UPDATED INFO

Xnappo's SATA Databases. Tracks compatibility issues between SA8300HD and various SATA drives/enclosures:
SA8300HD eSATA Compatibility Database (SARA) (http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/xnappo/main)
SA8300HD eSATA Compatibility Database (Passport) (http://www.baseportal.com/baseportal/xnappo/passport)
Interactive Program Guide Images. Useful for determing which software is being used:
Image of SARA IPG (http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/sara_guide.JPG)
Image of Passport IPG (http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/passport_guide.JPG)
Installation Instructions
Pepar's Passport Installation Link (www.peparsplace.com)


ORIGINAL POST
At least in Shrewsbury, MA. Our town owns and operates its own cable company, so they do their own thing, but we're running SARA version 1.85.17.3.

So, I ordered the following items:

External enclosure (black plastic)-
http://www.addonics.com/products/external_hdd/aeehdsa35.asp

SATA I to eSATA External Cable-
*** LINK NOW DEAD

And a 120GB Maxtor Ultra Series SATA drive.

I plugged the unit in as described in the 8300HD manuals found online, and the 8300HD recognized the external drive and asked me if I wanted to format it. Once this was done (it did this very quickly) the remaining disk space on my existing 8300HD increased accordingly.

Now, I had to "fill up" my fairly new 8300HD's internal drive enough to equalize the remaining disk space on each drive. Once this was done, the 8300HD recorded my next recording to the external drive (the 8300HD always records to the drive with the most remaining space, and ping pongs back and forth).

So, if anyone has any questions, let me know.
-D

Interesting.

What was your total cost (by item)?

Enclosure - $35 plus shipping
Cable - $12.50 plus shipping
Drive - had this already, but about $100 retail.

So, about $150 for 120GB - about 15 more hours of HD.

-D

I didn't see a price for the cable, but it looks like the enclosure was about $35 and the drive around $110. So, for less than $200 it looks like you got about 15 hrs of added HD recording capacity. It looks like the 250GB drive would add another $100 to the total cost, assuming it would also work. Am I close?

Yes, see my post above.

Wow! I'm amazed. Maxtor's prepackaged drive for this purpose implied that the provider would have to hit the SA8300HD with a command to enable the function. I assumed that this was to let them force you to lease them from them. Either yours came "pre-enabled" or Maxtor was wrong. Cool.

Just as planned.

Originally posted by DMILANI
Yes, see my post above. :) I was composing and checking your links, etc., while you were posting. Guess I shoud have refreshed before posting. LOL

Bump!

Thanks dmilani for posting your success, and for pointing out an additional source for parts.

Anybody here tried this on the 8300HD with Passport?

We're getting unconfirmed reports that this functionality is not yet enabled in Passport.

Do you think 120Gb is the max, or we can try bigger?

Originally posted by templeofdoom
Thanks dmilani for posting your successI'll second this. Very cool post!

Like michaeltscott mentioned above ... I was a little worried about "something" preventing you from using any ole drive ... forcing you to only rent a drive from your cable company ...

Good to see I was wrong.

Thanks again for trying this out and posting your results ...

sgr, I used a 120GB because that is what I had.

Supposedly, the dedicated one that Maxtor will sell will be available in a 300GB version.

Also, Silicon Image demonstrated with Scientific Atlanta (at CES) a RAID system that will allow expansion of the 8300HD up to several Terabytes.

-D

Anyone try this on cablevision 8300hd?

Originally posted by LJG
Anyone try this on cablevision 8300hd?I'd note:
1) SARA v. Passport - OP is on SARA ... templeofdoom notes uncertainty on Passport
2) Firmware version - Seems like the later the firmware ... the better the possibility. OP says he's on 1.85.17.3. Will my 1.83.4.a8 software work? Hmmm ... maybe not ...

>>Also, Silicon Image demonstrated with Scientific Atlanta (at CES) a RAID system that will allow expansion of the 8300HD up to several Terabytes.<<

Great i know that Lacie make external SATA In a raid array for a terabytes

Originally posted by dt_dc
2) Firmware version - Seems like the later the firmware ... the better the possibility. OP says he's on 1.85.17.3. Will my 1.83.4.a8 software work? Hmmm ... maybe not ...

Is that a 8000HD firmware version because my SA8300HD (Cox Fairfax, VA)has firmware version of 1.85.14.3 (or somewhere close to that number,) last time I checked.

When I get time, I may order some parts and see if it will work for me. I'd get at least a 300GB SATA HDD.

Originally posted by Foxbat121
Is that a 8000HD firmware version because my SA8300HD (Cox Fairfax, VA)has firmware version of 1.85.14.3 (or somewhere close to that number,) last time I checked.Just trying to make a point ... ie, people experimenting should note firmware version along with success / failure.

Originally posted by Foxbat121
Is that a 8000HD firmware version because my SA8300HD (Cox Fairfax, VA)has firmware version of 1.85.14.3 (or somewhere close to that number,) last time I checked. My contact at TW here in town told me that the 8000 and 8300 units use the same software. The 8300s they're testing now have Passport v1.8.xxx while their current 8000s have v1.5.xxx. He said the 8000 units will be upgraded to the same 1.8.xxx soon (probably when they release the 8300s to the public).

Originally posted by hall
My contact at TW here in town told me that the 8000 and 8300 units use the same software. The 8300s they're testing now have Passport v1.8.xxx while their current 8000s have v1.5.xxx. He said the 8000 units will be upgraded to the same 1.8.xxx soon (probably when they release the 8300s to the public).

That is the magic of passport: run same software across different boxes, even boxes from different brands. SARA software is different. It only runs on SA boxes and different boxes usually have totally different software.

I had a question about how programs are stored (internal or external dive) ... but it's answered here:
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003986.pdf

FYI:
How the SATA drive works with the 8300HD
Recordings are balanced between the internal hard drive on the 8300HD and the external SATA drive as follows:
* A recording is not split between an internal and external hard drive.
* The 8300HD automatically stores complete program using the following space available logic:
- If the external SATA drive has more space available, the SATA drive stores the next recording.
- If the internal hard drive on the 8300HD has more space available, the internal hard drive stores the next recording.

Are these recordings keyed to the serial number of the player? ie. could I put recordings on the external drive and then plug that drive into a different 8300HD box? Even if not it might be a neat way to archive stuff.

Still pretty impractical because its difficult to get your recording to be where you want it to be. I guess you would have to record the same show using both tuners to make sure it goes on both drives, then erase one.

Originally posted by kromkamp
Are these recordings keyed to the serial number of the player? ie. could I put recordings on the external drive and then plug that drive into a different 8300HD box?According to the following two links, no you can't swap a drive. Err, rather you CAN swap a drive but you can't access recordings. You get a message to the effect of "this drive has been formatted for another DVR, do you want to format for this DVR (recordings will be erased)" message:
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003870.pdf
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003986.pdf

According to the following, SciAtl is using 3DES with STB-specific keys to encrypt any recorded content so ... no, you're not going to be able to swap drives between DVRs (unless SciAtl sets up something to let DVRs share keys ...):
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6516283858

I wouldnt be so interested in swapping with other people, but if I had a set of recordings archived on hard drives and the DVR went poof (as these pieces of junk are apt to do) you basically lose all those recordings.

Kromkamp, you could simply fill up the internal drive (with arbitrary recordings) with the external drive disconnected, and then connect up the external SATA. From that point on, all future recordings would be placed on the external drive.

I was thinking about getting this optional cradle for the drive enclosure that I purchased and listed above:

http://www.addonics.com/products/combo_hdd/aechdsa35.asp

By purchasing additional enclosures ($9 each), you could create a library of archived content spread across several drives that you could simply remove and replace in the cradle, power cycle the STB, and you should be good to go.

Of course, the point you make above is very valid - if the STB dies or has issues, and you need to get a replacement from the cable company, the replacement STB would have a different KEY and would not recognize the recordings, making your collection useless.

-D

I'm trying to find out if the external SATA feature is enabled in Austin, but no joy yet. However, Fry's is advertising a Seagate 300GB SATA drive for $169+tax after rebate:

http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/RopAds.aspx?adv=32664&ad=1536769

Only good today and tomorrow (3/9-3/10). It's tempting... I guess I could always use it on my 'puter if it doesn't work yet.

Originally posted by InvaderZim
However, Fry's is advertising a Seagate 300GB SATA drive for $169+tax after rebate:

http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/RopAds.aspx?adv=32664&ad=1536769Good find.

SciAtl drive recommendations can be found here:
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/ExplorerClubGuides/getting_started/4003986.pdf

Basically ... 133 MB/sec; 7200 RPM (5400 RPM w/o Multi-room).

Which the above advertised drive certainly meets ...

I wonder if the 8300HD would work with only the external SATA and without the internal hard drive. That way, you wouldn't need to fill up the internal drive with buffer recordings just so you could be sure that new recordings went to the external drive. You could do the drive tray technique mentioned and swap out the hard drives for recording and archiving. You could even use the original internal drive in one of the trays.

I guess it depends on where the main GUI/OS lives on the system (I assume some flash memory) and whether or not it will detect and format a SATA drive as the main HD.

Of course, opening up the case and removing the hard drive could get you in all sorts of trouble with your cable company... :)

Originally posted by DMILANI
SATA I to SATA II External Cable-
http://www.cruzsystems.com/COMAX-PDF/221303D.pdfQuestion to those who keep more to date on drives / terminology than I ...

Are "External SATA", "eSATA" and "SATA II" all the same? Ie, would one of those eSATA enclosures eliminate the need for a SATA I <-> SATA II cable ... or ... am I way out in left field ...

No, you must get the cable I listed above, and as far as I could tell, this was the only source in USA.

All current drives have SATA I on back, and the 8300HD has a SATA II. SATA II spec. was just finalized, so most products don't support this connector yet.

Originally posted by DMILANI
No, you must get the cable I listed above, and as far as I could tell, this was the only source in USA.Thanks for the info!

Something like this was what I was talking about:
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA/rm1110.htm

e.SATA enclosure -> SATA hard drive

Be carefull of those Highpoint eSata interfaces. Highpoint jury-rigged their own "external" SATA connector before the SATA II spec. was ever finalized. This looks nothing like the SATA II connector on the back of the 8300HD.

You'd be better off with an external enclosure that has a standard SATA I port made for either external or internal SATA I cables (they both use the same connector). Then use the cable outline in my original post.

Again, I did a lot of research, and there are no external enclosures currently that support SATA II directly.

-D

Originally posted by DMILANI
Again, I did a lot of research, and there are no external enclosures currently that support SATA II directly.Thanks again for the info. Now I see what the "e.SATA" thing is about (and why I couldn't find much info on it).

So ... you can currently get a SATA II drive ...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-363&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-359&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-145-075&depa=0

But ... no one is making SATA II enclosures ...

