Western Digital has refreshed their DVR Expander line with a more aerodynamic enclosure and broader marketing… Not only will WD’s new Expander (of same 1TB capacity) meet your external DVR storage needs (DISH, DirecTV, TiVo, SA 8300HD, etc), but they’d like you to also feel free to use their external storage solution with other media-capable devices such as camcorders, the PS3, and their own WDTV Live. Because, unlike the prior, split DVR Expander lineup, this single unit ships with both eSATA and USB 2.0 for maximum compatibility.
WD also happens to be TiVo’s sole “official” hard drive expansion partner, much to Seagate’s chagrin and for better or for worse. And while I’m partial to internal hard drive upgrades, at ~$120, the 1 TB DVR Expander is a drop dead simple way to at least double your HD recording capacity and not terribly priced.
Off topic, but Ben has a kickass rundown of the various FCC comments over at Engadget posted yesterday.
I think the FCC’s verdict here is going to determine whether third-party boxes have a future, or if their future is all used up.
Yeah, I saw that last night. Right now, it’s just a lot of talk. Ben and I have also debated the ability of the FCC to enact and enforce anything. We’ll see.
On topic, I’m wondering when FiOS is going to pull the trigger on external DVR storage. Seems like the solution above would be appropriate given their prior chatter.