Cox → [CATV] DVR - External Hard Drive

Anyone know if I can move my currently eSATA attached drive from one DVR to another? My current DVR is about to die, I'm assuming, since it's rebooting itself about 8 times a day. Hate to lose 200+ hours of stuff I'm too lazy watch yet. DVR is a Moto 6416 I believe.

Muchos tacos.

Nope. I am not sure of the exact technical reason but as a security/DRM thing the hard drives are set in a type of RAID that writes the data over the combined space of the drive. So if you remove the drive it would be like cutting the harddrive in half and trying to use one half in another DVR. Plugging the HD into another DVR just formats the drive.

I can understand the DRM thing, well at least technically, but I can guarantee it's not a Raid thing.

Yea, I knew I wasn't using correct term but it does use some method to restrict reading of the data on one physical drive without having the matching drive (In the DVR). Maybe how the drive is partitioned? Not sure, but the end result is the same.

You could always make a analog archive. I think that is within all rules and is technically simple. Just need a some kind of RCA to USB video adapter. Some even have component so you can get the full 1080i resolution.

Wish there was an easier way since Cox officially supports adding an external drive. Be nice if they could remarry it to a different device.

Hmmm 140 programs to watch before my current DVR explodes.

Well they officially support the the external drive to function that way. It was not by mistake. Its mostly to keep people from just plugging the eSATA drive into a PC and having free reign.

yeah because on the lower end dvr's they restrict dvr space to 160gb via firmware[even tho theres a 500gb drive in them!]. now if you could dump onto a pc, they wouldn't get their extra $5/mo for NOTHING!

Umm, actually it has more to do with liscense agreements with the content providers. Technically you don't own the data on your DVR HD, your just leasing it, so its within Cox's right, and responsibility, to make sure that data is secure.

Since you sound critical, what would be your suggestion?

If you have 200+ hours on your DVR that you're too lazy to watch, do you really think you'll ever watch it in the future?

I understand the DRM and licensing considerations, however I do not understand why the recorded content could not be transferred from one COX device where it was legally recorded to a COX replacement or upgrade device.

That was reversed months ago. All 500gb is now available!

Don't you mean "not lazy enough"?

Seriously, though, the DRM ties it to the device so you can't record it then take it somewhere else to watch it, or make bit-for-bit copies of the drive and share it with multiple people. So yes, it COULD be set up to allow you to move an HD from one device to another. It doesn't by design.

the drive and box are married. prevents you from taking drive to a frends house and watching it on their box.