DMILANI:

Great post, I have a really dumb question though, How is the external SATA Hard drive powered?

Lon

Actually, more specifically, no one is making an external enclosure with a SATA II "external" connector. Those SATA II drives you pointed out have the regular old SATA I "internal" connector on them. But, you don't need to buy a SATA II drive to work with the 8300HD - any old SATA I drive should work fine (that's what I'm using).

The SATA II spec. added a special connector for "external" connections that's more robust, etc., and this is what the 8300HD has on its backside.

That's why you need the SATA I to SATA II cable.

Hope this helps.

-D

LJG, the enclosure I bought came with an AC power adapter that plugs right into the back of the enclosure (which is really just the power connector on the drive).

That explains a lot, thanks

Also note that the enclosure I bought simply has a cutout on back that allows the power and SATA cables to plug directly into the drive.

But I've seen other enclosures that wire internally to another set of connectors on the back of the unit, but these still maintain the standard SATA I connector, meaning the same SATA I to SATA II cable could be used.

Originally posted by DMILANI
Hope this helps.Ditto what LJG said ... it helped alot ... thanks.

Ok... I went to Fry's and picked up the Seagate 300GB SATA drive for $169 (after $50 rebate) and this enclosure:

http://www.apricorn.com/product_details.php?ID=432

It was $79 with a $15 rebate and includes a SATA card, which I needed anyway for my second machine at home. The card has a Sillicon Image chipset, an external SATA port, and a bracket with a hole in it that's presumably for a second external SATA port (haven't checked that).

I haven't looked closely at the connectors, but assume I need to order the SATA-1 to SATA-II cable from Cruz Systems before I can find out if this works.

Now to figure out which version of SARA I have...

UPDATE: it's 1.85.19.1. Since that's newer than 1.85.17.3, hopefullly the SATA port will work.

Yes, InvaderZim. I took a look at the user's manual for the enclosure you ordered (much higher quality look than the one I bought) and it definately has the original SATA I connector. So, the Cruz cable will work perfectly with this.

-D

I also found this enclousure:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=0

that uses IDE HDD not SATA HDD and offers both USB 2.0 and SATA interface (you will still need the SATA II to STAT 1.0 cable). IDE HDD is cheaper and the additional USB 2.0 port means even if the thing doesn't work with my 8300HD, I can still use it with any of my PCs.

Foxbat, my only concern with this is that there is some type of parallel to serial conversion happening inside this enclosure (to translate from IDE to SATA). Even if you use the fastest IDE drives available (ATA133), will this provide the full 133MB/s required by the 8300HD? Or will there be overhead associated with the translation that will limit throughput and create issues?

I don't know the answer to this, but something to think about.

A lot of old SATA HDD (most SATA 1.0 drive) do the SATA->IDE inside the drive anyway. No HDD in the market today can support sustained transfer rate > 100MB/s. Most you can get is 60~80MB/s max.

Fair enough, I was just referring to the specs. called out by SA for the hard drive. I would still find it hard to believe that a new SATA 150 drive would not provide faster throughput than an IDE drive.

Of course, you really won't know for sure if the potential throughput differences would cause the 8300HD to work or not until you try it.

Let us know how it works out!

The Seagate 300GB has native command queueing, so I suspect that means it's a native SATA drive, rather than a converted IDE drive.

I just ordered the cable, so I'll post again when it arrives to let you all know if it works.

All of the Seagate SATAs are native SATA, even the ones that does not support NCQ. Most SATA 1.0 WD and Maxtor HDDs are indead converted IDE drives. All the new generation HDDs that support NCQ will be native SATA. SATA drive does not necessary faster than IDE drive. After all the internal stuff are exactly the same. The only difference is interface and NCQ in SATA II. IDE ATA 66 is actually fast enough to support all the 7200 rpm HDDs we have today.

Originally posted by DMILANI
Kromkamp, you could simply fill up the internal drive (with arbitrary recordings) with the external drive disconnected, and then connect up the external SATA. From that point on, all future recordings would be placed on the external drive. -D

True, but that makes it difficult to use the box as an actual PVR. Unless you *never* use the internal drive, and always use external drives.

Originally posted by dt_dc
So ... you can currently get a SATA II drive ...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-363&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-359&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-145-075&depa=0In addition to these, Seagate has a bunch of SATA II drives. All their drives with NCQ are SATA II. But, as you say, they still use the SATA connector.

i know what the answer is in theory but i will bring it up anyway:

after recording some shows, what happens if you plug this into your computer via sata

will the computer even recognize the file system? can it be used some way for archiving even with different stb's?

All the contents are encrypted on the HDD using the STB specific key. You can't access the contents from a PC nor any other STBs.

We need to send Rogers an email explaining that if we use SATA II
external drives to archive HD movies and then the 8300 STB PVR craps
out what security do we have that the replacement PVR will be able to
access archived drives .

We then explain that if this is not addressed then competing technology
will offer security and they will lose customers.

If enough people email there cable companies with complaints then they will feel the pressure to comply .

I am awaiting the SATA enclosure, does anyone know where I can pick up an AC adapter to use temporarily until the enclosure arrives?

REWJR,

I suspect that this "feature" (keying the external drive to the specific box) is a requirement of the program providers (HBO, etc.) to allow the use of external drives. If they didn't have this keying it would provide a "backdoor" path to the distribution of protected program material.

You can argue "digital copy rights" all you want - BUT if incorporating this keying into the system is what it takes to enable me to expand the storage capacity of my rented 8300HD - then I am in favor of it!

Originally posted by Foxbat121
I also found this enclousure:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=0

that uses IDE HDD not SATA HDD and offers both USB 2.0 and SATA interface (you will still need the SATA II to STAT 1.0 cable). IDE HDD is cheaper and the additional USB 2.0 port means even if the thing doesn't work with my 8300HD, I can still use it with any of my PCs.
I just ordered this unit, I'm going to pull a 160GB HD out of one of my PC's to see if it works. If it does, great, if not, I'll be out 40 bucks.

We'll see if WOW! has the port enabled or not, Firmware 1.85.19.1

Originally posted by DMILANI
Yes, InvaderZim. I took a look at the user's manual for the enclosure you ordered (much higher quality look than the one I bought) and it definately has the original SATA I connector. So, the Cruz cable will work perfectly with this.
-D

I put the Apricorn case together with the Seagate drive, installed the card and attached it to my computer. I'm getting 50mb/sec when I use Nero->Preferences->Cache to test the drive.

BTW, The Apricron Ez-Bus case is by far the nicest external drive case I've used (and I've used a lot of the cheapies). It's solid aluminum with a real smooth feel and that drive is in there *tight*. I was worried about noise since the case has a fan, but the fan is large and mounted horizontally underneath the drive (it's not a little 1" fan at the back of the case -- the whining noise from those is really annoying). The only thing I don't like is the external power supply brick which looks exactly like so many others I have, but there's not really room insice for a power supply.

So I won't cry if it doesn't work (I can use it for video editing), but I hope it does.

So, why do you waste time testing it on your PC? Plug it into your 8300HD and let us know if it works:D

Originally posted by Foxbat121
So, why do you waste time testing it on your PC? Plug it into your 8300HD and let us know if it works:D

Because the SATA-1 to SATA-II cable won't be here until Monday or Tuesday; I have to submit the rebates and need to know if the drive and case work before I cut the UPCs off the boxes.

Dmilani:

Thanks so much, using your instructions and raw materials I just connected a maxtor 300GB external hard drive, works perfectly Cablevision, woodbury, NY.

Lon

LJG (and others),

When you report success/failure, please post your software versions and SARA or Passport, please.

Thanks!
/temple

Glad it worked!

Originally posted by LJG
Dmilani:

Thanks so much, using your instructions and raw materials I just connected a maxtor 300GB external hard drive, works perfectly Cablevision, woodbury, NY.

Lon
Great to hear! I've got the cable and an enclosure on the way, hopefully I'll be able to report success later this week.

So has anyone determined how to use the external SATA port to provide 'infinite storage?' In other words, to swap drives indefinitely?

The way I see the current setup working, you have an internal drive and the SATA drive. The DVR menu shows what total programs you have archived, without showing what program is on which drive. Now let's say you fill the SATA drive and decide to swap it out for a new empty SATA drive. What does the DVR menu show now? Only the stuff you archived on the internal drive? Or does it look for the full list and crap out if it can't find anything on the new SATA drive?

Originally posted by Hamerhokie
So has anyone determined how to use the external SATA port to provide 'infinite storage?' In other words, to swap drives indefinitely?

The way I see the current setup working, you have an internal drive and the SATA drive. The DVR menu shows what total programs you have archived, without showing what program is on which drive. Now let's say you fill the SATA drive and decide to swap it out for a new empty SATA drive. What does the DVR menu show now? Only the stuff you archived on the internal drive? Or does it look for the full list and crap out if it can't find anything on the new SATA drive?
Most likely it builds the list when it first powers up. From reading the manual, it sounds like you won't be able to do any hot swapping of drives. My guess is that power cycling with a new external drive attached will rebuild only the recordings on the internal plus currently attached external drive. My cable and case haven't arrived yet, so I don't know for sure.

Originally posted by Hamerhokie
Now let's say you fill the SATA drive and decide to swap it out for a new empty SATA drive. What does the DVR menu show now? Only the stuff you archived on the internal drive? Or does it look for the full list and crap out if it can't find anything on the new SATA drive?No ... it'll just show the stuff on the internal drive (unless it's an external drive you've saved stuff too before). You can (power down / swap / power up) at will.

Bit of a PITA though. This was not meant for archiving ... if you want archiving get a D-VHS recorder.

Kool Thread!

I am having my Comcast Digital Cable with the HD-DVR tomorrow. Does anyone know if Comcast uses the SA 8300HD or not?

Anyways.. I will surely be looking at the "internals" of this DVR and explore its "potentials" - not that I want to be able to offload programs to a PC or to burn -- but rather to expand my storage. Does anyone know if the OS on the SA8300HD is Linux?

Reason I am getting DVR-HD is so that I will no longer miss my favourite HD broadcasts .. and just watch them say on weekends...

Originally posted by dt_dc
No ... it'll just show the stuff on the internal drive (unless it's an external drive you've saved stuff too before). You can (power down / swap / power up) at will.

Bit of a PITA though. This was not meant for archiving ... if you want archiving get a D-VHS recorder.

That's a catch 22, though, because the firewire ports are inactive on this STB, rendering the DVHS option moot. So your only way of archiving is by swapping SATAs or by getting a monstrously huge SATA up front.

Originally posted by igme
Kool Thread!

I am having my Comcast Digital Cable with the HD-DVR tomorrow. Does anyone know if Comcast uses the SA 8300HD or not?



Depends on the area. I have Comcast in the Baltimore area and they are using the 8000HD. Apparently they are rolling out the 8300HD in the May/June timeframe.

