8300HD and External SATA - It Works!! [Text View] - Page 36

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-25-11, 08:10 PM

I have been pleasantly using an external device for some years. Once the power supply went out on the external. Bought a new box put in the drive and fine ever since.

However it was a 160gig drive and I keep running out of space.

Today I put a brand new Seagate 1gig 32mb buffer 7200rpm drive in. It would not recognize the drive. I followed all the directions to the letter and it would not give me the message asking me to format it.

So, took the drive out and tested it for everything on my pc - checks out fine.

Put the old drive back in the box connected to the 8300. Works fine.

What is going on here ? Also with the Passport there is no way to get to the diagnostics that we used to have before Cox "upgraded" us to Passport. So I could not see if at least the hardware was recognizing it.

Suggestions any one ???

Thanks,
/phil

Diagnostic Mode for Passport
To Enter Diagnostic Mode: Simultaneously press and hold the SELECT and EXIT buttons (on the DVR itself) until "DIAGNO" or "DIAG" appears. Release the buttons, then press EXIT and the the box tunes itself to the multi-page Diagnostics channel. After this process the Diagnostic pages can be accessed by directly tuning to that channel using the remote, once you know the channel.
Most likely the Diag Menu is a channel listed in the guide also.

See the post above yours, Success with a WD Caviar Black, most here would agree that is the HDD to use.

Phil Conundrum

06-25-11, 09:08 PM

Diagnostic Mode for Passport
To Enter Diagnostic Mode: Simultaneously press and hold the SELECT and EXIT buttons until "DIAGNO" or "DIAG" appears. Release the buttons, then press EXIT and the the box tunes itself to the multi-page Diagnostics channel. After this process the Diagnostic pages can be accessed by directly tuning to that channel using the remote, once you know the channel.
Most likely the Diag Menu is a channel listed in the guide also.

See the post above yours, Success with a WD Caviar Black, most here would agree that is the HDD to use.
I tried using the select/exit earliier today multiple times on multiple remotes and did not succeed in getting into diagnostic mode.

/phil

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-25-11, 10:34 PM

I tried using the select/exit earliier today multiple times on multiple remotes and did not succeed in getting into diagnostic mode.

/phil

SELECT and EXIT buttons on the DVR. Thanks for noting the distinction, I will revise the instructions.

Also note the difference in power-up sequence between SARA and Passport.
Passport IPG Instructions for connecting an External eSATA HDD
First, Power up the DVR with TV on, (Ext HDD powered off.)
Second, Power up the connected Ext eSATA HDD with the DVR running, and you should be prompted to press "A" to format.
The Passport IPG now only recognizes the Ext if the DVR is running, not during the bootup process like it did with SARA.

regulator8

06-26-11, 05:00 PM

Several nights ago, while watching a recorded program the picture froze and I received a message the recorded program was not available and to try again later. I then went to Show List and tried to access another recorded program without success. Although all the recorded programs were listed I couldn't access any and the Recorded Capacity which was at 43% earlier was now at 0%. I removed the drive, reformatted, ran ChkDsk and everything checked out ok. Now the DVR does not recognize the external drive. Anyone have any suggestions?

Prior to the problem listed above I've been getting pixilation and freezing on some recorded HD programs. This usually happens the first 15 minutes of a program. I've also gotten black out in the middle of shows. Sometimes I could FF past this to get back to recorded material and sometimes I had to delete the program because nothing was recorded. Was this an indication of impending problems?

My setup:
TWC SA/Cisco 8300HD DVR
WD Caviar Black 1TB WD1002FAEX SATAIII HD
SIIG CE-PR0112-S1 R HD Protector Sleeve
Cable Tripp P952-003 RT SATA to eSATA (I-L) Cable
Vantec HDC-521A Alum. HD Cooler
110v AC to 12v DC 4-Pin ATX Molex Power Adapter

--Ed

TNO821

06-26-11, 05:54 PM

Although all the recorded programs were listed I couldn't access any and the Recorded Capacity which was at 43% earlier was now at 0%. I removed the drive, reformatted, ran ChkDsk and everything checked out ok. Now the DVR does not recognize the external drive. Anyone have any suggestions?
That certainly sounds like impending hard drive failure despite your successful chkdsk. There are several things that can fail on a hard drive...I just received a replacement 750 GB Seagate hard drive 2 days ago; the original seemed fine to me, but was triggering a S.M.A.R.T. error upon booting (thankfully I was using it internally via SATA, not as an external USB drive, which I believe is unable to communicate S.M.A.R.T. info). I Binged the S.M.A.R.T. error code (kidding, only kidding, I Googled it) and it was related to a mechanical failing causing the spin-up time to be grossly excessive. If ignored, I'm confident that the drive would eventually fail to spin-up altogether (though it never actually exhibited any symptoms that I could notice, other than the S.M.A.R.T. error message that occurred at boot time after the memory check, and the Windows 7 error message that told me the drive was likely to fail soon).

I highly recommend that you download, install and run the Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tools for Windows (http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=613&sid=3&lang=en)

Do not run it using a USB external drive connection. Run it using eSATA or SATA.

regulator8

06-26-11, 06:05 PM

That certainly sounds like impending hard drive failure despite your successful chkdsk. There are several things that can fail on a hard drive...I just received a replacement 750 GB Seagate hard drive 2 days ago; the original seemed fine to me, but was triggering a S.M.A.R.T. error upon booting (thankfully I was using it internally via SATA, not as an external USB drive, which I believe is unable to communicate S.M.A.R.T. info). I Binged the S.M.A.R.T. error code (kidding, only kidding, I Googled it) and it was related to a mechanical failing causing the spin-up time to be grossly excessive. If ignored, I'm confident that the drive would eventually fail to spin-up altogether (though it never actually exhibited any symptoms that I could notice, other than the S.M.A.R.T. error message that occurred at boot time after the memory check, and the Windows 7 error message that told me the drive was likely to fail soon).

I highly recommend that you download, install and run the Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tools for Windows (http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=613&sid=3&lang=en)

Do not run it using a USB external drive connection. Run it using eSATA or SATA.

Thanks. I will give the Diagnostic Tools a try and report back.
--Ed

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-26-11, 09:23 PM

Thanks. I will give the Diagnostic Tools a try and report back.
--Ed

Check your power supply too, when mine went bad I had a similar experience.

regulator8

06-26-11, 09:55 PM

Check your power supply too, when mine went bad I had a similar experience.
Do I check output voltage with a VOM? I think it should be 12v & 5v DC right?

--Ed

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-26-11, 10:02 PM

Do I check output voltage with a VOM? I think it should be 12v & 5v DC right?

--Ed

Correct, but under load you want to make sure it is still putting out ~2 Amps

regulator8

06-26-11, 11:54 PM

Correct, but under load you want to make sure it is still putting out ~2 Amps
How do I check amperage?

--Ed

regulator8

06-27-11, 05:51 PM

How do I check amperage?

--Ed
I think the problem is the power supply. It shows 12.11v and 4.48v output. The external drive does not show on my computer when I connect it to the power adapter but shows when I connect the drive to the computer's power supply. I ran WD WinDlg and no problems were found with the drive.

I ordered a new unit from Newegg.com.

Thanks TNO821 & Bryan_CoxPHX for your help. :cool:

--Ed

Phil Conundrum

06-28-11, 08:51 PM

SELECT and EXIT buttons on the DVR. Thanks for noting the distinction, I will revise the instructions.

Also note the difference in power-up sequence between SARA and Passport.
Passport IPG Instructions for connecting an External eSATA HDD
First, Power up the DVR with TV on, (Ext HDD powered off.)
Second, Power up the connected Ext eSATA HDD with the DVR running, and you should be prompted to press "A" to format.
The Passport IPG now only recognizes the Ext if the DVR is running, not during the bootup process like it did with SARA.
Well this answer perplexed me. I know the others were using WD Cavier Black and I was using a Seagate 1 TB drive. At the electronic interface (SATA) the drives are identical regardless of any internal construction differences, otherwise they would not be interchangable on computers and the 8300HD for all intents and purposes is a computer.

Meanwhile, my home server drive died so I put the new Seagate in to fix that. Then I went out bought a new Caviar Black WD 1 TB drive and a new eSata case and installed it.

Then following your instructions to the letter I:

1 Disconnected my operating 160gig external drive.
2. Re booted the 8300HD through a pull of the power plug.
3. Waited for the 8300 to be up and operational.
4. Installed the new WD external unit
5. powered up the new external drive.

No message to format and the drive was not recognized.

I disconnected it and reinstalled the 160gig and it works perfectly.

So, I believe this proves that on my 8300 on Cox, it does not matter which 1TB drive I put on it does not work.

Any ideas on where to go from here ?

Thanks for all the help.

/phil

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-28-11, 09:12 PM

Any ideas on where to go from here ?

Thanks for all the help.

/phil

Go into the Diagnostic menu and check your Passport and PowerTV versions.

For an 8300HD they should be:
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010
OS Version: PowerTV 6.14.98.1sp - May 22 2009

Have these changed, Which market are you in?

Phil Conundrum

06-28-11, 09:32 PM

Go into the Diagnostic menu and check your Passport and PowerTV versions.

For an 8300HD they should be:
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010
OS Version: PowerTV 6.14.98.1sp - May 22 2009

Have these changed, Which market are you in?

Las Vegas.

ResApp Ver - OK
OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - June 2 2010

/phil

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-28-11, 11:16 PM

Las Vegas.

ResApp Ver - OK
OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - June 2 2010

/phil

That OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - Jun 2 2010 has only been reported on the 8300HDC and the 8240HDC, and will NOT Format a NEW Ext HDD. I have not seen a report of this version on a 8300HD.

Are you sure this is a 8300HD (without a CableCARD)?
On an HDC the CableCard would be in the rear, also the Diagnostic Menu will have a CableCARD tab at the very bottom with selections to view status.

Does your DVR prompt you when you disconnect the working 160GB Ext HDD? SEE Below? An HDC model running PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp will not.

For most that had an External HDD already attached and formatted to an HDC model while using the SARA IPG, that External HDD is still working with Rovi Passport, running PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp, although there is not a screen prompt acknowledging the Ext. HDD., and no additional Ext HDDs can be formatted until Cox releases a firmware update. Cox AZ has posted several times that an update is in testing to be released this summer. Or 3 years from now in Cox time.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=193449&d=1291769432

Phil Conundrum

06-29-11, 11:54 AM

That OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - Jun 2 2010 has only been reported on the 8300HDC and the 8240HDC, and will NOT Format a NEW Ext HDD. I have not seen a report of this version on a 8300HD.

Are you sure this is a 8300HD (without a CableCARD)?
On an HDC the CableCard would be in the rear, also the Diagnostic Menu will have a CableCARD tab at the very bottom with selections to view status.

Does your DVR prompt you when you disconnect the working 160GB Ext HDD? SEE Below? An HDC model running PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp will not.

For most that had an External HDD already attached and formatted to an HDC model while using the SARA IPG, that External HDD is still working with Rovi Passport, running PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp, although there is not a screen prompt acknowledging the Ext. HDD., and no additional Ext HDDs can be formatted until Cox releases a firmware update. Cox AZ has posted several times that an update is in testing to be released this summer. Or 3 years from now in Cox time.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=193449&d=1291769432
Ok, "Now I see!", said the blind man.

Somewhere along the line a couple of years ago, they needed to replace the DVR. I now see that they switched it on me and I never noticed because everything worked including the Ext HDD. It is a SA 8240 HDC. Although it looks like an 8300 HD and they never gave me a new manual.

I thought it was strange that it never gave me the 'disconnected' message and wrongly assumed that was just from the change to Passport.

So, I am thinking, that I need them to change it back to an 8300HD which is what I had before. However, that means losing everything on the box again.

Give me your thoughts on the best course of action.

Thanks,
/phil

gregjen

06-29-11, 12:10 PM

Thank you for this Forum.

I have Cox in Fairfax, VA. Have not confirmed what vers of Passport is installed, but I intend to.

Two years ago (pre-Passport perhaps?) I successfully installed a 1TB WD My DVR external HD on an 8240HDC. It continues to work fine to this day!

Recently, I attempted to install the NEW version of the WD My BooK AV DVR Expander on my 2nd, identical 8240HDC, with no luck. WD claimed "Not compatible with 8240, just 8300." I know that is nonsense.

Returned the WD and got an Iomega 34508. Same problem. DVR will not recognize and format the HD.

I attempted the "Passport IPG Instructions for connecting an External eSATA HDD" even before finding this Forum (i.e., "First, Power up the DVR with TV on, (Ext HDD powered off.) Second, Power up the connected Ext eSATA HDD with the DVR running, and you should be prompted to press "A" to format.") The picture freezes for a few seconds as if the DVR and the HD are trying to communicate, then the picture returns and no formatting occurs. (I saw the same behavior with the WD.)

It will come as NO surprise to anyone that COX in Fairfax and Cisco ARE USELESS. Each blames the other and NEITHER knows anything about the Passport vs. SARA issue.

From the many posts I've read today, it appears I'm screwed and cannot expect to install any external HD on the second DVR. Thoughts??? Should I send the Iomega back and be done with this?

Thanks!
Greg

p.s. Cox will be the death of us all!!!

Phil Conundrum

06-29-11, 12:33 PM

Cox and others could fix this very easily just give us a box with a 2TB drive and everyone should be happy.

/phil

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-29-11, 10:00 PM

Ok, "Now I see!", said the blind man.

.....It is a SA 8240 HDC. ................

So, I am thinking, that I need them to change it back to an 8300HD which is what I had before. However, that means losing everything on the box again.

Give me your thoughts on the best course of action.

Thanks,
/phil

Thank you for this Forum.

I have Cox in Fairfax, VA. Have not confirmed what vers of Passport is installed, but I intend to.

Two years ago (pre-Passport perhaps?) I successfully installed a 1TB WD My DVR external HD on an 8240HDC. It continues to work fine to this day!

Recently, I attempted to install the NEW version of the WD My BooK AV DVR Expander on my 2nd, identical 8240HDC, with no luck. WD claimed "Not compatible with 8240, just 8300." I know that is nonsense.

Returned the WD and got an Iomega 34508. Same problem. DVR will not recognize and format the HD.

I attempted the "Passport IPG Instructions for connecting an External eSATA HDD" even before finding this Forum (i.e., "First, Power up the DVR with TV on, (Ext HDD powered off.) Second, Power up the connected Ext eSATA HDD with the DVR running, and you should be prompted to press "A" to format.") The picture freezes for a few seconds as if the DVR and the HD are trying to communicate, then the picture returns and no formatting occurs. (I saw the same behavior with the WD.)

It will come as NO surprise to anyone that COX in Fairfax and Cisco ARE USELESS. Each blames the other and NEITHER knows anything about the Passport vs. SARA issue.

From the many posts I've read today, it appears I'm screwed and cannot expect to install any external HD on the second DVR. Thoughts??? Should I send the Iomega back and be done with this?

Thanks!
Greg

p.s. Cox will be the death of us all!!!

For Cox customers with an 8240HDC that want a working Ext HDD.

Email complaints to: CoxCorp.CustomerRelations@cox.com
Email complaints to: Your local market VP/GM

Send a written complaint to Your local market VP/GM (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&cat=5) and Atlanta.
David A. Bialis (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=45): Senior VP/GM, California (San Diego & Santa Barbara)
J. Stephen Rizley (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=122): Senior VP/GM, Arizona
Marilyn Burrows (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=114): Senior VP/GM, Las Vegas, Nevada
Percy Kirk (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=119): Senior VP/GM, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
Gary T. McCollum (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=121): Senior VP/GM, Virginia (NoVA)
Paul Cronin (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=115): Senior VP/GM, Cleveland

Post both on the Cox Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CoxComm

Cox Facebook Local Market Locator: http://www.facebook.com/CoxComm#!/CoxComm?sk=app_199844123381002
Post on your local Cox Facebook pages: (Facebook also lists contacts and some markets have support sections.)
Las Vegas: http://www.facebook.com/CoxLasVegas
NoVA: http://www.facebook.com/CoxNova

Both Cox Las Vegas and Cox Arizona have stated they are testing an update for the HDC model to fix eSATA, and might be available this summer?????

