Tivo Premiere HD XL with 1TB DVR Expander? Has anybody used this 1 TB model with a Tivo Premiere HD XL?
1827676
I've actually had the exact setup you're looking at (TiVo Premiere XL + 1TB Western Digital Expander, via eSata connection). While its nice as we do a lot of recording and almost always have something new to watch (we're at 97% capacity, opting to keep entire seasons of shows), we have been having an issue the last 3 months where playback of recorded shows has begun to "stutter" (symptom: video and audio playback freezes intermittently for 1-5 seconds at a time). This could be the the capacity we have it filled to, the DVR, or the expander; however, Tivo's troubleshooting steps have been to disable the HD User Interface as they say it can cause buffering issues, and now to completely disconnect the Expander and attempt recording for a week to further isolate the issue, answering: is it the DVR or external expander. Today I'm going to delete the majority of our recordings to make 25% of the drive available (750GB used) and see if that resolves the issue. Thought being: Is it worth buying a 1TB if you can only effectively use 750 of it. Next I will free the box to 500GB used (same as buying the 500GB option and filling it), and finally I'll free it to 250GB used (same as only using half the 500GB buying option). If all else fails, I will disconnect the box and see of its the drive itself or the TiVo, but honestly, since I've become fed up with the playback issues, I've been exploring whether it's worth buying iTunes Season Passes for the shows we watch and downgrading our monthly cable package (we also have an AppleTV). At least that way we keep the shows forever and don't have commercials.
1109444
With my Tivo XL4 I only use one cable card. I'm with Cox cable if that makes a difference.
1579196
When you hooked up your original expansion drive to your Tivo, the Tivo started using both drives simultaneously for its recordings. If you now remove your 500GB expansion, you will wipe out all of your recordings -- ALL of them, because the recordings are split across the drives (with the potential exception of something you recorded before you added the expansion drive). So DR Wood is right -- the only way to save any content is to move it to another DVR using Tivo ToGo before you disconnect.
970932
Yes, it is. I bought it to use with the Tivo HD model, which is the same as the HD XL but with a smaller capacity hard drive. All of the peanut-shaped remotes are supposed to be backwards compatible.
647186
Hello-I am desperately seeking assistance with my SA8300HD in use with my WD My DVR Expander. I have been using the expander successfully with this box for about a year and a half. Recently Time Warner "upgraded" my area (Austin, TX) with the Navigator interface. After that all seemed to be lost. I had over 150 shows recorded for future viewing all gone. Multiple calls and emails later I was given contradictory information. First I was told that the SATA port would no longer work for the expander. Today I was told that it could be used but only for storage when the dvr is full. No instructions on how to use it in that manner (to switch recordings to the expander or back again) and of course the usual TW company line about not supporting any issues with the expander. Any low tech information about how this might work or what to do would be truly appreciated. Also I just kind of tripped onto this forum while looking for information so a response to my email address would get the information to me more directly or at least point me back to this forum. I am on my phone typing this and it doesn't show me the url where I got started. Thanks so much in advance, Kathy (ksilb@austin.rr.com)
1305572
Amazon's page still says it's not available, but I just received mine yesterday (from Amazon). So far, so good. Plug it in, restart your TiVo, and 5-10 minutes later you got a gajillion hours of HD recording (okay, I think it's 240 hours, but still). One little bummer, you can't cart the drive from TiVo to TiVo (or computer) to transfer your shows. It says it records some of the show in the internal drive and some on the external, so no complete shows are on the external. No big deal I guess.
10963
Does this work with a HD Tivo? I am thinking of getting one for my laptop and one for my Tivo. And do you always have to keep it plugged in? Thanks!
1340383
You can use it like an old VCR -- record by times etc... But the guide (show listings) will be empty. Also -- if it is a Series 2 the HD will not look great as the TiVo does not support HD.
1594670
The Channel Master DVR+ is designed for use as an OTA (over the air) antenna based DVR. It is an excellent product, it's only limitation is it receives and records channels that can be received with an antenna. The channels in question are subscription cable channels and as such, are not received by a normal TV antenna set up. You will be amazed at what you can get with a quality antenna. We are well pleased with the over 55 channels we receive, many in HD. No compressed signals or sound, EXCELLENT PICTURE. This DVR records HD and SD TV, and also has the ability to pause, rewind, and fast forward TV. I have a 1TB Seagate USB drive plugged into it, which provides over 100 hours of HD recording capability. Now the best part, No monthly rental fees !!!!!!!!!!! Hope this helps.
1792343
Engadget seems to think the same thing: http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/23/tivo-hd-vs-series3/See side note at bottom before chart.
2082926
I have installed a Lacie 1TB drive on my DirectTV DVR and so far...only a week.. it has worked well . did need to format the LaCie drive on one of my PC's before I connected it to the DVR. I don't know the Tivo but I would expect the Lacie drive to run on it. I used the eSATA port for a fast data transfer but the USB and Firewire ports should be okay also.As you can tell I did not buy the simpler USB only Lacie drive.
1604592
I use a portable hard drive (segate) with my setup and works fine. This way you only need one power source ( for the DVR.
1749384
Engadget seems to think the same thing: http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/23/tivo-hd-vs-series3/ See side note at bottom before chart.
1540522
I have had prior TiVo's Series 2, Series 3 and now Series 4. They start to have hard drive failures after every 2-3 years. I got lifetime subscription at first but decided not worth it if want latest features on each upgrade and the fact hard drives tend to only last 2-3 years. On Series 4 now have the clue is unexpected reboots at first and now some programs (3 today) only recorded the fist 1 minute and then ended. From all I've read most likely sign of hard drive going again. Yes can be replaced but more of a cost and hassle vs starting over with latest version like now Series 5.
755242
If you're asking about using it with a TivoHD, then no. Tivo series 3 can use other eSATA drives in an "unsupported" configuration though. (I don't know about other DVR's)BTW, more info that you ever wanted to know about this is posted in this FAQ: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370784
675106
Since it is eSATA, I would say it's worth a shot. I have the WD MyBook DVR expander hooked to my HR24. It has been working GREAT for over 2 years. Bonus with having external HDD, if the DVR fails, you haven't lost your shows (and we all know the DVR WILL fail DirecTV). This Fantom drive does not specifically mention that it is optimized for AV playback. The file system (NTFS, FAT32) means nothing since the HR24 will reformat when it first detects the drive. If it doesn't work well with the HR24, then you always have a 2TB backup for your computer.
1987181
NICE!! Now I just wish Tivo would allow you to purchase the Tivo software and install it on a custom built DVR. Premiere with 8 tuners! :)