[mudd]

Is there anything I can do with this unit?
or
What can I do with it other than what it was intended for?

History of the unit and its environment;

*Purchased from DTV directly.
*Used neighbors phone line to activate it and was the only time it has ever called in.
*VoIP from Vonage
*Unable to to call in or dial in through Vonage or using any of the methods mentioned around this forum.
*Tried using the wireless USB adapter method but not sure if USB ports are enabled on the unit.

Thanks in advance.

 

[starbiker99]

Upgrade the hard drive and then Zipper it!!

 

[mudd]

Upgrade the HD as in bigger or faster or both? For this does one just replace the HD like in a PC?

I'll look around for this "zipper" info.

 

[litzdog911]

Upgrade the HD as in bigger or faster or both? For this does one just replace the HD like in a PC?

....

Bigger. "Faster" doesn't matter for Tivos. In fact some folks prefer 5400rpm drives over 7200rpm drives because they tend to run cooler.

The process to replace/upgrade the hard drive is described in Weaknees' thread at the top of the Tivo Upgrade Center Forum here.

 

[whatever]

Upgrade the HD as in bigger or faster or both? For this does one just replace the HD like in a PC?

I'll look around for this "zipper" info.

There are threads here in the Tivo Underground that will point you to the "Hinsdale Guide". The Hinsdale guide is about how to replace your Hard Drive. It's not just like a simple PC drive swap. You will need to download some software, crack open your Tivo, install the Tivo drive and the new drive into a PC, boot into a Linux environment, and then copy the drive using the downloaded software. If you can follow a set of simple instructions you should do fine. If you are running Windows, the directions are simple. If you are familiar with Linux at all, it will be a pretty brain dead operation.

Bigger drives are good, and there is debate about being faster. A 5400 RPM drive is fast enough to play video. 7200 RPM drives will not play the video any faster. However, a 7200 RPM drive will generally have a faster seek time and bigger buffer than a typical 5400 RPM drive. You will see improvement in menu access times, season pass updates, etc. However, litzdog911 is correct in that your Tivo will run hotter. There are also reports that the faster drives are noisier. This becomes an issue if the Tivo is in a bedroom.

I recently replaced a hard drive in a Phillips DSR704 (40GB to 160GB). The new drive is faster and larger. Yes, it is noisier and runs about 3 degrees warmer than before. It's in my living room, so that's not much of an issue. The nice thing is that the menu access, season pass changes and every other non-video playing functions are MUCH faster than before.

Check this thread for information about the zipper: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=265929

-Jim

 

[mudd]

Quick question, what are the benefits or what features will be available to me once I do all this to my DSR unit?

 

[starbiker99]

If you upgrade the drive of course you will have more record time.
Then if you hack it there are many cool new add ons. Take at look at this page and the links on the left side of the page.
http://www.mastersav.com/tivo_zipper.html