Check out items 32 through 35 on the initial post under the "Series3 eSATA Drive Expansion: FAQ + Discussion" sticky-thread at the top of this forum.
Tivo HD eSATA Drive Recomendations
Since it appears that we now have official support for eSATA with the 9.2 release, I think it would be cool to post eSATA drives that work well with Tivo HD.
For the Series3, I hear alot about the Antec MX-1 enclosures, SIIG eSATA cables, and many different drives.
What is the hot eSATA set up right now in Series3 land? Any lessons learned that can be passed along?
For the Series3, I hear alot about the Antec MX-1 enclosures, SIIG eSATA cables, and many different drives.
What is the hot eSATA set up right now in Series3 land? Any lessons learned that can be passed along?
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
The FAQ #s above provide good recommendations for DVR drives.
That said, I would wait for clarification from Tivo on what drives are supported. It is possible that only certain drives are officially supported.
That said, I would wait for clarification from Tivo on what drives are supported. It is possible that only certain drives are officially supported.
The better question would be: Is it better to upgrade the internal HD first or add the External drive first?
And is 2 TB really necessary?
And is 2 TB really necessary?
2 TB is only like 250 hours of HD. Considering more and more stuff is in HD I'd say 2 TB will soon be a minimum. Unfortunately the Series 3 can't handle more anyway... a good argument for the TiVOHD.Joybob said:The better question would be: Is it better to upgrade the internal HD first or add the External drive first?
And is 2 TB really necessary?
Best Buy has the 1TB WD Green Power drive on sale this week for $279. I picked one up for my Tivo on Sunday. Runs very quiet and cool. I grabbed the Antec MX-1. You can get that at Best Buy for $69 or it's on sale at Circuit City right now for $39. That's all you need. Included cables work fine.
Per the original S3/eSATA thread, the MX-1's eSATA cable should probably not be used. Our MX-1's original cable has been working with zero issues since May 12th, however there are numerous reports of problems with them in the last two or three months. The SIIG CB-SA0111-S1 is a recommended replacement and very inexpensive insurance against future problems.NetJunkie said:Best Buy has the 1TB WD Green Power drive on sale this week for $279. I picked one up for my Tivo on Sunday. Runs very quiet and cool. I grabbed the Antec MX-1. You can get that at Best Buy for $69 or it's on sale at Circuit City right now for $39. That's all you need. Included cables work fine.
Now that we have eSATA support for both "HD" TiVo's, which TiVo would you buy? I'm torn between a Series III and a HDTiVo. I currently own a Series III TiVo and have no complaints with it. I have less then two weeks, before Cablevision comes, to decide which "HD" TiVo to get.
Although I like the "Glo Remote", THX certification, larger HDD and some of our S3's other features...I think we'll soon be replacing our S2's with THD's instead of S3's.ufo4sale said:Now that we have eSATA support for both "HD" TiVo's, which TiVo would you buy? I'm torn between a Series III and a HDTiVo. I currently own a Series III TiVo and have no complaints with it. I have less then two weeks, before Cablevision comes, to decide which "HD" TiVo to get.
The THD hardware/architecture seems better positioned for the future...not to mention the $$$ difference.
Concur. There's really no good reason to buy the S3 now; heck, I'm a little bummed that I have one.richsadams said:Although I like the "Glo Remote", THX certification, larger HDD and some of our S3's other features...I think we'll soon be replacing our S2's with THD's instead of S3's.
The THD hardware/architecture seems better positioned for the future...not to mention the $$$ difference.
With official eSATA expansion, better hardware, and functional M-Card support, you can get a THD with an extra 750GB of storage AND a Glo Remote for the price of a Series3!
OLED is cool and all, but I think this is the nail in the S3 coffin.
Thanks BTDT...BTDT said:Check out items 32 through 35 on the initial post under the "Series3 eSATA Drive Expansion: FAQ + Discussion" sticky-thread at the top of this forum.
Actually I would expand it to include 31 through 37. There is some additional info in those items that could be very useful.
The official Tivo eSATA page is in place but doesn't have any info yet. Just the following message:
"Interested in adding a TiVo Verified storage device to your TiVo® HD or Series3? Check back soon for details on this exciting new product."
I've been analogizing drive size for hi def TiVo to S2s for myself.MickeS said:2 TB is only like 250 hours of HD. Considering more and more stuff is in HD I'd say 2 TB will soon be a minimum. Unfortunately the Series 3 can't handle more anyway... a good argument for the TiVOHD.
