Bell launches external USB hard drive expansion option on ExpressVu 9242 PVR |
49 Comments |
Posted by Simon Cohen at 5:32 PM | E-mail this post
After midnight tonight, owners of Bell TV's (formerly Bell ExpressVu) 9242 HD/PVR will be able to connect external USB hard drives giving them virtually unlimited recording space for their favourite movies and TV shows.
This new option which will be released as a free, automatic software update to 9242 model satellite receivers, marks the first time a Canadian TV provider has officially supported the use of external storage to enhance the capacity of a PVR.
To take advantage of this new functionality, 9242 owners need simply buy a compatible external hard drive. The minimum specs are:
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• 7200 RPM disk speed
• External power adapter
• Always-on (no-sleep mode)
While there is no minimum disk size, not every external drive that meets the above specs is guaranteed to work with the 9242. Bell is selling a Lacie 750 GB external drive for $199 via their website (and soon in Bell World stores) which they guarantee will be compatible.
There are a few caveats with this announcement:
• Flash-based USB 2.0 drives are not supported
• Content cannot be recorded directly to the external hard drive, instead you use it as an archive volume for freeing up space on the 9242's built-in HD
• Once connected, the 9242 will format the drive if it has never been used with the PVR before. This formatting is not compatible with PCs.
• If the hard drive is subsequently connected to a PC, the built-in software will instruct the PC to automatically reformat the drive
Playing back programs that have been transferred to the external hard drive is simple and can be done via the 9242's on-screen PVR interface. The external hard drive appears as a 'group' in the PVR list labelled "External Hard Drive".
There is no limit to how many external drives can be used with the 9242, so theoretically, your recording capacity is unlimited and the cost for expanding capacity is determined by which external hard drive you choose, giving you much greater flexibility than with the built-in disk in the receiver.
There are no specs available on how fast program transfers take, however the software allows you watch TV while the transfer is in progress, instead of simply having to stare at the progress bar.
It had been rumoured that this software update was going to be applied to Bell's 6141 receivers as well, which are PVR-ready, but lack an internal hard drive. Unfortunately this is not the case. But, I have good news for 6141 owners: your time is coming. I have it on good authority that the software needed to connect an external HD to these receivers will be released before the end of the year.
Now some of you may remember that back around the time of the CES show in January, a certain Bell VP promised to support recording from a Bell PVR to an Archos portable media player. It seems that this project is – for the time being at least – on hold. The VP is no longer with the company and it remains to be seen if anyone within the Bell TV division has the necessary enthusiasm for the project to get it back on track.
Update, August 8: Despite the fact that the older, 9200 HD/PVR is equipped with USB ports, the external hard drive feature is not going to be enabled with this software release, and none is planned for the future. On a bright note however, Bell TV seems to have quietly added a cool new feature for the 9200: Photo Viewing. Load up a USB flash drive with .JPG files and plug it into the 9200's USB port. Or use a USB cable and plug in your digital camera directly. Doing so activates the USB host feature on the 9200 in much the same way it does on your PC. Once your drive or camera is plugged in, you can browse and edit your photos and watch them as a slideshow. Apparently this unpublicized feature has been enabled for a while now. Who knew?
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Posted by Simon Cohen at 5:32 PM in Home Entertainment
, News
, Television
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| Comments (49)
JANE BENDA-MUXLOW on August 7 at 11:22 PM | Report abuse
FANTASTIC-I HOPE IT WILL WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hema Redcross on August 8 at 12:50 AM | Report abuse
USB to archive makes it convenient to transfer to archive in internet. I'm wondering when internet based television stream or something equivalent is coming to bell sympatico instead of sometimes banned satellite linkups to protect cable?
7SeVeN7 on August 8 at 10:45 AM | Report abuse
this sounds great ,to be able save your fave programs to watch later,BUT isnt this condoning piracy??? After all you would have to do is take an extra 5minutes after you download, to upload to your fave site.
Simon Cohen on August 8 at 11:01 AM | Report abuse
@ 7SeVeN7: It's going to be pretty hard to upload the recorded shows given the formatting issue I described in the article.
