Adding a SATA Drive To Pace HDPVRs. - Page 16 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

alejandra · 2010-10-12, 06:05 AM

I have this Seagate 750 gig 7200.11 drive. Will it work in a Vantec? Which model of Vantec do you have?

SnowGoose · 2010-10-15, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alejandra

I have this Seagate 750 gig 7200.11 drive. Will it work in a Vantec? Which model of Vantec do you have?

I'm using the "Vantec Nexstar CX 3.5IN SATA to USB 2.0 and eSATA External Hard Drive Enclosure" with a Seagate Barracuda 500 GB 7200.11.

Worked first time.

danbcman · 2010-10-15, 08:28 PM

What I built was a Acomdata Samba 3.5IN IDE SATA Hard Drive Enclosure USB 2.0 Fanless Obsidian Black with a WD green drive it was poor pixelations all over the place then I changed to a Samsung drive HD103UJ at a terra byte size it seems to work fine for me how ever I am nowusing the shaw extender and have this one as a backup plan in case it fails.

lgplasma · 2010-10-20, 11:57 AM

I have looked into installing a larger internal drive into my Aspen and have decided it's just not worth it. The drive is held in with security screws as is the drive caddy and the cover itself. Too much messing about when an external is relatively straight forward.

alejandra · 2010-10-25, 04:22 AM

After plugging in the the Vantec, and reconnecting the power cable to the cable box 758D, it asks me if I wanted to format the drive. So I answered yes.

How long does it take to format the drive? It is still spinning for hours.
How do I start using the setup to record something?

Do I need to format the drive in Window first before connecting to the PVR?
I pressed the "list" button, but there is a message saying something like "DVR services not available. Please call Shaw".

accord1999 · 2010-10-25, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alejandra

How long does it take to format the drive? It is still spinning for hours.
How do I start using the setup to record something?

It shouldn't take long, did you see a message about it formatting? Also, the highlight on the Yes or No buttons can be hard to see, you may have accidentally clicked on No.

Quote:

Do I need to format the drive in Window first before connecting to the PVR?
I pressed the "list" button, but there is a message saying something like "DVR services not available. Please call Shaw".

You only need to do the DVR format. Usually on a power cycle, it will take a couple of minutes for the DVR service to be completely activated and for that error message to go away. I think the buffering should be active right away and you should be able to pause live tv.

alejandra · 2010-10-25, 07:17 PM

You are right, the Yes or No buttons were hard to distinguish. I think I selected the wrong button. This time I selected the Yes button and there was a message saying it was formatting the drive.

I tried to record something and it worked.

When I switched off the cable box, the hard drive was still spinning.

Do I have to leave the Vantec always on?

If I just switch off the Vantec case, will the cable box recognize it the next time I switch it on?

DSgamby · 2010-10-25, 07:30 PM

I agree. The highlighting is strange.

the <> that is the correct highlighting is hard to see and the fact that the other things is a white background looks like that should be the one that is highlighted.

accord1999 · 2010-10-25, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alejandra

You are right, the Yes or No buttons were hard to distinguish. I think I selected the wrong button. This time I selected the Yes button and there was a message saying it was formatting the drive.

Yeah, I made the same mistake the first time too. Like DSGamby said, the highlight is opposite of what you would normally expect.

Quote:

Do I have to leave the Vantec always on?

If I just switch off the Vantec case, will the cable box recognize it the next time I switch it on?

Yes it should be always on. My experience with the Pace 758D is that it cannot handle having the external drive be powered off/disconnected when it is already DVR mode and will usually freeze. Also if the Pace is powered on before the external drive, it will not be able to connect with the drive unless you power cycle the Pace.

alejandra · 2010-10-27, 12:31 AM

After doing some testing I realized that the Vantec should not be turned off.
After I turned the Vantec off and then on, the cable box will no longer recognize the Vantec or respond to any command.
Also, I could not even power off the cable box, either by pressing the power button on it, or by using the remote control.
The only way of solving the problem was to unplug and then plug the power cable to the cable box, which caused the cable box to reset.
In effect, this forces us to leave the Vantec on, and this increases the usage of the hard drive.

lgplasma · 2010-10-27, 03:11 PM

Most hard drive manufacturers recommend the drive be left on constantly for maximum life. Spinning the drive up and down shortens the life of the drive.

alejandra · 2010-10-28, 06:33 AM

The light on the Vantec keeps on flashing, even though I am not recording anything.
I don't normally leave my computers on when they are not in use.