Okay.. what's the difference then between the 8000HD and the 8300HD? Is the SATA drive expnadability also available on the 8000HD?


WOW Cable in our area is already using the SA8300HD from what I've heard.

Nope, the 8000HD doesn't have the SATA connector. I've got WOW in Illinois, and just had my 8000 swapped out for an 8300 over the weekend and ran across this thread. Great timing! :D My cable and enclosure have been ordered, so I should be able to find out later this week if it works.

LYU370

Was it easy with WOW to request a replacement? I will probably get the 8000HD s- I 've asked a friend of mine who lives about 20 milles from where I'm at and gad his HD-DVR installed a few days ago - he says he has the 8000HD and Comcast is not even entertaining the idea of replacement with the 8300HD..

CongratZ on your 8300HD..

BTW.. reading through the PDF file of the 8300HD.. it appears it has both FireWire and USB. Has anyone figured out yet what those connectivity options are for?

Originally posted by igme
Does anyone know if the OS on the SA8300HD is Linux?No, the OS is SciAtl's own ... PowerTV:
http://www.powertv.com/developers/PowerTVOSDocs.htm

This is great! Thanks! I'm a cablevision customer on the Norwalk CT system and it worked for me! It recognized the drive as you said. I haven't recorded any additional program as of yet but the disk useage bar has gone from 71% down to 49% (80gb HD). What happens if you take the external disk to another 8300HD? Will it be reformatted or will the other 8300HD play what's been recorded on it?

As posted before, the other 8300HD will not play the stuff because the content is encrypted with the key specific to your original DVR.

Has anyone found another source for the SATA I to SATA II cable? The link in the first post (Cruz Systems) charges shipping and a $5 handling fee. What is the correct terminology to use when searching for a cable? "SATA II Cable"?

As far as I could tell, this is the only source. They are the only US distributor of COMAX cables, and COMAX cables and connectors are pretty much the only game in town as far as SATA and SATA II interfaces are concerned.

-D

Sometimes that's the problem with these smaller outfits, shipping costs almost as much as the part.

Originally posted by igme
BTW.. reading through the PDF file of the 8300HD.. it appears it has both FireWire and USB. Has anyone figured out yet what those connectivity options are for?

Those are for "Future Enhancements". Of the 5 SA digital cable boxes I've had in the past 3 years, all had USB ports, 3 had FireWire, and none of the ports were ever activated in the software

Originally posted by jonnyb
Has anyone found another source for the SATA I to SATA II cable? The link in the first post (Cruz Systems) charges shipping and a $5 handling fee. What is the correct terminology to use when searching for a cable? "SATA II Cable"?

I was searching for the same thing last night and the only other place is here:

External 3' SATA1 to SATA2 cable (http://addonics.com/products/other/default.asp)

But unfortunately it is not available to buy from addonics site yet.

From what I read, by this summer, you should be able to find these SATA2 cables or even enclosures everywhere.

I just had my DVR installed and it's not a SA8300HD but a Motorola DCT 6412. I guess there goes my expandability options. But on the other hand I thought I've read somewhere that the Firewire port on the 6412 is active and their are tricks available to backup via this port.

Has anyone with recordings on their SATA drive tried plugging it into their computer? Are they recorded as ts files? Will the computer read them?

Foxbat121, have you gotten the SATA to work with cox fairfax?

yetkat,

As mentioned many times now, the files stored on these discs are encrypted. Not possible to playback on PCs. I've not yet ordered any parts because I feel uneasy to have to call to place my order for the conversion cable. I'll probably wait for the true SATA II external enclosure rather than current SATA 1.0 ones.

Foxbat, are you worried about credit card fraud?

If it makes any difference, the woman I spoke with was super nice, and she mailed out the cable same day and also send email tracking info via email.

I know the site leaves a lot to be desired, but I think Cruz Systems mainly deals with OEM companies that deal with them directly, and not a lot with individual (consumer) sales via the internet.

PS - It also looks like you can pay COD.

-D

For those who don't live near a Frys, Circuitcity.com has the Western Digital 300GB 7200RPM w/8MB Buffer for $169 AR.

Go to circuitcity.com and type WD3000JBRTL in the search box.

That looks like an Ultra ATA/100 drive.

Originally posted by Rieper
For those who don't live near a Frys, Circuitcity.com has the Western Digital 300GB 7200RPM w/8MB Buffer for $169 AR.

Go to circuitcity.com and type WD3000JBRTL in the search box.

Outpost.com has the Maxtor SATA 300GB drive for $199.99. At least they did when I ordered yesterday.

Originally posted by yekat
Has anyone with recordings on their SATA drive tried plugging it into their computer? Are they recorded as ts files? Will the computer read them?

I would hesitate to plug the drive into my PC if it contained recordings I cared about. WinXP writes some kind of signature to a drive when it's mounted. I know this signature makes a TIVO-formatted drive unreadable by TIVO, which is why you should never boot XP while a TIVO drive is attached (I did that once, but fortunately had a backup). The same may apply to the SA8300HD-formatted drive, although hopefully it would just reformat the drive when it's once again connected to the 8300HD.

Originally posted by DMILANI
Foxbat, are you worried about credit card fraud?


Nope. In fact, I always use a generated one-time use only CC number for online purchases. I just don't like phone orders. The other reason is that I want to wait for the true SATA II enclosure so that I can use it on my PCs if I decided not to use with 8300HD. From what I read, true SATA II external enclosure should have different signal level and shielding for reliability and maintain maximum possible speed compared to SATA 1.0 enclosure (which is basically a hack as SATA 1.0 spec does not include external enclosures).

I wonder how long you'll have to wait?

Edit: I see you read that by the summer these may be available.

Hi,
I'm in Austin too and just got an 8300HD from TWC here. Were you abeot find out if the external SATA feature works here?
thx.

Originally posted by InvaderZim
I'm trying to find out if the external SATA feature is enabled in Austin, but no joy yet.

Hey just wanted to say thanks for the posts! I was thrilled to hear someone gambled it and tested the connection. I will be purchasing a cable today and have the other stuff already (I tried hooking it up a couple months ago but could not find the correct cable). My hd is 250GB so I will let everyone know if it works, as soon as the cable gets here....

LOL...I just called and ordered the cable, the person laughed and said they had 20 orders from NY/NJ in the last few days, so I enlightened her as to what was going on. So all you other folks testing this, let us know how it goes!

Look what I've started :-)

Originally posted by DMILANI
Look what I've started :-)

You should be asking for some kinda commission over there... :o

Little pricey for a cable ~$30 with shipping but I have wanted to do this since I got the box. Thanks to the original poster for finding the cable.

I have a 8300 w/ Passport on Brighthouse Cable here in Melbourne FL. I am willing to bet this will work. I am going to use a 160 GB drive. Not sure which enclosure to use yet.

whos going to be the first to hook up a 2 TB RAID array to their box..drool:

http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=49

Originally posted by Rieper
You should be asking for some kinda commission over there... :o
When I ordered, I asked about the break even point to get rid of the $5 handling fee. She said it was 50 cables. I briefly entertained the thought of buying 50 cables (and external cases as well) and selling them to AVS forum members at a reduced rate (not looking for profit, jut to break even). Eventually, it seemed like too much of a hassle and I paid the extra $5.

Now that Cruz Systems / Comax knows that the cable is in demand, I wouldn't be surprised if the price goes up. ;)

Yeah, $7 Shipping and $5 handling on a cable DOES seem a bit excessive doesn't it?! Guess they know they've got us....

Originally posted by GoBig
Little pricey for a cable ~$30 with shipping but I have wanted to do this since I got the box. Thanks to the original poster for finding the cable.

I have a 8300 w/ Passport on Brighthouse Cable here in Melbourne FL. I am willing to bet this will work. I am going to use a 160 GB drive. Not sure which enclosure to use yet.

whos going to be the first to hook up a 2 TB RAID array to their box..drool:

http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=49

The Passport software on the 8300 for Brighthouse Cable has not yet activated the SATA port.

Is anyone using Passport software have an active SATA port?

Barry are you sure? Guess we will find out. I needed a new HD anyway.

Originally posted by GoBig
Barry are you sure? Guess we will find out. I needed a new HD anyway.

I am sure, but we welcome your test of the SATA port. Please join our discussion in the Orlando BHN thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5329345#post5329345).

Originally posted by MoG
Hi,
I'm in Austin too and just got an 8300HD from TWC here. Were you abeot find out if the external SATA feature works here?
thx.

Only that it's in testing at TimeWarner and there are a couple of issues -- mostly having to do with what happens if the external drive suddenly powers down. Apparently you can lose recordings on both the external and the internal drive.

I received the cable from Cruz yesterday but wasn't able to hook it up until tonight. I unplugged the SATA drive from my PC, took it downstairs, connected it and a message box flashed on the screen -- something about the drive having an invalid format. I looked through the menus and didn't see any items about formatting it, and the drive clacked once every while so I left it alone for an hour.

After an hour, nothing changed, so I rebooted the SA8300HD with the three-finger salute (info+volup+voldown or info+channelup+channeldown -- my fingers know). When it came back up it complained about a disk with an invalid format, and again no options other than "Ok". So I left it alone for another hour (watched the DVR during this period). Finally, I rebooted it again.

This time, it took a long time to reboot (10 minutes) and I could hear the external drive seeking every few seconds. Not good, I thought. Finally, the clock came back on, I turned on the SA8300HD and lo and behold it said

"There is an external storage device attached that will work with the DVR. Warning..."

I can't remember the text of the warning, but it had something to do with losing programs if I power down the external drive or unplug it. Both the SA83000HD and DVR are on a UPS so hopefully that won' t be an issue.

So... it appears the SATA port is functional in Austin. This is SARA 1.85.19.1. My DVR was 50% full before, and now it reports being 13% full! Just in time for the March-April reruns...

BTW, both the SATA cable that came with the Apricorn case and the SATA 1.0 end of the Cruz cable lock onto the Apricorn case really tightly. If the only difference between SATA-1 and SATA-2 is the connector, then that's kind of silly.

It's interesting that you were willing to try rebooting 3 times and let it go for over 10 minutes. Most folks would have simply thought the SATA port was inactive and given up.

Regarding the intitial problems, did you by chance take the drive off a PC running Windows XP? I think someone posted that XP does a "special" format or something and this could be part of why you had to try several times, though I'm surprised rebooting would eventually get past the problem of recognizing/formatting the drive. Very interesting.

i wonder if we could swap the internal HD for a bigger one? You see i am on Videotron and we can Buy the unit so maybe thats an option.

Originally posted by sgr
i wonder if we could swap the internal HD for a bigger one? You see i am on Videotron and we can Buy the unit so maybe thats an option.