7SeVeN7 on August 8 at 11:15 AM | Report abuse
@simon quote"Content cannot be recorded directly to the external hard drive, instead you use it as an archive volume for freeing up space on the 9242's built-in HD" if the archive is done in .part type file and stored on the external HD the .avi can be extracted,now with the "formatting of the EX. HD what does this format it too? just to a blank HD with no OS what so ever?... can you elaborate on this?
Simon Cohen on August 8 at 11:26 AM | Report abuse
If you connect the external HD to a PC *after* it has been used to record shows using the PVR, the PC will automatically format the HD, wiping the contents and leaving it as an empty volume. That said, the shows are recorded as DRM media files, so even assuming you could get them off the HD onto a PC, they would be difficult to playback.
A Navales on August 8 at 11:56 AM | Report abuse
Do you think Rogers will do the same with their PVRs? I know this is a Bell sponsored website but it is only fair that we get both sides of the coin. I there also a way to swap the harddrives on the machines (just like on the PS3)?
Simon Cohen on August 8 at 1:21 PM | Report abuse
I think it's safe to assume that now that Bell has introduced this feature, their competitors won't stay behind for long. And, no, internal HDs are not swappable on any PVR unit that I'm aware of. Unless you don't mind voiding the warranty ;)
Terry on August 8 at 1:33 PM | Report abuse
Any idea whether this will work on the original 9200 PVR?
Steve McGrath on August 8 at 2:23 PM | Report abuse
I wrote a mini-review:
http://www.mcgrath.ca/2008/08/08/mini-review-expressvu-external-hard-drive-9242-hd-pvr/
But I did plug it to my computer thus explained why it formated later on. I already knew it was not readable. Btw, I tested with 2 9242 HD PVR and an old 200GB drive.
manny on August 8 at 8:41 PM | Report abuse
wont be long before an emulator will be designed by a hacker ,so we can also watch stored movies on the pc
Just Conc on August 9 at 6:47 AM | Report abuse
So, the harddrive will be formatted when plugged in to the USB? But not the USB drive or your camera for photoviewing? Hmmmm interesting.
Gary R Arrowsmith on August 9 at 11:48 AM | Report abuse
Why cant BELL give us an USB SATA Drive.
I dont want to spends hours copying movies to my hard drive. I want quick and simple file transfers.
WHY CANT MOTHERBOARD MANUFACTURERS put a EXTERNAL SATA CONNECT on thier motherboards? It is plain to see they are milking us for our money and selling us yesterdays technology with a fancy idea. Come on! Please start selling us todays technology! I dont want to buy something of yesterdays technology for todays prices just because you put a fancy wrapper on it. NOT FAIR!
I hate it when Corporations milk the very same people that work for them out of thier money. Your $16 dollars and hour is really only about $4 dollars after they all get finished milking you for your hard earned dollars when you consume products.
Come on!!! DONT RIP ME OFF EVERY DAY ON EVERYTHING!
BELL CANADA originated in my city and i am embarassed they are not trying to utilize todays technology especially when it comes to hard drives. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT HARD DRIVE IN MY COMPUTER MAYBE SOME DAY IF THE ONE I HAVE QUITS ON ME! I CANT USE AN OLD TECHNOLOGY IDE DRIVE!
Steve McGrath on August 9 at 12:05 PM | Report abuse
Gary, look at this the other way:
Many have older hard drives laying around. It could hold less hours than a brand new drive that I'm sure they would use in their computer anyway and not the PVR.
I agree that the next model should have both.
For the 9242, the model was released last year on Bev and add 1+ year of developments(Dishnet) before that with the common and trusted technology of that time.
They could had used firewire but how many have an external case for that. It's a minority since most have USB.
Bev drop the ball last year with a lower sized hard drive vs Dish. But, by giving the upgrade for free unlike Dish, they make up for that.
Someone else mentioned that you can only moved the drive so many times between receivers(format after). I sure would like a confirmation on that.
Simon Cohen on August 9 at 3:28 PM | Report abuse
@ Gary:
If you want to use a SATA drive, there's nothing stopping you. Just pick up a USB SATA drive enclosure (found some here http://www.usbgear.com/USB-SATA.html) and then you can use any SATA drive you like. I didn't see anything in Bell TV's specs prohibiting a SATA drive as long as it meets the other min. specs. Suggest you call Bell TV tech support to confirm before you spend $$.