In the meantime, your only option would be to swap the 8240HDC for a 8300HD.
If you do swap to a 8300HD make it clear to the Cox employee why you did this and ask to have it noted on your account.

Phil Conundrum

06-30-11, 07:31 PM

For Cox customers with an 8240HDC that want a working Ext HDD.

Email complaints to: CoxCorp.CustomerRelations@cox.com
Email complaints to: Your local market VP/GM

Send a written complaint to Your local market VP/GM (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&cat=5) and Atlanta.
David A. Bialis (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=45): Senior VP/GM, California (San Diego & Santa Barbara)
J. Stephen Rizley (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=122): Senior VP/GM, Arizona
Marilyn Burrows (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=114): Senior VP/GM, Las Vegas, Nevada
Percy Kirk (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=119): Senior VP/GM, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
Gary T. McCollum (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=121): Senior VP/GM, Virginia (NoVA)
Paul Cronin (http://cox.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=64&item=115): Senior VP/GM, Cleveland

Post both on the Cox Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CoxComm

Cox Facebook Local Market Locator: http://www.facebook.com/CoxComm#!/CoxComm?sk=app_199844123381002
Post on your local Cox Facebook pages: (Facebook also lists contacts and some markets have support sections.)
Las Vegas: http://www.facebook.com/CoxLasVegas
NoVA: http://www.facebook.com/CoxNova

Both Cox Las Vegas and Cox Arizona have stated they are testing an update for the HDC model to fix eSATA, and might be available this summer?????

In the meantime, your only option would be to swap the 8240HDC for a 8300HD.
If you do swap to a 8300HD make it clear to the Cox employee why you did this and ask to have it noted on your account.
Sorry I don't do Facebook or I would do that.

So today I tried a work around using this logic. My original 160g ext HDD was formated on my 8300HD before Cox switched me out and it works just fine on this 8240 HDC that I have now.

So I took my 1TB drive to my daughter's house and put it on her 8300HD. Got the Format question and did it. It showed up with all that extra space on her 8300.

So I brought it home put it on the 8240 HDC and it still does not recognize it.

The only thing suspicious was it seemed to complete the format very, very quickly and I would have thought it would take several minutes to format 1TB.

So, anything I should have done different? I thought it was worth a try.

/phil

Bryan_CoxPHX

06-30-11, 08:19 PM

Sorry I don't do Facebook or I would do that.

So today I tried a work around using this logic. My original 160g ext HDD was formated on my 8300HD before Cox switched me out and it works just fine on this 8240 HDC that I have now.

So I took my 1TB drive to my daughter's house and put it on her 8300HD. Got the Format question and did it. It showed up with all that extra space on her 8300.

So I brought it home put it on the 8240 HDC and it still does not recognize it.

The only thing suspicious was it seemed to complete the format very, very quickly and I would have thought it would take several minutes to format 1TB.

So, anything I should have done different? I thought it was worth a try.

/phil

Each DVR puts a unique ID on the Ext HDD (for DRM copy protection) you cannot format on one DVR and then use on another DVR. Why the formatting was so fast is because all it did was wipe the entries from the file allocation table and then create the DVR proprietary file type, It was not a full format.

One suggestion that might work, Is to clone your working 160GB Ext HDD to the new 1TB HDD using a bit-by-bit cloning method, I use "G4L". You would end up with a 160GB partition on the 1TB HDD.
EDIT: Using G4L you can clone an Ext HDD to have a back-up that will work and be properly formated for the DVR, I just haven't found a way to expand the partition.

Then once cloned try using "GParted" to expand the new HDD to the Full 1TB.
I tried to make this work tonight and Gparted would not recognize the partition all it saw was unallocated space.

There are other programs that might accomplish this task.

Phil Conundrum

07-01-11, 09:52 AM

Each DVR puts a unique ID on the Ext HDD (for DRM copy protection) you cannot format on one DVR and then use on another DVR. Why the formatting was so fast is because all it did was wipe the entries from the file allocation table and then create the DVR proprietary file type, It was not a full format.

One suggestion that might work, Is to clone your working 160GB Ext HDD to the new 1TB HDD using a bit-by-bit cloning method, I use "G4L". You would end up with a 160GB partition on the 1TB HDD.
EDIT: Using G4L you can clone an Ext HDD to have a back-up that will work and be properly formated for the DVR, I just haven't found a way to expand the partition.

Then once cloned try using "GParted" to expand the new HDD to the Full 1TB.
I tried to make this work tonight and Gparted would not recognize the partition all it saw was unallocated space.

There are other programs that might accomplish this task.
I had thought about that at some length too. But the bit x bit cloing would have created only the 160 gig. So I abandoned that idea. If you know of some other software then let me know what it is and perhaps I will try that. I have some swappable bays so it is easy to put the drives in to do it. I assume they are using DOS to do it?

I may just bite the bullet and take it back to Cox and get the 8300HD. That will mean losing all my data on the 8240 and all the recording setups etc, which is about as painful as buying a new cell phone.

Thanks for all your help.
/phil

NewPrometheus

07-02-11, 04:48 AM

TNO821

07-02-11, 06:19 AM

For years, I've been able to output both HDMI and Component video from my Time Warner 8300HD DVR, but I haven't actively tried to use this capability until now.

I recently bought an Elgato EyeTV HD video recorder, and it worked great for a few days. Then a couple of days ago, it stopped working -- no component video. So, then I bought an Hauppauge HD PVR, and it is also no receiving a Component video signal. Furthermore, I've done some tests, and the STB stops outputting Component Video as soon an an HDMI cable is attached.

What is the deal?! Is there a trick to getting the STB to output both HDMI and Component video simultaneously?

This is relatively new and is called SOC (Selective Output Control). It is done on purpose to curb piracy. Whenever a signal is being output via HDMI, the Component video is disabled. There's nothing you can do about it; it's controlled by the firmware on the 8300HD. I suppose you could call your cable company and claim that you need both to output simultaneously, but I doubt they'll get enough complaints to convince them to back off.

Phil Conundrum

07-02-11, 08:01 AM

I had thought about that at some length too. But the bit x bit cloing would have created only the 160 gig. So I abandoned that idea. If you know of some other software then let me know what it is and perhaps I will try that. I have some swappable bays so it is easy to put the drives in to do it. I assume they are using DOS to do it?

I may just bite the bullet and take it back to Cox and get the 8300HD. That will mean losing all my data on the 8240 and all the recording setups etc, which is about as painful as buying a new cell phone.

Thanks for all your help.
/phil
Can you explain why my 160gig which was fomatted on my 8300HD still works on the 8240HDC when Cox swapped it? Is it was done on SARA vs Passport ?

/phil

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-02-11, 08:28 AM

Can you explain why my 160gig which was fomatted on my 8300HD still works on the 8240HDC when Cox swapped it? Is it was done on SARA vs Passport ?

/phil

If I understand your question, The answer is yes.

You had a 160GB Ext HDD connected to an 8300HD running SARA.
Cox swapped the 8300HD for an 8240HDC, while it was still running SARA. The new 8240HDC reformatted the 160GB HDD.
The same 160GB HDD is still connected and working on the same 8240HDC where it got formatted while running SARA.

Running SARA both the 8300HD and 8240HDC would format, and correctly recognize an Ext HDD.

Now with Passport, specifically the OS version of PowerTV, the 8300HD runs a different version of the OS PowerTV, an older version that will still format an Ext HDD.

Due to the CableCARD in the 8240HDC it runs a newer version of the OS PowerTV, that does not recognize an Ext HDD correctly.

Some background info.
When Cox AZ first launched Passport, they initially launched the 8240HDC with the following, which never did format a New Ext HDD.
• Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010
• OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - Jun 2 2010

When both Cox San Diego and Cox Las Vegas first launched Passport, they initially launched the 8240HDC with the following, which would format a New Ext HDD.
• Version: Passport Echo 3.1.084 - Aug 12 2010
• OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.72.2sp - Sep 11 2009
In December 2010 both San Diego and Las Vegas switched to the same versions as Cox AZ, which would no longer format an Ext HDD.

I have seen several reports where Charter is also using the same OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp, and they also cannot format an Ext HDD on the HDC models. I have received messages from both a Charter employee and a Cox Las Vegas employee that there is an update which will fix the issue, but neither provider has offered it to customers yet. Cox AZ and Cox San Diego have publicly posted they will release it this summer.
Cox San Diego>> http://www.facebook.com/coxsandiego/posts/205163286168118?notif_t=feed_comment_reply
Cox Arizona>> http://www.facebook.com/CoxArizona/posts/10150157858586220

rds11

07-02-11, 09:41 AM

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-02-11, 10:18 AM

I might be a little off-topic from the current discussion, but I didn't want to start a similar thread...

I bought my SA8300HD back in 2005. In 2009 I added a WD external hard drive. The hard drive in the SA8300 is now 6 years old...what is the life expectancy of these things ? Has anyone experienced hard drive failure with the 8300HD, and if so, how old was the hard drive at the time ?

Second question : my WD external hard drive is now full. I've started to record most of the files to my computer using the Hauppauge HD-PVR since the firewire port is not active on my SA8300HD and I couldn't find any other way to backup these files. But since it is not an exact bit-for-bit transfer, I'm not deleting anything from the SA8300HD...so that being all said, can I add another external HD to the 8300HD (there's only 1 SATA port, so I would have to disconnect the 1st HD and connect the 2nd) without losing everything I recorded on the 1st HD ? If there's no problem, that the SA8300 can keep track of the physical location of the files, then is it recommended to add a new external HD to a 6 years old SA8300HD ?

If you purchased an SA8300HD, I assume you are in Canada, Is that correct? US Cable Cos generally will not activate a DVR they did not lease to a customer.
What IPG and version is it running?

I would expect the life expectancy of the internal HDD to be about 5 Years + or -, so might be near failure, but it could last 5 more years. I believe in 2005 it was a 160GB Maxtor Quickview PATA HDD.

As long as you own the 8300HD you can remove the internal HDD and get an equivalent size PATA HDD and use G4L to clone the old to new without loosing anything. If you are running SARA, you may even be able to replace the internal HDD with a 500GB WD PATA HDD. But here you would loose all recordings.

For internal drives Cisco now uses Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJB 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache PATA HDDs
For 500GB replacement HDD I would recommend the Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB PATA HDD

Secondly, SARA has no problem with having more than 1 eSATA Ext HDD, You can swap back an forth between the two, even three, and the Recordings index will know which HDD each recording is on.
Keep in mind at some point the recording index could become corrupt or a sector of the HDD could go bad. The DVR was not intended as a long-term storage solution for archiving.

rds11

07-02-11, 11:01 AM

If you purchased an SA8300HD, I assume you are in Canada, Is that correct? US Cable Cos generally will not activate a DVR they did not lease to a customer.
What IPG and version is it running?

I would expect the life expectancy of the internal HDD to be about 5 Years + or -, so might be near failure, but it could last 5 more years. I believe in 2005 it was a 160GB Maxtor Quickview PATA HDD.

As long as you own the 8300HD you can remove the internal HDD and get an equivalent size PATA HDD and use G4L to clone the old to new without loosing anything. If you are running SARA, you may even be able to replace the internal HDD with a 500GB WD PATA HDD. But here you would loose all recordings.

For internal drives Cisco now uses Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJB 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache PATA HDDs
For 500GB replacement HDD I would recommend the Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB PATA HDD

Secondly, SARA has no problem with having more than 1 eSATA Ext HDD, You can swap back an forth between the two, even three, and the Recordings index will know which HDD each recording is on.
Keep in mind at some point the recording index could become corrupt or a sector of the HDD could go bad. The DVR was not intended as a long-term storage solution for archiving.

Thanks for your input Bryan, much appreciated !
That's correct : I'm from Canada, and my cable provider is Videotron.
It's a SARA, version 1.9.0_8300_MR.HR_F.p.0401
The DVR HDD is a Maxtor, version 4R160L0.

If I go for the replacement of the HDD, buying a similar PATA, is it difficult to clone the old DVR and insert the new HDD into the 8300HD (I've never opened the box before) ? Would it be similar to changing the HDD inside a computer ?

Other than copying files using the Hauppauge HD-PVR, is there any other solution for long-term archiving ?

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-02-11, 08:43 PM

Thanks for your input Bryan, much appreciated !
That's correct : I'm from Canada, and my cable provider is Videotron.
It's a SARA, version 1.9.0_8300_MR.HR_F.p.0401
The DVR HDD is a Maxtor, version 4R160L0.

If I go for the replacement of the HDD, buying a similar PATA, is it difficult to clone the old DVR and insert the new HDD into the 8300HD (I've never opened the box before) ? Would it be similar to changing the HDD inside a computer ?

Other than copying files using the Hauppauge HD-PVR, is there any other solution for long-term archiving ?

This is the HDD I would use, There are not a lot of choices for a 160GB PATA HDD.
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJB 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136112
There is also a Western Digital AV WD1600AVJB 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache if you can get one in Canada.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136521

There are instructions for replacing the internal HDD in Canada here:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=15719
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=665069#post665069

I would keep the old Maxtor in a safe place as a backup when finished.

To clone the drives, you will need a computer with 2 40pin Parallel IDE cables or you will need to get 2 SATA to Parallel adapters. If you do not feel comfortable opening up your computer case, you should find someone to do it for you. You could also get two Parallel to USB adapters (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OORMVQ) and not have to open your computer case. This method will take the longest. Cloning a 160 GB PATA HDD using G4L is going to several hours.

If you use G4L from a bootable disk, which is my recommendation, then you would need to open up your computer, disconnect your computers internal HDD(s), so you don't accidentally clone over one of them.

If any of this seems beyond your experience then find someone to do it for you.

As far as copying recordings off the DVR, there is no better way. You must play and capture each recording in real-time.
Does your version of SARA still have the "Copy To VCR" Function?

Phil Conundrum

07-03-11, 08:42 AM

This is the HDD I would use, There are not a lot of choices for a 160GB PATA HDD.
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJB 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136112
There is also a Western Digital AV WD1600AVJB 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache if you can get one in Canada.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136521

There are instructions for replacing the internal HDD in Canada here:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=15719
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=665069#post665069

I would keep the old Maxtor in a safe place as a backup when finished.

To clone the drives, you will need a computer with 2 40pin Parallel IDE cables or you will need to get 2 SATA to Parallel adapters. If you do not feel comfortable opening up your computer case, you should find someone to do it for you. You could also get two Parallel to USB adapters (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OORMVQ) and not have to open your computer case. This method will take the longest. Cloning a 160 GB PATA HDD using G4L is going to several hours.

If you use G4L from a bootable disk, which is my recommendation, then you would need to open up your computer, disconnect your computers internal HDD(s), so you don't accidentally clone over one of them.

If any of this seems beyond your experience then find someone to do it for you.

As far as copying recordings off the DVR, there is no better way. You must play and capture each recording in real-time.
Does your version of SARA still have the "Copy To VCR" Function?
I find it curious that they would use a PATA HDD internally and offer SATA for the external. One would have thought they would have used the same interface when designing the box.

/phil

rds11

07-04-11, 08:32 AM

As far as copying recordings off the DVR, there is no better way. You must play and capture each recording in real-time.
Does your version of SARA still have the "Copy To VCR" Function?

