HD DVR add-ons
Seadog2
Newbie
Does anyone know if you can connect external hard drives to these Motorolla HD DVRs to expand the recording capacity? 
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Re: HD DVR add-ons
Techman28
Master - Level 1

It is something Verizon will most likely have happen as the 7216 has the Esata capability for something like that happening would be June of next year if not soon but that is just speculation and there isn't a real answer at this time.

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Re: HD DVR add-ons
rickp
Newbie

Now that we have so many HD channels, DVR capacity has become a GIGANTIC issue. I would be willing to buy an external drive if Verizon would unlock the EATA port.

But a better solution, and one which would be extremely simple would be for Verizon to swap out the internal 160GB drive for a much larger one - say 500GB or 1TB. The cost would be small and one-time, and there would be much happier customers bragging to their friends about how cool FiOS is, instead or griping about these little trivial problems.

I have to compliment Verizon on the TREMEDOUS improvement in Customer Service since I started my FiOS service 17 months ago.

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Re: HD DVR add-ons
oduck2112
Enthusiast - Level 1

I was talking to a tech at Verizon technical support 2 days ago regarding another issue. While I was waiting for my box to reboot, I casually asked him if the USB ports on my QIP6416-2 set top box were active. He said they were. I then asked if they could be used to connect an external hard drive. He answered, "yes".

I went online to do some research, and I see everywhere I look on these forums, the word is "no, you can't."

OK, so now I'm confused.

What's the truth? I'd really like to know before I go spend over $100 for an external drive.

Message Edited by oduck2112 on 11-26-2008 08:44 PM
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Re: HD DVR add-ons
KenAF
Specialist - Level 2

@oduck2112 wrote:

OK, so now I'm confused.

What's the truth? I'd really like to know before I go spend over $100 for an external drive.


The USB ports are active, but about the only thing you can do with them is charge your iPod.

Motorola does not currently support any form of drive expansion.  USB expansion is not supported and will not work.  eSATA expansion is not supported and will not work.  This is true for all cable providers with Motorola equipment, not just FiOS.

Thus far, Motorola has not been able to make eSATA drive expansion work reliably with their boxes, but they continue work on that feature, so either the 6416 or 7216 could see a firmware update with that capability next year.  Various reports suggest that is something Verizon hopes to add some time in 2009.

Note Motorola's 6416 and 7216 firmwares are "hard coded" to support a maximum of 160Gb internal.  Even if you were to replace the internal hard drive with a 500Gb drive, it would still see only 160Gb.  Even if it wanted to, Verizon could not upgrade the hard drives in its DVRs.  Motorola is expected to offer DVRs with 320Gb drives in 2009, which Verizon may or may not purchase.

Currently, the only way to get a HDTV DVR with more capacity on FiOS is to buy your own, i.e. the TivoHD.  The TivoHD is available in 160Gb and 1000Gb models.  Both TivoHD models support an external 500Gb hard drive, and both can be upgraded internally.  I bought the TivoHD 160Gb ($199 from Costco) and replaced the hard drive with a Western Digital 1TB DVR drive ($125), which provides 150+HD hours capacity. More information on the TivoHD for FiOS can be found in this forum post.