Steve McGrath on August 9 at 4:25 PM | Report abuse
Simon: Gary was talking about a true eSATA connection thus the speed of an internal drive.
manny on August 9 at 6:28 PM | Report abuse
if plugging a full external drive back to a pc causes a reformat, is it still possible to save data using a undelete program then use a media player that plays there format?
Steve McGrath on August 9 at 6:46 PM | Report abuse
No since you can't see the files in the first place.
Simon Cohen on August 10 at 10:32 AM | Report abuse
@ Steve: Yes, I know Gary was looking for eSATA, but if his primary concern is being able to use a SATA drive for the 9242 expansion so that he can then use the same drive later internally in a PC, a USB-SATA enclosure is the way to go. I do agree that an eSATA port would have been a welcome addition, but as you say - so few even use this standard it would likely be wasted. Also, given that transfering files doesn't lock up the receiver from other tasks, it's tough to argue that faster transfer speeds should be a req.
Steve McGrath on August 10 at 11:16 AM | Report abuse
Simon: I only did 3 archiving during my test and the one time I watch TV during the archiving process, it crashed on me. It was only a 17 minutes HD recording and it could had been a bad luck. Reading other forums, I'm not alone and I hope it's only a small percentage.
Ronny L on August 10 at 7:53 PM | Report abuse
Hey once it's on the external drive, will i be able to view the recorded movie/show on my computer?
Steve McGrath on August 10 at 8:50 PM | Report abuse
no
A Navales on August 11 at 9:57 AM | Report abuse
@ Ronny L: Read the whole article ang you'll find your answer..
Brian on August 12 at 4:45 PM | Report abuse
If my 9242 bit the dust, could I buy a new one and connect the same external drive and still be able to view my archive?
Brian on August 12 at 4:49 PM | Report abuse
also, does anyone think that a Raid enclosure would work as the external drive?
Simon Cohen on August 12 at 4:50 PM | Report abuse
@Brian: re: swapping receivers: Yes, that's the theory. I know that Steve has had some problems connecting an EHD to another receiver, but this is a supported feature according to Bell TV, so if it didn't work, that would be considered a bug.
Steve McGrath on August 12 at 8:13 PM | Report abuse
Simon and Brian: My receiver bit the dust yesterday. I will get a new one this week and will test that "feature" with the new receiver. I did lost all the content but I tested archiving 2 movies on the EHD.
Steve McGrath on August 15 at 1:33 PM | Report abuse
I updated my blog and got myself LaCie 750GB from FS. I will do my test with that.
If you don't want to scroll up ;)
http://www.mcgrath.ca/2008/08/08/mini-review-expressvu-external-hard-drive-9242-hd-pvr/
Allan Callard on August 16 at 7:32 PM | Report abuse
Does anyone know the approximate storage capacity (in GB please) of the 9242 PVR hard drive? It would be useful in determining what size add-on storage to purchase.
Steve McGrath on August 18 at 8:00 AM | Report abuse
I think it's a 250GB.
The 750GB gave me 100hrs in HD and 750hrs in SD.
My 200GB gave me 26hrs in HD.
Stephen Fraser on August 19 at 9:36 PM | Report abuse
Hey
If i was to hook a USB Network HD to this via usb and Cat5 cable. I wonder in the future could someone make a program to extract the .avi file? just a though. I have a comstar 320G network drive I got from FS may hook it up and see what happens.
thanks
Dave, Ontario on August 20 at 12:38 PM | Report abuse
I have an earlier 9200. I put some jpegs on a USB flash drive and plugged it into the 9200. The flash drive lit up steadily but no screen prompts or anything. Am I doing something wrong? Thx
Simon Cohen on August 20 at 1:05 PM | Report abuse
@Dave: I have a 9200 as well and I was able to successfully attach and transfer images from my Sony digital camera. I have not tried a USB key. Once you plug in the USB stick, try going to the 9200's menu and select "multimedia". It should then show you an option for browsing the USB key. If it doesn't, I'd try reformatting the key on your PC. If that fails, you may want to contact Bell TV, it's possible your receiever didn't get the necessary software update.