Yes, but it works only with the S-VHS output, not with the component output, so it's not HD (downscaled to 480p).
But I can capture without that feature anyways : the Hauppauge box has component input and output (plus the USB output to capture), so I can keep the Hauppauge box installed all the time, not having to plug it in to capture and then plug it out to watch tv.

cpercival

07-05-11, 10:27 AM

MrJitters

07-05-11, 07:08 PM

I've been using the Caviar Black setup with good results for the last week or so. However, last night and this morning, I noticed occasional freezing and tiling. Not too bad, but enough to be annoying. This was while watching a live HD broadcast though (not time-shifted), which leads me to believe it might be signal related instead of drive related. Can anybody weigh in on this? My levels this morning were:

Tuner 1: -4 dBmV
Tuner 2: -8 dBmV
FDC: -9 dBmV
RDC 43 dBmV
QAM SNR : 34 and 32

If these are low, would something like the Motorola Bi-Directional RF Signal Booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Booster-484095-001-00-Bi-Directional-Amplifier/dp/B000066E6Y/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2KNY4L3W93E2I&colid=52AGN7OEZEVI) improve this?

I'm experiencing the exact same thing since a bad storm about 5 weeks ago which resulted in a three day video/internet/voice outage. For me when this happens I lose audio. I then need to hit pause then play to get the audio back. I be thinking it's low signal level but I do not know how to check it on my Comcast RNG200 running the S25 guide.

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-05-11, 09:15 PM

I've been using the Caviar Black setup with good results for the last week or so. However, last night and this morning, I noticed occasional freezing and tiling. Not too bad, but enough to be annoying. This was while watching a live HD broadcast though (not time-shifted), which leads me to believe it might be signal related instead of drive related. Can anybody weigh in on this? My levels this morning were:

Tuner 1: -4 dBmV
Tuner 2: -8 dBmV
FDC: -9 dBmV
RDC 43 dBmV
QAM SNR : 34 and 32

If these are low, would something like the Motorola Bi-Directional RF Signal Booster (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Booster-484095-001-00-Bi-Directional-Amplifier/dp/B000066E6Y/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2KNY4L3W93E2I&colid=52AGN7OEZEVI) improve this?

Your signal levels are low, -15 would be critical, and your SNR could be better, Greater than 35 is best.
Signals do drop as heat rises.
Check any splitters and connectors and replace or eliminate if possible, even temporarily to test. Run a temporary line to the main if possible to see if your signal improves.

Also disconnect the Ext HDD for a day or two to see if the problem still exists. If it does then I would call for a Tech to come out to attempt to adjust your levels.

dragon57

07-07-11, 06:14 PM

I just experienced the 8300HD/8300HDC working/not working issue.

My 8300HD died and Charter swapped it out for an 8300HDC. Guess what! My external drive no longer worked. After hearing from Charter support how they have never supported external hard drives on anything but a Moxi box (even though I was told they did back when I purchased my drive, on the recommendation of a Charter support person), I finally convinced them to swap out my 8300HDC for an 8300HD. The swap happened today and tada, my external drive worked again. The tech that installed it was amazed.

BIGA$$TV

07-07-11, 07:00 PM

I suspect that those of us who have connected external drives to our 8300s are a very, very small percentage of the cable co customers. Not surprising that that a tech would be agog.

BTW, I read somewhere that Charter is going to roll out TIVOs sometime in the future.

I just experienced the 8300HD/8300HDC working/not working issue.

My 8300HD died and Charter swapped it out for an 8300HDC. Guess what! My external drive no longer worked. After hearing from Charter support how they have never supported external hard drives on anything but a Moxi box (even though I was told they did back when I purchased my drive, on the recommendation of a Charter support person), I finally convinced them to swap out my 8300HDC for an 8300HD. The swap happened today and tada, my external drive worked again. The tech that installed it was amazed.

BIGA$$TV

07-13-11, 10:28 PM

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-14-11, 12:38 AM

Uh oh!!! Just got notified by Charter that they are rolling out a "new and better" program guide. I have Sara now, the new one appears to be Passport. Anyone know how this is going to play out with my external?

Yes, Charter will be giving you Rovi Passport Echo , I would get an extra 1TB WD Caviar Black and get it formatted now while you still have SARA. If you feel you might need a new DVR in the foreseeable future get it now while you still have SARA so you can still get an Ext HDD formatted.
http://connect.charter.com/newguide/

Here are links to the DVR and Non-DVR User Guides: (the Non-DVR IPG is horrible and nothing like the DVR IPG)
Rovi Passport Customer Service Guides for Scientific Atlanta/Cisco DVR/STBs
SA/Cisco - IPG DVR service: Rovi Passport Echo Version 3.1 - http://www.cox.com/support/digitalcable/dvr/SA/Cisco%20for%20DVR.pdf (39.6MB/404pp)
SA/Cisco - IPG Non-DVR (SDTV or HDTV): Rovi Passport Guide Version 5.1 - http://www.cox.com/support/digitalcable/dvr/SA/Cisco%20for%20nonDVR.pdf (24.6MB/232pp)

In most every aspect I now prefer Rovi Passport to SARA. It has been reliable and much better than SARA at Series Recordings and Recording Management and Recording Conflict Management. It has been 99% successful at recording. The Guide Data is much better than it was with SARA and contains Episode Names. OnDemand is integrated with Passport and performance is smoother.
The two big downfalls for me are, 1) The eSATA issue with the HDC model and 2) I miss the "Copy To VCR" Function.
The transition from SARA to Passport for me was seamless, and I did not loose any recordings, just the ability to format a new Ext HDD with my 8240HDC.

If you have a 8300HD you will probably be OK, I believe the newest version it can run will still support formatting a NEW Ext HDD,
The following Versions on the 8300HD DVR should still recognize and accept a NEW External HDD.

ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010 (Cox)
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.086
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.092 (Charter)
OS Version: PowerTV 6.14.98.1sp - May 22 2009 (this version seems to be the newest an 8300HD will support)

But if you have an 8240HDC or 8300HDC you will most likely get the version of PowerTV that will not format a NEW HDD.

Will Not Format new Ext HDDs

ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010 (Cox)
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.086
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.092 (Charter)
OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - Jun 2 2010 (This version appears to be the issue)

The following recent post was from a Charter customer with an 8300HD:

Working! WD Caviar Black with Charter SA8300HD
Running Passport Echo 3.1.092 and PowerTV version is 6.14.98.1sp. Tuner levels are at -3 dBmV. I am living in Massachusetts and have Charter as my provider. I used the setup as described by user Bryan_CoxPHX except for the external drive, which was the 6 MB/S, 64 MB cache version (WD1002FAEX). Rest of the setup includes StarTech 6 Ft. Shielded Internal to external eSATA to SATA Cable, M/M (SATA2ESATA6); VANTEC HDC-502A Aluminum Hard Disk Cooler; Cooler Guys CG 110v AC to 12v DC 4pin molex Power Adapter; ATX Molex Power to SATA Power Adapter; SIIG CE-PR0112-S1 Hard Disk Protector Sleeve for 3.5"Drive. These were all purchased through Amazon. First did a fresh reboot of cable box, then plugged sata/esata cable into the cable box and hard drive, then powered up the hard drive. A few seconds later I was asked to format the drive. A minute later and it was done. It has only been hooked up for a day, but no glitching at all, even when stressing the drive by recording two HD programs and watching one of them in time-shift. Will report later with a long term update. Thanks to everyone for the help.

BIGA$$TV

07-14-11, 05:06 PM

Thanks. I have an 8300HD. So I guess I'll just cross my fingers that I get the Powertv version that allows an external format. Or failing that, my DVR and external have a few more years of life!

Hate to see the copy to vcr go away. One will still be able to copy to a dvdr, but now it will have to be done while playing a program rather than being able to do it in the background. Kind of a pain, but most of the stuff I record I get straight into the dvdr, but some stuff above the basic tier I have to record on the DVR and then copy to the dvdr.

Thanks again Bryan.

Yes, Charter will be giving you Rovi Passport Echo , I would get an extra 1TB WD Caviar Black and get it formatted now while you still have SARA. If you feel you might need a new DVR in the foreseeable future get it now while you still have SARA so you can still get an Ext HDD formatted.
http://connect.charter.com/newguide/

Here are links to the DVR and Non-DVR User Guides: (the Non-DVR IPG is horrible and nothing like the DVR IPG)
Rovi Passport Customer Service Guides for Scientific Atlanta/Cisco DVR/STBs
SA/Cisco - IPG DVR service: Rovi Passport Echo Version 3.1 - http://www.cox.com/support/digitalcable/dvr/SA/Cisco%20for%20DVR.pdf (39.6MB/404pp)
SA/Cisco - IPG Non-DVR (SDTV or HDTV): Rovi Passport Guide Version 5.1 - http://www.cox.com/support/digitalcable/dvr/SA/Cisco%20for%20nonDVR.pdf (24.6MB/232pp)

In most every aspect I now prefer Rovi Passport to SARA. It has been reliable and much better than SARA at Series Recordings and Recording Management and Recording Conflict Management. It has been 99% successful at recording. The Guide Data is much better than it was with SARA and contains Episode Names. OnDemand is integrated with Passport and performance is smoother.
The two big downfalls for me are, 1) The eSATA issue with the HDC model and 2) I miss the "Copy To VCR" Function.
The transition from SARA to Passport for me was seamless, and I did not loose any recordings, just the ability to format a new Ext HDD with my 8240HDC.

If you have a 8300HD you will probably be OK, I believe the newest version it can run will still support formatting a NEW Ext HDD,
The following Versions on the 8300HD DVR should still recognize and accept a NEW External HDD.

ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010 (Cox)
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.086
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.092 (Charter)
OS Version: PowerTV 6.14.98.1sp - May 22 2009 (this version seems to be the newest an 8300HD will support)

But if you have an 8240HDC or 8300HDC you will most likely get the version of PowerTV that will not format a NEW HDD.

Will Not Format new Ext HDDs

ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.085 - Sep 13 2010 (Cox)
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.086
ResApp Version: Passport Echo 3.1.092 (Charter)
OS Version: PowerTV 6.20.75.103sp - Jun 2 2010 (This version appears to be the issue)

The following recent post was from a Charter customer with an 8300HD:

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-15-11, 03:04 AM

w1art

07-18-11, 10:12 PM

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-19-11, 04:57 AM

Great forum thread!

I'm in MA with Charter running an 8300HD which, as you can guess, is now running Passport Echo 3.1.092 and PowerTV 6.14.98.1sp. I have been running a WD1000FYPS (RE2) in a MX-1 case for > 3 years w/o trouble, but since the firmware update with the two tuners now recording all the time I have had issues. When I disconnect my eSATA cable the issues clear up. Because of this and the fact that my SATA drive is 3+yo, I am thinking of changing to the WD1002FAEX or WD1003FBYX (not in the DB - any info on this RE4?) using the direct connect no enclosure setup. My question is: Can this setup be physically assembled together in any way? Can the cooler be attached to the drive? The parts list pdf in this thread addresses nothing about assembly or if the the fan is placed on the drive or the drive is placed on the fan, etc.

Any info or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
ART

First: Is the fan still working in your existing MX-1 enclosure? I ask this because I am wondering if your Ext HDD is getting too hot. A seized fan could also cause power fluctuations leading to video glitching. If that is the case you could probably just replace the fan. The power supply could also be going bad. (you'd need a digital multimeter to test voltage and current)

Second: You might try first just replacing the HDD in the MX-1 enclosure with the WD1002FAEX. (the WD1003FBYX should work but I haven't seen it tested either, why spend the extra $$$)

Third: Using my parts list with a Direct connection,

Slide the HDD into the SIIG sleeve first, with the HDD upside down, so the four screw holes are accessible. (the bottom has the printed circuit board on it)
Carefully slide the HDD cooler between the sleeve and HDD, align the holes, and screw the HDD cooler to the HDD. I rarely power my fans, I mostly use the aluminum HDD cooler as a heat sink. I have a thermometer attached to my HDD, and it usually stays at 110*F (43*C). With the fans running it will drop to 90*F or less.

Here is a pic of my Ext HDD. I have replaced the original fans with taller ball bearing fans. The unit is hidden behind my center channel speaker, so nothing is visible.

regulator8

07-19-11, 03:04 PM

I have replaced the original fans with taller ball bearing fans. The unit is hidden behind my center channel speaker, so nothing is visible.
Where did you get your replacement fans, Bryan? I have a noisy bearing on one of my fans and I would like to replace them both. I'm using your setup on my 8300HD.

Thanking you in advance,
--Ed

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-19-11, 05:11 PM

Where did you get your replacement fans, Bryan? I have a noisy bearing on one of my fans and I would like to replace them both. I'm using your setup on my 8300HD.

Thanking you in advance,
--Ed

These are the fans I used, 50mm x 20mm, 13.25 CFM , <24 dBA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119054

They are a bit louder than the stock (sleeve bearing) fans, but should last much longer, they also move more air. Neither the old or new screws would fit the new fans, so I used epoxy glue to attach them.

Any 50mm case fan should work, you just want them to be quite. The original fans were 50mm x 10mm

regulator8

07-19-11, 05:22 PM

These are the fans I used, 50mm x 20mm, 13.25 CFM , <24 dBA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119054

They are a bit louder than the stock (sleeve bearing) fans, but should last much longer, they also move more air. Neither the old or new screws would fit the new fans, so I used epoxy glue to attach them.

Any 50mm case fan should work, you just want them to be quite. The original fans were 50mm x 10mm
Thanks for the info. I noticed the lack of screws in the photo and wondered how you attached them.

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-22-11, 11:55 AM

I rarely power my fans, I mostly use the aluminum HDD cooler as a heat sink. I have a thermometer attached to my HDD, and it usually stays at 110*F (43*C). With the fans running it will drop to 90*F or less.

I have replaced the original fans with taller ball bearing fans. The unit is hidden behind my center channel speaker, so nothing is visible.

Since this last posting, I have been running the fans again, and the temp has dropped from a consistent 110*F to 90*F.

archiguy

07-25-11, 10:49 AM

I've got a TWC SA8300HD running Navigator MDN and they pushed out an upgrade last week. The only apparent change it made was to disable the HDMI port. I'm still using this box because it's the only one in TWC's stable with working eSATA ports for external drives.

I've cross posted this in the TWC Navigator thread and my local thread with no response. But there must be folks here using the SA8300HD box because of expansion drives - and all of us must have lost our digital video output last week. Thought I'd see it prominently mentioned here. Or maybe there are no TWC customers using this box that participate in this thread...?

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-25-11, 11:32 AM

archiguy

07-25-11, 01:04 PM

Does it actually show disabled in the Diagnostic Menu?

I don't know how to get into the diagnostic menu. I used to know with Passport, but not with TWC's in-house-developed Navigator software.

Or perhaps the update may have accidentally fried the port.

I'm guessing the update just disabled it. The same thing happened to me with the firewire ports about 5 years ago, making my expensive D-VHS tape deck an inert doorstop overnight.

And do you have more than one video source connected, like S-Video and HDMI, or Component and HDMI at the same time?

Nope, never have; just HDMI. I plugged in component cables when the HDMI output went dark to get the picture back. I see this Navigator on-screen message when I try to connect with HDMI, fail, and then hook up with component (it's a persistent message in that it doesn't go away until I hit the "A" button and exit out):

"Your TV does not allow display of this program though the DVI input source. Please choose another TV input source."

I use the DVR's optical digital audio output to my A/V receiver so I don't need the audio half of HDMI. Since component works when connected, that's more evidence that the HDMI port is completely disabled.

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-25-11, 02:27 PM

Try this to get to Diagnostics:
Press Select (on the DVR) until the mail light comes on and then press down for a few seconds. If down doesn't work try INFO. See if that gets you into it.

archiguy

07-25-11, 03:53 PM

Try this to get to Diagnostics:
Press Select (on the DVR) until the mail light comes on and then press down for a few seconds. If down doesn't work try INFO. See if that gets you into it.

Yes, that gets me into the diagnostics, but there's no mention of any of the hardware output ports, including HDMI, on any of the 29 pages. Those 4 letters never appear anywhere. I'm not sure if these diagnostic pages are loaded in the machine's bios or something, or if they differ by software vendor. TWC has their own proprietary software they call Navigator, which replaced the Passport Echo system that I believe you use if your provider is Cox (like my sister who lives in Fairfax).

