HR21 Newbie questions

[Sancho]

I've done some searching and cannot find any previous posts with answers to the questions that I have, so I figured i might as well ask directly...

1. I have an HR-21 connected to my tv using the HDMI output. If I connect the HR-21 to a set-top DVD burner with component cables to burn DVDs of shows that I have recorded, do I need to disconnect the HDMI cable or will the output be available through both HDMI and component. In other words, can I watch while I'm real-time taping without changing my configuration too much?

2. I thought I read somewhere that the HR-21 had a capacity of about 200 hours of storage. I've got about 20 hours of mostly HD shows taped and the capacity gauge shows I used about 50% of my storage capacity. Am I dreaming about the 200 hours, do I need to change settings to increase capacity, or do I have a defective unit?

3. Can I connect a generic Hard Drive to the DVR for additional storage or are there Hard Drives specifically for video storage?

Thanks ahead of time for answering another newbie's questions...

 

[scottie_h]

All outputs are "hot" at all times, so you should be fine on #1.

I couldn't remember the capacity numbers, but here's what I found via Google:

About 30 hours of MPEG2 HD
About 50 hours of MPEG4 HD
About 200 hours of SD

You can replace (key word) the internal drive with an external eSata drive. There are lots of related threads here.

 

[jcrandall]

See this thread for info on switching to a larger external hard drive (esata):

http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv...21-external-hard-drive-fyi-support-esata.html