Dave, Ontario on August 20 at 4:42 PM | Report abuse
thanks Simon, I tried a different (4GB) flash drive with a few jpegs and still nothing. If I look to the 9200 menu, the multimedia button is dimmed out. Seems the 9200 is not recognising the usb drive. I'll call Bell, but as I just updated the smart card which required up-to-date software, I'm not too hopeful. Open to suggestions, Thx
thetravler on August 25 at 3:12 PM | Report abuse
So, I have succesfully archived 25 hrs on my 750GB CIE EHD. My question is do I need to keep the power on the EHD at all times or can I switch it on and off when needed. My fear is that if I turn on and off it will want to reformat and clear all my recordings. I should of tried this before recording 25 hrs of stuff. Has anybody tried truning it on and off.
thx
Simon Cohen on August 25 at 3:16 PM | Report abuse
@thetravler: It *should* be fine to power the unit off and on independently of the receiver. My understanding is that reformatting only occurs when the EHD is connected to a non-receiver device (e.g. a PC) or if it has never been used for transfering recorded shows before.
If you're at all concerned, contact Bell TV. Worst case scenario, you'll have to re-archive that 25 hrs!
Frustrated on August 26 at 4:12 AM | Report abuse
Seems like lots of users are having problems with the EHD.
I've experienced an External Drive disconnect problem. It happens on the Lacie 750GB hard drive.
I get a message saying "You have disconnected a a multimedia device from the USB port" when I try to play an archived recording
A similar error occurs if I try to restore a recording.
I can archive to the drive but just end up losing access to the file if I do.
Allan Callard on September 1 at 2:52 PM | Report abuse
I am experiencing the same problem as "Frustrated." I bought a LaCie terabyte drive at Future Shop for C$169+taxes. No problem with either installing or archiving, but playback and restore are just not working. My EHD is well ventilated, so it should not be overheating, and our main power seems to be stable (although EHD is not plugged into UPS).
Allan Callard on September 1 at 3:01 PM | Report abuse
Sorry, I posted earlier comment prematurely:
Meant to add that I tried resetting PVR receiver, and also powered on/off EHD repeatedly. While these actions did not solve my problem, they did not appear to jeopardize my archived recordings. The system did not attempt any kind of disk format, and my archived recordings still appear on the EHD directory (notwithstanding that I can neither recover them, nor view them for more than just a few minutes before "disconnect").
Allan Callard on September 1 at 10:19 PM | Report abuse
I finally called BEV tech support this evening. One hour on the phone completely wasted. I was asked to unplug the EHD, unplug the PVR, disconnect the satellite feeds (coax), and to move the EHD from the USB port on the back of the PVR to the one on the front. I complied, but EHD still did not work properly. While waiting for system to power back on, the tech support rep actually had the audacity to try to sell me extra programming!
When 'fix' did not work, I was asked "Where did you buy your USB?"!!! When I said that I bought my external hard drive at Future Shop, was first told that I should go to the www.lacie.com website for trouble shooting information, and then was told that I should return my "defective" drive to Future Shop and get a replacement.
When I was finally put through to the next support level, we discussed the possibility that the software update for the EHD was not working correctly, but I was never able to get an explicit confirmation of this.
All in all, a very frustrating experience with BEV. I have no doubt that the front line representatives are sincerely trying to help, and that they have been placed in an untenable position trying to support a system that was (in all probability) released before its time!
Allan Callard on September 4 at 7:29 AM | Report abuse
During my call to BEV, I had asked to be contacted with updated info regarding my complaint. Received nice voicemail last night from the senior tech to whom I had spoken earlier, confirming that EHD problem was a known issue, that BEV was working to correct it, and that BEV would contact me again as soon as the problem was fixed.
I check my software version each day, hoping to see an update later than v182.
Kainanite on September 12 at 3:13 AM | Report abuse
Seems with my set-up of the EHD, that if I try to play an archived recording, and the PVR is actively recording at the same time, then the EHD hangs up, and recordings refuse to play anything but a black screen. When this happens I have to unplug, and re-plug the EHD, and wait for the PVR to stop recording before I can do anything with the EHD.