I wonder if there's anyone on this forum that's a TWC customer using an external drive? It must have happened to them too.

regulator8

07-25-11, 04:40 PM

I wonder if there's anyone on this forum that's a TWC customer using an external drive? It must have happened to them too.
I'm using an external drive with an HDMI connection on my 8300HD without any problems with the recent update.

archiguy

07-25-11, 06:24 PM

I'm using an external drive with an HDMI connection on my 8300HD without any problems with the recent update.

Are you a TWC customer running Navigator MDN?

regulator8

07-26-11, 03:02 PM

Are you a TWC customer running Navigator MDN?
Yes on both.

w1art

07-30-11, 05:39 AM

First: Is the fan still working in your existing MX-1 enclosure? I ask this because I am wondering if your Ext HDD is getting too hot. A seized fan could also cause power fluctuations leading to video glitching. If that is the case you could probably just replace the fan. The power supply could also be going bad. (you'd need a digital multimeter to test voltage and current)

Second: You might try first just replacing the HDD in the MX-1 enclosure with the WD1002FAEX. (the WD1003FBYX should work but I haven't seen it tested either, why spend the extra $$$)

Third: Using my parts list with a Direct connection,

Slide the HDD into the SIIG sleeve first, with the HDD upside down, so the four screw holes are accessible. (the bottom has the printed circuit board on it)
Carefully slide the HDD cooler between the sleeve and HDD, align the holes, and screw the HDD cooler to the HDD. I rarely power my fans, I mostly use the aluminum HDD cooler as a heat sink. I have a thermometer attached to my HDD, and it usually stays at 110*F (43*C). With the fans running it will drop to 90*F or less.

Here is a pic of my Ext HDD. I have replaced the original fans with taller ball bearing fans. The unit is hidden behind my center channel speaker, so nothing is visible.

Bryan, Thanks for the info! Here is where I am at:
1) Checked out and cleaned my 3+ year old MX-1 per your suggestion. The fan is working properly and the power supply voltage is OK ( I didn't check current under load though). I did notice that one of my cats had chewed up the esata/esata cable quite a bit, so I replaced it with the "StarTech 6-Feet Shielded External eSATA Cable M/M (ESATA6)". Maybe root cause?
2) Again at your suggestion I installed a new WD1002FAEX into the MX-1 and didn't spend the extra cash. I paid $89.99 for the drive (currently it has an additional $10 promo code).
I ran the DB test (record 2, watch 1 delayed AND record 2, watch a prerecorded) which seemed to work well. After a week I was ready to assign a "PASS" to this setup - BUT. I have had two instances while watching prerecord shows where the 8300HD image has frozen to a still image and all buttons (remote and box) have locked up. Absolutely no way to get it to respond other than pull the plug - ugg! There seems no way for me to determine what is really happening. Is this a fluke, would it happen without an external drive, would your direct connect method solve this (probably wouldn't hurt)? Any thoughts? I have never seen my box lockup like this before...

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-30-11, 02:10 PM

Bryan, Thanks for the info! Here is where I am at:
1) Checked out and cleaned my 3+ year old MX-1 per your suggestion. The fan is working properly and the power supply voltage is OK ( I didn't check current under load though). I did notice that one of my cats had chewed up the esata/esata cable quite a bit, so I replaced it with the "StarTech 6-Feet Shielded External eSATA Cable M/M (ESATA6)". Maybe root cause?
2) Again at your suggestion I installed a new WD1002FAEX into the MX-1 and didn't spend the extra cash. I paid $89.99 for the drive (currently it has an additional $10 promo code).
I ran the DB test (record 2, watch 1 delayed AND record 2, watch a prerecorded) which seemed to work well. After a week I was ready to assign a "PASS" to this setup - BUT. I have had two instances while watching prerecord shows where the 8300HD image has frozen to a still image and all buttons (remote and box) have locked up. Absolutely no way to get it to respond other than pull the plug - ugg! There seems no way for me to determine what is really happening. Is this a fluke, would it happen without an external drive, would your direct connect method solve this (probably wouldn't hurt)? Any thoughts? I have never seen my box lockup like this before...

The cat didn't chew on the MX-1 power supply cable also, did it?

So other than the two freeze-ups did all the programs record and play back without glitches, that were recorded to the Ext HDD?
Were you able to replay and watch the two programs that it did freeze up on?
Just two freeze-ups I could attribute to a fluke, but if it continues, with only the Ext HDD connected, you might consider trying a new power supply.

I think I would use the DVR for a week without the Ext HDD, Then another week with the Ext HDD attached and see if the behavior is consistent only with the Ext HDD attached.

The only time my DVR freezes up like that is when I disconnect power to the Ext HDD. In your case disconnecting or loss of power should display a Prompt that the HDD has been disconnected.

There is not much reported on Passport Echo 3.1.092, so I don't know if that is an issue or not, my guess would be probably not.

w1art

07-30-11, 04:00 PM

The power supply cable looks OK. It was wired through the TV stand with the other cables, unlike the esata which I just jumped between levels with it sticking out the back. My new 6' esata cable is long enough for me not to have to do that now. It is wired with the other cables and I think less likely to be "attacked". Besides, my three cats are no longer kittens.

During the two freeze ups neither produced a pop-up message box of any kind. On the first one I did go back and finish the program, but for the second I was near the program end and just went back in to erase. I wish I had saved it now.

Yeah, I am not a fan of the test you suggest (a week with and a week without) just because my wife and I are addicted to series reality shows and we don't want to miss any. I will keep this test in mind, but will postpone it for now. I am thinking if it happens again that I just might buy all the hardware for direct connect setup, as I do see the value in it and reluctantly begin some kind of with and without the external drive test.

I find the Passport Echo 3.1.092 very quirky. That software makes the hardware work differently in a way I would not expect. For example, changing channels is much slower. The delay is so significant that it is no longer possible to flip between channels to see what is on - it is just too painful. Is the new firmware so complicated that it is taxing the hardware? Wouldn't be the first case where harware couldn't keep up with software. Another PIA issue is that when entering the recorded show menu it always jumps to the latest recording so if you are watching shows from a series one after another you always have to renavigate. Or, before I could navigate to a show in advance of watching it and jump out the menu. Then when I went back in I was in that same spot. A third complaint is when we had SARA I could push my remote right arrow button at any time to see a small banner on the bottom showing what was coming up next, but that is gone with Echo. Just me not liking change I guess...

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-30-11, 04:35 PM

If you have questions about the functionality of Passport there is a dedicated thread. Even though is says Cox it should be mostly the same for your version of Passport. The HDC models probably run a little faster because they have twice the memory of the 8300HD. But unless Charter has updated their HDC models, they will not format an Ext HDD, so you are stuck with the 8300HD.
Rovi Passport IPG SA/Cisco: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1241913

Passport does seem a bit quirky to me also, the behavior is not always consistent. For instance after watching a recording, sometimes it will Prompt to Erase, and other times it just jumps back to Live TV.

As for watching several series recordings one after the other.
Press DVR LIST
Press "A"
Scroll to "Group Titles"
Scroll to the Series you want to watch
Press "INFO" - You are presented with: Play All, Play All New, Erase All

If you want to see what is coming up next press INFO twice, and then press the Right Arrow button.
When Using FF, you can jump to 15min intervals with the Right Arrow button.

BIGA$$TV

07-30-11, 04:59 PM

Thanks for the link. I just subscribed. Charter is changing to Passport next week. Fingers crossed!

If you have questions about the functionality of Passport there is a dedicated thread. Even though is says Cox it should be mostly the same for your version of Passport. The HDC models probably run a little faster because they have twice the memory of the 8300HD. But unless Charter has updated their HDC models, they will not format an Ext HDD, so you are stuck with the 8300HD.
Rovi Passport IPG SA/Cisco: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1241913

w1art

07-31-11, 08:53 PM

Passport does seem a bit quirky to me also, the behavior is not always consistent. For instance after watching a recording, sometimes it will Prompt to Erase, and other times it just jumps back to Live TV.

YES!!! This drives me crazy too. I now pause before pressing stop. It has worked for me so far...

BIGA$$TV

07-31-11, 09:15 PM

Question: I am getting changed from SARA to Passport on the 2nd. Should I leave my external connected or would it be better to disconnect or not matter at all?

Bryan_CoxPHX

07-31-11, 10:55 PM

Question: I am getting changed from SARA to Passport on the 2nd. Should I leave my external connected or would it be better to disconnect or not matter at all?

I left mine connected, for fear it might not recognize the recordings or worst yet not recognize the Ext HDD. So, I guess my recommendation is leave it connected. Every recording was intact after my upgrade. The whole process took about 15-20min and the DVR rebooted a few times. While the update is in process the display will be scrolling through Hexadecimal strings.

I did loose all my scheduled recordings, and you will have to reschedule any recurring series recordings. The great thing about Passport is you can set-up a scheduled recording with just a Title or keyword even if the show is not in the guide, and then set it for New only. But you cannot specify SD or HD with a keyword recording, (at least not with my version) so once it shows up you will need to modify the schedule.

I would sure like to know the differences between 3.1.085 and 3.1.092. Some versions have a Recycle Bin called Lost and Found.

BIGA$$TV

07-31-11, 11:47 PM

Thanks, I guess I'll get out my iPhone and snap some shots of the scheduled recordings screen on my current IPG.

I left mine connected, for fear it might not recognize the recordings or worst yet not recognize the Ext HDD. So, I guess my recommendation is leave it connected. Every recording was intact after my upgrade. The whole process took about 15-20min and the DVR rebooted a few times. While the update is in process the display will be scrolling through Hexadecimal strings.

I did loose all my scheduled recordings, and you will have to reschedule any recurring series recordings. The great thing about Passport is you can set-up a scheduled recording with just a Title or keyword even if the show is not in the guide, and then set it for New only. But you cannot specify SD or HD with a keyword recording, (at least not with my version) so once it shows up you will need to modify the schedule.

I would sure like to know the differences between 3.1.085 and 3.1.092. Some versions have a Recycle Bin called Lost and Found.

BIGA$$TV

08-03-11, 05:27 PM

danno321s

08-04-11, 08:31 AM

Just recently the eSATA drive on my father's SA8300HD does not stay connected. If I reboot, it finds the eSATA drive but after a little while it disconnects. This happened to me a couple years ago when I switch to a Moxi DVR. Should I try to troubleshoot or is this TWC update that I can nothing about? Should I swap the box for something newer? TIA

spensar

08-04-11, 11:23 AM

Has anyone tried an SSD with an 8300 or other PVR? I know that the capacity and size doesn't make it a practical alternative yet, just wondered if someone had experimented with it.

Bryan_CoxPHX

08-04-11, 05:09 PM

Changing IPGs. Does it take a long time for a cable co to do this? I figured it would just be done over night, but it's now been a couple of days since my company announced "on or after...". Obviously the size of the customer base is an issue, but typically?

Yes, if the cable co has a well thought out plan they typically only update the guide on one or two box models every week, so they have enough staff to support individual customer issues and questions.

Here is a link to the Phoenix upgrades, I stopped updating the list as Cox kept changing and delaying the schedule for the updates.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19394867#post19394867

BIGA$$TV

08-04-11, 08:50 PM

Thanks Bryan. Yeah, I guess I shouldn't check everyday. Three months for a full roll out in Phoenix!!!

Yes, if the cable co has a well thought out plan they typically only update the guide on one or two box models every week, so they have enough staff to support individual customer issues and questions.

Here is a link to the Phoenix upgrades, I stopped updating the list as Cox kept changing and delaying the schedule for the updates.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19394867#post19394867

tony57

09-10-11, 12:39 PM

Just installed a Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB
SA 8300HD, Sara
Works fine, drive is quiet, but head seeking is audible (was not audible with prior Seagate Baracuda)

Anyway, trying to see what level the Automatic Acoustic Management is set to.
Tried the Hitachi Feature Tool, but is does not recognize the WD drive.

Has anyone reset the AAM on a WD?

Thanks,
Tony

MikeX10A

09-26-11, 04:17 PM

danki6x

09-26-11, 05:43 PM

I am encountering a problem, I hope someone will be able to assist me...

Just purchased a Western Digital MyDVR Expander (1 TB) to use with my Cablevision 8300HD DVR. It took a few tries to get it going but it connected and my storage went from 44% to 7%. However, after 24 hours or so the DVR takes a few to several minutes to turn on from standby. After it does turn on, I see that the storage returned to the higher value, in other words, it was not seeing the external HDD anymore. This has happened twice already so I expect that it will continue to happen as well.

How can I remedy this situation?

Thanks in advance.Been a couple years, but sounds similar to a problem I had. Only work around was to set the DVR on a lamp timer and have it turn off and then on about 5AM to reset. Best solution was the 320 GB HD in the new DVR. /Dan

Bryan_CoxPHX

09-26-11, 07:43 PM

For Cox customers with an 8240HDC that want a working Ext HDD.

<SNIP>

Both Cox Las Vegas and Cox Arizona have stated they are testing an update for the HDC model to fix eSATA, and might be available this summer?????

In the meantime, your only option would be to swap the 8240HDC for a 8300HD.
If you do swap to a 8300HD make it clear to the Cox employee why you did this and ask to have it noted on your account.

Thought I would update this for anyone with Cox and a 8240HDC DVR.

Cox has a software update, that fixes this. I received the update, as a customer beta test a few weeks ago, DVR will now recognize and format a NEW External HDD.
8240HDC Ext eSATA Firmware Update (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20928638#post20928638)

Bryan_CoxPHX

09-26-11, 07:55 PM

I am encountering a problem, I hope someone will be able to assist me...

Just purchased a Western Digital MyDVR Expander (1 TB) to use with my Cablevision 8300HD DVR. It took a few tries to get it going but it connected and my storage went from 44% to 7%. However, after 24 hours or so the DVR takes a few to several minutes to turn on from standby. After it does turn on, I see that the storage returned to the higher value, in other words, it was not seeing the external HDD anymore. This has happened twice already so I expect that it will continue to happen as well.

How can I remedy this situation?

Thanks in advance.

This has been discussed a while back, check the last several pages. The answer will also vary depending on the software and version the DVR is running.

The problem is either (perhaps both) Power Saving features on the DVR or the Power Saving features on the WD MyDVR Expander. One or maybe both the Internal and Ext HDD is powering down, You will need to disable one or both of these.

For the DVR check the Settings for HDD Power Management.

helibobber

10-05-11, 05:21 PM

Newbie here. Did some searching through the thread and cannot find the answer I need.
I have a Time Warner SA8240HDC set top witha an eSATA port in the back. I called TWC (Binghamton, NY) tech support and they gave me the brush off naturally and would not tell me if the port was enabled.
I am about to pull the trigger on a WD DVR Expander but would like to know first if the SATA port is enabled before I buy it.
I can get into the diagnostics by holding the power switch down until it blinks then pressing it one more time.
I looked through the many diagnostic pages and did not see the word SATA anywhere.
Can someone tell me which page I should look for? A heading or category or some setting that says yes the port is enabled or no it is not.
I thank you in advance.

Bryan_CoxPHX

10-06-11, 07:37 AM

phousley

10-06-11, 08:13 AM

If your SA8240HDC is running TWC Navigator ODN guide software the chance of eSATA working is slim to none.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20407235&highlight=esata#post20407235We need to quit scaring people with stale information. Although it had its problems in the past, eSATA has worked fine on the last several ODN releases. I don't have 4.1 yet, but I've seen no reports that it doesn't work. I don't know, however, if there's anything specific about the 8240HDC that interferes with it.

helibobber

10-07-11, 02:43 PM

Thanks for the responses. I ordered one anyway (not the WD however) and will see what happens. I''ll let you all know my results.

mggabin

10-10-11, 08:23 PM

Wanted to get back to archiguy's July 25 post (first one quoted below) ...

