AZBox HD Premium HDD

[AcWxRadar]

Yes, I agree. Isn't Turbo a proprietary format of DN exclusively??

RADAR

yes

I thought so, and therefore a discussion of TURBO would be mute within this forum (other that explaining what it is). We don't want to get into those fields of endeavors here, as it would imply pirating and we just don't wanna go there on this (or any) forum.

RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

I just installed a 1 TB Samsung HDD in my AZBox Premium.

Allowed the AZBox to format it and am trying a recording right now. Let's see how this works.

I think that a 500 GB Samsung HD502HI HDD (internal) is going to be the better avenue to follow, but I wanted to see how this 1 TB HDD worked first. Gotta experiment..... A man needs to know his limitations!

OK, so I make a bad Dirty Harry, but, I still work the job! LOL

I will let you know if and how well it works as soon as the recording is complete.

RADAR

 

[wildboys]

I just installed a 1 TB Samsung HDD in my AZBox Premium.

Allowed the AZBox to format it and am trying a recording right now. Let's see how this works.

I think that a 500 GB Samsung HD502HI HDD (internal) is going to be the better avenue to follow, but I wanted to see how this 1 TB HDD worked first. Gotta experiment..... A man needs to know his limitations!

OK, so I make a bad Dirty Harry, but, I still work the job! LOL

I will let you know if and how well it works as soon as the recording is complete.

RADAR

AcWxRadar
Here is a picture of my azbox premium recording files larger than 3gbs.I am using a 1Tb western digital drive

 

[AcWxRadar]

This is good news.

The AZBox Premium does work very nicely with the Samsung 500 GB Eco-Friendly HD502HI internal HDD as well as the Samsung 1 TB Samsung HD103SI HDD! The 1 TB is also an eco-friendly drive.

I find no need to ventilate the unit with either of these HDDs installed. Running normally during full operation, these two drives generate very little heat and the AZBox feels barely much over room temperature to the touch. This is further improved by using the HDD standby mode (sleep mode) available in the latest image (firmware) files which are available at this time. Currently I have image 3501 installed on my AZBox Premium.

Unlike some other receivers that I have experimented with, which incorporate an internal HDD and then a cooling fan besides. This unit is ultra quiet, and not in need of a cooling fan by any measure.

Of course, it must be realized that the Premium model has an external power supply, which is a great benefit to heat reduction.

In any regards, the two HDDs that I have tried within this AZBox can be highly recommended.

500 GB Samsung HD502HI - $50 from New Egg

1 TB Samsung HD103SI - $80 from New Egg

There is also a 1.5 TB Samsung HDD (HD154??) for $110 from New Egg that I expect would also work. However, I think that the 500 GB HDD is the better choice. Less expensive and it has a single platter only. The 1 TB and the 1.5 TB HDDs actually are nothing more than two or three 500 GB platters in one case.

When you purchase these HDDs from New Egg, they do not come with any cables or mounting hardware / brackets. They must be purchased separately.

I have recorded some programs from SD sources and HD sources with both the 500 GB and the 1TB drives and they work great!

The only glitch I have found is when you format these HDDs with the AZBox. It appears that the formatting process stalls or locks up the AZBox, but this is not the case. Apparently the AZBox display on the TV locks up or does not get updated during the lengthy formatting process, so you cannot readily discern the progress of the formatting process. It does continue until completion, but it leaves you with some doubts.

In this case, there is no problem in repeating the formatting process again later - after you have allowed say 30 minutes to an hour to be safe. If you do so, the TV display still blanks out, but the indication on the VLF front panel display of the AZBox will indicate the % of completion throughout the formatting process.

Certainly this sounds a bit quirky, but you can trust that the system is doing its job properly. Give it ample time (say one hour to be safe) and then reboot the AZBox by holding the STB power button on the remote down for 5 seconds. It will be ready to rock and roll.

Note that these drives do not compensate for any defficiencies in recording High Bit Rate HD programs. This anomaly is not a problem of the HDD but of the AZBox's processing of the signal itself.

RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

AcWxRadar
Here is a picture of my azbox premium recording files larger than 3gbs.I am using a 1Tb western digital drive

Wildboys,

As per my last reply in a PM to you, you must be doing something unique that the rest of us are not. We need to figure what that is so that we can make our systems record in the same fashion as yours. You must have done something different, whether you realize it or not, but I don't know anyone other than you who is recording files that large with just standard (by the book) setups.

Please try to iterate your entire setup process in regards to formatting your HDD and any peripheral support programs / add-ons or plug-ins that you may have instituted. Maybe we can figure this glitch out after all.

Thanks,

RADAR

 

[wildboys]

Wildboys,

As per my last reply in a PM to you, you must be doing something unique that the rest of us are not. We need to figure what that is so that we can make our systems record in the same fashion as yours. You must have done something different, whether you realize it or not, but I don't know anyone other than you who is recording files that large with just standard (by the book) setups.

Please try to iterate your entire setup process in regards to formatting your HDD and any peripheral support programs / add-ons or plug-ins that you may have instituted. Maybe we can figure this glitch out after all.

Thanks,

RADAR

I formatted the hardrive in linux
via the Azbox menu.I do not have any plugins.
I am using firmware version 0.9.2880 TD210P.
I installed the latest firmware 9.3501 and it breaks
the files up into 3GB files.I reinstalled version 0.9.2880 TD210P
and it does not break the files up.It is just one file.
I can't think of anything special i am doing to get my
results.

 

[AcWxRadar]

I formatted the hardrive in linux
via the Azbox menu.I do not have any plugins.
I am using firmware version 0.9.2880 TD210P.
I installed the latest firmware 9.3501 and it breaks
the files up into 3GB files.I reinstalled version 0.9.2880 TD210P
and it does not break the files up.It is just one file.
I can't think of anything special i am doing to get my
results.

I used the image 2880 file for the longest of any that have been available and it was breaking my records up into 3GB max file sizes for me. I hate to reload that image just to test, but if you have that image saved on your PC, could you zip it up and send it to me? I will try it once again. I just want to ensure that I use the exact same program that you have (PM me and we will discuss that).

I don't dis-believe you of course, but I cannot understand it. I have been looking this up on forums from Ireland, the UK, Germany, Australia, here in the US and several sites from central Europe and everyone cites the same problem with file size limitations.

I am baffled at this moment.

RADAR

 

[madmadworld]

reading you guys and tried some testing again. i have pretty good luck recording stuff i don't care to watch with Andy.
set up a 3 hour recording on pbs hd @125. checking upon it about 2 hours later it had lost the HDMI hand shake. checked with regular yellow wire it still showed a picture but did not respond to the remote. the red front light is still on.
gave it a back flip after 3 hours at least. then many more trying to get it to play it back. over a hour later now i quit. it only recorded 733meg.it would just feeze up after playing some of the file.

this just happened to me last nite.
set Andy up to record the last 9 minutes of this game. guessing a total of 30 min. he got 14 min then locked up. it locked up again on play back at 14 min. needed re boot to come back to life.

this is a bad day even for me and Andy.

both of you are doing better than me lol