Problems With External eSATA Drive

[bc391]

I am using a Phantom Green drive on my 7126 (the western digitals are hard to come by, and i was sure to match specs when i chose the phanom model)

i was able to install and format the drive yesterday. after two attempts, it showed status in my dvr and it recorded two programs. i attempted to play back one of the shows and the dvr froze. after a re-boot (soft), the dvr would not show the external drive. i went through the enable external drive feature, and after two tries (and a reset of the phantom) it appeared.

sometime in the night, it stopped working, as a program was then recorded to the main dvr. the phantom was not present in the dvr when i woke this morning. went through the entire process AGAIN, this time actually choosing the format drive option through the set top box. it appeared, and as a test, i pressed record on a live program and it all worked fine

however, when the first scheduled recording was to begin (with all of the power off), the drive failed. there looks to be two attempts made to record, but each shows a running time of zero seconds.

i can't understand why it would work one time, and not another. does the stb need to have power all the time (the phantom is plugged into a surge protector, not the aux stb power)? is there a "sleep" function on either drive that i need to remove?

[Keyboards]

Is it possible the following quote from the specification has something to do with it?

"The GreenDrive employs variable speed disk mechanisms that increase their rotational velocity in response to host demand, resulting in virtually no performance degradation vs. a 7200RPM disk."

Additionally, nowhere in either the specification sheet or the the manual is there any reference to DVR / AV use.  Most drives that people have had succes with (other than the "approved" WD drives) are all noted as rated for AV or DVR useage.  So while the maximum interface rate may match there is no indication of the true throughput to the disk (remeber that the drive needs to sustain 2 recordings and 1 playback at a minimum - assuming no remote playback adding additional streams).

[bc391]

while doing my research on the drives, i read a few reviews in which users had them attached to direct tv stbs as external storage. there were also other users on this forum who had success with the phantom

my next scheduled recording was just a few minutes ago, and with the tv and stb on, it began to record on the external

is it possible that i would need to keep my stb on all the time? that doesn't seem like a necessary/smart move

[bc391]

this is the model fantom i purchase, if it makes any difference

Fantom GreenDrive GD1500EU64 1.50 TB 3.5 External Hard Drive - USB 2.0, eSATA - 64 MB Buffer

[Keyboards]

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@bc39 wrote:

is it possible that i would need to keep my stb on all the time? that doesn't seem like a necessary/smart move

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The DVR is never really off.  The drive is always buffering the 2 tuners, even if no recordings are taking place.  All that "turning off" the DVR does is disable the audio outputs and activate the "screen saver" on the video outputs.  In other words there's no reason to turn off the DVR, it saves only a miniscule amount of energy so necessary/smart doesn't really enter into the equation..

As to why others have made a Phantom drive work and yours seems sporadic at best I can only offered the issues of the variable RPM and lack of specifically referenced  useage for A/V applications by the manufacture as issues.  I have been using the WD for over a year with no issues and can't speak with any certainty regarding the specific drive in question.

[bc391]

thanks for the help, i really do appreciate

guess i'll just try to return this fantom and hope the wd's come in stock soon

thanks again

[hockeyusa81]

Before you return it, try changing the eSata cable. I had similar issues with the hard drive I used in an enclosure and once I replaced the eSata cable, the problem stopped.