I'm in NYC with TWC running Navigator (not sure exactly what version since I can get into diagnostics but don't know which of the 33 pages of diagnostics and which line on which page to look at -- any help much appreciated) on an SA8300HD using the WD 1TB expander.

With the most recent software update (I noticed that the fonts are smoother/more anti-aliased on the 1/2/3/4x FF on the bottom pop-up display a few weeks ago) I've been having a lot of trouble as well with the HDMI port. Had a terrible time with reboots when I came back from 2.5 wks vacation -- HDMI was totally out, was about to bring the box back for a swapout figuring it was fried and then as a last ditch effort pulled out a set of component cables. Ever since then, HDMI will drop out with relatively no explanation, sometimes can predict it after a long "pause", have to switch over to component input, and then the next morning HDMI is usually back but not always. Also HDMI resolution output stickiness seems to have worsened, outputs 480i on an HD channel occasionally (yes, I have all my settings correct on TV - Sharp LC-46LE810UN - and the STB).

Stopped into TWC this afternoon and was told to call customer service and ask for a level 3 tech. Will try to do that sometime this week, don't know if I currently have the mental fortitude to sit through that phone call.

DVR expander has always been squirrely with pixellation and jumping, most notably when using both tuners on HD at once. Some elsewhere have recommended a better shielded eSATA cable (about $7 on Newegg so worth a shot).

Don't want to swap the box out less for loss of saved shows than TWC tells me today that new boxes they are handing out (SA8300HD, HDC, Samsung 3090 at my location, didn't ask about any Cisco 8xxx) have the eSATA disabled and I don't want to lose my extra storage space. But would very much like to have my equipment working as advertised (too much to ask, I know).

I've got a TWC SA8300HD running Navigator MDN and they pushed out an upgrade last week. The only apparent change it made was to disable the HDMI port. I'm still using this box because it's the only one in TWC's stable with working eSATA ports for external drives.

I've cross posted this in the TWC Navigator thread and my local thread with no response. But there must be folks here using the SA8300HD box because of expansion drives - and all of us must have lost our digital video output last week. Thought I'd see it prominently mentioned here. Or maybe there are no TWC customers using this box that participate in this thread...?

Yes, that gets me into the diagnostics, but there's no mention of any of the hardware output ports, including HDMI, on any of the 29 pages. Those 4 letters never appear anywhere. I'm not sure if these diagnostic pages are loaded in the machine's bios or something, or if they differ by software vendor. TWC has their own proprietary software they call Navigator, which replaced the Passport Echo system that I believe you use if your provider is Cox (like my sister who lives in Fairfax).

I wonder if there's anyone on this forum that's a TWC customer using an external drive? It must have happened to them too.

helibobber

10-13-11, 06:31 PM

Thanks for the responses. I ordered one anyway (not the WD however) and will see what happens. I''ll let you all know my results.

I plugged in an Iomega DVR Expander per the included instructions and after two attempts it seems to be working fine after all. The first attempt resulted in a message that the drive was not formatted (after requesting that I do so first). After rebooting the SA box a second time it recognized the external HD ok.
My only problem so far was a spontaneous reboot of the DVR after I started watching a recording. It has only happened once and has not repeated so I'm hoping all is well.

TOR047

10-24-11, 07:54 PM

if the problem happens again try to swap out the drive to a larger pata drive, and before returning the box put the original pata drive back in.
hope this helps.:)

punkindust

11-09-11, 08:08 AM

Thought I would update this for anyone with Cox and a 8240HDC DVR.

Cox has a software update, that fixes this. I received the update, as a customer beta test a few weeks ago, DVR will now recognize and format a NEW External HDD.
8240HDC Ext eSATA Firmware Update (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20928638#post20928638)

Hi Bryan,

It has been a while since we chatted about this issue. I would like to thank you for following the updates to the software. I was the one having the same problems with Blue Ridge Cable and the SATA port not recognizing the external hard drive. Since you stated you had a new version of software I thought I would go and check mine again. I couldn't believe it when I saw they updated our software also. Thanks again for all your help! :)

ttweed

12-04-11, 07:26 PM

We need to quit scaring people with stale information. Although it had its problems in the past, eSATA has worked fine on the last several ODN releases.I'm glad I checked in here after the latest software update to see what was new. Seeing this message made me try my Apricorn 500GB DVR expansion drive on my SA8300HDC running Navigator again. I had given up on it long ago when the 3.x versions broke eSATA support and had just been using it for a backup drive for my computers. Lo and behold, I repartioned and partially formatted it in FAT32 and hooked it up to the DVR again, and it recognized and reformatted it, rebooted, and now I have 11% space used on the DVR instead of 56%. I've recorded two HD shows at once and played them back with no glitches. Hallelujah! It's working again...

TT

archiguy

12-27-11, 10:03 AM

Thought I would cross post here as well as the TWC Navigator forum. Nobody has responded to these questions over there. Nearly everyone over there seems to be using boxes running ODN and I need info from people running MDN on legacy 8300HD boxes. Since expansion drives only seem to work on this platform (not ODN, right?), then maybe folks here will all be running MDN and will have seen this problem.

About 3 weeks ago they pushed out an update to MDN here in the Charlotte, NC market. A few cosmetic changes, no big deal, but a couple of REAL BIG deals in terms of reducing functionality. Wonder if anyone else has noticed them?

1) The size of the two buffers (for each tuner) has been cut in half, from 1 hour to 30 minutes. Anyone else notice this? Apparently, nobody on the Navigator forum has. That's a major reduction in functionality.

2) The box is now not recording scheduled shows if the box is in the "off" state (but still plugged in and powered). This came as a big shock as well. Used to be it didn't matter if the box was "on" or "off", as that only affected the output, not the scheduled recordings. Anybody else notice this?

3) Can anyone please post how to get to the diagnostic screens in MDN? Apparently there are two sets, requiring two different procedures to get to them.

Thanks to any and all who might take the time to reply... these reductions in functionality have me plenty steamed. It seems like every time they push an update out, nothing new gets added but something gets taken away.

Jeckler

12-30-11, 06:02 PM

Cox AZ user...
I've had my 1TB Seagate ST31000528AS hooked up to my 8240HDC for a couple weeks now, and it's pretty much been a complete disaster.
First, it took a few tries just to get the box to see the drive. I think I ended up plugging in the eSata cable while everything was hot. The box froze for about 10 seconds, then finally gave me the message about formatting. Things were good for a day or so.
Then, every couple days it seems the recordings would get flaky, and Live TV would have fits if I tried to pause or rewind. I'd have to unplug the cable box to get things back to normal. Also most of the time when we were done watching a recording, the box would reset back to channel 2.
Last weekend I bought a new AV receiver, and rewired the cable box/TV relationship so that everything would run through the receiver. I did not, at the time, unplug the cable box power or the external drive. I tried watching a recording that night, and out of the 20-25 shows I had, I could watch two of them. All the others said the recording was unavailable.
After resetting the cable box, I could still see the 1TB on the diags screen, and Live TV was OK, so figured it was some weird HDCP copy protection garbage, and starting recording shows again. This afternoon my wife came to me and said Live TV wouldn't rewind again, and just remove the external. So at this point the external is out of the picture and all of the recordings are gone, except for one recorded on the 14th.

I know that the recommended drive is the WD Caviar Black 1TB, but those are really hard to find now. Has anyone had any luck with a different drive? I had the Seagate already from my homebrew PVR, that's why I used it. And yes, it was formatted before it got hooked up to the 8240.

Or, and this is probably "forbidden", but is it possible to replace the internal drive with something bigger? It's hard to search for that solution, since everyone wants to hook up an external.

danno321s

12-31-11, 09:37 AM

Jeckler

12-31-11, 05:33 PM

I'm not sure there is anything newer. I'm running the latest firmware and OS. 3.1.091 and 6.20.75.106sp, respectively.

Bryan_CoxPHX

12-31-11, 05:46 PM

Ask for a newer model box.

I'm not sure there is anything newer. I'm running the latest firmware and OS. 3.1.091 and 6.20.75.106sp, respectively.

Cox Arizona only has the SA8300HD and the SA8240HDC, that's it. EDIT: Cox AZ does now have the Cisco 8642HDC running Rovi Passport (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26725006-AZ-New-Cisco-HD-DVR-Cable-Box).

Cox Arizona will have the Cisco 8642HDC whenever they launch the Whole Home DVR, (probably this spring) EDIT: See above but that will be for the Trio IPG only, it will not be running the Passport IPG.

burts

01-04-12, 11:35 PM

danno321s

01-05-12, 10:12 AM

I have time warner cable with a SA 8300hd on the Navigator software. What internal drive is proven to work with my unit?

Im looking for 500gb and higher,also looking from the top of my dvr the harddrive uses a ribbon cable?

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Female-Adapter-Converter-IDE2SAT25/dp/B001PYSAJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325741932&sr=8-1
Is that the ide to sata converteri need?

I have used Rosewill eSata enclosure with Seagate drives.

See http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=Rosewill+eSata&safe=on&cid=16060185433706784708&ei=V8sFT_iCMIq4Na-cnNgB&ved=0CAwQrhI

burts

01-05-12, 04:29 PM

So with the rosewill you need a esata to esata cable? I know most externals need sata to esata cable.. Will a 1tb drive work or have glitches?

BIGA$$TV

01-05-12, 04:48 PM

I'm confused. Your first post looked like you wanted to replace the INTERNAL drive. Now you are talking about an external. If it's an external you are interested in, check out the first post in this thread. It has a data base of set ups that work and don't work. Just to get you started, a 1TB works fine. Above that, I don't think so. And it's a esata to esata IIRC.

So with the rosewill you need a esata to esata cable? I know most externals need sata to esata cable.. Will a 1tb drive work or have glitches?

danno321s

01-06-12, 09:34 AM

So with the rosewill you need a esata to esata cable? I know most externals need sata to esata cable.. Will a 1tb drive work or have glitches?

The Rosewill unit comes with the proper cable. Check the drive list for compatibility.

Macc3

01-08-12, 05:06 PM

vegggas

01-09-12, 01:49 AM

I known there is a data base on the first page of this thread, but, I looked at it and got lost. I'm on Phoenix, Cox, with an 8300HD, using Passport. What is the current, best option for an external hard drive? I'm running a very old external housing - DVRXpander from Apricorn, with a 1 TB Seagate 7200 Barracuda drive. It seems to be having problems - freezes, looses its connection to the 8300HD, and I have to pull the power and restart it a lot now. It's always had video/audio stutters and pauses. So, if I'm going to revamp it, I'd like to know what I should replace it with? And, when I do, will I loose all my recordings or can I swap two externals back and forth until I see/delete all off the old one? Or is there a way to transfer the recording to the new HD now? I'm a high end user - both with the DVR and computers, but I am not an A/V expert, programmer, etc. Thanks in advance.
Your Power supply is likely starting to fail and that is probably causing most of the issues you are seeing. Try another similarly rated supply and you might have better luck. I've had to go through and replace about 15 power supplies I've setup in external expander drives, some even a third time. They are typically rated for about 18 months, but can fail in less than a year, or may last three. YMMV, but keeping sustained current during constant recording will wear those things out.

Macc3

01-09-12, 11:13 PM

Your Power supply is likely starting to fail and that is probably causing most of the issues you are seeing. Try another similarly rated supply and you might have better luck. I've had to go through and replace about 15 power supplies I've setup in external expander drives, some even a third time. They are typically rated for about 18 months, but can fail in less than a year, or may last three. YMMV, but keeping sustained current during constant recording will wear those things out.

Ok. Dumb question --> where do I look for another power supply? Or should I just get another external casing? And, if the later, what do you recommend? Do any take something larger than a 1TB hard drive? And, will the 8300HD recognize something larger?

vegggas

01-13-12, 02:00 AM

DC power supplies are fairly common in anyplace that sells general electronic equipment - Amazon, Radio shak, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, etc. Most cases use an external wall-wort style DC power supply. My most common supply used is a DC 12volt supply with a 2Amp rating and whatever the polarity is supposed to be. Just look at your specs to get another similar one.

sammycasey17

01-13-12, 02:10 AM

Bryan_CoxPHX

01-13-12, 02:38 AM

So do both the SA8300HD and the SA8240HDC in Phoenix now completely work with DVR expanders?

I just traded my old box in and received a 8642HDC that is not working the DVR expander. Plus it has a 500gb hard drive but I'm only allowed to use 160gb of it.

AFAIK, you will still need to ask Cox AZ for the "Beta" software update that allows eSATA External HDDs on the 8240HDC. They have been responding fairly well on Facebook and AZ.CoxArizonaHelp@cox.com send Attention Gabe or Matt and send the Box Serial Number in the email starting with "SA"

http://www.facebook.com/CoxArizona

Another email address coxarizona.help@cox.com and twitter support (http://twitter.com/#!/CoxArizona_Help) also might work.

deanbrew

01-13-12, 06:44 AM

So do both the SA8300HD and the SA8240HDC in Phoenix now completely work with DVR expanders?

I just traded my old box in and received a 8642HDC that is not working the DVR expander. Plus it has a 500gb hard drive but I'm only allowed to use 160gb of it.

I traded in my old 8300 and got a new 8240, and the new one works with my DVR expander. I just plugged it in according to instructions and it works fine.

sammycasey17

01-13-12, 10:34 AM

Thanks Bryan_CoxPHX and deanbrew for the replies.

Bryan_CoxPHX

01-13-12, 07:57 PM

I traded in my old 8300 and got a new 8240, and the new one works with my DVR expander. I just plugged it in according to instructions and it works fine.

Was this in Phoenix or PA?

sammycasey17

01-13-12, 09:43 PM

Is 1TB the max for the external hard drive? I was looking at getting a newer external hard drive and noticed most of them are now USB 3.0/2.0 and only a select few are e-sata. Will these work as well? Thanks

BIGA$$TV

01-13-12, 11:41 PM

Has to be esata. I don't know of any success with a HD over 1tb.

Is 1TB the max for the external hard drive? I was looking at getting a newer external hard drive and noticed most of them are now USB 3.0/2.0 and only a select few are e-sata. Will these work as well? Thanks

sammycasey17

01-14-12, 12:11 AM

Has to be esata. I don't know of any success with a HD over 1tb.

Thanks for the quick reply

burts

01-15-12, 01:41 AM

danno321s

01-15-12, 01:14 PM

Do you guys turn off your external hard drives or leave them on all the time? Should I just leave the fan to off or only turn it on when watching a movie from it... Perhaps just leaving the side panel off the rosewill enclosure and leave fan off?

Do not turn off your eSATA drive unless you want to disconnect it after powering down set-top box. The set-top box will manage its power state. The blue lights use maybe 0.5 watt.

alexisbriere

02-04-12, 10:14 PM

Hey guys I bought my dad a Western Digital MyBook AV DVR Expander 1TB for christmas and we tried to set it up this week, I have the 8300HD 320GB operated by Vidéotron in Montreal. The DVR recognizes the drive and can write on it for a few hours when we set it up, but after a couple of hours, it just stops recording. The red light still appears and it tells me it is recording, but when I go in the list, nothing appears. The tech support of VIdéotron told me that 1TB might be too much for the DVR, cause it can normally support no more than twice it's capacity, so 640GB, he told us to go with a 500GB, the problem is that it's been more than a month and I can't bring it back to the store so is there a way to make it work? Thank you!

BIGA$$TV

02-05-12, 11:47 AM

1 TB drives work fine. I don't know how well those MYBooks work though. I haven't looked at the database for experiences with various setups recently. Have you?

