4000 Hour Tivo DVR! Gaaaaaaaa...

At least the TiVo Roamio model only requires you to open up the TiVo and drop a new hard drive in (up to 3GB). There are no software gyrations to go through like on previous TiVo models.

 

Actually, I was surprised to recently learn that TiVo's current model, the Roamio, lets you put in an unformatted hard drive and it will prepare it for you. This is a first for TiVo since you previously had to hook up a hard drive to a computer to properly prepare it for use in a TiVo, either manually (beyond the knowledge of most people, I assume) or through the use of some software such as Instant Cake (which I used successfully a couple of times). I'm sure that TiVo isn't marketing this capability of the Roamio since, of course, they would rather someone pay an extra $200 for the increased capacity of the Pro versus the Plus rather than buying the less expensive model and putting in one's own larger hard drive for less money, but I cannot really blame TiVo for that.

Also, aside from some copy protected shows (such as stuff on HBO), I don't have a problem transferring shows to my PC. Again, it's a bit of work since you first need to transfer the shows (the easy but time consuming part) and then know which software tools to use to convert the files to something you can watch on any dvd player, but it is possible to accomplish this.

 

Much like they're pressuring nice hardware players like OPPO to downgrade their capabilities via firmware, creating new models with less features, slower USB ports and less connectivity.

 

Hollywood has done everything possible to cripple the recording and copying abilities of electronic hardware in the United States. They've cut backroom deals with most Asian manufacturers to keep easy digital transfers of DVR recordings off the American market.

 

Firstly, let me say that my wife would find a way to fill this sucker up in no time!

My wife's DirecTV HD-DVR actually uses one of these:

http://amzn.com/B001A4HAFS

connected via eSata. Of course, you cannot simply eject and insert a different HD, you have to power down, change discs, and then re-boot the DirecTV unit (that 'few seconds' operation which takes several minutes!). So, not totally impossible.

Sadly, Thermaltake makes a dual drive holder, but you cannot make use of the extra disc (either for double capacity or hot swapping or mirroring) the last I checked.

The things that bug me with DirecTV are (1) the inability to create a safety back-up (it can be tied to the HD-DVR just like the main HD currently is, but it would come in handy if you have a main disk failure) and (2) the inability to transfer use of an existing hard disk to a new HD-DVR following failure of the DVR (they should be able to handle this through the activation process -- so, let's assume you have this disk array 90% full when your DVR dies, you cannot watch the shows you have recorded with DirecTV's current policy!).