Running out of space on your cable company PVR? If you've got a Scientific Atlanta 8300 series DVR with the e-SATA port enabled, you can add an extra 500GB of storage with the new Iomega DVR Expander.

If that name sounds familiar, that's because Western Digital released an e-SATA hard drive last year with exactly the same name. Well, you know, except that it's called the Western Digital DVR Expander, not Iomega.

So how much extra room are we really talking about here? 500GB is enough space for 300 hours of standard definition TV or 60 hours of HDTV. The Iomega DVR Expander will be available later this month for $199, or pretty much the same price as the Western Digital version which is already available.

Either external hard disc should work with a number of set top boxes from cable companies including Cox, Comcast, CableVision, and Time Warner.

[via Engadget]

Apricorn is upping the storage capacity of its DVR Xpander eSATA hard drives. Previously, you could pick up a 250GB model for $129 or a 500GB version for $199.

Now Apricorn is offering a 1TB model for $329 after rebate. There's also a new 750GB model for $279. The 250GB model seems to have been discontinued, while the 500GB model got a $20 price cut.

The DVR Xpander is really just a hard drive in an external case with an eSATA cable. So you could really buy any hard drive and enclosure you like and plug it into your personal video recorder if the eSATA port is enabled. But Apricorn's prices do seem pretty reasonable.

The only officially supported PVRs are the Scientific Atlanta 8300 and 8300HD. But we don't see any reason why the DVR Xpander wouldn't work with other boxes. Like say, the TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD.

[via Electronista]

TiVo is rolling out an update with a bunch of new(ish) features for TiVo HD and Series3 high definition recorders. We knew that the latest software update would enable the eSATA port, meaning you could plug in an external hard drive. But there are a few other features coming to the HD TiVos. Some of these features have been available on TiVo's standard definition boxes for a while now:

• Multi-room viewing feature that lets you watch shows recorded on one TiVo using another TiVo connected to your home network
• TiVoToGo lets you transfer recorded content from your TiVo to PC on your home network
• Progressive downloading for Amazon Unbox and TiVoCast means you can start watching downloaded videos before the download is complete

As for external storage, TiVo and Western Digital have partnered to offer a "My DVR Expander drive" for TiVO HD and Series3 users. Essentially, this is just a 500GB hard drive and enclosure that plugs into the eSATA port. It'll cost $199, but you might be able to find other eSATA hard drives that will work just as well.

[via CNet]

Can't wait to get your hands on the TiVo 9.2 software update? TiVo has set up a priority request page. Sign up and you'll be guaranteed (well, not really) to get the update slightly faster than your friends.

The TiVo 9.2 software update for Series3 and TiVo HD boxes enables the new Rhapsody music service and support for external hard drives. If you've got a Series2 box, the latest software version is still 9.1, but that'll be good enough to get you the Rhapsody service.

Honestly, I'm not really sure why TiVo doesn't just push out the new software all at once. Sure, a phased rollout makes sense if you want to use your customers as a huge pool of beta testers. The early adopters can report problems which can be corrected before the wider public gets the software update. But there are no warnings on the priority update page, which would indicate that you're really just letting TiVo know that you're aware the new software is available and that you'll be grumpy if you don't get it soon.

[via TiVo Blog]

TiVo is finally rolling out support for that eSATA port on your TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD box. The move isn't particularly surprising -- after all, what did you think that port was for? But the update is a both welcome and overdue.

TiVo HD/Series3 owners should notice their boxes downloading version 9.2 of the TiVo software in the next day or so.

Once you get the upgrade you should be able to expand the storage on your TiVo unit by plugging in an external hard drive. No more mucking around inside the case and voiding your warranty. TiVo 9.2 also includes an update for Amazon Unbox users. Now you'll be able to watch videos as soon as you start downloading them without waiting for the download to finish first.

It seems like adding an eSATA port to personal video recorders is the thing to do. Enabling that port so that you can actually slap an external hard drive onto your PVR is another story.

TiVo recently issued an update that enables the eSATA port on TiVo HD boxes. But you can't just plug in an external hard drive and expect it to work. Rather, you'll need to install TiVo software on that drive before your TiVo will recognize it. Dave Zatz speculates that this means TiVo will begin selling hard drives under its own brand name soon. Makes sense to us.

At the same time, it seems that a growing number of Scientific Atlanta set top boxes have working eSATA ports. If you got your PVR from your regional cable company, odds are you have either a Motorola or Scientific Atlanta box. WeaKnees has a list of SA boxes that may work with external eSATA hard drives.

Western Digital has released its new DVR Expander, which lets you record up to 300 additional hours of standard definition or 60 hours of high definition television programming.

If DVR Expander sounds to you like a fancy name for a 500GB external hard drive, you're right. But this particular model has been designed for and tested with the Scientific Atlanta 8300 PVR, deployed by cable companies across the country.

Basically, the DVR Expander should work with any PVR that has an eSATA port. That should include the Series3 TiVo. Although TiVo hasn't officially enabled the use of the eSATA port on Series3 units, hackers have found it's not too hard to turn it on. We see no reason why the Western Digital hard drive wouldn't work.

The DVR Expander is available now for about $200.

Ever since TiVo launches the Series3 high definition box last year, users have been staring longingly at the eSATA port on the back of their TiVo units. It's supposed to allow you to plug in an external hard drive, but TiVo hasn't enabled that feature yet.

As is usually the case with these things, the members of the TiVo Community Forum have stepped in to finish the job. So here's the hack to activate that eSATA port on your Series3 TiVo. It only seems to work on an unmodified box, so if you've already cracked the lid and upgraded the internal hard drive, there's no guarantees. Also, this hack has been tested on boxes running TiVo 8.1.1 software.

Okay, I'm going to let the fact that Apricorn intentionally misspelled "expander" to make it sound more "x-streme." I'm even going to overlook the fact that their product is really nothing but an external hard drive. Why? Because it's nice to see some third party companies promoting hard drives for use cable company PVRs.

And Apricorn's even doing it at a reasonable price. $129 gets you a 250GB hard drive, while $199 gets you 500GB. Both units can be plugged into Scientific Atlanta 8300 boxe with eSATA ports. That should cover a large number of Cox and Time Warner cable customers.

The DVR Xpander includes a stand, eSATA cable and power adapter.