Hey guys I bought my dad a Western Digital MyBook AV DVR Expander 1TB for christmas and we tried to set it up this week, I have the 8300HD 320GB operated by Vidéotron in Montreal. The DVR recognizes the drive and can write on it for a few hours when we set it up, but after a couple of hours, it just stops recording. The red light still appears and it tells me it is recording, but when I go in the list, nothing appears. The tech support of VIdéotron told me that 1TB might be too much for the DVR, cause it can normally support no more than twice it's capacity, so 640GB, he told us to go with a 500GB, the problem is that it's been more than a month and I can't bring it back to the store so is there a way to make it work? Thank you!

danno321s

02-06-12, 11:17 AM

1 TB drives work fine. I don't know how well those MYBooks work though. I haven't looked at the database for experiences with various setups recently. Have you?

maybe hack it to create an ending hidden partition that SA8300HD does not see?

danno321s

02-06-12, 11:19 AM

You could also re-purpose the WD eSATA drive. Get a Rosewill eSATA case and approved drive. I use Rosewill on my Dad's DVR (and I used to before going cable card).

hy3na

02-15-12, 01:35 PM

Hooked up WD Caviar Black 1TB w/ the SATA cable which came w/ the Rosewill enclosure to 8300HD. When I turned ON pwr, it didn't ask to format drive?? When I checked diagnostics screen under HDD it shows 1TB external drive as device 2 but partitions for device 2 are zero....do I have to format drive and create partitions before connecting?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions...I appreciate everyone posting here w/ helpful suggestions. I searched here but couldn't find the answer. If it has been discussed before, please direct me to it -- thanks again.
SARA - Cablevision

BIGA$$TV

02-15-12, 02:15 PM

No partitioning required. More to the point: is it working? Has your available space decreased? If not, did you follow the instructions for connecting/power up order?

Hooked up WD Caviar Black 1TB w/ the SATA cable which came w/ the Rosewill enclosure to 8300HD. When I turned ON pwr, it didn't ask to format drive?? When I checked diagnostics screen under HDD it shows 1TB external drive as device 2 but partitions for device 2 are zero....do I have to format drive and create partitions before connecting?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions...I appreciate everyone posting here w/ helpful suggestions. I searched here but couldn't find the answer. If it has been discussed before, please direct me to it -- thanks again.
SARA - Cablevision

hy3na

02-15-12, 03:00 PM

No partitioning required. More to the point: is it working? Has your available space decreased? If not, did you follow the instructions for connecting/power up order?

Thanks for your quick reply. I just figured the power on order was the problem. When I unplugged the drive (w/ 8300HD ON) and powered drive back again, "Format" option came on the tv. And afterwards used % went from 99% to 13% !!

Anyway, now if I turn off the 8300HD, it takes about 2-3 minutes before I see anything on the tv. Is this normal? Is the hard disk going tto sleep or something? Any solution?

edit: also the 8300hd seem to hang at times -- when I push "guide" I won't see it for a long while -- very annoying. I'd think this has been experienced by others -- I just need more time searching here.

BIGA$$TV

02-15-12, 09:40 PM

Try a reset/reboot on the 8300. Mine will start limping along similar to what you describe. Eventually it will reboot it self, but it's easier to just do it yourself and be done with it- and you won't be in the middle of something when it decides to do it on its own.

Thanks for your quick reply. I just figured the power on order was the problem. When I unplugged the drive (w/ 8300HD ON) and powered drive back again, "Format" option came on the tv. And afterwards used % went from 99% to 13% !!

Anyway, now if I turn off the 8300HD, it takes about 2-3 minutes before I see anything on the tv. Is this normal? Is the hard disk going tto sleep or something? Any solution?

edit: also the 8300hd seem to hang at times -- when I push "guide" I won't see it for a long while -- very annoying. I'd think this has been experienced by others -- I just need more time searching here.

Mikos

02-16-12, 09:20 AM

I am running a SA8300HD box with a Fantom Green Drive 1TB drive connected here in NYC on TWC. Everything sorta works but I am having some issues. It's running Mysto, which is Navigator I believe.

When I initially connected it, I had everything off. Connected the drive via estata, then turned on both the box and the drive. It went though its boot cycle and when the Mysto countdown hit 6 it said that my drive wasn't properly formatted. It said press A to continue, never said press A to format. I did this, then the countdown resumed. It finished and then rebooted again. Once it came back up, my storage went from 86% to 6%, success!

But....

Some recordings are now showing up in the list but when you select them, the screen just goes black. You cannot FF/RW, you have to change the channel to get out of the program. Then you can go in and delete the program but it never plays. It's real hit and miss, I can't seem to find a pattern to which programs end up like this.

The other thing is that when I reboot the box by unplugging it, it will always say the external drive isn't set up properly and essentially reformats it every time. The capacity is always very low, so it sees the drive, but all the recordings after the reboot are the black screen type listed above.

Is the "black screen" recordings an error related to the external drive? Is it possible it's a low signal issue?

Is my drive really formatted? Is it possible the box sees the drive but can't actually use it? And why would it reformat every time I reboot the box?

Thanks in advance!

BIGA$$TV

02-16-12, 11:40 AM

Pretty sure IF (not sure what you mean by "essentially" it is reformatting you are losing whatever is recorded on the external. Obviously, it should not be reformatting after a reboot. This could explain why you have a title on the list which resides on the internal HDD but the recording on the external is not available. With SARA when my external loses contact with the unit and I click on the title I simply get a screen saying press list; I don't get a black screen. Not sure how Navigator handles this.

Make sure you are connecting and powering up in the proper order. I have SARA so my procedure is different than Navigator.

Do some experimentation. Try and find out when it is recording properly and when it isn't and what the circumstances are. Maybe try rewind during a recording?

I am running a SA8300HD box with a Fantom Green Drive 1TB drive connected here in NYC on TWC. Everything sorta works but I am having some issues. It's running Mysto, which is Navigator I believe.

When I initially connected it, I had everything off. Connected the drive via estata, then turned on both the box and the drive. It went though its boot cycle and when the Mysto countdown hit 6 it said that my drive wasn't properly formatted. It said press A to continue, never said press A to format. I did this, then the countdown resumed. It finished and then rebooted again. Once it came back up, my storage went from 86% to 6%, success!

But....

Some recordings are now showing up in the list but when you select them, the screen just goes black. You cannot FF/RW, you have to change the channel to get out of the program. Then you can go in and delete the program but it never plays. It's real hit and miss, I can't seem to find a pattern to which programs end up like this.

The other thing is that when I reboot the box by unplugging it, it will always say the external drive isn't set up properly and essentially reformats it every time. The capacity is always very low, so it sees the drive, but all the recordings after the reboot are the black screen type listed above.

Is the "black screen" recordings an error related to the external drive? Is it possible it's a low signal issue?

Is my drive really formatted? Is it possible the box sees the drive but can't actually use it? And why would it reformat every time I reboot the box?

Thanks in advance!

hy3na

02-16-12, 12:12 PM

Try a reset/reboot on the 8300. Mine will start limping along similar to what you describe. Eventually it will reboot it self, but it's easier to just do it yourself and be done with it- and you won't be in the middle of something when it decides to do it on its own.

Thx very much -- rebooting 8300hd solved the long delay!

Yesterday I had 2 channels recording simultaneously for a while. When I watched one of those later, the video had issues - frequently it stops briefly and continues - rather annoying but I got thru watching it regardless. I wonder if it was because while I was watching it, there was another channel being recorded. Too bad I deleted the recording from the dvr so I can't now check playing it while the dvr is not recording another program. Did you experience this? I haven't read this whole thread but it might have been discussed-- so I need to explore more of the threads.

Mikos

02-16-12, 12:18 PM

hy3na

02-16-12, 01:40 PM

What is the exact order that I should be powering up? I looked through a few pages but could not find it in the thread.

And yes, it is reformatting after each hard reboot of the box and drive. Each time the box says my "drive is not properly configured do I want to continue press A". I wonder if I need to format it on my computer then reconnect?

Mikos, for Cablevision (w/ SARA) the powering seq which worked for me is to first unplug the ext HDD pwr, reboot 8300HD, turn on TV and 8300HD (I had some channel on tv) then plug the pwr to the Ext HDD. If the HDD format is not correct, it asks whether to format -- if it already has the correct format then it gives a message on how to remove it safely whenever. May be TWC & Mysto work differently, I don't know. Good luck.

Mikos

02-16-12, 01:44 PM

Mikos, for Cablevision (w/ SARA) the powering seq which worked for me is to first unplug the ext HDD pwr, reboot 8300HD, turn on TV and 8300HD (I had some channel on tv) then plug the pwr to the Ext HDD. If the HDD format is not correct, it asks whether to format -- if it already has the correct format then it gives a message on how to remove it safely whenever. May be TWC & Mysto work differently, I don't know. Good luck.

Thanks for the sequence, I will give it a shot. I don't have a lot on the drive, so I won't be losing a ton if it doesn't work properly.

BIGA$$TV

02-16-12, 06:52 PM

No, it should not have glitches like you describe. When everything is fine, you should be able to record two HD programs while watching a recorded HD program- a max stress test. There should be no glitches like you describe. If it is messed up, it recorded that way, the playback is not messed up because something else was recording while you watched.

Thx very much -- rebooting 8300hd solved the long delay!

Yesterday I had 2 channels recording simultaneously for a while. When I watched one of those later, the video had issues - frequently it stops briefly and continues - rather annoying but I got thru watching it regardless. I wonder if it was because while I was watching it, there was another channel being recorded. Too bad I deleted the recording from the dvr so I can't now check playing it while the dvr is not recording another program. Did you experience this? I haven't read this whole thread but it might have been discussed-- so I need to explore more of the threads.

BIGA$$TV

02-16-12, 07:02 PM

hy3na

02-18-12, 11:28 AM

That's not how it works on my SARA system nor is it in the Scientific Atlanta instructions. Now it could very well be that works on Cablevision. Here's the link to the SC PDF. The instructions are on page 16.

http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003986.pdf

Whoops, just noticed OPO has Navigator rather than SARA. I have no idea what the Navigator sequence is. OP can experiment or try and track it down.

Thx for posting that pdf -- I was sure that was the seq I tried but the ext HDD didn't connect. To make sure, I tried that seq according to the doc several times but again the Ext HD didn't connect..(low space & 99% used shows up on dvr). Only difference is my signals go thru a Sony 7.1ch network a/v receiver -- but I don't think that matters. I made sure that was ON and the correct HDMI input was selected.

So I went back and did the seq in my prev post, and voila it connected to Ext HDD w/ a message how to disconnect.

hy3na

02-18-12, 11:47 AM

No, it should not have glitches like you describe. When everything is fine, you should be able to record two HD programs while watching a recorded HD program- a max stress test. There should be no glitches like you describe. If it is messed up, it recorded that way, the playback is not messed up because something else was recording while you watched.

BigAssTV, you are right the glitches are in the recordings not just playback -- noticed the glitches in live TV (yesterday on MSGHD for example) when none was being recorded -- so it recorded the glitches as I see it on live tv. So far I can confirm the recordings from CBS and FOX in HD had annoying glitches. This morning I disconnected and connected all cables and re-booted and re-connected HDD. I didn't noticed anything in the short time I had it on. keeping my fingers crossed. I appreciate your helpful posts. Thanks.

Mikos

02-18-12, 09:03 PM

That's not how it works on my SARA system nor is it in the Scientific Atlanta instructions. Now it could very well be that works on Cablevision. Here's the link to the SC PDF. The instructions are on page 16.

http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003986.pdf

Whoops, just noticed OPO has Navigator rather than SARA. I have no idea what the Navigator sequence is. OP can experiment or try and track it down.

I tried this sequence that was suggested, cable box on, then turn drive on. I then got a dialog box that said "the drive is not formatted, press A to continue". The dialog box is also not like any of the guide menus, it looks like a typical system menu from diagnostics. I have done this in the past and it would then "see" the drive and my space would be reduced. The strange thing is that every time I reboot the cable box, it says my drive isn't formatted. I think I am formatting it every time for whatever reason and I lose all my recordings.

Should I connect it to my pc and format it that way first? Would that help? Can I even get the right format?

I am still getting the "black screen" recordings. This basically means my box says I have the show, but when I hit play, the screen goes black. I can't fast forward or rewind.

I have an appointment with the cable guy on Friday, hopefully it is just a signal issue.

hy3na

02-18-12, 09:29 PM

Mikos, from what I've read, the format is different from NTFS so I think it won't help to format on PC first.

hy3na

02-18-12, 09:51 PM

Glitches are still there on my tv after adding the ext. HDD. It seems to definetely happen when I watch a program and then rewind the same program and watching it with a delay to the live program. Today I was watching CBSHD replay of a Persons of Interest live. About 20 min in, I rewound to almost to the beginning of that show and watched what I had just seen. This time there were glitches (picture & sounds stops briefly and jumps forward (basically small piece gets cutoff while video and audio freezes briefly.) It happens so frequently, that it will be annoying to watch a movie that way. There was nothing being recorded when I observed this today.

The other day the my dvr recordings had these glitches and I remember I had been rewinding and watching one of the programs. I don't know where to go from here. What's going on with this?

BIGA$$TV

02-19-12, 04:14 PM

Mikos

02-19-12, 05:36 PM

hy3na and Mikos, I wish I could help, but I am at a loss. I am not that familiar with Navigator issues as I have SARA. Are you guys working with brand new drives? Mikos, you may want to take a flier and format in a PC in the unlikely event there is something on the HDD that is causing a problem.

Hy3na, can you return your drive? Clearly it is not functioning properly. If you haven't already done so, have you tried to do some test recording without the external attached just to make sure it's not something going on with the 8300 or your signal?

It's a Fantom 1TB Green Drive. I read some others having luck with the drive and my box sees it. It's just odd that every time I reboot the cable box, it says my drive isn't formatted. And my storage percentage drops from a high number down to a single digit.

The "black screen" recordings are bizarre and they just started when I connected the drive to the cable box. All the other program errors prior were pixel issues, nothing like the unplayable recordings I am getting now.

I will connect and format the drive on my computer. And of course, post back the results. I also have a cable guy coming on Friday so we will see what he has to say.

BIGA$$TV

02-19-12, 07:23 PM

Good luck with the cable guy. Usually the first words out of their mouths is "we don't support external drives" or external drives don't work with our boxes".

Quick question: is the black screen all you get? No progress bar? No fast forward arrows?

Also, possible problem could be the esata cable. Got another handy to try? I remember way back when my set up had issues and I found the cable connector wasn't seating properly in the slot.

It's a Fantom 1TB Green Drive. I read some others having luck with the drive and my box sees it. It's just odd that every time I reboot the cable box, it says my drive isn't formatted. And my storage percentage drops from a high number down to a single digit.

The "black screen" recordings are bizarre and they just started when I connected the drive to the cable box. All the other program errors prior were pixel issues, nothing like the unplayable recordings I am getting now.

I will connect and format the drive on my computer. And of course, post back the results. I also have a cable guy coming on Friday so we will see what he has to say.

Mikos

02-20-12, 12:35 AM

Good luck with the cable guy. Usually the first words out of their mouths is "we don't support external drives" or external drives don't work with our boxes".

Quick question: is the black screen all you get? No progress bar? No fast forward arrows?

Also, possible problem could be the esata cable. Got another handy to try? I remember way back when my set up had issues and I found the cable connector wasn't seating properly in the slot.

The black screen programs are just that, a black screen. No progress bar, no arrows, no info. I can't even hit stop. I have to change the channel to get back to a functioning cable box. I can delete these from the list but it's so strange that they appear on the list in the first place.

I will try another cable before the cable guy gets here. I really want to verify that my signal is fine. I don't expect much else after that. It is time Warner after all. :D

BIGA$$TV

02-20-12, 11:26 AM

The lack of the progress bar, etc. indicates that it wasn't just not recording a picture. It's not playing back anything.

The list resides on the internal HDD so that is why it can be deleted. I'd cross my fingers and hope it is something with the esata cable, one or more pins not connected causing a communication problem between the 8300 and the external. I assume you tried pushing hard on the connections trying to seat them. If that isn't the cause, then something is amiss with the external HDD in which case I hope you can return it.