No one knows what else is on the drive. Maybe the whole DVR software is on the drive. When you swap out the hard drive, you ended up with a paper weight just like you swap out a HDD on a PC without reinstall the entire OS.

Originally posted by DoubleDAZ
It's interesting that you were willing to try rebooting 3 times and let it go for over 10 minutes. Most folks would have simply thought the SATA port was inactive and given up.

I figured the SA83000HD had to prepare the drive -- it takes a long time to do a non-quick format of 300GB on NTFS so I was willing to give it some time -- especially since the drive was showing some intermittent activity.

Regarding the intitial problems, did you by chance take the drive off a PC running Windows XP? I think someone posted that XP does a "special" format or something and this could be part of why you had to try several times, though I'm surprised rebooting would eventually get past the problem of recognizing/formatting the drive. Very interesting.

I did have it on XP. I posted about the problem with XP marking a drive and ruining a TIVO file system, but that shouldn't have been a problem in this case. I was just expecting a message saying "external drive detected, would you like to format". It did finally do that without asking. So I'm thinking it did detect the foreign file system but reformat until a couple of reboots. I don't know why it didn't just take over the drive immediately after the first reboot. It did flash something on the screen, but it was gone before I could read it.

My first concern was that the SA83000HD did have a built-in list of drives it could use and Maxtor is their official vendor. But unless the Seagate 300GB is in that list, it appears that it can use any SATA drive.

BTW, here's a 160GB SATA drive for $69 after rebate:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=168265

I found that on BensBargains.net.

Originally posted by Foxbat121
No one knows what else is on the drive. Maybe the whole DVR software is on the drive. When you swap out the hard drive, you ended up with a paper weight just like you swap out a HDD on a PC without reinstall the entire OS.Several people have reported success swapping out the internal drive ... for a drive of the same size (or smaller). However, putting in a larger drive has proved problematic.

Purchased the Seagate 300GB and the Box / SATA Wire as skilfully specified by DMILANI. The setup worked great once I followed the proper power up sequence. My cable provider is TWC in Rochester NY with SARA V1.85.17.3. I'm very happy to have more storage space. But I just don't like the fact that the HD is continuously spinning (getting closer to it's death I guess and wasting electricity) Seems like SA could spin down the external HD just like the internal. Am I missing simething?

Thanks again DMILANI...really enjoyed making this addition to the HT

I figured with the five year Seagate warranty, keeping the drive spinning all the time hopefully won't be a problem. I never shut off any of the stuff in my office and it's been a long time since I've had a drive fail, or even start making bearing noise (that dreaded whine).

The external case I have stays cool to the touch, unlike all the other external cases I've used. The fan noise is a little more audible than I was expecting (my home office is pretty noisy with equipment so it was masked in there, even up close), but when it's shut away in my cabinet, I can't hear it, or at least it's quieter than the SA8300HD and the cooling fan in my TV.

I'd also like to thank DMILANI for blazing this trail.

Another success story. Works fine with WOW cable in IL. SARA 1.85.19.1.

Also as an FYI, it works with an IDE to SATA external case, I pulled a 160GB IDE HD from one of my PC's just to test. Plugged it in, powered on, screen popped up saying something to the effect of a drive with a damaged file system was found do you want to format? After about 5 mintues, a second screen popped up saying a usable external device was found, don't turn it off or you'll lose your recordings.

Great job DMILANI!!! Thanks for being a trailblazer!! Maybe you could update your initial post with a list of cable companies and reported firmware that works. Might make it easier for new people checking out the thread.

How can I see which SARA version I'm running? I have a TWC 8300HD and tried pause for 7 seconds and Page Up but see nothing. Thanks

Originally posted by borrell
How can I see which SARA version I'm running? I have a TWC 8300HD and tried pause for 7 seconds and Page Up but see nothing. Thanks

It takes mine more than 7 seconds. Hold pause until the mail light starts flashing on the front of your 8300HD (about 10-12 seconds for me). Then press page up or page down.

On older SA boxes (3250HD) it used to take only 5-7 seconds, but as indicated in the Tips & Tricks thread (LaZy Man's DIagnostics Mode) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=471859) it now takes 10-15 seconds or more. As InvaderZim mentioned, the key is to hold it until the Mail light comes on, not just a certain number a seconds.

Or just get up off the couch and walk up to the front of the STB and hit the center select button for 3 - 5 seconds...

A couple of notes:
Internal drive size is limited to internal firmware. anything larger than the original will still only show up as the original size.

The OS is actually on the internal drive. The location is dependant on the version of OS your MSO is using. In some, it is located in the center of the drive, in others, it is located on the inside, etc. It is a special OS called PowerTV, not Linux or any other consumer related OS.

Items recorded on external (or internal) drives are not accessible and viewable on PC's, or other devices. The encryption is done on the streams, and decrypted through the STB. Each decryption algorithim is dictated by your account with a valid MSO. This means that as you have a subscription, a changing, rolling, two way key is sent along with the data streams to your STB. A stored recorded stream is also dependent on decryption and parity, which is stored in the internal memory for a limited time, after which a handshake with the MSO is needed to generate a new key for decryption and parity. This means the external recorded streams will not work without the parity of the internal STB and the decryption key provided by the mso.

Attempts to decrypt a stored stream will result in a non valid file format because of the parity of the original STB (or link with the MSO) needed to complete the streams. It is unknown if a replacement STB can be used to read used external drives, but technically is possible. It is unlikely an external drive not authorized by the MSO will be acknowledged at this time, since nobody has started supporting this feature yet.

vegggas

Does one absolutely needs a "native" SATA drive? In other words, can I use a 250GB Ultra ATA drive (that I happen to have laying around) and plop it into an enclosure that provides a SATA interface? As far a the 8300HD is concerned, it sees a SATA drive, but under the covers there is a SATA to ATA conversion.

The only req's I saw in the SA docs were speed reqirements (7200rpm) and 133 MB/s.

Hoping I can make this work...

-Rajiv

Originally posted by rajivarora
Does one absolutely needs a "native" SATA drive?

Not necessary. See the success story above posted by LYU370. And the link to such enclosures I posted a few pages back.

Oops, missed that one. Didn't register when I read it. Sorry.

-Rajiv

Hold the phone -- I finally tried to watch some of the HD movies that are now presumably recorded to my external SATA drive and found that frequent skips, stuttering and pixellation. The artifacts appear to be recorded because when I back up and play a segment again, the artifacts are the same. So I can't say for certain yet that this isn't in the source -- I pressed the record button today to record some HD I was watching and it was fine on playback. Then again, pressing record might always record to the internal drive because it tries to capture the buffer, so that maybe didn't prove anything.

There is a 2 hour recording scheduled for noon today, so I'll monitor it during recording. If it stutters, I'll try to reinitialize the external drive -- does anyone know how to do that? I don't want to initialize the internal drive because playback of older recordings is fine and there are still a few things on it I want to see.

Also, I know how to reboot the box but is there a way to shut it down cleanly so I can unplug the external drive?

Is anyone with an external drive seeing the pixellation?

Heck, I see pixellation all the time even with only the internal drive.

I may have written too soon. Today, about noon, I recorded "Mimic" off HBO-HD or Showtime-HD (can't remember which) and watched it later in the afternoon. No artifacts of any kind: no pixellation, dropouts, stuttering -- just perfect. While we were finishing that, the DVR was recording "Malcom in the Middle" on FOX-HD at 6:30, and that was also perfect, as was "Arrested Development". So I may have been too quick to blame the drive upgrade. It's possible something else was going on overnight. I didn't do anything to fix it (not even a reboot).

Regarding this:

Originally posted by Foxbat121
Heck, I see pixellation all the time even with only the internal drive.

There have been periods that have been bad, but they are infrequent and have quickly been fixed. Other than the overnight recordings to test the new drive, I can only recall one time a show was unwatchable, and that was an E.R. episode a couple of months back. I do get occasional pixelation (or macroblocking or whatever it's called), but it's very fleeting and not bothersome.

I do mean occasional pixelation, not bothersome, but irritating on almost all the shows I recorded. Cox here does have a pretty old firmware, xxx.14.1. I don't know that has anything to do with it or it's just the hardware glitch. What I guess is that sometimes the harddrive can't keep up with the data stream and cause the occasional data drop. Since MPEG2 encodes differences between frames (except for i-frame), what you see on screen is pixelation of a small area, usually a dark region.

I know there are special types of hard drive out there just for digital video editing. The main benefit of this kind of hard drive is to guarantee the constant feed of digital video data without being interrupted by the hard disk's internal house keeping and thermal calibrating.

Has anyone tried this with Passport software?

I'm in San Diego with TWC and would love to add some more storage.

If not I'm willing to give it a try, thanks for all the info!

Tim

Oops, accidental double post.

Is anyone planning to do more than an incremental improvement in storage capability? Like maybe a terabyte?

Originally posted by Hamerhokie
Is anyone planning to do more than an incremental improvement in storage capability? Like maybe a terabyte?

Why? What happens when your 8300HD conks out or you have to get it replaced? Would you risk losing all those recordings (terabyte is a lot to record) because the cable company swaps out your 8300HD?

Not me... I'd use it as a fun alternative to backing up. Losing 160GB is one thing, but losing a terabyte's worth of recordings is bordering on criminal in my book :)

Be interesting to see if anyone actually goes through with it and gets a raid array though...

Well, just ordered the cable from Cruz. My SARA version (here in Houston) is 1.87.4a4, so I'll give it a shot and see if it works. FYI, if you order it by UPS ground, it may take up to 5 business days and cost $7. Ask about USPS Priority Mail, and it will take 2-3 days (and they work Saturdays).

Now, the million dollar question... anyone find any deals on compatible SATA drives and enclosures (or even kits)?

Perhaps I missed this when skimming the thread, but what happens when you plug this external drive back in your pc?

Can your pc read the contents of the drive, and if so what does it look like?

Originally posted by Rieper
Why? What happens when your 8300HD conks out or you have to get it replaced? Would you risk losing all those recordings (terabyte is a lot to record) because the cable company swaps out your 8300HD?

Not me... I'd use it as a fun alternative to backing up. Losing 160GB is one thing, but losing a terabyte's worth of recordings is bordering on criminal in my book :)

Be interesting to see if anyone actually goes through with it and gets a raid array though...

With limited recording capacity and no active firewire output, you'll 'lose' your recordings anyway, when you have to delete them to make room for more. I do agree though that there is a big disconnect with the replacement box issue.

More and more it seems to me that the best alternative is NO DVR, active firewire, and a used Powermac for recording.

Originally posted by Hamerhokie
With limited recording capacity and no active firewire output, you'll 'lose' your recordings anyway, when you have to delete them to make room for more. I do agree though that there is a big disconnect with the replacement box issue.

