We previously reported on the launch of our TiVo and DIRECTV DVR Backup Systems, and we’re excited to announce that we have even more backup capacities available. Our backup systems are now available in capacities of up to 4TB (two 2TB drives)! Systems are available for the following DVR models:
TiVo DVRs:
TCD652160 (TiVoHD)
TCD658000 (TiVoHD XL)
DIRECTV HD DVRs
HR20-XXX (All HR20 models, including HR20-100, HR20-700, etc.)
HR21-XXX (All HR21 models, including HR21-100, HR21-700, etc.)
HR21 Pro (All models)
HR22-XXX (All HR22 models, including HR22-100, HR22-700, etc.)
HR23-XXX (All HR23 models, including HR230-100, HR23-700, etc.)
Capacities range from 640gb (dual-320gb drives) to 4,000GB (dual-2TB drives). All models listed above can accept all capacities, with one exception: At this time the TCD652160 can accept a maximum dual-1TB system. We don’t list all backup options for all models on the website, but if there is a specific capacity that interests you, let us know.
How the system works: When connected to one of the above DVRs, your DVR will function using the external dual-drive system only. The internal drive will be disabled while the external operates. Every time the DVR reads or writes to the system, it will read/write the data to both drives simultaneously. Therefore, the two-drive backup system will always have two hard drives with identical content. If one of those drives fails, you will not lose any of your settings, recordings, season passes (series links), etc., because the backup system will start running using the good drive. In addition, in the event of a drive failure, lights on the front of the backup system will alert you that one of your drives needs to be changed, and once a new blank drive is installed, the system will automatically copy the entirety of the good drive to the newly-installed drive.
A DVR with a backup system operates the same way as a unit running only an internal drive–the on-screen menus are identical. Once installed, no special steps are required to have the backup operate, and we include complete installation instructions that make connecting the drive a snap.