Fios DVR Sizes

FiOS TV differs from standard cable TV providers by using fiber-optic cables to transmit data, as opposed to standard copper-based coaxial cables. This allows for a purely digital means of transmission for programming packages that can include over 535 digital channels, with over 130 of those in high definition, as well as access to on-demand and pay-per-view content. With subscription comes the option to have just the set-top receiver box or to add the DVR service to allow you to record programs and watch at any time.

Verizon offers two levels of DVR service: the one-room DVR, which allows you to record and watch standard and HD programming on a single TV, and the Multi-Room DVR, in which the DVR is networked to other FiOS receivers connected to other TVs in the household, allowing you to access the DVR from any connected TV. However, unlike some other carriers that allow you to add other DVRs to the secondary TVs to double the total capacity with each one used, with FiOS you can only have the single DVR, with every other TV connected to a non-DVR receiver box.

Though FiOS programming packages come with varying numbers of channels, the DVRs do not offer varying storage capacities to match, as both the one-room and Multi-Room DVR have the same capacity -- 160 GB. Verizon claims this allows for up to 80 hours of stored standard definition programming, though the actual number of hours also depends on the amount of HD programming stored as well. Independent testing estimates that a DVR with that size hard drive will hold approximately 20 hours in HD, which can fill up fast if multiple TVs and viewers are making use of the single DVR, and lead to conflicts with the ability to only record two channels at once.

One way to increase the storage capacity of a FiOS DVR is by adding an external eSATA storage drive, available from a variety of manufacturers that connects to the designated input port of compatible FiOS DVRs. The DVR will recognize the device, and the amount of programming you can store is increased based on the capacity of the particular eSATA drive in use. Though Verizon does not produce or market eSATA drives, the company does recommend certain makes and models to use with FiOS DVRs.