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This page shows you how I installed a harddisk into my DreamBox 7020(S).
No rocket science, since the manual that comes with the DreamBox covers this as well, but maybe useful tips for newbies, or great to look at for people who are just curious about the DreamBox.

Checkout some of these DreamBox related website's:

www.dream-multimedia-tv.de (German/English Manufacturer website)
wiki.tuxbox.org (German)
dreambox.sjerom.com (Dutch)
www.sat-industry.net (English user forum)
www.dreamboxfornewbies.net or www.dbfn.tv (English/USA user forum) - Highly recommended for US users!
its.no-enigma.de (German developers forum)

But there are many, many, great other websites out there dealing with the DreamBox ... checkout Google for more links.

Note: Please read the disclaimer, specially with this topic where there can be a thin line between having fun experimenting and what is legal or not legal in your country. All the links and text are provided for fun and education - not to promote or stimulate satellite piracy or other illegal use!

Note: Most the examples are based on a DreamBox running the Nitro image - other images may respond differently.

A Harddisk in my DreamBox?

So why do I want a harddisk in my DreamBox?

Well, one of the most obvious reasons: Recording movies/shows ... Record broadcasts like what you do with a VCR, kind-a like what you can do with a TiVo.

Well not exactly like a TiVo but close ...

What is a TiVo? A TiVo is basically PVR (Personal Video Recorder) - a digital VCR that records on a harddisk instead of on tape. You might want to read this little article I wrote on the first TiVo series or this article on how to hack (read: modify) a DirecTV TiVo.
These recordings can easily be converted and stored on DVD ... see the DreamBox startpage.

Another reason to get a harddisk for me was to get more EPG data.

EPG is basically the program guide data (for channels that provide this info) which is being broadcast continuously. The more data you can store - the more info you will find.

With more info I mean: the further into the future you can look for what is coming ... Standard this is only a few hours ahead, but with a harddisk and the proper Image (simply said; the operating system of your DreamBox - see the DreamBox startpage for more info) this can be multiple days.

Note: some images allow you to use a USB thumb drive for this purpose as well.

Yet another cool feature of the DreamBox with a harddisk is that this disk will be available in your network as a Windows share (if your Image supports this - ie. includes Samba).

Neat to know: MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video files (.mpg) copied to this harddisk can be played by the DreamBox - yes, even KVCD, KSVCD, and KDVD! See also our Video Formats page.

There is more, and this might depend on your Image again; playback of JPEG (.jpg) pictures and playback of MP3 and with some even OGG sound files. See also our pages on How to make your own MP3's, or our eMule article on where to download MP3's.

Oh and the most important reason to add a harddisk: because I can :-)

OK, there are more reasons why you would like a harddisk in your DreamBox (like using multiple images, etc etc).

Since it is said (in the manual) that the DreamBox 7020 can handle a 300Gb, that is exactly the disk I want to install. This should give me about 160 hours worth of recording time. Cool!

At the time of this writing, I purchased the disk for as little as $100 at ZipZoomFly. But prices will keep dropping ... :)

More details on how to do this read: installing a harddisk in a 7020, and how to configure my harddisk in my 7020.