Expand DVR Size

Some versions of the HR54 have an external "eSATA" port that can support an external hard drive. But that drive does not add to the internal storage. It replaces the internal storage. And newer versions of the HR54 do not have the eSATA and cannot support an external drive. Look at the back of yours to see if it has an eSATA port. 

You need to check the back of the HR54 to see if there is an ESATA port if there is you can use larger ESATA hard drives,  Weaknees.com sales them as well as a service that replaces the internal hard drive with a larger hard drive and can move the programs to it.  The programs on the internal drive remain on it but are not available when the external hard drive is connected but the ESATA connector is not made for repeated removal.    The HR54 only has a 1 TB drive.

Is there any way to tell which one I have without looking at the back?  Seems like every time I turn the box around a little bit enough to look. I end up disconnecting something.

No, you'll need to see the back. They're identical on the front. 

After carefully turning it around, I don’t see any sort of eSATA port at all.

Bummer. Then you cannot upgrade the storage capacity of your DVR. 

I have a tech coming out soon. Not sure exactly which day. Should be either next week or the following. He was here the other day because I had some problems. My satellite signals were in the dumpster so he came out and I guess looked the dish over and told me that we had a tree in the way so he put a brand new dish in and, I guess hopefully used all new wiring but he is going to come back with somebody that has a trench digger and they are going to dig a trench and bury the cable. When he comes, maybe I can talk to him about perhaps getting a different receiver?  I had what I consider to be a bigger and better one before this one. We think my other one got hit by lightning so I contacted DIRECTV and they sent me a new receiver and this is what they sent me. Maybe the guy will be able to take this one back and give me a new one that was like the one I had before.

Replace it and you will lose all your recordings.  Doubtful as DTV is only installing their HS17 Genie2 system and the lower HR are becoming scarcer to find.

That I know. Do you think it would be possible for the guy to the swap this one out and replace it with the one like I had before?  Or, do they do that?

Maybe if they have it on the truck.

What receivers do they use now?  Are they any good?

The HS17Genie2 has 7 tuners and 2TB hard drive but it is a client/mini only system that doesn't allow any HR receivers so there is no expansion allowed.

HR54 has the eSATA port. The revised version HR54R1 does not. The R1 is not as sleek and looks made out of cheaper material.

The Genie (HR34, HR44, HR54/HR54R1) has a 1TB drive. Early suggestion was to support external of up to 4TB, but no known hard cap as some have used 12TB and higher.

Genie in addition to clients, supports HDDVRs on your other TVs (HR20 thru HR24 and R22). Not only do they have their own hard drive, but they support external as well. Internal is 500GB since HR22 (320GB before that). Supports up to 2TB external (hard max).

The Genie-2 (HS17) has a 2TB. Only the 1st run of it had an eSATA port. The later ones removed it (but no R1 designation which is a bit annoying). This does not allow anything but clients so though has bigger built-in being a hard cap means the Genie setup with regular HDDVRs can go a lot more.

To prevent unauthorized transfers, the internal is disabled when an external is in place. Recordings are encrypted to their exact DVR and cannot be played on another, not even a warranty replacement.

What would you all suggest I do?

What are the models of each box you have now?