1024 if the $300 one.

Maybe 1394 is the eSata drive.

 

[bareyb]

There is no technical reason why existing eSATA drives would/should stop working.

If Tivo is coming out with their own box, it's a "Tivo logoed plug and play" solution, just like the Tivo wireless G was for wireless support.

I suspect those of us with an MX-1/DB35 will have a better external drive than those with the Tivo-branded ones.

I think you are probably right. The only thing that MIGHT happen is when TiVo throws the switch on the new software that it MAY cause us to start over on the new drive. Hopefully there will be some software instructions that if there is already a second drive, to just leave it alone. I guess we will see...

As for the new unit? It would be cool if TiVo somehow made a deal with the MX-1 people and Seagate to sell re-badged MX-1's with DB35 drives inside. I'm guessing it's gonna be a re-badged Apricorn DVR expander or some other all-in-one solution that already exists.

 

[jfh3]

As for the new unit? It would be cool if TiVo somehow made a deal with the MX-1 people and Seagate to sell re-badged MX-1's with DB35 drives inside. I'm guessing it's gonna be a re-badged Apricorn DVR expander or some other all-in-one solution that already exists.

Actually, when I first saw the FreeAgentPro with the black case and orange lights, I thought that would be the perfect Tivo eSATA drive with a Tivo logo on it. But given the problems some have had with FAP, I'm glad I went with the MX-1/DB35 combo and will take a face plate off an old Tivo 40 box and modify the MX-1.

And I'll buy a Tivo branded external drive just because I'll want one for my new Tivo HD(s) if it's as cool looking as the wireless G adapter is.

 

[dvr4me]

That's the $200 Gift Cert fee for the TiVo HD. 1024 if the $300 one.

Maybe 1394 is the eSata drive.

Naw, that's the firewire drive.

 

[bareyb]

Actually, when I first saw the FreeAgentPro with the black case and orange lights, I thought that would be the perfect Tivo eSATA drive with a Tivo logo on it. But given the problems some have had with FAP, I'm glad I went with the MX-1/DB35 combo and will take a face plate off an old Tivo 40 box and modify the MX-1.

And I'll buy a Tivo branded external drive just because I'll want one for my new Tivo HD(s) if it's as cool looking as the wireless G adapter is.

I darn near bought one of the FAP's until I read about all the problems. The 500 Gig model is down to $169.00 at Amazon.com so it would be a likely candidate since the price point is so attractive. It is a good looking drive. :up:

 

[GoHokies!]

I darn near bought one of the FAP's until I read about all the problems. The 500 Gig model is down to $169.00 at Amazon.com so it would be a likely candidate since the price point is so attractive. It is a good looking drive. :up:

I almost did the same thing, before going the MX-1 route. I did cheap out and get the "normal" Seagate 500GB SATA drive to stuff in it.

Figures that I would do that on Saturday and this would come out on Monday. Looks like I should have gone out and got another S3 today, just to ensure that the Tivo HD will debut tomorrow (wasn't there some talk when the S3 was coming that Tuesdays were "release days" for Tivo? My memory is failing me there, but I remember that folks here seemed certain that it was going to launch on a Tuesday, which it did.)

 

[wmray3]

I darn near bought one of the FAP's until I read about all the problems. The 500 Gig model is down to $169.00 at Amazon.com so it would be a likely candidate since the price point is so attractive. It is a good looking drive. :up:

Go ahead and buy it. I was one of the early installs of eSATA drives. I selected the FAP 500Gb model and it has been running flawlessly for over 2 months now. Remember, people only have a tendency to post on here when they have a problem...there are many more of us using the FAP without a problem. Mine does not even get that warm (although it is in a section of my entertainment center without a door, so air flows freely around it). The majority of eSATA install failures seemed to be cable related.

I was even in such a hurry that it was installed straight from the box...I did not even hook it to my computer to change any of the factory default settings that others have.

 

[bareyb]

Go ahead and buy it. I was one of the early installs of eSATA drives. I selected the FAP 500Gb model and it has been running flawlessly for over 2 months now. Remember, people only have a tendency to post on here when they have a problem...there are many more of us using the FAP without a problem. Mine does not even get that warm (although it is in a section of my entertainment center without a door, so air flows freely around it). The majority of eSATA install failures seemed to be cable related.

I was even in such a hurry that it was installed straight from the box...I did not even hook it to my computer to change any of the factory default settings that others have.

I actually just picked up and installed a 500 gig DB35 into the MX-1 enclosure. Excalibur.com happens to be in Newark which is only 20 minutes from here so I drove over and picked it up (man I love GPS!). About two seconds after I'd tested both drives in the new boxes, the news broke about the eSATA endorsement and new Drives coming from TiVo. So I guess my timing is even worse than GoHokies!

Either way, I'm gonna guess our drives are going to be fine. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see TiVo's branded model being a re-badged FAP.

 

[rodalpho]

Chill. There is no technical reason why existing eSATA drives would/should stop working.

Yep. I'm not worried that TiVo will disable my eSATA drive. They're always been very friendly towards their hacking customers, so long as we don't break their DRM.