DVR Capacity

[minn7658]

This is a huge problem with the service.  You literary have to worry about whether you will run out of space just to record a few shows.  For people who travel a lot or work odd hours, the DVR is just about the only way we get to watch any TV.  The limitations of this DVR are a problem even for a couple.  I can't imagine how families work it out.

[DavidT]

I just took a Verizon phone survey about DVRs with increased capacity.  One option triples the capacity, i.e., 56 hours HD, and the other increases that to 100 hours HD.  Of course, it will cost you $2 and $4 per month more.  Considering the cost of hard drives have gone down enough to keep the current manufacturing costs at or less that they were when my original DVRs were built, I am a bit disappointed.  Then there is USB port that easily could be enabled to expand the storage space wuith the existing DVR.  That would be a zero monthly cost option for many people.

Add those disappoints to the very long rollout of the latest software bug fix that they promised me  for months before it actually appeared and I can classify myself as an unhappy customer.  But then I remember the early days when they said we wouldn't have any commercials if we paid for our programming.

[dawnmac]

Brighthouse - the main competitor to Verizon FIOS in my area - has begun advertising that they have high capacity DVRs. Don't know if they charge extra, though.

[Hubrisnxs]

Verizon's increasing the capacity 2x and then they are adding the ability to add a 1tb hard drive.  that isn't coming until the end of the year probably, but if you can't wait, then when I was at blockbuster over the weekend they had tivo's for 99 bux.

might be a good investment if you're concerned about HD space.

[spacedebris]

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@DavidT wrote:

.  Then there is USB port that easily could be enabled to expand the storage space wuith the existing DVR.  That would be a zero monthly cost option for many people.

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Actually the USB port cannot just be enabled. Its physically not connected. It has a power connection but that is it. Verizon would have to send it back to Motorola, have it connected and then reissued.  Thats why we have to wait for the new boxes, they will have it enabled from the getgo.

[10nisman94]

Additionally, USB is no where near reliable or fast enough to provide anything close to a seamless experiance for an external hard drive, eSATA support is possible on the current boxes, but  Verizon was running into horsepower and memory (RAM) limitations getting it into the IMG. The new moto boxes will have more RAM and hopefully will support external expansion OOTB.

[DHA]

OH COME ON, I had a 750 gig hard drive hooked to my Dish Network 622 Model DVR for 4 years using a USB.  Why can't Verizon do the same?

[PJL]

STB IMG version 1.9 is supposed to include the ability to add an eSATA drive.  See the response to the question on Verizon's blog concerning IMG version 1.8:  http://forums.verizon.com/t5/Verizon-at-Home/FiOS-TV-IMG-1-8-Release-Notes/bc-p/236652#M1518.

[GaryDoug]

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@dawnmac wrote:

Brighthouse - the main competitor to Verizon FIOS in my area - has begun advertising that they have high capacity DVRs. Don't know if they charge extra, though.

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Just before I left Brighthouse 2 months ago (in the Tampa area), I was issued a Samsung DVR with 40 hours HD capacity (which I verified). No extra charge at that time.