Thinking of buying a BIG hdd and doing myself

[forgop]

I tried to search the forum for details on how to do this, but couldn't really find what I was looking for. What are the steps I need to follow to take a blank hard drive and get the RTV software on it?

Also, what are drives you'd recommend or things you'd stay away from when buying it? I have a 50XX series.
5400 vs 7200?
Maxtor/Seagate/Western Digital/???
8 MB/16 MB/???

I'm thinking of getting a 500 GB hdd, so I just want to know what I'm getting myself into.

Thanks!!!

[anidea]

I accidentally stumbled upon this http://web.archive.org/web/20060516092156/http://www.replaytvupgrade.com
while searching for an unrelated topic. I also found it while googling ReplayTV Upgrade.

Hope it helps.

Incidentally, I also found this http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=416831 by reading the FAQ.

[slowbiscuit]

I hope that you're not really intending to 'do yourself' with a new hard drive. Hmm... ;)

Anyway, stick to the 7200rpm 8mb cache versions, and I personally wouldn't put anything bigger than a 300GB or so in there even though I know some folks have had success with bigger drives. Brand doesn't really matter IMO but Seagates have a 5-year warranty.

[adone36]

Size does not matter, but I don't believe anyone has been successful with ANY 16m cache drive. It doesn't matter, the Replay can't use the cache anyway. Ditto 7200rpm. Won't hurt, won't do anything for you either.

[slowbiscuit]

7200rpm drives are snappier than 5400s on a Replay. Menus and searches are faster. Yes, I've tried them both, side by side, and others have mentioned it too but you keep ignoring this info for whatever reason. And there's no reason not to buy a 7200 since that's most of what's sold now anyway.

[adone36]

No they are not. And the "no reason whatsoever" is from several Replay engineers who used to post here as well as a Maxtor engineer. You on the other hand parrot this nonsense based on "personal experience". It's not a "mistake" that drives designed specifically for DVRs are 5400RPM, with 2m caches and not Western Digital Raptors.

As to "personal experience" it reminds me of the Dodge forum where there were countless posts about adding Cold Air Intakes to the Magnum hemis. Rivetting stories about being thrown back into the seat. So the forum sponsored a comparison between several makes to find the best unit. They were all the same and they all did the same; NOTHING.

The explanation given in a Consumer Reports article on this phenom. was that people seek to justify a decision to themselves.

Maybe there is a Replay equivalent to the retort I once read on a lighting thread:

"I don't care what the guys with the light meters say, I KNOW they're brighter, dad gummitt."

[forgop]

[QUOTE=slowbiscuit]7200rpm drives are snappier than 5400s on a Replay. Menus and searches are faster. Yes, I've tried them both, side by side, and others have mentioned it too but you keep ignoring this info for whatever reason. And there's no reason not to buy a 7200 since that's most of what's sold now anyway.[/QUOTE]

I remember some time ago seeing some posts on another site talking that 7200's weren't as desirable due to the fact that they get hotter and are louder. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But this is why I asked the question because I just want to make sure if I get something, it'll be compatible. I saw on another website offering RTV hard drives would specify that some hard drives weren't compatible with various RTV models for whatever reason.

[slowbiscuit]

I've been running 7200's in mine for years with no problems, so I don't think the extra heat matters all that much. No real difference in noise that I could see either (Maxtor 160's with fluid bearings). The only reason why I mentioned not going larger than 300G was because I'm not sure how well the newer large drives work with the Replay. There was some talk in another thread of a possible firmware issue with the large Seagates and the RTVs.

[forgop]

[QUOTE=anidea]I accidentally stumbled upon this http://web.archive.org/web/20060516092156/http://www.replaytvupgrade.com
while searching for an unrelated topic. I also found it while googling ReplayTV Upgrade.

Hope it helps.

Incidentally, I also found this http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=416831 by reading the FAQ.[/QUOTE]

I thought I remember something mentioned about a RTV patch or something and tried using that. I probably used every word other than "upgrade". ;)

[Slack]

I recommend WD Caviar SE Drives.

7200RPM
8MB Cache

500 gigs is overkill IMHO, 300 is just dandy.

Whatever the reason, the cache or the RPMs, or something completely different, these drives DO result in a more responsive 5040 vs. the STOCK Maxtor.

[Bobcrane]

If I remember correctly, the WD's are "louder" than a stock or slowed down Maxtor. It's not a big deal in my setup, but it may be in yours.

[Slack]

The 'WDs are loud' rep has been abated in recent years.

The only time I can hear mine is some thrashing after a maintenance reboot During 'Please Wait'.

Other-wise it's just fan noise I hear.

[slowbiscuit]

[QUOTE=adone36]No they are not. And the "no reason whatsoever" is from several Replay engineers who used to post here as well as a Maxtor engineer. You on the other hand parrot this nonsense based on "personal experience". It's not a "mistake" that drives designed specifically for DVRs are 5400RPM, with 2m caches and not Western Digital Raptors.[/QUOTE]
The diff is noticeable on 2 5504's w/fresh installs side-by-side, one with the stock Maxtor 40, another with a 7200/8m 160. Might not be clockable with a stopwatch I'll admit, but it is noticeable. But of course you've never actually tried that, you just parrot what you've read.
And it's a lot easier to find a deal on a 7200 (160's are very cheap after rebate), so it's a no brainer to go that route anyway. This is kind of a pointless argument given that fact, so I'm done with it.

EDIT: I'd really like to see what Mikeyboy's opinion on this is, based on his firsthand experience with a lot of hardware.

[Bobcrane]

The 7200/5400 16mb/8mb/2mb cache debate has been going on since before I bought my first Replay.

I recall ReplayTV engineers saying the cache will not affect speed in any way (don't remember why). Some people still reported snappier menu's and it was purported to be more of a placebo effect. Dunno either way.

As to 7200/5400. 5400 was preferred for noise/heat issues. Again, the whole argument over whether or not the 7200 is more responsive has been batted around, though I don't remember any of the previous RTV employees chiming in on that one.

This much I do know: The bigger the drive the more guide data being shlepped between network units. Since going HD, I'm thinking about getting a 300mb drive and recording everything at medium or high, yielding about the same size guide as I had before. It certainly helps to use categories the bigger it gets.

Not sure why anyone argues the point of drive speed and cache size on performance. If you don't think there's a benefit then buy the 5400/2mb version.

Any drive would serve my living room well. My biggest concern in the bedroom is drive noise.

[zimdba]

[QUOTE=Bobcrane]Any drive would serve my living room well. My biggest concern in the bedroom is drive noise.[/QUOTE]

Really. :rolleyes:

Hmm.

From the 18 or so active hard drives in my house, here are my observations:

Seagate: Reasonably quiet. I like their 5 yr warranty and the performance is good enough for me. Drive access noise is somewhat muted. I have 2 7200.9's and 2 7200.10's - can't tell the diff between the two.

Hitachi: I only have one of these, but it's only so/so on noise.

Maxtor: Even with the FDB's, these are horribly, horribly loud. I have a 200GB in my xbox which is annoyingly loud. Right below that is a 250GB drive in my replay which is also noticeably loud.

WD: don't have any. I had 3 failures in a row and stopped buying them 5 years ago.

I'm surprised no one here has piped in with the "That HD would be better in a DVArchive Server" argument yet. So consider it done.