More and more it seems to me that the best alternative is NO DVR, active firewire, and a used Powermac for recording.
Which means no guaranteed ability to record copy protected, flagged content...

Well I got my cable and enclosure last night and tried it this morning. Removed power from the box and hooked up my external drive. I then booted the box, nothing. Went into the diag screen and it did not see the drive. I rebooted several times and still nothing.

So just like I was already told by Barry, it looks like Bright House Networks in CFL has not yet enabled the external SATA drive. Bummer.

So enjoy it you lucky SARA box owners, the rest of us will have to wait.

I did exactly the same thing this morning with the same lack of result. Time Warner Cable in NYC. Passport 1.8.095. Diagnostics show no second drive.
" Copy Prot" screen displays
HDMI Port: Block HDMI - HDCP Auth Failed .
HDMI Port: Always use HDCP .
YPrPb Port: YPrPb Port on .
1394 Port: Enable 1394 Port always .
CompPort: NA - Reserved .
VOD: No CCI Override .

I can't tell if this screen tells me anything about the failure to do anything with the drive.

I looked through all of the diag screens on my box and can't see anything anywhere that shows the external drive as being active. Everything looks the same as before I connected the external drive. Running SARA 1.85.19.

I received my enclosure (IDE to SATA/USB http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=0) and cable (http://www.cruzsystems.com/COMAX-221303D.htm) yesterday and got it working last night, using a 250GB IDE drive.

I first connected it to my PC via USB and used Partition Magic to delete all old partitions on the drive.

On first reboot of the 8300HD after attaching the drive, a message popped up saying the disk had an invalid format and asked if I wanted to reformat. Selected yes, and the box continued normal operation, but no indication of the completion of the reformat. Give it 10 minutes and rebooted.

Second reboot took much longer. When it came back, it gave a "external drive successful" message and the space used bar showed a much smaller % as expeceted.

So it looks like it needs a second reboot after a reformat for the drive to be recognized.

SARA 1.85.19.1

-Rajiv

Originally posted by borrell
I did exactly the same thing this morning with the same lack of result. Time Warner Cable in NYC. Passport 1.8.095. Diagnostics show no second drive.
" Copy Prot" screen displays
HDMI Port: Block HDMI - HDCP Auth Failed .
HDMI Port: Always use HDCP .
YPrPb Port: YPrPb Port on .
1394 Port: Enable 1394 Port always .
CompPort: NA - Reserved .
VOD: No CCI Override .


This looks promising:

"1394 Port: Enable 1394 Port always"

To me, this is more important that having an active SATA port. Now you can connect an HD VCR, or connect to a PC or Mac.

EDITED TO ADD: Could those of you running SARA rather than Passport determine if your firewire port is enabled?

I see that Fry's and Outpost.com are today advertising a Western Digital 250GB SATA drive for $169 with a $50 rebate ($119 AR):

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/3868597

The one year warranty is kind of a downer, though -- the 300GB Seagate that I got for $169 has a five year warranty.

My external drive is still working perfectly -- the only glitches were in a recording of a Showtime-HD movie made overnight. I'm thinking that the pixelation/skipping/glitches I previously reported always occurred in late night/early recordings of movies (when I didn't have as much space, I rarely did that). I may have some signa problems at that time that causes the glitches.

But every recording made during prime time has been perfect.

Another successful install. I am using a Western Digital 160GB ATA/100 drive.

For anyone shopping, Best Buy has this drive available for $39.95 after $90 of mail-in rebates. This offer ends 3/26. I originally had a Maxtor 300GB SATA drive, but my 8300 wouldn't recognize it for some reason and I sent it back.

Success in Houston. Using 250 GB Maxtor IDE with the enclosure from Newegg:
IDE to USB/SATA Enclosure (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=0)

Only problem is that enclosure has an annoyingly bright blue led that I need to disconnect.

Only question: Did anyone else completely power down the DVR before plugging in the SATA drive? Instructions say to do that, and that is what I did.

Originally posted by Jaggers
Only problem is that enclosure has an annoyingly bright blue led that I need to disconnect.
No kidding, that's got to be the brightest most annoying light I've seen in quite some time. Mine was immediately disconnected.

Has anyone tried to connect there external Hard drives back to a pc yet? Just curious if you can read the files or not.

Originally posted by LYU370
No kidding, that's got to be the brightest most annoying light I've seen in quite some time. Mine was immediately disconnected.

What is this with Blue LEDs? They seem to be everywhere. My Samsung HD841 DVD player has this annoying blue LED. The worst is on my Syntax 30" LCD TV, there is a big (size of two quarters) Blue LED ONLY turned on when the TV is off! Since I installed this LCD in my bedroom, no need for night light any more:D

Originally posted by jahamilton
Please excuse if this is a dumb question. How do I access the version of software on my SA 8300HD? I don't think it's passport, because I haven't seen any passport ID on any pages. How about SARA?

Thanx ...

Jack Hamilton
Sugar Land, TX

If you're with Time Warner Houston, I think you have to be using SARA, which is good for adding he external drive.

Because I've always known SATA drives to be hot-pluggable, I plugged mine right in without rebooting. It was immediately recognized and said the drive had garbage on it (or something like that, I can't remember the exact message) and did I want to reformat. So I selected yes (A) and I assume it did so (no messages). However, my remaining use stayed at 64% which is what it was at before I plugged in the SATA drive.

I have not rebooted b/c at this point I had to leave for work. I will try rebooting tonight and see if it changes anything. Anxious for it to work!

My hard drive is 250 Gig so if it works it should provide quite a few more hours of storage! I'm hoping the drives don't have to match in size.....

BTW also hooked up the HDMI cable and love it!! Occasionally it reverts to a fuzzy screen which I have to fix by resetting the cable unit, otherwise it's beautiful and I definitely see a difference between HDMI & component.

EDIT: Did not see Rajiv's comment on a 2nd reboot, I did this at lunch and it seemed to hang on the reboot, so I left - will check it tonight and report back. I'm guessing it will work!

Originally posted by Jaggers
Success in Houston. Using 250 GB Maxtor IDE with the enclosure from Newegg:
IDE to USB/SATA Enclosure (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=0)


Do you still need the SATA to SATA-II conversion cable with this enclosure?

Originally posted by noysboy
Do you still need the SATA to SATA-II conversion cable with this enclosure?
Yes you do, you just don't need an SATA drive.

250 GB drive works in central NY too!!

Just needed a 2nd reboot.

It is working in central NJ as well (Cablevision).

I am using a 200GB WD SATA drive, the Comax/Cruz cable, and a 3.5" Kingwin SS-350S-BLK (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SS-350S-BLK) SATA case. My storage went from 93% full to 42% full.

I had some problems getting the Comax cable to fit in the SATA connector on the case. I had to trim down some of the plastic on the connector and file the metal opening on the case.

The case is OK, but it is louder than I would have liked. It would get quieter if I disconnected the fan, but I don't know if the drive would stay cool enough. The case itself is aluminum so it might be able to dissipate enough heat.

If I hadn't already bought the case, I probably would have gone with the Newegg SATA version that can use a regular (cheaper) IDE drive.

Another success story. I'm using Adelphia in Northeast PA and added a 250GB Hitachi. My used space went from 99% to 38%. Recordings play back perfect from the external drive.

It works for me as well. I'm on Adelphia in Spotsylvania, VA.

I used the Comax/Cruz cable and the Kingwin SS-350S-BK SATA Enclosure with the Western Digital WD2500JD 250GB SATA drive. I also had trouble attaching the cable to the enclosure and had to trim it down a bit.

I connected everything to the 8300HD which was already on and then turned on the drive. After a few seconds I got a message indicating that an external storage device was located and asked if I wanted to format it, which I did. There was no indication that it had completed the format so I let it run while I watched a recorded show for about an hour. No change occured in the space available percentage until I rebooted the 8300HD, but after the reboot the percentage went from 58% full to 23% full.

I purchased 2 of everything so I can upgrade my second DVR as well.

It worked for me (1.87.4a4)... an extra 300GB. Plugged it in (hotswapable) and was good to go. It prompted me to do a format. Just remember that if you ever want to unplug it, be sure to power off the DVR.

I bought this case (since it looked nicer, no obtrusive led on the front, and next day shipping for me since the store is located in Austin, TX):
http://www.usb-ware.com/aluminum-sata-hard-drive-case.htm

ksas

In my area, my phone company just started offering HD TV service using fiber optics. I have my phone, DSL internet, and now HDTV service all with the same company. And of course, when you have all 3, they give you a discount. I think it's pretty reasonable.

They are using the 8300 stb. I live across the street from one of the engineers with this company, so I find out a lot of info before it comes out.

Last night, he came over with a box in his hand, and it was a Maxtor 300gb external SATA drive. Supposedly especially made for the 8300 stb.
We hooked it up, it asked for the format, and was ready to roll in about 5 minutes.

Just so happened that the day before he came over with the drive, I called Maxtor, and they said the drive isn't available yet, but should be available some time in the next couple months. She said there will be a 160gb, and the 300 gb models. They will cost $199, and $299 respectively.

Originally posted by legend96
In my area, ..... I guess your area is a secret, huh?

lol, no man, sorry, didn't realize.
My area is in the sticks though!!

I'm in south Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the party capital of the world:)
They do however, pump sunshine in here every now and then!!

ROTFLMAO!!! That is so funny!

It doesn't matter if you live in the sticks or the big city, it just helps folks understand the comments when the location is there. It's just a pet peeve of mine, so no big deal. I just hate seeing posts with no location in the profile and then having waste the bandwidth to ask. Never could understand why folks leave that part of the profile blank, guess we've just become really paranoid about identity theft or something. :)

Originally posted by ksas
It worked for me (1.87.4a4)... an extra 300GB. Plugged it in (hotswapable) and was good to go. It prompted me to do a format. Just remember that if you ever want to unplug it, be sure to power off the DVR.

I bought this case (since it looked nicer, no obtrusive led on the front, and next day shipping for me since the store is located in Austin, TX):
http://www.usb-ware.com/aluminum-sata-hard-drive-case.htm

ksas

HOLY CRAP! That case costs $75?! What's it made out of, alien technology?

It doesn't even have a fan, so your 300-gigger must get really hot in there.

Surprised you didn't try this one at the same site: http://www.usb-ware.com/slim-line-sata-hard-drive-enclosure.htm

I'd unplug the LED cable inside if it really bothers you...

It seems time someone summarized the various links to SATA-related drives, enclosures, and cables posted in this thread. So, that's what I just did and I hope it's helpful. Perhaps DMILANI will edit his first post in this thread to include this summary to make it easier to find.

