External DVR Storage - Expanding the Storage Capacity of your Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

External Hard Drive Markets

Motorola DVRs support external hard drives in select markets. Comcast will be introducing external hard drive support to all Motorola markets in the near future. 

Cisco and Scientific Atlanta DVRs support external hard drives in all Cisco/SA Markets.  Please look for the Cisco or Scientific Atlanta label on your Comcast DVR.

Supported DVRs

The following models of Comcast DVRs support external hard drives. If your DVR has an eSTATA port on the back, it should support external hard drives with up to 1 terabyte of storage capacity.

Western Digital Customer Support

If you are having an issue with your Western Digital external hard drive, visit the Western Digital support site, or contact one of the Western Digital Support Centers listed below.

For issues with external hard drives by other manufacturers, please contact the manufacturer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much additional storage will I have once I connect the Western Digital hard drive to my Comcast DVR?
   The Western Digital external hard drive will provide 1 terabyte (1,000 GB) of storage. This is equivalent to approximately 1,200 hours of Standard-Definition (SD) programs or 240 hours of High-Definition (HD) programs.
    
2. Will I lose the recordings on my Comcast DVR once I connect an external hard drive?
   All recordings on your Comcast DVR will still be available after you connect an external hard drive.
    
3. Why am I receiving a message when I plug in my external hard drive that the drive is not compatible for DVR use?
   If you are using an external hard drive from a manufacturer other than Western Digital, or your external hard drive provides over 1 terabyte of storage capacity, you may receive a message that the external hard drive is not compatible for DVR use. Comcast DVRs only support external hard drives that provide up to 1 terabyte of storage capacity, and only the Western Digital external hard drive has been verified to work with Comcast DVRs.
    
4. Why didn’t anything happen after I plugged in my hard drive to the eSATA port on the back of my Comcast DVR?
   Check to make sure that your television and DVR are powered on and the cables of your external hard drive are fully inserted into the back of your DVR. If your DVR is not powered on, disconnect the external hard drive, power on your DVR and then reconnect the external hard drive. Once you connect your external hard drive to the DVR, a message should appear on screen prompting you to begin formatting the drive. If a message is still not appearing, it may be because your external hard drive provides over 1 terabyte of storage; Comcast DVRs only support external hard drives up to 1 terabyte of storage capacity.
    
5. How will I know if my external hard drive is working properly with my Comcast DVR?
   Once the formatting process is completed, you will receive a message on screen that the external hard drive has been connected and available for use. Also, the DVR % full (indicated on the DVR recordings screen) should significantly decrease once the external hard drive is properly connected.
    
6. How will I know how much recording space I have once I connect my external hard drive?
   Your DVR Recordings screen will indicate how much recording space is available (% full).
    
7. How can I specify what programs I want to record to my external hard drive?
   Your DVR automatically determines where to record a program based on which drive (your DVR hard drive or external hard drive) has the most space available at the time of recording.
    
8. How do I watch programs recorded on my external hard drive?
   Programs recorded to your external drive will automatically be included in your DVR recordings list. Simply select a recording and play as you normally would.
    
9. How do I know which programs have been recorded on my external hard drive?
   All recorded programs are included in the same DVR recordings list; the DVR does not indicate which programs have been recorded on the external hard drive. Your DVR automatically determines where to record a program based on which drive (your DVR hard drive or external hard drive) has the most space available at the time of recording.
    
10. Can I move my external hard drive to another Comcast DVR to watch recordings in another room of my home?
    Once your external hard drive has been formatted with a specific DVR, it cannot be used to watch recordings on other DVRs in your home. If you plug your external hard drive into another DVR once it has already been formatted, you will be prompted to reformat the external hard drive which will erase all of your recordings.
     
11. Can I watch shows recorded on my external hard drive on my computer?
    Once your external hard drive has been formatted with a DVR, it cannot be used to watch recordings on another device. If you plug your external hard drive into your computer once it has already been formatted with your DVR, you will be prompted to reformat the external hard drive which will erase all of your recordings.
     
12. How will I know if I’m almost out of recording space?
    When you have 20% or less recording space remaining, a message will appear on screen when you schedule a new recording.
     
13. How will I know when my external hard drive is full?
    A message will appear on screen when both your DVR hard drive and external hard drive are full.
     
14. I am no longer using my external hard drive and have disconnected it from my Comcast DVR. How can I remove the recordings that were stored on the external hard drive from my DVR recordings list?
    When you attempt to play a recording that is stored on a disconnected external hard drive, you will receive a message that the external hard drive is not connected. A Help button will be included on this message screen. Select the Help button to display a list which should include your previously connected external hard drive. Select your external hard drive and then the Delete button to delete all the recordings stored on this drive. Once you confirm that you want to delete all the recordings, your DVR will restart in order to update your recordings list. Audio/video, program listings, and scheduled recordings will be temporarily interrupted for a short period of time while the DVR restarts.
     
15. I replaced my Comcast DVR with a new one. Will I be able to access my recordings stored on my external hard drive on my new DVR?
    Once your external hard drive has been formatted with a specific DVR, it cannot be used to watch recordings on another DVR. If you plug your external hard drive into your new DVR, you will be prompted to reformat the external hard drive, which will erase all of your recordings.
     
16. Where can I buy an external hard drive?
    First check to make sure your market supports external hard drives, then visit store.westerndigital.com/mybookavcomcast to order a Comcast approved external hard drive.
          
17. What do I do if I’m having an issue with my external hard drive?
    If you are having an issue with your Western Digital external hard drive, visit the Western Digital support site, or contact one of the Western Digital Support Centers listed below.

For issues with external hard drives by other manufacturers, please contact the manufacturer.