Adding ext hard drive to VIP622 Dish receiver?

edweather · Nov 5, 2012

Hope this is the correct forum for the question. If not, please move it.

We have the DishNetwork VIP622 receiver with a 360GB hard drive. It has the capabibility to add an external hard drive for more recording space. Can I add any external hard drive that I want? From the little bit of research that I've done, it appears that you can. Thanks. Ed.

plodr · Nov 5, 2012

I don't think so. I found this

External storage option

In August 2007, Dish enabled the ViP series of HD DVRs to connect to external hard drives using the back-panel USB 2.0 jack. When a drive is connected--and you pay the additional one-time upgrade fee of $40, which covers all receivers connected to the account--you can dramatically increase the storage capacity of the DVR. The feature should be compatible with most third-party drives between 40GB and 700GB, and while the capacity varies with program type, in our tests most MPEG4 HD shows took up about 3.5GB per hour--adding as much as 200 hours of HD capacity for a 700GB drive. While some cable DVRs and DirecTV's rival HR20 offer similar functionality, it's usually unofficial and unsupported by the manufacturer or the cable company. TiVo HD, with its SATA expansion option, is the exception.

There is a catch with the ViP, however. The programs must be archived to the external drive, a process that takes hours for multiple high-def shows, although you can use the DVR normally during the archiving process. We'd much prefer the addition of a drive to simply increase the overall storage capacity seamlessly, bumping up that little "hours remaining" indicator at the top of the recorded programs list. On the other hand, once the drive was connected, we were able to play back any programs stored on it immediately, exactly as if they were stored on the DVR's main drive. The transfer with our test 400GB Iomega drive was flawless, even when we selected 10 HD programs at once, although we've seen reports that multiple-show transfers caused failure in some cases. We were also able to use more than one drive after cycling the 622's power; we ended up using one as a movie server and another for the odd programs we couldn't bring ourselves to erase.
Click to expand...

Source: http://reviews.cnet.com/video-playe...-network-vip622-200/4505-6463_7-31778299.html

I was not able to locate any help, support nor downloads for the VIP622 on Dish's site. Since the DVR is from 2006, I assume they removed all the information.
The links on the above review page give me 404 erros as wells as links I found on other sites.

edweather · Nov 5, 2012

Thanks for the reply plodr.

Apparently you can just add one. Not sure if you can add ANY one, but Dish tries to sell you a Western Digital. They're cheaper elsewhere. The external device is activated via the menu on the remote.

ED

Caliban · Nov 5, 2012

Greetings, edweather...

From yours and plodr's inputs I would guess that any USB-interfaced external drive might work. It certainly shouldn't hurt to try a brand other than Western Digital (as illustrated by the quoted text referring to the Iomega drive). For the most part hard drives are dumb devices, merely data receptacles.

edweather · Nov 5, 2012

Caliban, yeah thanks. That's what I was thinking. The receiver only knows it as an 'external device.' The only thing that was making me nervous is that some external hard drives are specifically called "dvr expanders." Not sure what's up with that. What makes a "dvr expander" different from any external HD?

plodr · Nov 6, 2012

If you had read the article I linked to, you would have seen this

We were also able to use more than one drive after cycling the 622's power; we ended up using one as a movie server and another for the odd programs we couldn't bring ourselves to erase.
Click to expand...

I'd say watch the size[/] of th external drive you attach.

This was also mentioned

we've seen reports that multiple-show transfers caused failure in some cases.
Click to expand...

Not sure if it meant drive failures or transfer failures.

edweather · Nov 6, 2012

Plodr,

I think I just got the symantics mixed up.

When I said that you can just add one, I meant that hd(s) could simply be added, not that only "one" could be. I should have been clearer.

I did originally 'skim' the article, because I was a little confused when you opened with, "I don't think so." I was a little discouraged at that point.

Not sure what the article means by "recycling the 622's power." Currently Dish suggests that any added drives have their own power supply. I found Dish's instructions for adding a drive on their website.

FWIW

http://www.dishnetwork.ws/global/ExternalHDDStorage.pdf

http://www.mydish.com/upgrades/products/expand-dvr-storage/

Looks like they no longer charge a fee if you already have dvr service on the box. And they do say that most external devices would work.

plodr, thanks VERY much for your time. I'm not very computer savy. I'm a degreed Meteorologist, and do alot of gardening.

Thanks, Ed

plodr · Nov 6, 2012

Since your device is 6 years old, it might be limited by the size of the hd you can attach. Before you buy one, please check and see if the size restriction is still relative to the older devices. You might be buying the wrong size drive.
Of course, newer devices, size would not matter.

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Adding ext hard drive to VIP622 Dish receiver?

edweather Private First Class

plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member

edweather Private First Class

Caliban I don't need no steenkin' title!

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plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member

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