US Cable Support > Comcast Cable TV > DVR Extender w/Moto Boxes

reply to jblues

Re: DVR Extender w/Moto Boxes

reply to jblues

reply to kb1

reply to kb1

reply to The Q

reply to FifthE1ement

reply to jblues

The DCX3400 boxes seem to be currently supported if you have version A30 and are in the areas specified by the post above.

reply to kb1
After several hours on the phone I was able to elevate this to a level 2 technician and I'm being told that they are literally identical, the only difference being the model number letters. The retail Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander WDBABT0010HBK-NESN which has both an eSATA port and USB port will work fine with the Comcast DVR you are using (depending on if the eSATA port is enabled on your set top box in your area) Comcast also sells a Western Digital AV DVR Expander WDBACS0010HBK-NESN both at WD's site and Comcast's site at a higher price and is also the model used for Verizon FiOS which has a sticker over the USB port as to avoid confusing customers.

I was told that the WDBABT0010HBK-NESN retail verson will work identical on any of the set top boxes listed as being supported or compatible by the WDBACS0010HBK-NESN model, and that "any technical support related issues on either device will be treated the same" So for example if you are having an issue with your set top box or BT verison of the DVR Expander, Western Digital tech support won't deny you support because you aren't using the CS "supported" version. They will refer you to speak to Comcast (or your cable/FiOS provider) about the issue and if it cannot be resolved through them, WD support will help (if under warrenty), just like they would if you were using the CS "supported" version. I can't speak if Comcast technical support would do the same thing but probably would be the same way. Quite frankly I think it's a smart idea to go with the retail BT model for $99.99 then to spend alot more when you don't have to. The "supported" model is simply a marketing trick.They have the exact same hard drive, and was able to confirm through tier 2 support that they even use the exact same controller, cables, power supply, and case.

--
I'm always up for a good chat and helping with VoIP testing so my contact info is below.
Gigaset.net: Michael Wolf
Callcentric: 17772288600
SIP URI: sip:226976325024#9@sip.gigaset.net and sip:17772288600@in.callcentric.com
Skype: MikeWolf051

reply to tirebiter
I have been around long enough to know that people do not usually like "cross posting" in different threads , but I have done so here as I think this info will be of great interest to those that want to add a external drive to their Motorola DCX3400 DVR and also people that do not want to buy the "official" (and more expensive) extender..

OK , so we got the A30 Guide update here in NE Philly (19111) around Tue 22nd 2013.

I have Motorola DVD DCX3400 , it is not listed on the "supported" list of DVR's that Comcast issued a while ago , but still thought I would give it a try after reading the other posts at this thread and some others.

I used a old 1TB WD Green Series SATA 11 hard Disk that I had laying around my workshop , and also a $30 USB Enclosure that also has a ESATA port on it.

All works Perfectly , as soon as the drive spun up , a message came on screen and asked me if I wanted to format the External drive , I said YES , and this took about 10 seconds. My available space for recordings on the DVR then dropped from 47% to 9%!

I then installed a 2Tb Seagate Hard disk into the enclosure that I also had spare and my available space went from 47% to just 5%!

All new recordings from that point on, were made to the New 1.0TB drive , if this drive is switched off and you try and play those "new" recordings , a message on screen prompts you to switch on/connect the external drive (it says the Hard disk model number).If you do this, the recordings then play perfectly.

All previous recordings you made before you installed the external drive are available when the external is switched off and play perfectly.

So to conclude:

1) You do not have to use the WD Extender "approved" external drive - you can just use a El cheapo external enclosure as long as it has a external ESATA port on it. I tried it with both a 1.0TB WD Drive and a Seagate 2.0TB Drive , both worked perfectly.

2) All works perfectly (for me anyway) as along as you have the New A30 guide on the Motorola DCX3400.

3) If the External hard disk breaks down or you have to swap out the main DVR for any reason, you will loose any recordings you have made on the external hard drive (as the recordings made on the external are tied to the serial number of the DVR) - but that's just the risk we take I guess.. but its a risk I am very willing to take,in order to have 2.35 TB of recording space compared to the pathetic 350gb I had before.. in my case this cost me very little as I had the hard disk and enclosure laying around doing nothing.

Please feel free to ask any questions...

Glad everything is working for you. I do feel I have to caution others that everyone's mileage may vary and not everyone may have the same quality of results. The AV hard drives from Western Digital and Seagate (such as the one built into the DVR) are designed specifically for audio and video use and constant buffering and spinning 24/7 so the use of any old hard drive not designed for said abuse may fail faster or not have the correct spin speed. From what I've discovered the Seagate AV drives spin at around 5900rpm and the Western Digital AV drives are dynamic.

Point taken Mike , the whole thing is indeed a bit like putting all your eggs in one huge Basket , and there are risks involved in loosing your whole recorded archive. Having said that , I have worked in the industry for many years and contrary to what lots of people always think or say I have found that failure rates among hard disks of various types / brands has always roughly been the same. But using a Non AV Disk in a AV environment may increase the failure rate. I guess I will find out , if so I will report back here.. My main point of my post was to let users know that they do not have to go the "official" and more expensive route , and also the fact the DCX3400 is supported with A30 guide as there had been some dispute on this..

reply to tirebiter
This is the first time I have heard you can use a
2TB drive. So the A30 update can handle drives larger than 1TB?

@kb1 , Yes , as stated above I have a 2Tb Seagate drive ( ST3200542AS) installed in my enclosure that is connected to my DCX3400. To be honest I was amazed it formatted the drive and it worked myself. I have been testing since yesterday and all appears to be working well , but as stated above I will have to see how long it lasts.

reply to teddystacker
I fully agree with you and really do hope that you don't see any failure, I was just commenting about the legitimacy of AV designed drives for those who may read the thread and think it's all marketing fluff. And I fully agree with your main point that there are other routes other then the "official" "Comcast approved" $129 model. I've even said on other threads both on the Comcast forums and on here that I've spoken with Western Digital about the specifications between the different AV extender models and finding that there really isn't any aside from the price and marketing "stamp of approval" Both use the same controller board, same SATA 6GB/s internal 1TB hard drive, same case, and same power supply. I've noticed a posting on the Comcast forum about the DCX3400 that you may find interesting and perhaps you can share your findings there as well. »forums.comcast.com/t5/XfinityTV-···3#M65384
--
I'm always up for a good chat and helping with VoIP testing so my contact info is below.
Gigaset.net: Michael Wolf
Callcentric: 17772288600
SIP URI: sip:226976325024#9@sip.gigaset.net and sip:17772288600@in.callcentric.com
Skype: MikeWolf051

reply to kb1
It's not officially supported above 1TB, so just be aware of that. Technical support may not be able to help you either if problems arise.

I for one have always been the type that "pushes the boundaries" of our Electrical equipment , and just loves to find its un documented features etc , often these people at tech support know far less than us forum type guys do , as they never use the device in the real world. But I also respect that not everyone is tech savvy and prefers to just plug n play a off the shelf device.

Will report back here any issues I find using the 2tb drive I have hooked up so it will benefit other users..

The feature I love is the hard drive temp for the internal and external drives shown in the diagnostic screen I've mentioned previously. With my TiVo and Moxi and Cisco/SA boxes did that.

reply to teddystacker
Can you switch between the 1TB and 2TB external drives, or does the DCX3400 make you reformat the drive every time you connect a different external drive?

I think it only reformats if it's from a different box, or never formatted before. I'm hoping that if one drive fills up, you could temporarily use another drive until you had time to watch what was one the first drive.