The black screen programs are just that, a black screen. No progress bar, no arrows, no info. I can't even hit stop. I have to change the channel to get back to a functioning cable box. I can delete these from the list but it's so strange that they appear on the list in the first place.

I will try another cable before the cable guy gets here. I really want to verify that my signal is fine. I don't expect much else after that. It is time Warner after all. :D

hy3na

02-21-12, 01:37 PM

hy3na and Mikos, I wish I could help, but I am at a loss. I am not that familiar with Navigator issues as I have SARA. Are you guys working with brand new drives? Mikos, you may want to take a flier and format in a PC in the unlikely event there is something on the HDD that is causing a problem.

Hy3na, can you return your drive? Clearly it is not functioning properly. If you haven't already done so, have you tried to do some test recording without the external attached just to make sure it's not something going on with the 8300 or your signal?

Thanks for your help.
- My HDD is Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB (WD1001FALS) from Amazon
- Enclosure is Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK (from Newegg)
both bought new within the last couple of weeks.
Before I connected the HDD I definitely had no such glitches. Also the recordings when left alone seem to come out fine. i.e., recordings when no one was watching tv are ok. Somehow rewinding and playing with delay is causing glitches (even when not recording anything). This did not happen before connecting the HDD (I would've definitely noticed it). Anyway I will test this again w/o the HDD as you suggested just to confirm. The new drive now has a recording that I'd hate to delete. It sucks if I have to return it. Just to confirm, I didn't jump any pins on the HDD -- hope it's not a case of not jump certain pins. Should I try connecting the HDD w/o the Enclosure?

BIGA$$TV

02-21-12, 03:33 PM

Yeah, certainly worth a shot to connect the drive bare. You'll need a power supply and connector. That way you would rule out a bad enclosure.

BTW, since apparently you have a valuable recording on the external drive, it must work sometimes? Occasionally I get bad recordings, but I am pretty sure cable related rather than a recording problem. I'd definitely do a little testing without the external just to make sure the cable and cable box aren't experiencing some problems.

Thanks for your help.
- My HDD is Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB (WD1001FALS) from Amazon
- Enclosure is Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK (from Newegg)
both bought new within the last couple of weeks.
Before I connected the HDD I definitely had no such glitches. Also the recordings when left alone seem to come out fine. i.e., recordings when no one was watching tv are ok. Somehow rewinding and playing with delay is causing glitches (even when not recording anything). This did not happen before connecting the HDD (I would've definitely noticed it). Anyway I will test this again w/o the HDD as you suggested just to confirm. The new drive now has a recording that I'd hate to delete. It sucks if I have to return it. Just to confirm, I didn't jump any pins on the HDD -- hope it's not a case of not jump certain pins. Should I try connecting the HDD w/o the Enclosure?

Mikos

02-22-12, 09:03 AM

The lack of the progress bar, etc. indicates that it wasn't just not recording a picture. It's not playing back anything.

The list resides on the internal HDD so that is why it can be deleted. I'd cross my fingers and hope it is something with the esata cable, one or more pins not connected causing a communication problem between the 8300 and the external. I assume you tried pushing hard on the connections trying to seat them. If that isn't the cause, then something is amiss with the external HDD in which case I hope you can return it.

Took a step back last night. I swapped out cables and the box doesn't even see the drive now. It may be a port issue on the box since the drive is fine. I will see what the deal is when the cable guy comes, probably will push him for a new box.

hy3na

02-22-12, 03:24 PM

Yeah, certainly worth a shot to connect the drive bare. You'll need a power supply and connector. That way you would rule out a bad enclosure.

BTW, since apparently you have a valuable recording on the external drive, it must work sometimes? Occasionally I get bad recordings, but I am pretty sure cable related rather than a recording problem. I'd definitely do a little testing without the external just to make sure the cable and cable box aren't experiencing some problems.

Interesting note: Today I found that the glitches can also happen just on playback. i.e., soon after I found a glitch on a recording, I rewound back to replay it and it played w/o a glitch. There are some glitches inherent in the recording as they were recorded while playing back tv on another channel when glitches are observed. The reordings w/o other activities, have no inherent glitches! Also the glitches are much fewer now -- about once in about 5 mins. I haven't done anything but am debating whether to return the HD (BTW, the recoding on it that I wanted to keep will be re-run on Feb 26th so if I get a new HD before that, I can re-record it.)
Question: how much cache on your HD? Mine is 32MB and 7200rpm. Wonder if it needs 64MB cache. Also I'm using the SATA cable which came w/ the HD. So...HDD or SATA cable or SATA port on 8300HD.. Too bad I don't have a spare SATA cable on hand.

hy3na

02-22-12, 03:34 PM

Took a step back last night. I swapped out cables and the box doesn't even see the drive now. It may be a port issue on the box since the drive is fine. I will see what the deal is when the cable guy comes, probably will push him for a new box.

Last time I tried for a 2nd 8300HD box, I was told that Cablevision doesn't give out 8300HD boxes anymore. I was told about a new dvr service where one dvr can work from any tv in the house but at an added price. I'm not sure if they will give a 8300HD to replace a defective 8300HD though.

Hopefully you can get it replaced since you are w/ TWC. Best w/ cable guy.

Mikos

02-24-12, 02:26 PM

Well the cable guy came and went. Funny thing was he hooked up a newer Cisco/SA box, can't remember the model number. Said it was a bigger capacity but needed to update the software. I had to take a call from a client and by the time I was done I had a Samsung box and the guy was gone. My wife who was home said the guy swapped boxes and left. She doesn't really get all this tech nonsense.:o

So....I will see if I can boost the capacity of this box. So far what I have read it doesn't look likely. This Sammy box does have a 320GB drive so it's twice the capacity of the old 8300.

hy3na

02-25-12, 09:51 AM

Solved!

BIGA$$TV, you nailed it. It is a faulty HDD. I had Amazon send me a second unit of the same model and it worked w/o a glitch -- recording 2 hd programs while watching another recorded hd. Thanks for the suggestion to return the HDD and finally I have glitch-free hdtv!

Before this I had taken the HDD out of the Rosewill enclosure and put it in a empty computer case w/ a pwr supply -- worked ok for about 30 minutes before I encountered glitches. Now the replacement HDD is in the same case. How safe is it in the case ? I had to jump couple of pins in the pwr supply main connector to keep pwr on to HDD.

BIGA$$TV

02-25-12, 11:14 AM

Great! Perseverance pays off!

HDD probably should be fine in the case. Keep monitoring.

Solved!

BIGA$$TV, you nailed it. It is a faulty HDD. I had Amazon send me a second unit of the same model and it worked w/o a glitch -- recording 2 hd programs while watching another recorded hd. Thanks for the suggestion to return the HDD and finally I have glitch-free hdtv!

Before this I had taken the HDD out of the Rosewill enclosure and put it in a empty computer case w/ a pwr supply -- worked ok for about 30 minutes before I encountered glitches. Now the replacement HDD is in the same case. How safe is it in the case ? I had to jump couple of pins in the pwr supply main connector to keep pwr on to HDD.

hy3na

03-08-12, 04:31 PM

Strange.. sometimes the dvr stops recording before the program's end. Yesterday 1 hr program only recorded 38 min. Looks like it is doing this after I had put my HDD back in the Rosewill enclosure. I was watching the program from the recording with a lag while it was recording and annoyed to find out that the recording has stopped after 38 min..Somehow it seem not like me watching it from beginning while it is still recording it. Anyone experience something similar?

BIGA$$TV

03-08-12, 09:35 PM

Yeah, happens to me from time to time- maybe once a month. Seems to be no rhyme or reason, it just stops leaving a partial program. I have to believe it is the DVR and has nothing to do with the external.

Strange.. sometimes the dvr stops recording before the program's end. Yesterday 1 hr program only recorded 38 min. Looks like it is doing this after I had put my HDD back in the Rosewill enclosure. I was watching the program from the recording with a lag while it was recording and annoyed to find out that the recording has stopped after 38 min..Somehow it seem not like me watching it from beginning while it is still recording it. Anyone experience something similar?

danno321s

03-11-12, 11:42 AM

Yeah, happens to me from time to time- maybe once a month. Seems to be no rhyme or reason, it just stops leaving a partial program. I have to believe it is the DVR and has nothing to do with the external.

It has nothing to with eSata drive. I have a cable card in Moxi DVR and it happens to me since about 3 months ago. Very annoying but that is what you get in a monopolistic market. I might $hitcan my video from cable in 6-12 month.

burts

03-12-12, 10:42 PM

BIGA$$TV

03-13-12, 03:04 PM

Sure sounds like that's the plan- reformat on your PC.

I had to get a new dvr box but it keeps saying that my hard drive is for another set top. Do i have to reformat it on my pc first? Now my box is stuck on a l-13 countdown after i powered everything off and disconnected the hard drive.

danki6x

03-13-12, 05:29 PM

I had to get a new dvr box but it keeps saying that my hard drive is for another set top. Do i have to reformat it on my pc first? Now my box is stuck on a l-13 countdown after i powered everything off and disconnected the hard drive.

Also make sure it works without the drive. You may have two issues. Without the drive problem TWC will help with. /Dan

RickK101

03-17-12, 12:46 PM

I wish I'd found this discussion thread before purchasing my current drive.

We recently upgraded our Optimum IO (Cablevision) DVR to HD and discovered that the DVR capacity was very limited. So I bought the Iomega 34508 eSATA drive. After a couple tries, the 8300HD DVR unit recognized the space and we were happy.

Alas, we get pauses and pixelation glitches every few minutes now - worse when recording in the background. This seemed to start a couple weeks after we got it. The eSATA cable is shielded.

Any suggestions other than return it and get a WD drive?

Thanks!

BIGA$$TV

03-17-12, 04:27 PM

Have you checked the data base to see if others have had success with the drive you have?

I saw a Black Caviar 1tb advertised on Newegg for $119.

I wish I'd found this discussion thread before purchasing my current drive.

We recently upgraded our Optimum IO (Cablevision) DVR to HD and discovered that the DVR capacity was very limited. So I bought the Iomega 34508 eSATA drive. After a couple tries, the 8300HD DVR unit recognized the space and we were happy.

Alas, we get pauses and pixelation glitches every few minutes now - worse when recording in the background. This seemed to start a couple weeks after we got it. The eSATA cable is shielded.

Any suggestions other than return it and get a WD drive?

Thanks!

originalsnuffy

04-09-12, 09:12 PM

Is there a recommended order for getting the SA8300HD to reconnect with the drive?

I turned on the 8300HD, and only a few videos were showing on the My Recordings menu, indicating that the eternal drive was not being recognized. After jiggling cables and turning on and off power, the drive was recognized. I booted down the 8300HD and re-booted. The capacity shows properly now; but still can't access old recordings.

I just tried powering everything off, powering on the external drive, then powering on the 8300. But it sure would be nice to know if there is a recognized method to get everything to synchronize properly again and access previously recorded material on the external hard drive.

Thanks.

BIGA$$TV

04-09-12, 11:51 PM

The listing of recordings is kept on the internal drive, i.e. even if you disconnected the external, they would still show when you brought up the list, they just wouldn't play. Have you done a reset? Disconnect power to the 8300, plug back in while pressing the power button in.

No drive is "eternal". :o

Is there a recommended order for getting the SA8300HD to reconnect with the drive?

I turned on the 8300HD, and only a few videos were showing on the My Recordings menu, indicating that the eternal drive was not being recognized. After jiggling cables and turning on and off power, the drive was recognized. I booted down the 8300HD and re-booted. The capacity shows properly now; but still can't access old recordings.

I just tried powering everything off, powering on the external drive, then powering on the 8300. But it sure would be nice to know if there is a recognized method to get everything to synchronize properly again and access previously recorded material on the external hard drive.

Thanks.

originalsnuffy

04-10-12, 01:16 PM

BIGA$$TV,

I have done quite a few re-sets, but none while pressing in the power button.

If that does not work; is there a way to force the unit to rebuild a playlist? I am on Comcast in Minneapolis.

As noted before, it seems to know about media on the drive within the 8300, knows it has more storage available on the other drive, but does not seem to know what is on the other drive. I keep getting messages about the external drive being recognized, and the storage available percentage changes based on whether the "external" drive is plugged in or not. But the available media list only shows recently recorded items, which I presume are on the internal drive.

Thanks.

if200

04-10-12, 01:31 PM

My older WD DVR Expander stopped working. It may be the cable so I ordered a new one to try.

They seem to have stopped selling this model except for WD direct and they only sell ones that say they are compatible with Verizon DVRs. Does anyone know if the WD that says it only works with a verizon dvr will work with the 8300HD?

If not should I go with the Iomega which seems to be the only game in town for ready to use out of the box? Otherwise I guess I will have to figure out how to build my own.

Thanks!

http://store.westerndigital.com/store/wdus/en_US/pd/ThemeID.21986300/productID.220190900/parid.13092400/catid.13094600/categoryID.52348200

BIGA$$TV

04-10-12, 02:49 PM

Have you looked at the data base on drives that work? Link is on page 1 of this thread.

It is very easy to put together an external. I was a little wary at first, but a bare drive simply slides into the case. No way to mess up really. Alternatively, you can set up a bare drive. All you need is a power supply and some cables. Try Amazon and Newegg for drives, cases,etc.

My older WD DVR Expander stopped working. It may be the cable so I ordered a new one to try.

They seem to have stopped selling this model except for WD direct and they only sell ones that say they are compatible with Verizon DVRs. Does anyone know if the WD that says it only works with a verizon dvr will work with the 8300HD?

If not should I go with the Iomega which seems to be the only game in town for ready to use out of the box? Otherwise I guess I will have to figure out how to build my own.

Thanks!

http://store.westerndigital.com/store/wdus/en_US/pd/ThemeID.21986300/productID.220190900/parid.13092400/catid.13094600/categoryID.52348200

BIGA$$TV

04-10-12, 02:53 PM

Probably SOL if the reset doesn't work. Must have corrupted the internal HDD. I'm just guessing here.

BIGA$$TV,

I have done quite a few re-sets, but none while pressing in the power button.

If that does not work; is there a way to force the unit to rebuild a playlist? I am on Comcast in Minneapolis.

As noted before, it seems to know about media on the drive within the 8300, knows it has more storage available on the other drive, but does not seem to know what is on the other drive. I keep getting messages about the external drive being recognized, and the storage available percentage changes based on whether the "external" drive is plugged in or not. But the available media list only shows recently recorded items, which I presume are on the internal drive.

Thanks.

originalsnuffy

04-10-12, 07:06 PM

Probably SOL if the reset doesn't work. Must have corrupted the internal HDD. I'm just guessing here.

Unfortunately this reset did not work either. I will gladly takes any resurrection tips. After all, one must save those "eternal" drives!

If it can not be saved do I just reformat the external drive back to ntfs and then let the DVD format the drive again? The DVD does not really offer a menu for the external drive operation.

Shame to lose all that stored media.

ripgear

04-12-12, 06:07 AM

I had purchased a Fantom 1.5 TB Green drive for my Cablevision HD8300 - Plugged it in , it formatted correctly tested fine ...
Went on vacation and returned to a drive not recognized message- dozens of 'black recordings", inability to pause etc.....:(

I read a lot here -and tried everything. Several reformats and similar results.
After aprrox 10-12 % full with the new drive - the system would beging to fail - more black recordings - inability to pauseand continue etc.

I removed the Green drive from the fantom case as I thought the Spindle speed of 5900 RPMS could be the issue (Cablevision tech said 7200 required)- and put in a Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS.

This was recognized and formated fine - however after several days when I reached around 12% free space (according to the DVR) the same issues began again.

I startd to think that the 1.5 TB size could be the issue as the 8300 never properly reported the correct size in the diags screens ( it always showed size=1 TB and free space = 1 TB regardless of usage).

