SD PVR with Sata Hard Drive

[SirFooK'nG]

So my SD PVR HDD started to give me shyte last weekend Sunday, 4 hours before a week long business trip to Jozi.... I pulled it out tried to get the data off for a backup / replacement drives. No go ... so I left it operating basically as a dual view decoder for the wife (seriously peeved - no recordings of my progs while away)

So now it is a 250gig IDE drive (hard to come by) so I'm gonna modify my SD PVR. Thinking of a Sata to IDE converter, with a new plate on the side of the decoder neatly done with a Sata and power plug visible. Put my 500gig sata HDD into an converted USB external case away from the furnace inside the SD PVR.... hmmm. So far all good. I managed to get the slowly failing IDE drive to read again, but not gonna chance it... So I backed up the 140gigs of recordings.

I have partitioned the new drive as per the old one (3 partitions, all fat 32, one of 1024mb, one of (EDIT) 90gig and the last is the remainder for recording content). Not sure why it has the 1gig partition?? but the 2nd one is for DSTV on Demand, the last for normal recordings. Tomorrow I will modify the PVR casing at my offices, hope it works!

That SD PVR runs so hot, and the fan they use is pathetic! Even without the HDD in the PVR it still runs flipping hot. Will be interesting to see how long the HDD last out of the "furnace"...

 

[Smurfatefrog]

I would think the other partition would be for the buffer, but a 90mb partition surely isnt enough for DSTV on demand recordings

 

[ipodmusicman]

Please do let us know how it goes.

Has anybody done any modifications to the HD-PVR like replacing the hard drive or anything else?

 

[SirFooK'nG]

meant 90gig... typo (edited it .. correct now)

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Ok, I have made the necessary holes on the side of the lid plate for the SATA and Power clips. Soldered the power clip and cable for the 5v needed to power the SATA to IDE converter. Will put it to gether tonight whaen I get home. I will post pics of all the mods I have done once finished and confirmed working....

 

[InsomniaRSA]

Here's something I've come across previously on the SD PVR:
How to Upgrade your PVR™s Hard Disk Drive
(1.3Mb pdf)

Note that opening the decoder voids your Warranty - Multichoice will refuse to even touch your decoder if it has been tampered with in any way.

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Here's something I've come across previously on the SD PVR:
How to Upgrade your PVR™s Hard Disk Drive
(1.3Mb pdf)

Note that opening the decoder voids your Warranty - Multichoice will refuse to even touch your decoder if it has been tampered with in any way.

Same PDF I'm using... Just trying it with a SATA drive and not IDE... as for warranty, mine was over years ago.... and I'm not paying R1K+ for them to do a simple HDD exchange... Plus if mine works after my mods, I will have much more recording capacity than the standard 250gig IDE. And my HDD will be outside of the PVR, away from all that heat!

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Im all for modding those things to actually make them work properly.
You should look at adding some decent cooling to it though. Cant you fit in a decent 120mm fan?

 

[Mars]

What format are the recordings in?

 

[InsomniaRSA]

The recordings are encrypted - probably some form of DRM that will not allow them to be viewed without proprietary DSTV firmware & smartcard.

 

[Nerfherder]

Ha.. that is really cool. I would love to mod a PVR like that.

Does anyone want to sell me a PVR with a broken drive ?

 

[SirFooK'nG]

@Rocket-Boy there is no space for a bigger fan... its all cramped into a very small area.

@Madman88 InsomniaRSA is correct, you can browse the files, but there are no associated apps to view them and even if you force an app to open them, they can't. They are indeed encryped, and require the physical decoder to play...

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Ha.. that is really cool. I would love to mod a PVR like that.

Does anyone want to sell me a PVR with a broken drive ?

Goodluck with that, SD PVR's are rare to come by these days!

 

[Nerfherder]

Goodluck with that, SD PVR's are rare to come by these days!

Even ones with broken drives ?

Both my father and father-in-law have the SD PVR and are looking at getting the HD PVR so i'm thinking I might be able to salvage either of theirs.

Imagine what it would be like with a 1 tera in the back ?
I even know of a 1 tera IDE that I could get hold of but would probably just do the Sata coverson like you did.

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Even ones with broken drives ?

Both my father and father-in-law have the SD PVR and are looking at getting the HD PVR so i'm thinking I might be able to salvage either of theirs.

Imagine what it would be like with a 1 tera in the back ?
I even know of a 1 tera IDE that I could get hold of but would probably just do the Sata coverson like you did.

They should keep the SD PVR and couple it with the HD PVR, only the installation cost to worry about. There is no difference in subscriber price...

 

[Nerfherder]

Niether of them need the dual view and will mainly be interested in the HD part.

 

[remybfg10k]

IRG, do you plan on building/sourcing a new casing for the PVR and disk then?

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Niether of them need the dual view and will mainly be interested in the HD part.

Lucky you!! grab them while you can!

 

[SirFooK'nG]

IRG, do you plan on building/sourcing a new casing for the PVR and disk then?

Nah, modified existing case, will post pics tonight if I get a chance, the new 500gig SATA will be in an external HD enclosure... (was a USB one, but I just stripped it of its internals and face plate.)

 

[remybfg10k]

Looking at the pics, is there really no way to just put in a ide to sata converter (cable and power?)