Drives:
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com...2664&ad=1536769
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-144-363&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-144-359&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-145-075&depa=0
http://www.microcenter.com/single_p...oduct_id=168265
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/3868597

Enclosures:
http://www.addonics.com/products/ex...d/aeehdsa35.asp
http://www.addonics.com/products/co...d/aechdsa35.asp
http://www.apricorn.com/product_details.php?ID=432
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-145-369&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=0
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SS-350S-BLK
http://www.usb-ware.com/aluminum-sa...-drive-case.htm
http://www.usb-ware.com/slim-line-s...e-enclosure.htm

Cables:
http://www.cruzsystems.com/COMAX-PDF/221303D.pdf
http://addonics.com/products/other/default.asp

Miscellaneous Info:
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/Ex...ted/4003986.pdf
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/Ex...ted/4003870.pdf
http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/...ment=6516283858
http://www.scientificatlanta.com/Ex...ted/4003986.pdf
http://www.powertv.com/developers/PowerTVOSDocs.htm

Originally posted by DoubleDAZ
It seems time someone summarized the various links to SATA-related drives, enclosures, and cables posted in this thread. So, that's what I just did and I hope it's helpful. Perhaps DMILANI will edit his first post in this thread to include this summary to make it easier to find.


Thank you for this VERY informative listing. I totally missed the Addonics Serial ATA adapter webpage. Ordering one Monday morning.

Originally posted by Rieper
Thank you for this VERY informative listing. I totally missed the Addonics Serial ATA adapter webpage. Ordering one Monday morning. It only took a few minutes of cut&paste and I'm glad you found it useful.

Originally posted by DMILANI
At least in Shrewsbury, MA. Our town owns and operates its own cable company, so they do their own thing, but we're running SARA version 1.85.17.3.

So, I ordered the following items:

External enclosure (black plastic)-
http://www.addonics.com/products/external_hdd/aeehdsa35.asp


So, if anyone has any questions, let me know.

-D

D:

Everythings running great, I have 1 question the HD is running hot, how did you connect the fan from the external enclosure to run with the HD?

Lon

The drive enclosure I pointed to did not have a fan, but I realized that I needed one, so I ordered this add-on cradle shown on this page:

http://www.addonics.com/products/combo_hdd/aechdsa35.asp

The part number is AAHDSA35BY. This cradle allows for drive swapping and also has a built in fan that runs as long as the enclosure power supply is plugged in. The fan is very quite and keeps the drive cool.

Hope this helps.

Also, thank you DoubleDAZ for compiling that list. I edited my original post to include these items.

-D

Most of the links on your first post don't work, they don't have the complete URL, but instead the abbreviated one.

Oops. I'll delete them for now - don't have the time to fix this right now.

I have a question.

How long can an 8300HD go without an active cable connection or power?

If I wanted to take my 8300HD and my collection to a friend's house could I do it?

Power could be maintained with a UPS so the box would not know that it has been unplugged, but obviously maintaining the live cable connection would be a problem.

Sorry if this has been discussed before.

-Mr. Wigggles

Oh one more thing,

Is there any file sorting utilities? It sounds like once a recording is on a drive that's it. Anyway to put all of the Sopranos episodes on one drive? Or for those who plan to do a lot of archiving pretty much stuck keeping thing chronological and leaving it that way?

-Mr. Wigggles

Originally posted by MrWigggles
I have a question.

How long can an 8300HD go without an active cable connection or power?

If I wanted to take my 8300HD and my collection to a friend's house could I do it?

If your friend has cable connection, you can just plug it in. I'm pretty sure authorization is to the box not location. If you unplug the power, the box needs reinitialize and download authorization code from cable company.

Is there any file sorting utilities? It sounds like once a recording is on a drive that's it. Anyway to put all of the Sopranos episodes on one drive? Or for those who plan to do a lot of archiving pretty much stuck keeping thing chronological and leaving it that way?



Recordings can be sorted alphabetically or chronically.

Originally posted by DMILANI
Oops. I'll delete them for now - don't have the time to fix this right now. Double Oops, mine don't work either. If I get time before you do, I'll fix them and PM them to you to add to the first post.

Interesting:
http://www.seagate.com/cda/newsinfo/newsroom/releases/article/0,1121,2680,00.html
http://www.i4u.com/article3133.html
(Seagate introducing external SATA drives for DVRs)

Thanks to all who have contributed information about equipment used with their success on adding external hard drives. I received my 2 cables (SATA I to II) from the Cruz source and was happy with their prompt delivery.

I have three of the 8300HD DVR’s and will be adding external hard drives to at least 2 of them (then I could return one or move to another room). I have Adelphia in a Cleveland, Ohio suburb. Was with E*.

My question is about playback quality / performance comparison of the hard drives that have been tested.

The Hard drive that is inside the 8300HD is actually only a Maxtor ATA133 160GB QuickView (4R160L0) (as disclosed by other threads from the service mode/diagnostics). So is an external SATA drive actually giving better playback? (keeping up with all pixel refreshes/no hiccups)

If postings could include the model of the drive it would help me and others decide how much to spend on an upgrade. To properly evaluate results I would need to determine which one of the 5 different Maxtor ATA/133 250GB hard drives that were used as described in several different posting?

Current ata/133 250GB Maxtor Models are listed as 6B300R0, 5A250J0, 5A250J0, L01R250, L01P250.

When recording 2 programs and watching a previously recorded show I wonder if the better choice would be upgrade to a SATA drive that offers the extra features as mentioned on the Maxtor website about their newer SATA drive Ultra16 250 GB (L01S250) which has MHX acceleration for multi stream applications.

Maybe just upgrading with ATA/133 in an enclosure using a Maxtor Ultra Series ATA/133 250GB (L01P250) might show improvements?(designed for higher level use? Plus a FDB motor.?

To those whom have installed an external drive a performance comparison to the built in hard drive would be appreciated. (A before and after / if you know which drive a playback may be recorded on)
My first upgrade will be a 200GB ATA/133 (L01P200) (99.00 at staples) when my enclosure shows up (usb2 and serial).
__________________________________________________
I still love my replay 5040’s as they can stream the HD recorded shows to other replays throughout the house to SD TV’s with great quality. see other threads for info.

I'm using a Maxtor IDE drive I pulled from one of my PC's to see if it would work. I believe it's a DimaondMax 9, 8Mb buffer, 7200rpm, 160GB. I can't see any difference in PQ.

As far as I know there's no way to tell what drive a recording is on. Well, actually that's not true. I found a way when I accidentally pulled the plug on the external drive, first you get a big message on screen. But if you check your recordings, they are all still listed, this leads me to believe that the list of recordings is actually stored on the internal drive. When you select a recording that happens to be on the external drive and hit play, nothing will happen, it'll just dump you back to the list of recordings.

I've just put together my external drive:

I used a Maxtor 250GB SATA drive (L01S250) ($173 with sales tax & after $20 coupon). As I was buying a drive I thought that a pure SATA drive with 16MB buffer and 150MBs transfer might be a safer bet.

Addonics Aluminum enclosure (AAEEHDSA35W-R) ($55 with shipping & handling)

Comac Cable from CRUZ ($25 with shipping & handling).

I went from 86% full to 32% after the reboot, format new drive, and reboot again.

I tested by recording several programs simultaneously while watching a third (previously recorded). Everything seemed to work fine. I did have some (minor) pixelation issues - but these appeared to be normal (I get about the same amount when viewing live).

I have a couple of comments (questions for the experts):

1) I purchased the metal case with the thought that it would dissipate the heat better. It seems to as the unit seems to be just warm (probably 85 degrees). However, the case does have a small 12v fan. The Addonics power supply cable plugs neatly into the drive, so there is no easy way to tap off the 12v to run the fan in the case. I did not buy the $26 cradle that Dmilana suggested. Any thoughts how to neatly hook the fan up?

2) Because the drive is in a metal case, the drive noise is transmitted fairly well. It is not particularly noticable when idle (no drive activity) but it is noticable when the TV sound is low and there is drive activity. Not an issue for me, but it may be for others. Also, I don't know how objectionable that fan would be if I had it running.

Again, MANY THANKS TO DMILANA

Davehancock,

Are you in the timewarner rochester market (trying to figure out if its worth me to get the drive, i'm in greece)

thanks

oops double post

juliox,

Yes - I'm on Time Warner Rochester. From what I conclude from this entire thread, the External SATA function is hardware function and does not need to be "enabled" by the local cable company.

Actually, from this thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=528391, it needs to be activated by firmware. And many has posted here that 8300 with Passport software does not support external drive (yet).

Foxbat,

The link supports what I said.

"• SATA port active – Note at this time the SATA port is activated and supports external hard drive use. Once used there is no indication of which movies are on which drive. It is not recommended that external drives are attached at this time. "

In other words: it works, but they are not recommending that people connect drives. One reason is that there are not yet any commercially available (complete) external drives that have the needed SATA II connector. DMILANA, and his followers (us) are simply at the leading edge of this (thanks also to CRUZ).

Please note that information is releated to a specific version of software. That means the STAT port is active on that version of software. Not all the cable co. running the same version of firmware. Some are old (HDMI barely working) and some are newer versions. So it is version specific and may not be activated if your cable co. running an older firmware.

The features that they are talking about being "new" have been pretty much there for all 8300s. That tells me that the version that they were talking about has been out there for some time. If that is the case most SARA systems out there do support the Ext drive.

I note that they are talking about Ver 1.3.1 As many of us talk about the SARA version as being 1.85.xx.x (0r 1.87.xx.xx) it is a little difficult to link the two. I suspect that the version that they were talking about is the server version. Can anyone clarify?

Works in Westchester county, NY. I used a Maxtor 200GB IDE drive with the Bytecc enclosure from newegg. I don't think this has been mentioned before so I will put it out there for anyone attempting this: I could not get it to work until I jumpered the drive to master.
-Tag

Originally posted by Hamerhokie
This looks promising:

"1394 Port: Enable 1394 Port always"

To me, this is more important that having an active SATA port. Now you can connect an HD VCR, or connect to a PC or Mac.

EDITED TO ADD: Could those of you running SARA rather than Passport determine if your firewire port is enabled?

FW enabled? Is this confirmed now? It'd be much better than some encrypted SATA...

As far as I can tell, it's not active out here. Connected it to my TV and nothing happened, TV reports no 1394 devices.

Originally posted by LYU370
As far as I can tell, it's not active out here. Connected it to my TV and nothing happened, TV reports no 1394 devices.

It would say it in your diagnostics. The guy I quoted was relaying his diagnostics report. It seems to be active on some folks's Passport boxes.

Cox Cable, SARA 1.87.16.1
Copy Protection Pg 31/34
Outputs
1394: Unavailable

This is the only page in my diagnostics that mentions 1394.

Originally posted by T2k
FW enabled? Is this confirmed now? It'd be much better than some encrypted SATA... Firewire can be encrypted too ...
And any content marked with the broadcast flag or coming from channels marked "copy once" will be.