So I looked for a way to shrink my 1.5 TB drive to under 1 TB and found this link

search for techwarelabs.com/seagate_1-5tb-mod/

Note that the link describes a process to shrink the drive down to 300 GB.
I used a differnt Max LBA address of 1900000000 which resulted in a size of 974 GB. This was done on using the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS.

Put all back together and it now has hit 18% full and I have experinced no issues.
Also the 8300 diag screens see the drive partition size at 970 GB and show current free space at 820 GB,

A cold boot recognized the drive as ready to use (no format request)
All seems well - and I will update with any additional info as necessary.
:cool:

xnappo

04-12-12, 09:00 AM

Hi Guys,

Haven't posted here in a long time as I went the TiVo route a while back.

I have now gone to using a Ceton card in an HTPC with WMC.

It is soooo nice to not have to worry about storage space or stupid cable company upgrades breaking things.

Granted - it has it's own set of issues, but if you have the time, it is well worth it. IMHO of course.

xnappo

BIGA$$TV

04-12-12, 11:33 AM

Nice work. As I began reading your post, I immediately thought ahead, I bet he reduced the size of his drive because 1.5tb won't work. Sure enough, that's what you did. I hope it continues to work.

I had purchased a Fantom 1.5 TB Green drive for my Cablevision HD8300 - Plugged it in , it formatted correctly tested fine ...
Went on vacation and returned to a drive not recognized message- dozens of 'black recordings", inability to pause etc.....:(

I read a lot here -and tried everything. Several reformats and similar results.
After aprrox 10-12 % full with the new drive - the system would beging to fail - more black recordings - inability to pauseand continue etc.

I removed the Green drive from the fantom case as I thought the Spindle speed of 5900 RPMS could be the issue (Cablevision tech said 7200 required)- and put in a Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS.

This was recognized and formated fine - however after several days when I reached around 12% free space (according to the DVR) the same issues began again.

I startd to think that the 1.5 TB size could be the issue as the 8300 never properly reported the correct size in the diags screens ( it always showed size=1 TB and free space = 1 TB regardless of usage).

So I looked for a way to shrink my 1.5 TB drive to under 1 TB and found this link

search for techwarelabs.com/seagate_1-5tb-mod/

Note that the link describes a process to shrink the drive down to 300 GB.
I used a differnt Max LBA address of 1900000000 which resulted in a size of 974 GB. This was done on using the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS.

Put all back together and it now has hit 18% full and I have experinced no issues.
Also the 8300 diag screens see the drive partition size at 970 GB and show current free space at 820 GB,

A cold boot recognized the drive as ready to use (no format request)
All seems well - and I will update with any additional info as necessary.
:cool:

BIGA$$TV

04-12-12, 11:35 AM

I've been thinking of going TIVO, but I keep reading about too many problems. I've always had an HTPC on my mind too.

Hi Guys,

Haven't posted here in a long time as I went the TiVo route a while back.

I have now gone to using a Ceton card in an HTPC with WMC.

It is soooo nice to not have to worry about storage space or stupid cable company upgrades breaking things.

Granted - it has it's own set of issues, but if you have the time, it is well worth it. IMHO of course.

xnappo

if200

04-19-12, 12:50 PM

BIGA$$TV

04-19-12, 04:34 PM

???? Do you mean an "external" sata drive? Pretty sure that 1tb is the max.

Here's the Navigator data base linked on page 1 of this thread. I have a WD black caviar which seems to work well for people.

http://www.baseportal.com/baseportal/xnappo/navigator

My DVR Expander did die. I know I have mystro and navigator but can't tell what software I have even from the diagnostic menu. I am looking to buy an internal sata drive with an enclosure but am not sure which one to buy. Would like to get a 2tb. I have TWC and am in NYC.

Thanks

danki6x

04-19-12, 04:34 PM

My DVR Expander did die. I know I have mystro and navigator but can't tell what software I have even from the diagnostic menu. I am looking to buy an internal sata drive with an enclosure but am not sure which one to buy. Would like to get a 2tb. I have TWC and am in NYC.

Thanks
Most people seem to indicate problems above 1TB. I would not bother trying anything higher. Also, your machine model would help (you said in NYC). Then maybe someone can recommend the method to check the version. /Dan

BWX

04-20-12, 02:44 AM

Yup Western Digital Black 1TB is what I got after my 500 GB one died after being on since 2007. Still using same Azio enclosure from 2007 though. Getting correct enclosure is important too.

if200

04-20-12, 11:26 AM

Thanks for info. I have the Scientific Atlantic 8300HD. I thought you buy an internal drive and the enclosure instead of an external drive. Do you also need a power source and is it the same esata cable that came with the dvr expander or do you need a different one? I did read that if you go above 1TB you could have problems so thank you for confirming that.

BIGA$$TV

04-20-12, 09:18 PM

I think I see what you mean. Yes, buy a bare sata drive, buy a case, put them together. Yes, you can use your existing esata cable.

BTW, are you sure that your current expander is really dead?

Saw a black caviar on Newegg for $119. Price seems to be coming down. Not to pre flood levels, but better.

Thanks for info. I have the Scientific Atlantic 8300HD. I thought you buy an internal drive and the enclosure instead of an external drive. Do you also need a power source and is it the same esata cable that came with the dvr expander or do you need a different one? I did read that if you go above 1TB you could have problems so thank you for confirming that.

danno321s

04-21-12, 10:11 AM

I think I see what you mean. Yes, buy a bare sata drive, buy a case, put them together. Yes, you can use your existing esata cable.

BTW, are you sure that your current expander is really dead?

Saw a black caviar on Newegg for $119. Price seems to be coming down. Not to pre flood levels, but better.

The Rosewill Aluminum enclosure (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173042) works too and is very quiet; fan can be turned off. ebay used drive (http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Seagate-Barracuda-7200-12-1-TB-Internal-7200-RPM-3-5-ST31000528AS-Hard-Drive-/78629309?_dmpt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&_pcategid=158829&_pcatid=401&_refkw=ST31000528AS&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A606 4&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14) may be an option to get 1GB for good price; just make sure it was not used in a DVR previously.

Macc3

04-28-12, 10:56 AM

I just switched to a Kingwin EZ-Dock instead of an outside casing with a fan (noisy or not). It works fine, no fan and no screws. They are $20 at Frys Electronics. Also, I plugged in a 2TB drive and it wouldn't locate it. Some months back, I also switched to the Caviar Black 1TB drive, and, although not completely perfect, most of the video and audio stuttering, pausing, etc. is now gone.

BWX

04-28-12, 07:33 PM

I bought this and tested it and it works---
Rosewill RX35-AT-SC SLV Full Aluminum Cover, Metal Tray 3.5" Silver USB2.0 & eSATA External Enclosure
$29.99 at Newegg. Was $19.99 when I bought it *6/6/2011.

And this HD---
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$139.99 at Newegg. Was $89.99 when I bought it *6/6/2011.

I use that drive for PS3 backup though.. not for DVR expander, but before I put backup on it, I tested it on my 8300HD with navigator and it worked.

If my Azio enclosure from 2007 ever dies, I'll use that Rosewill.

BWX

04-28-12, 08:08 PM

wtf dp

BWX

04-28-12, 08:08 PM

This one has a fan..

Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK (Black) 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan
$29.99

-------- and in the reviews at newegg -----------
''Works for my DVR!'' 4/9/2012 8:32:49 PM

''Pros: Build quality seems good. Easy to follow instructions for installation.

Cons: Six screws to disassemble the unit to install or remove a drive. Power and drive activity lights are ridiculously bright.

Other Thoughts: I used this enclosure with a Western Digital 640 GB HDD as an external expansion drive for my Time Warner/Scientific Atlanta 8300 DVR. After securing the HDD in the enclosure, I powered down everything, then connected the enclosure to the eSata port on the DVR, then powered up the drive enclosure, then powered up the DVR. The DVR immediately recognized the drive, formatted it, and my DVR went from 71% full to 8% full. It's been working great since then, but I'll need to put some black tape over the power and drive activity lights, as they are distracting when trying to watch TV.''
--------------------------
So that's something I guess...

if200

04-30-12, 02:40 PM

Thanks for the advice. Missed The WD Blac cavier on sale for $99 at staples last week. It is $119 at Newegg or I have a Staples coupon so about the same with tax.

I have two questions. 1) Do I need a power source or does a power source come with the enclosure?

2) with the enclosure it will cost a little over $150. would I be better off getting the iomega 1TB dvr expander for $180 and not have to fool with anything?

Also, I found this model that claims it is a dvr expander, Fantom GreenDrive 1TB USB 2.0/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive GD1000E which is $130 at New Egg with free shipping since I have shoprunner or $119 plus about $6 in shipping from tiger direct. I think Tigerdirect has a better return policy and Newegg doesn't pricematch. The chart on the first page says that people have had success with this model.

Thx so much!

BWX

05-01-12, 09:42 AM

Not sure about those all in one dvr expanders.. You'll be taking your chances unless you get someone that tried it to confirm. Some things work for some people and not others. I'd check what exact model of HD is in it. Sometimes they ''work'' technically, but glitch because of poor HD performance.

BIGA$$TV

05-01-12, 11:47 AM

I too was a little apprehensive about putting a bare drive in a case. However, it is simple and only takes a few minutes. The drive just slides into its contact points. Just need to make sure you don't crimp any wires. I recommend you stick with the tried and true Black Caviar. Power source comes with enclosure.

Thanks for the advice. Missed The WD Blac cavier on sale for $99 at staples last week. It is $119 at Newegg or I have a Staples coupon so about the same with tax.

I have two questions. 1) Do I need a power source or does a power source come with the enclosure?

2) with the enclosure it will cost a little over $150. would I be better off getting the iomega 1TB dvr expander for $180 and not have to fool with anything?

Also, I found this model that claims it is a dvr expander, Fantom GreenDrive 1TB USB 2.0/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive GD1000E which is $130 at New Egg with free shipping since I have shoprunner or $119 plus about $6 in shipping from tiger direct. I think Tigerdirect has a better return policy and Newegg doesn't pricematch. The chart on the first page says that people have had success with this model.

Thx so much!

if200

05-01-12, 11:49 AM

Thanks BWX. The Fantom drive seems to be the least expensive easiest solution. Several people with my model have had success with it and if it doesn't work I can return it. So I think I will try it.

Will report back.

BWX

05-01-12, 02:30 PM

I'd get a WD Caviar Black and an enclosure.. but yeah you can always return it I guess.

if200

05-01-12, 10:29 PM

Ok. I get the point:) Last question. Can I use the esata to esata cable that came with the dvr expander or will i need a different one? Thanks

BIGA$$TV

05-02-12, 12:55 PM

Your old cable will be fine (if it used to be fine). Did you ever answer my question about whether you were sure your old set up was bad?

Ok. I get the point:) Last question. Can I use the esata to esata cable that came with the dvr expander or will i need a different one? Thanks

if200

05-03-12, 01:12 AM

Bryan_CoxPHX

05-03-12, 04:43 AM

Yes I'm pretty sure it is done. I unplugged everything for 24 hours. I tried a new cable and I connected it to another box and that didn't recognize the drive at all. If I unplug it while the box is on it says..to disconnect external hard drive wait 10 seconds. Don't see anyway it can be revived.

As far as the Fantom goes, it seems the hard drive is a WD cavier green drive. I'm not really clear on the black vs. green issue.

Thanks!

Did you ever connect the external drive to a computer and run any HDD utilities to check the drive. Like WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic tools or Seagate SeaTools. They would tell you if the drive was good or bad.

BIGA$$TV

05-03-12, 11:03 AM

I would avoid the Fantom if it has the Green. I bought a Green way back and it did not run right- frequent glitches. Had to go Black.

Yes I'm pretty sure it is done. I unplugged everything for 24 hours. I tried a new cable and I connected it to another box and that didn't recognize the drive at all. If I unplug it while the box is on it says..to disconnect external hard drive wait 10 seconds. Don't see anyway it can be revived.

As far as the Fantom goes, it seems the hard drive is a WD cavier green drive. I'm not really clear on the black vs. green issue.

Thanks!

if200

05-03-12, 11:12 AM

danki6x

05-03-12, 04:35 PM

I connected the dvr expander to my computer and it says the device is working properly but I don't see a way to view the contents. Also, I couldn't find a WD diagnostic for this model. I would just reformat it if that is an option. btw, the model numner is wd5000f032. thx

You won't see the contents since formatted different. Try a computer format (FAT32) and then hook back on the DVR if formats. Probably would work again. /Dan

if200

05-03-12, 05:19 PM

Thanks. I tried reformatting the drive and it said it couldn't because the drive is no good. Onwards and upwards. Will buy a new one. Really appreciate all the advice

Millenial88

05-10-12, 01:30 AM

I've been dying to use an external HDD for my 8300HD for a while now. I already tried with my Seagate Goflex and wasted a wealth of money on additional parts to see if it'll work out to no avail. The only thing I know is that the HDD needs to be a permissible model by the cable provider (in my case, Cablevision of Woodbury, NY). I contacted them and they couldn't help me for ****, so I've desperately come to you guys. Could you give me a rundown on what HDD's can work for my DVR. (Excuse me if I'm rambling here)

phousley

05-10-12, 07:47 AM

Start by reading the first post of this thread. It'll point you to a database listing other user's experiences with various external drives.

danno321s

05-10-12, 11:26 AM

scnrfrq

05-11-12, 10:31 AM

Just replaced my 8300 with a Cisco 8742HDC. Can't get my external hard drive to work with it. Any suggestions?

RickK101

05-12-12, 08:23 PM

I tried a WD Caviar Black 1TB (Thermaltake Max 5 enclosure) with my 8300HD. It seemed good at first because (I think) it was still recording just to the internal 8300HD. But now, after a week of recording, it glitches and pixellates every couple minutes. Totally and completely frustrating.

BIGA$$TV

05-13-12, 11:17 AM

It would immediately start recording to the new drive. It records to the drive with the least percentage of space used.

Try a reboot.

Could be a case issue. Does that case have a lot of success based on the data base?

I tried a WD Caviar Black 1TB (Thermaltake Max 5 enclosure) with my 8300HD. It seemed good at first because (I think) it was still recording just to the internal 8300HD. But now, after a week of recording, it glitches and pixellates every couple minutes. Totally and completely frustrating.

highgrovemanor

05-18-12, 08:20 AM

s there any trick to getting an SA 8300 (or whatever we get in Houston) to remount the shows on an external hard drive that it doesn't seem to be able to load the shows on?

Background: had to move the DVR, so everthing was powered down, and resetup. It took a couple of tries to get it to see the shows on the external, but it did.

Now that its back in the HT rack, it just doesn't want to play the shows. I realize it keeps the listing of the shows on the internal drive, but it shows 16% used and just shows a blank screen on 2/3s of the shows.

So is there a particular power down / power up sequence? The drive has NOT been attached to anything but the current DVR.

TIA! As its gonna be a sad day if I've lost 2/3s of my shows as there is quite a few series I had abunch of episodes to watch.

Steve

BIGA$$TV

05-18-12, 11:00 AM

You really didn't provide much into on your software. I have SARA and every once in a while I get the problem you have. What I do is with the external connected, reboot the 8300 by unplugging the power cord, waiting a few seconds, then plugging it back in while pushing in the power button on the 8300 and keeping it pushed in until "boot" on the front panel goes away and the unit reboots itself.

s there any trick to getting an SA 8300 (or whatever we get in Houston) to remount the shows on an external hard drive that it doesn't seem to be able to load the shows on?

Background: had to move the DVR, so everthing was powered down, and resetup. It took a couple of tries to get it to see the shows on the external, but it did.

Now that its back in the HT rack, it just doesn't want to play the shows. I realize it keeps the listing of the shows on the internal drive, but it shows 16% used and just shows a blank screen on 2/3s of the shows.

So is there a particular power down / power up sequence? The drive has NOT been attached to anything but the current DVR.

TIA! As its gonna be a sad day if I've lost 2/3s of my shows as there is quite a few series I had abunch of episodes to watch.

Steve