Re: Add storage space to HD/DVR
Keyboards
Master - Level 3
@Jotaro wrote:

Thank you for your note. I agree with you that there were no such an information with google search. In very optimistic mind, they are going to provide that kind of function in (near?) future.

That tech-guy also told me that it is not good idea to change my 6416 to current 7216 because 6416 is more durable. It is indeed no-trouble with my 6416 for the last one year, but I wonder how reliable this info is.

I have one naive question. How do you check if these ports are active or not?  I'd appreciate your help.


Regarding the 6416 vs. the 7216, if the 6416 is working well for you I would stick with it.  I had one for over 2 years with no issues.  Recently it was replaced to fix an issue (which it didn't - long story and OT for here) and had to switch to component due to HDMI hiccups (never had them with the 6416).  It has also frozen a half dozen times since being installed 2 months ago - requiring a power cycle to recover.

As for testing the ports, try hooking up to them or just take everyones word about them.  You will get nothing on the RJ-45 (no link indicators and there is no DHCP server operating in the box to give you an IP address) and the front panel USB will only provide 5 volts to charge a device - will not recognize the device attached or allow any transfer either to or from the USB device.  Also, the video / audio inputs on the front panel have nothing in the menues (or the 2hidden internal screens) that will allow you to select it as the input.

0 Likes
Re: Add storage space to HD/DVR
trose
Newbie

I doubt that VZ will add external storage capability any time soon..  this as been a topic of discussion on multiple VZ boards since August of 2008, with Verizon saying coming soon in many of them...   I guess "soon" is a relative word...

0 Likes
Re: Add storage space to HD/DVR
spacedebris
Master - Level 2

@trose wrote:

I doubt that VZ will add external storage capability any time soon..  this as been a topic of discussion on multiple VZ boards since August of 2008, with Verizon saying coming soon in many of them...   I guess "soon" is a relative word...


Actually they've said that the Motorola boxes that they have now are not capable of handling external storage. They dont have the hardware needed to do it. (internally, the external jacks are there but the internal links are not). Plus they dont have the memory needed to run the more advanced software needed to support the external drive.

What they have said is that the new Cisco Cable boxes are supposed to support external drives and come with double the internal storage space. They havent given an exact time line yet but at last report, they are supposed to roll the new Cisco boxes out some time in Quarter 1 of 2010, so that is basically any time now, as we are only a week away from the start of Q1.

0 Likes
Re: Add storage space to HD/DVR
JustLou1
Newbie

I was bored tonight, so I hooked up one of my external USB drives to my 7216 DVR, and went into the advanced diagnostics menus to see what it said. What I found was both surprising and frustrating. I expected the USB port to be hardware disabled, but it's not. With nothing connected, it shows as "enabled" but "inactive". When I hook the drive up it shows both  "enabled" and "active".  Also, when the drive is connected, the drive shows up on the list of devices as a "USB Mass Storage HDD" . I was pretty shocked at this thinking the Verizon DVR was completely crippled. But it appears that hardware wise, the 7216 is all ready to go when it comes to external support. It is obviously software disabled. Now I'm even more frustrated knowing that external drive support is more than likely just a firmware change away. 😕

0 Likes
Re: Add storage space to HD/DVR
latapeguy
Newbie

Fios' new tag line should be, "THIS IS FIOS, THIS IS BIG, (except for our tiny dvr storage)."  

what a joke the dvr storage is.  what are they afraid of?  free up the ports to do whatever we want with them.  if we want to plug in a TB drive and have near unlimited space to archive stuff, then let us do it!  we're already paying a lot of money per month for this silly little dvr that barely has any room on it to record and save programs.    it's pretty laughable, verizon.  give us the freedom !

0 Likes