Yes, I would also like to add many thanks to DMILANI,
I have success with (Adelphia-Cleveland (Mayf.Hts), Ohio) in adding a 200GB ATA/133 (Maxtor L01P200)
The enclosure was the IDE to (combo)SATA/USB2 (Model# ME-740U2SI) http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-369&depa=1)

The heat coming from the aluminum enclosure does make me worry? I also report that the noise from the drive during playback while recording is more noticeable? The blue light on the enclosure is our new “night lite” for the 1st floor.

Performance— I am happy that I added the drive.
I do want to report that it’s not perfect in comparison to the internal drive.
(To compare I recorded to 3 - 8300’s hooked to same TV ) I confirm the drive will only work with 1 box unless you want to reformat.

The performance of the external drive.
Pros --> Increased Storage, Same clarity of picture and sound
Cons -> increase of dropped pixels in partial lines in small segments at any time /degradation of video (signs of lost pixels) during fast moving objects (golfers and their motion) sometimes coinciding with audio stutters.
I recorded the Masters Golf and noticed audio (electronic stutters) and a slight (increase of dropped pixels in partial lines in small segments for split second. Maybe once out of every 30 sec (on average)? (No pattern) This included times where half of the whole picture would be shifted over an inch then comback to normal.

I thought I added a better drive from the lineup of Maxtor ATA/133 drives. I will probably add a serial drive on the next unit to compare in the future or look for feedback on a different ATA/133.
The video isn’t that much of a problem but last night’s episode of 24 had many audio dropouts during dialogue from the external drive.

audio dropouts during dialogue from the external drive.

---NO-- The external drive wasn't talking to me...

------Kiefer Sutherland was trying..

Dropouts (both audio and video) are kind of difficult to evaluate as they can really occur anywhere along the chain (networks, feed to cable, cable head end, cable distribution to your house, and finally in the tuner/DVR. So it's really difficult to come to definitive conclusions.

I played it "safe" and as I was buying the drive I opted for the Maxtor SATA drive (250GB). I've been really watching for increased dropouts and haven't been able to conclude much (one way or the other). Some recent recordings made before adding the external drive have a noticeable amount - but some newer recordings (clearly on the external drive) have some drop outs too.

I can clearly "hear" when the external drive is being used when I fast forward. But when the program is playing, and with the TV sound at normal levels I don't notice it.

Another note, my external drive does not run particularly hot - it is only slightly warm to the touch. I do not have a fan running, but it is in a metal case.

Thanks Dave
Thanks for the feedback. I really knew I would be buying more than one hard drive and gave the ATA/133 a chance. That’s another reason I went for the Case that had the USB2 and SATA connection. So I could reuse somewhere else.

I was actually trying to buy the same Maxtor drive L01S250 last week during our 12 “ snow storm. $152 no rebates at BestBuy.com. I went to the local Best buy store where they had 1 left but they wouldn’t match their own web price. And, they don’t make them available for pickup either from a online purchase when they are down to their last one.

I was going to order from the next closest but waited till the next day which was too long as the next day the sale went off.
So now I wait till the next best sale price?

Originally posted by GregNico
I also report that the noise from the drive during playback while recording is more noticeable?

Do you by chance have the drive standing vertically? I did, and noticed that it was much louder than when it was horizontal. Then I noticed that the rubber feet were only on the horizontal surface. I added some stick on rubber feet that I had laying around and the seek noises are greatly reduced.

Originally posted by GregNico
Yes, I would also like to add many thanks to DMILANI,
I have success with (Adelphia-Cleveland (Mayf.Hts), Ohio) in adding a 200GB ATA/133 (Maxtor L01P200) <SNIP>

Very good and informative (original) post. Full of actual facts and multiple cases and scenarios, both proven good and failed.

Thanks
vegggas

Originally posted by LYU370
Do you by chance have the drive standing vertically? I did, and noticed that it was much louder than when it was horizontal.
Yes I do, I think the heat dissipates better in the vertical position from a human touch (should measure with thermometer).
Originally posted by LYU370
Then I noticed that the rubber feet were only on the horizontal surface. I added some stick on rubber feet that I had laying around and the seek noises are greatly reduced.
Thanks for the advice, I will get some rubber feet and add on like you did.

Originally posted by dt_dc
Firewire can be encrypted too ...
And any content marked with the broadcast flag or coming from channels marked "copy once" will be.

Yet folks have been recording TWC from 3250HD via firewire... so I'd like to play with it for a while...

Originally posted by T2k
Yet folks have been recording TWC from 3250HD via firewire... so I'd like to play with it for a while... Same here. Just pointing out that some content can (and will be) encrypted (DTCP).

When I was researching serial enclosures I had noticed a bargin? at $32.85. Has anyone tried this enclosure for serial drives
From NewEgg All Products> External Enclosure > E-POWER/TAGAN > N82E16817155903
E-POWER SATA External Enclosure for 3.5" Drives, Model "EP-301SA" -RETAIL
Model# EP-301SA / Item # N82E16817155903
Specifications: / Application: 3.5" SATA drive /Internal Interface: SATA / External Interface: SATA
Max Size: 400GB / Power: AC input: 100 - 240V / Fans: 80mm Turbo Cooling Fan
Features: New Anti Shock Design, Hot Swappable

enclosure for sata drive w/ 80mm fan (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-155-903&depa=0)

Originally posted by DMILANI
The drive enclosure I pointed to did not have a fan, but I realized that I needed one, so I ordered this add-on cradle shown on this page:

http://www.addonics.com/products/combo_hdd/aechdsa35.asp

The part number is AAHDSA35BY. This cradle allows for drive swapping and also has a built in fan that runs as long as the enclosure power supply is plugged in. The fan is very quite and keeps the drive cool.

Hope this helps.

I received the add on cradle, I still don't understand how the fan is powered, is there a seperate AC adapter to power the fan?

Lon

Lon, did you mention earlier that you bought the metal version?

I have the plastic version, and the fan runs off of the single power connection.

-D

metal version

Has anyone bought the "External eSATA - SATA cable, 100 cm (http://www.shopaddonics.com/itemdesc.asp?CartId=&ic=AASA2SA100C&eq=&Tp=)" from Addonics for $26.95? If so, does it work?

It would seem that if you bought it together with an enclosure from Addonics, you'd save the shipping and handling charge that Cruz system tacks on to their lower price, so it would be a wash...

Actually, you just need this adapter and a standard external SATA I cable (comes with some enclosures):

http://www.addonics.com/products/other/

First item on page.

I just received on of these, FYI if you ask them to send it USPS the shipping cost is $3.00

Your link doesn't work anymore.

Originally posted by DMILANI
Actually, you just need this adapter and a standard external SATA I cable (comes with some enclosures):

http://www.shopaddonics.com/itemdesc.asp?CartId={43BDE7CB-DC0A-4948-AB5AEVEREST-692C06877DCB}&ic=AASA2SAP15C&eq=&Tp=

Fixed!

Wierd problem, I don't know if it associated with external SATA drive.

On certain recorded events all of a sudden out of the blue, When I go to recorded list and select the recorded event, I then select play from the options menu, on certain recordings the screen goes to playback channel where the choices are press the list button to see your recordings, or press the CH up/dn button to change channels, I am unable to view the recorded event.

Anyone know whats up?

Are you sure your external drive didn't get powered off accidentally somewhere along the way? The only time I've seen this happen was when I accidentally pulled the plug on the external drive. The recordings that are on the external drive still show up in the list but are inaccessible so it just dumps you back to the main screen. Try rebooting your box, make sure you get the message saying that an external device is connected and you should be able to access the recordings again.

Andy:

Thanks, very possible that the external got powered off, so I should just reboot the 8300?

Lon

Yep, unplug the 8300, then plug 'er back in after you've verified the external drive is powered on and connected.

Thanks Andy, I guess its time to hook up the external sata to a ups

Thanks again Andy it worked perfectly.

Just found this on Maxtor's website about their SATA drive that is especially made for DVRs.
http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/en_us/documentation/data_sheets/quickview_data_sheet.pdf

Anybody know anything about them? I assume they are pricey.

Also I've seen the spec 7200RPM (5400RPM no Multi-Room). What's Multi-Room?

This has been posted months ago. Aside from a press release, not much is known. Never saw it anywhere. Seagate has a similar offering recently. Sounds like both are offered through local cable co only.

The Multi-room refers to the Multi-room version of the 8300 DVR that can serve up to 4 cable boxes in the house. It's only available for SD playback right now in some places. Until HD playback is fully supported, I don't see any value for it.

Originally posted by LJG
I received the add on cradle, I still don't understand how the fan is powered, is there a seperate AC adapter to power the fan?

Lon

Has this issue ever been resolved? The thread went off in other directions.

I originally purchased the metal enclosure kit and found that it had a fan but no way to power it. I wrote to Addonics and they said that the Cradle supplied the fan power. But it looks like LJG found that the cradle did not supply power.

I purchased the metal version thinking that the metal would dissipate heat. It seems to work well and I am not sure in "needs" the fan (unit is out in open with air circulation around all but one (narrow) side. But I am interested in further cooling - just to play it safe.

Found another cable to give some people other alternatives, not sure if the price is any competitive or not.

Part# TCB-SATA-2/1

w w w .sonnettech.com/product/esata_cables.html
or
w w w .ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail~dpno~534359.asp

Both are listed for $24.95

I haven't purchased a cable yet as I live in Ontario Canada. I use Rogers Cable who uses the SARA software and I just got my 8300HD. I looking for a place to buy this cable up here as I don't want to have to pay $30+ for shipping. Has anyone found a place to buy up in the North?

I couldn't post http links as this is my first post.

Thanks

I got together with some others here in Rochester, NY and purchased 14 cables from CRUZ. The price figured out to $13/cable.

I bought this cable from buy.com for $22 (free shipping) ... I know its more than others are paying ... but I am in a hurry to get it here :-)

Search for: "TCB-SATA-2/1" ... which happens to the mfg part for the Sonnet cable (eSATA to SATA 1)

Cheers.

I would also like to add many thanks to DMILANI,

I had success adding a 300GB SATA (Seagate ST3300831AS),
Addonics combo hard drive kit, black, and eSATA/SATA cable.
8300 firmware is SARA 1.85.19.1

It's nice to be able to have 60 hrs of HD programming stored!

the guy from newegg said that i can use a regular sata cable to connect to the 8300hd. is this not true?

Originally posted by Kenther2004
the guy from newegg said that i can use a regular sata cable to connect to the 8300hd. is this not true?
Nope. Not true.

Has to be what is referred to as e.SATA cable, although standards seem sketchy about what that really is.

Trust me, I and others have tried the standard SATA cable and it does not fit.

/temple

thanks. so what is the best way to connect regular sata output to the e-sata on the back of the 8300hd?

