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View Full Version : External SATA now works with TW 8300HD!!!!!

nicholc2
07-01-2006, 01:22 AM
YES! WOO HOO! Since TW recently upgraded firmware on the 8300HD to 2.x.x, I decided to try the external SATA drive again. It worked!

For those wanting to do this the method isn't very intuitive, so here's what happened. I didn't initially think it was going to work because when I power cycled the DVR, it didn't recognize the drive (or so I thought). When I removed the SATA cable from the DVR (with DVR still up and running), low and behold, a message popped up that said I had done just that. It told me to reconnect the drive and restart the DVR and press "A".

I pressed "A" and then held down the power button on the DVR to do a soft reboot and when it came back, it said it recognized the external drive and asked if I wanted to format it. I then followed all of the prompts to complete the format and drive setup. After going through this, I went into DIAG and checked and now I have 500g of storage space for my DVR! (I added a 400g drive to it.)

So for all of you out there who run out of space, you can now add all the space you want (or you can afford ;) ).

Have fun!
festivus
07-07-2006, 03:15 PM
How is that connected? Firewire or USB? And I'm going to show some ignorance with this question... Is any external hard drive OK? As long as it has the proper connection? I was pricing some external hard drives online and got totally confused with all of the options.
zelig2
07-07-2006, 04:44 PM
External SATA is achieved by using an external SATA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sata#External_SATA) connector. Speeds then can go beyond the limitations of USB and Firewire. You'll need to find a drive that has one of these connections.
nicholc2
07-12-2006, 12:37 AM
For mine, I went to Pricewatch.com and did a search for Serial ATA drives. I opted for a seagate drive so it would be dependable. Then I found an external housing. Then last but not least you need a SATA to SATAII (or eSATA as it is sometimes called) cable. The eSATA cable is key as that is the type of connection on the back of the DVR.

You can also get prepackaged external drives, but that'll cost ya a little more. If you don't feel comfortable assembling it, though, that's the way to go.

Once you have the external drive and the sata to sataii cable, you're all set. Just follow the instructions above.
festivus
07-12-2006, 10:26 AM
nicholc2,

If you don't mind saying, how much did your setup cost in adding the 400 g?
nicholc2
07-12-2006, 10:36 AM
I think around 225 or less. I know the price of the drive has dropped some since I bought it. I've had it for 6-8 mos or so.
rswank
08-10-2006, 05:46 PM
Can you then connect it to your PC and transfer the shows?
Milalwi
08-16-2006, 02:04 PM
Can you then connect it to your PC and transfer the shows?

Nope. :(

http://www.weaknees.com/maxtor_qvx.php

What will happen if the QuickView Expander drive is plugged into a PC?
If you connect the QuickView Expander drive to a PC, the recorded content will not be viewable. Users will be prompted to reformat the drive before the device can be used, causing all content to be erased.

Milalwi
rossl
08-16-2006, 09:55 PM
Can you then connect it to your PC and transfer the shows?

The SA 8300HD encrypts the data on the drives. :p
MSC
08-21-2006, 02:00 AM
How do you access the stuff on the external drive? Does the box add an option for it on the "list" of recorded programs?
nicholc2
08-28-2006, 05:02 PM
No, it just expands the total storage of the system. It uses both drives. From the documentation on SA's website, it will use whichever drive has more space available first and then failover to the other drive. In diag, you only see one drive still and your total available will be the internal drive plus the size of the drive you add externally.