The EHD only works when the PVR is not active. More than a bit frustrating when you are watching a movie from the EHD, and the PVR comes on to record a timed event. Suddenly I'm looking at a black screen, and I can't resume the movie until the PVR is done its recording.
Steve McGrath on September 12 at 10:55 AM | Report abuse
Anyone else able to completely fill the LaCie 750GB? I can't have access to the EHD since then. Here is my part 2 of my review including this new problem:
http://mcgrath.ca/2008/09/07/review-expressvu-external-hard-drive-9242-hd-pvr-part-2/
At least I know that they are testing a new software version. Hopefully, I will get access to my EHD then.
JIM on October 1 at 7:08 PM | Report abuse
LookeD forward to this , so got hard drive loaded 3 movies as asked watched about 2 min , it shut down , I sent one back to PVR , showed title could not view an hard drive showed no movies in yet time left showed their .........after that could not send anything an kept say in use with 2nd tv even thou it was disconected , after a few calls got SR TECH she after questioning her admitted software problems exist an they trying to correct will be posted on CH 230 ..... Latest problems new privious been fixed , some can get working ok other not , many hard drives like mine returned . I asked her to inform techs of this ,as most dont even know USB exists yet can they help ,beside keeping you on like while they to to figure out geeeee what else from VU HOPE CORRECTED SOON .........
Allan Callard on October 30 at 11:19 AM | Report abuse
I noticed today that there had been a software update to v183. Did quick test and was able to play recording directly from EHD, to restore recording from EHD to PVR, and to play restored recording. At first glance, things seem to be operating as advertised.
Back to original fault: these things happen and are forgivable, although I hope that no executive received a bonus for getting v182 out on time, as opposed to getting it out when it was really working properly.
What is NOT forgivable was initial, uncompromising attitude by BEV that there was no problem with PVR system, and that fault was with EHDs purchased by customers. I wonder how many perfectly good hard drives were returned and replaced needlessly? Can BEV put a price on the lost goodwill as a result of customer frustration? How about a hundred dollar credit to every customer who called in to report a problem and was given the runaround? Failing a programming credit, I would actually be satisfied if someone from BEV called me and said "Sorry, we screwed up."
Steve McGrath on November 8 at 1:50 PM | Report abuse
Allan, I agree with the second part on how Bell dealt with the issue.
I updated my part 3 post about V183
http://mcgrath.ca/2008/10/30/review-expressvu-external-hard-drive-9242-hd-pvr-part-3/
I was hoping it would finally work but does not after further testing :(
Mark on November 16 at 3:36 PM | Report abuse
Hello,
I don't own an Expressu, but my mother does, and she is panicking because her system is full and it's time to transfer to a HD. I've read everything here about these HD not being transferable to DVD, but I personally think these HD are not safe for keeping archives, mostly because they deal with a private technology (9242) that I don't understand or can't have control.
From the start the first problem that came up was my mother being upset because there is no way she can use her VCR with Expressvu. I looked in the manual and I only saw info about connecting to another TV and then VCR, which sounded a little complicated. Anyway... Is there a very simple way to just record in analog whatever is playing on your expressvu in any format or system possible (VHS, DVD), because right now it seems the only safe method.
By the way I'm not anywhere near an Expressvu so I forget if there are the standard red, white and yellow entries behind. I don't remember seeing those. I guess if they are than you can record anything you have on HD to another media through analog. Is that right?
Simon Cohen on November 17 at 10:29 AM | Report abuse
@Mark:
Recording off a PVR to either a DVD Recorder or a VHS machine is simple: Connect the AV cables from the PVR to the recording machine, choose the program you want to record and start playing it back on the PVR, while simultaneously recording it on the VHS or DVD-R.
You will see a small loss in quality, and you won't be able to preserve 5.1 surround (if applicable).
William on December 18 at 10:01 AM | Report abuse
The transfers are not without problems. My 5 hours of the Olympics opening ceremony in HD took 1 hour 26 mins. When I watch it after 45 mins it stops saying the hard drive has been disconected. When I try to restore it after 5 mins it says the same, hard drive disconected. So currently I can neither watch it all or restore it! Yes I have the recommended drive! Why does it keep thinking my hard drive is disconected? all plugs are in properly.