I do alot of 1.6gb/hr High recording on the 240s with big drives. If you record only HD on the hi def units, and do typical mixes of cable content, you are probably not average more than 6.5gb/hr (often less
)So I'm using a 4:1 ratio. Thus a 2TB drive in a hi def unit is like a 500GB drive on the S2s. That's very big for me personally.
Worst case, if you record lots of higher bit rate OTA HDTV, your ratio is around 5:1, or still like a generous 400GB drive on an S2.
With the ability to easily set the TiVo HD up to use only the eSata port, I am interested in multi-drive units that are RAID5 capable.
I've looked at the Buffalo Drivestation Quatro, since it is of reasonable cost, but I have a number of questions I'm waiting to be answered.
Anyone looking at similar products?
I've looked at the Buffalo Drivestation Quatro, since it is of reasonable cost, but I have a number of questions I'm waiting to be answered.
Anyone looking at similar products?
Most solutions are either completely incompatible or inappropriate from a noise standpoint (designed for the server room not the living room). That being said, the Buffalo Drivestation Quattro you are looking at appears on paper to be the most ideal selection currently available. It is completely hardware based (so it appears to the TiVO as one drive, no software drivers or special RAID controllers required). And equally important, the specs go out of their way to emphasize the quietness of the fans in the unit, truly a rare occurrence.HDTiVo said:I am interested in multi-drive units that are RAID5 capable...
I have not heard of anyone using it on a TiVo yet so there may be some flukey compatibility problem that is not apparent in the specs but if I were to experiment with a RAID on the TiVo it would be the prime candidate. I just wish that they would sell them bare so I could put my own drives in there. As it is, you will have to tediously remove all the drives to detune them acoustically with Hitachi Feature Tool or Linux hdparm command. Other than that, it seems a great product and Buffalo is a fine company with very good support policies as a perusal of their website will reveal. And finally, remember that when they say 1TB or 2TB they are talking about maximum RAID 0 4-drive size. You will loose one drive's worth of capacity with RAID 5 redundancy (another reason it would be nice to be able to put your own 750GB drives in there).
I would not recomend any of the Wester Digital My Book external drives. Except the MY BOOK DVR Expander. Many incidents of total incompatibility.
You know, while I have a TiVo HD with its guts all hanging out and I've done every nasty HDD thing to it, I have not used an actual eSata Enclosure HDD connected to the eSata port. I've just connected bare drives directly to the motherboard (both MB Sata connectors,) and that always works without fail.nexus99 said:Many incidents of total incompatibility.
What are the issues of compatibility between different eSata enclosures and the TiVoes?
The WD My Book 1TB Home Edition causes reboots. The OS will not start with it attached.
Is this after marrying the drives with winMFS?nexus99 said:The WD My Book 1TB Home Edition causes reboots. The OS will not start with it attached.
I have quite a few questions about the product when it comes to using it with a TiVo. I am waiting for answers from Buffalo.jlib said:Most solutions are either completely incompatible or inappropriate from a noise standpoint (designed for the server room not the living room). That being said, the Buffalo Drivestation Quattro you are looking at appears on paper to be the most ideal selection currently available. It is completely hardware based (so it appears to the TiVO as one drive, no software drivers or special RAID controllers required). And equally important, the specs go out of their way to emphasize the quietness of the fans in the unit, truly a rare occurrence.
I have not heard of anyone using it on a TiVo yet so there may be some flukey compatibility problem that is not apparent in the specs but if I were to experiment with a RAID on the TiVo it would be the prime candidate. I just wish that they would sell them bare so I could put my own drives in there. As it is, you will have to tediously remove all the drives to detune them acoustically with Hitachi Feature Tool or Linux hdparm command. Other than that, it seems a great product and Buffalo is a fine company with very good support policies as a perusal of their website will reveal. And finally, remember that when they say 1TB or 2TB they are talking about maximum RAID 0 4-drive size. You will loose one drive's worth of capacity with RAID 5 redundancy (another reason it would be nice to be able to put your own 750GB drives in there).
I am considering getting the DSQ to replace some existing USB hard drives that are full anyway. If so, I will experiment with the TiVo HD.
From a price standpoint, the 1TB is about $465 at Buy.com, which is not much more than I'd pay for 2 750GB bare drives which I'd mirror. Then future expansion would be cheaper per GB than mirroring.
Well... I am hearing some rumors in another thread that that is the only approved drive at the moment. Not sure how true it is...nexus99 said:I would not recomend any of the Wester Digital My Book external drives. Except the MY BOOK DVR Expander. Many incidents of total incompatibility.
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