Shaw Guru · 2010-10-28, 12:23 PM

The hard drive is always buffering content during live TV so it is always in use when the DCT is on. From what i recall manufactorers recommend leaving the external drives on all the time as well (as lgplasma mentioned) because it causes less wear and tear on the drive. (Think of a car in stop and go rush hour traffic as opposed to wide open on the autobaun. Runs much better and will have less issues at full speed)

burnaby_boy · 2010-10-31, 07:33 PM

After an unsuccessful 2 week experiment with a Shaw Expander for my Summit, I went back to my old WD 1.5TB EADS, now enclosed in a Vantec CX. I eventually unplugged the bright blue LED, as it was too distracting.

alejandra · 2010-11-03, 06:28 AM

The Vantec blue light keeps on flashing, eventhough the cable box is off and it is not recording anything.

2010-10-25, 04:22 AM	#230
alejandra Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 45	After plugging in the the Vantec, and reconnecting the power cable to the cable box 758D, it asks me if I wanted to format the drive. So I answered yes. How long does it take to format the drive? It is still spinning for hours. How do I start using the setup to record something? Do I need to format the drive in Window first before connecting to the PVR? I pressed the "list" button, but there is a message saying something like "DVR services not available. Please call Shaw". Last edited by alejandra; 2010-10-25 at 04:53 AM.

2010-10-28, 12:23 PM	#238
Shaw Guru Veteran Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: BC. Shaw Cable, 42" Samsung DLP, 6416 w/expander & DCX3400 Posts: 1,900	The hard drive is always buffering content during live TV so it is always in use when the DCT is on. From what i recall manufactorers recommend leaving the external drives on all the time as well (as lgplasma mentioned) because it causes less wear and tear on the drive. (Think of a car in stop and go rush hour traffic as opposed to wide open on the autobaun. Runs much better and will have less issues at full speed) __________________ Designated Shaw Employee representative for Cable & Digital Cable for Digital Home Forums.

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2010-10-12, 06:05 AM	#226
alejandra Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 45	I have this Seagate 750 gig 7200.11 drive. Will it work in a Vantec? Which model of Vantec do you have?

2010-10-15, 08:28 PM	#228
danbcman Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New Westminster Posts: 1,237	What I built was a Acomdata Samba 3.5IN IDE SATA Hard Drive Enclosure USB 2.0 Fanless Obsidian Black with a WD green drive it was poor pixelations all over the place then I changed to a Samsung drive HD103UJ at a terra byte size it seems to work fine for me how ever I am nowusing the shaw extender and have this one as a backup plan in case it fails.

2010-10-20, 11:57 AM	#229
lgplasma Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: North of Nanaimo Posts: 433	I have looked into installing a larger internal drive into my Aspen and have decided it's just not worth it. The drive is held in with security screws as is the drive caddy and the cover itself. Too much messing about when an external is relatively straight forward.

2010-10-25, 07:17 PM	#232
alejandra Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 45	You are right, the Yes or No buttons were hard to distinguish. I think I selected the wrong button. This time I selected the Yes button and there was a message saying it was formatting the drive. I tried to record something and it worked. When I switched off the cable box, the hard drive was still spinning. Do I have to leave the Vantec always on? If I just switch off the Vantec case, will the cable box recognize it the next time I switch it on?

2010-10-25, 07:30 PM	#233
DSgamby Veteran Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario Posts: 3,895	I agree. The highlighting is strange. the <> that is the correct highlighting is hard to see and the fact that the other things is a white background looks like that should be the one that is highlighted.

2010-10-27, 12:31 AM	#235
alejandra Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 45	After doing some testing I realized that the Vantec should not be turned off. After I turned the Vantec off and then on, the cable box will no longer recognize the Vantec or respond to any command. Also, I could not even power off the cable box, either by pressing the power button on it, or by using the remote control. The only way of solving the problem was to unplug and then plug the power cable to the cable box, which caused the cable box to reset. In effect, this forces us to leave the Vantec on, and this increases the usage of the hard drive.

2010-10-27, 03:11 PM	#236
lgplasma Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: North of Nanaimo Posts: 433	Most hard drive manufacturers recommend the drive be left on constantly for maximum life. Spinning the drive up and down shortens the life of the drive.

2010-10-28, 06:33 AM	#237
alejandra Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 45	The light on the Vantec keeps on flashing, even though I am not recording anything. I don't normally leave my computers on when they are not in use.

2010-10-31, 07:33 PM	#239
burnaby_boy Rookie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Burnaby, BC Posts: 21	After an unsuccessful 2 week experiment with a Shaw Expander for my Summit, I went back to my old WD 1.5TB EADS, now enclosed in a Vantec CX. I eventually unplugged the bright blue LED, as it was too distracting.

2010-11-03, 06:28 AM	#240
alejandra Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 45	The Vantec blue light keeps on flashing, eventhough the cable box is off and it is not recording anything.