Kenther,

Look at the very first post - it's there. (Cable from CRUZ)

Has anyone tried a 400GB drive with a SA8300? Many people are using 300GB drives...any reason why a 400GB will not work?

I am using a 400g Hitachi Deskstar from addonics without any problems.

Originally posted by Ash Sharma
I am usinga 400g Hitachi Deskstar from addonics with any problems.

Did you type that correctly? ("...with any problems.") or do you have problems. If so, what are they?:confused:

Sorry for Typo - I meant 'without'
Edited previous post

just received bytecc ide to sata enclosure. my western digital 250gb ide drive needs to have it's jumper position set. the choices are: cable select, single, dual (master), dual (slave). can anyone please tell me the proper jumper position to use with my 8300hd? thanks.

Originally posted by Kenther2004
just received bytecc ide to sata enclosure. my western digital 250gb ide drive needs to have it's jumper position set. the choices are: cable select, single, dual (master), dual (slave). can anyone please tell me the proper jumper position to use with my 8300hd? thanks.

single

Though Adelphia cable in Buffalo says that the SATA connectors on their SA8300HDs aren't active I installed an external Maxtor 300GB SATA drive in a customer's house yesterday. It worked perfectly! We used the EP-301SA enclosure kit from New Egg with the CRUZ cable. This enclosure included a (very) quiet fan.

Originally posted by sgr
>>Also, Silicon Image demonstrated with Scientific Atlanta (at CES) a RAID system that will allow expansion of the 8300HD up to several Terabytes.<<

Great i know that Lacie make external SATA In a raid array for a terabytes

sound like monster storage for the sa8300hd

cool

Martin

Just to confirm, the SATA port on Cox SA 8300HD boxes do work, right? I read the other posts in the thread about the 1394 port being disabled and some possible pixelation problems but just wanted to double-check. Thanks!

As far as I can tell, the cable companies do not specifically activate the SATA port. Most versions of SARA software on the 8300HD support it. Regarding pixelation with the external SARA: I have not noticed an increase in these problems with programs stored on the Ext drive. If I have noticed anything it is that there may be fewer such problems on the ext drive. But I went for a real SATA drive (with 150MBs transfer rate & 16MB buffer).

I've got a friend who just put in an external drive who raises an interesting question? What happens when you loose power due to a storm or such? They have frequent power outages where he lives.

Does anyone have experience with this?

I would guess that everything would come up OK - but does anyone really know?

Thanks

I had the power in my apartment go out once while recording an episode of CSI and when the electricity came back, the dvr started recording again. The portion that was recorded before the power went out was still on the box and viewable.

Originally posted by davehancock
I've got a friend who just put in an external drive who raises an interesting question? What happens when you loose power due to a storm or such? They have frequent power outages where he lives.

Does anyone have experience with this?

I would guess that everything would come up OK - but does anyone really know?

Thanks

This was with an external drive on the DVR? If so, I trust that the external drive was still recognized and fully functional?

Originally posted by davehancock
This was with an external drive on the DVR? If so, I trust that the external drive was still recognized and fully functional?

This was with my external drive connected. I can't say for sure where CSI was being recorded at that time, but when my power came back, everything was working normally.

Originally posted by Carl Sims
I had the power in my apartment go out once while recording an episode of CSI and when the electricity came back, the dvr started recording again. The portion that was recorded before the power went out was still on the box and viewable.

the sa8300hd buffers up to an hour of the channels programing that you are watching..correct??? i mean how long was the power gone!!! carl??

Martin

Originally posted by Prehjan
the sa8300hd buffers up to an hour of the channels programing that you are watching..correct??? i mean how long was the power gone!!! carl??

Martin

My power was out around 5 minutes.

When the power goes out, I believe you lose the buffer and all that is captured is what's currently been written to the HDD. When the power comes back on, the 8300 sees that it has a recording scheduled and starts recording from that point. You obviously lose whatever happened while the power was out. Or did I misunderstand Prehjan's comment?

no you got it....that is what i was thinkingwas happening...i mean how could it record with no power..or maybe it asked where it was and starts recording while you watching it from there on...but i dont think dvr's are that advanced yet!!! neither are cable companies!!!
as far as line conditioning/surge protction...i sue a belkin pf60..and it does the job, you can also shut off the beep...as far as upc systems...seen them at work , but neevr had one in person

call me martin from now on doubledaz...

thanks

MArtin

How about getting a UPS? I have a TrippLite 1100KVA UPS I got at CostCo for about $100 protecting the 8300HD and everything else in my entertainment cabinet. Works great and has more than enough juice to keep everything alive over a short power outage.

Does that UPS beep when power is out? Nothing is worse than a UPS beeps at midnight when power goes out (my old APC UPS). That's only reason I didn't use a UPS in my house. I'd rather loss some recordings than loss my sleep:D

Yep, it beeps but I don't notice that much because it's buried in a cabinet. There may also be a way to turn that off permanently. The guy in the office next to me has a "blackout buster" and he actually took it apart to disconnect the beeper.

One thing I do like about the TrippLite is that the battery is designed to be user-replaceable and the battery is easily accessible from the back. Most other UPSs I've had have to be completely disassembled.

Thanks DMILANI from another happy forum member.

I bought the following:
addonics AECHDSA35 combo enclosure/fan-cradle/power kit $47 inc.shipping
cruz sata II-SATA I cable. Thanks again davehancock .
maxtor 250GB 7Y250M0 SATA drive from newegg at $128.
( I was thinking of a 300-400gb drive, but saw this special and my budget)

Putting the drive and enclosure together was a snap. Got connection sequence from SA explorer club. Booted 8300HD and formatted. Let it format for 1 hr. Probably not necessary, but I wanted to be sure. Next re-booted again and got message drive was a go.

My disk usage went from 52% to 19%. This is great since I have a lot of recordings set for Friday/Saturday.

Provider is TWC in Rochester, NY. One day I'll get into the diagnostics and see what firmware I have, but it's probably the same as in davehancock 's post.

Would the following HD be good enough with the Cruz cable and the ByteCC External Enclosure from NewEgg?

Seagate UATA
# Capacity: 300GB
# Seek Time: 8.5ms
# 7200RPM
# 8MB Buffer

Or do I need a 16MB buffer?

Thanks!

Originally posted by Don Black
Would the following HD be good enough with the Cruz cable and the ByteCC External Enclosure from NewEgg?

Seagate UATA
# Capacity: 300GB
# Seek Time: 8.5ms
# 7200RPM
# 8MB Buffer

Or do I need a 16MB buffer?

Thanks!
I'm using a Seagate ST3300831AS with 8MB Cache and it works just great! See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5548816#post5548816

Link to Data Sheet: http://www.seagate.com/docs/pdf/datasheet/disc/ds_barracuda7200.8.pdf

Excellent!

Another success story...
I'm in San Diego, CA with Cox, running SARA v1.87.16.1 on an SA8300.

I bought the $34 external SATA enclosure from newegg.com (Item=N82E16817155903) and a
300 GByte Seagate Barracuda SATA drive (Item=N82E16822148064), plus the 221303D cable from Cruz Systems. I asked the very pleasant Terri what the difference was between the C & D cables; she said the C was discontinued; the D was made with heavier cable, and there was no electrical difference. She also said I was the first from San Diego to order a cable ... What's up with that?

Anyway, I plugged in the cable, and powered up the drive while watching the screen. After the drive spun up, a message appeared on the screen saying something to the effect "Your external drive is not connected correctly. Check the cables and connections."

I checked the diagnostic information screens, which didn't show an external drive.

So I rebooted the SA8300, which seemed to take a bit longer than usual (not that I've done it a lot), then a message appeared which noted that the attached external drive needed to be formatted. I told it to go ahead; it didn't take more than a couple of minutes before another message appeared noting that I now had external storage, with a warning that if it was powered off, the recordings on it wouldn't be available. (I'm guessing that the quick format was due to the drive being new; ie, it didn't have to wipe out a previous NTFS or FAT format.)

Checked the diagnostic screens again, where drive 2 now showed up, 279 GB capacity.

Recording time used went from 52% to 18%.

I tried a quick HD recording, which seemed to go fine. Couldn't tell any difference in quality, no dropouts, no glitches. According to the diagnostic screen, a half-hour HD recording used about 2 GBytes of the disk.

you probably wanna stay away from 16meg caches and nqc..or whatever else the new tech of the day is,,,for a external hx box,,the one you mentioned seems good to me,,,but i would go witha 250gig..not much difference in storage,,but big difference in price of the hdrives itselves!

Martin

Martin,

Don't understand why one should stay away from 16meg caches?

so am I wasting my money if I do this?
Ultimately, I cannot really save this content long term since it is married to a box that I rent ...

I am on the fence

silroc, I guess whether you consider it a waste of money or not depends on how full your internal drive is, and how much extra capacity you'd like to have.

If I go on a two week vacation and have a bunch of HD recordings scheduled, I'd like to come home to some assurance that I'll be able to watch them.

I also like to save some recordings for a while, either to show somebody else, or to rewatch occasionally. (I still have some old TechTV "Call for Help" & "The Screen Savers" episodes on my Dish PVR for old times sake. )

I am on my 8th or 9th viewing of Roy Orbison's Black & White Night that I recorded from INHD2 a while back. So far, that is the only program I've kept past the initial viewing, but I can certainly see the advantage of having more storage come vacation time. Fortunately, where I go for vacation (grandkids in North Carolina) generally has HD, so I don't have to record all that much for when I get back. :)

If, however, you intend to try to archive stuff long-term, then you'd be better off investing in a PC with 1394 ports and renting the SA3250HD with active 1394 ports. Even then, you still need a huge amount of storage capacity and that isn't cheap either. You can probably split files and burn them to DVD's for unlimited storage, but I'm not sure how much cheaper that would be.

Originally posted by DoubleDAZ
I am on my 8th or 9th viewing of Roy Orbison's Black & White Night that I recorded from INHD2 a while back. So far, that is the only program I've kept past the initial viewing, but I can certainly see the advantage of having more storage come vacation time. Fortunately, where I go for vacation (grandkids in North Carolina) generally has HD, so I don't have to record all that much for when I get back. :)

If, however, you intend to try to archive stuff long-term, then you'd be better off investing in a PC with 1394 ports and renting the SA3250HD with active 1394 ports. Even then, you still need a huge amount of storage capacity and that isn't cheap either. You can probably split files and burn them to DVD's for unlimited storage, but I'm not sure how much cheaper that would be.

PC 1394 storage option is crippled because there are numerous HD channels which DO NOT allow archiving via 1394 copy protection on the SA3250HD box.

Originally posted by Rieper
PC 1394 storage option is crippled because there are numerous HD channels which DO NOT allow archiving via 1394 copy protection on the SA3250HD box. Certainly that is very true, but that doesn't negate the idea that the only way to archive authorized recordings long-term is via PC/1394, not via DVR.