TiVo Models Supported

Standard Definition Units

Hughes HDVR2, HDVR3, SD-DVR40, SD-DVR80, SD-DVR120
Philips DSR7000, DSR704, DSR708
RCA DVR39, DVR40, DVR80, DVR120
Samsung SIR-S4040R, SIR-S4080R, SIR-S4120R

DirecTV R10

High Definition Units

Hughes/DirecTV HR10-250

Important Note for PTVnet DIY CD users: To use InstantCake in conjunction with the PTVnet DIY CD, you MUST boot with the PTVnet DIY CD FIRST.

Software Revision Information

As of September 22nd, 2008, InstantCake for all Series2 Standard Definition DirecTiVo models (listed above) is available with 6.4a and 6.2a of the operating environment.  Please see forum discussions on our site and at tivocommunity.com for details on which version may be best for you.

As of June 24th, 2008, InstantCake for the HR10-250 has been updated to version 6.4a of the system software; a new version of PTVnet has been released to correspond with it, as well. 

As of February 8th, 2008, InstantCake for the HR10-250 has been updated to version 6.3f of the system software.  Versions of PTVnet purchased prior to February 8th, will NOT work with version 6.3f of InstantCake, a new version of PTVnet must be purchased or downloaded, as discussed here. 

As of March 5th, 2007 all standard-definition units will have version 6.2a installed except for the R10 which is version 6.1.  These units will update to the latest version available within a few days of making the daily phone call.

3.1.5f and 6.3e versions are available for the HR10-250 units and can be selected at the time of purchase.

As of August 25th, 2007, InstantCake for the HR10-250 has been updated to 6.3e.  All orders in our system for any version of 6.3 (a, b, c or d) have been updated to 6.3e.  If you have any unexpired download attempts remaining, you can download the most current version from our site, otherwise, let your unit update itself organically, or you can purchase the latest version if you prefer to start fresh.

Product Specific Notes

InstantCake for your Series2 DirecTV units builds the equivalent of our standard replacement drive kits for your unit. All versions of this product currently contain LBA48-support which means use of single drives greater than 137GB is not a problem. This product does not contain any modifications for your unit, other than capacity expansion. If you are looking for the ability to network your Series2 DirecTV unit, please consider our PTVnet replacement drive kits or PTVnet DIY software.

Drive Sizes

6.2a and 6.4a - Series2 DirecTV DVR Systems standard-definition (updated 9/22/2008)

Supports as many as two drives, each as large as 750GB (2x750GB maximum)

Effective 12/1/2006

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not tested this product on drives larger than 500GB, however it is possible that larger drives may be accommodated.

IRD Model and Software Revision Information

Version 6.2a InstantCake users may see incorrect IRD Model information in the System Information screen. This correct way to verify that you are running the proper software is to proceed to your System Information screen and verify that the LAST 3 DIGITS OF THE SOFTWARE VERSION should match the FIRST 3 DIGITS OF YOUR SERVICE NUMBER (this should also match the first three digits of the service number on the back of your unit). If these numbers do not match, then you are running the WRONG software on your unit and you could create problems for TiVo, DirecTV and the upgrade community if your unit connects to TiVo's servers! As for the IRD name listed, please ignore the erroneous information.

Version 6.4a InstantCake users may see incorrect IRD Model information in the System Information screen.  More info to follow.

3.1.5 - HR10-250 (pre 7/24/2005) high-definition

Maximum primary drive size is 250GB, and the maximum secondary drive size is 400GB.

3.1.5f - HR10-250 (post 7/24/2005) high-definition

Supports as many as two drives, each as large as 750GB (2x750GB maximum)

Effective 12/1/2006

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not tested this product on drives larger than 500GB,however it is possible that larger drives may be accommodated.

6.3b, c, d, etc. - HR10-250 high-definition 

Supports as many as two drives, each as large as 750GB (2x750GB maximum)

Effective 12/1/2006

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not tested this product on drives larger than 500GB,however it is possible that larger drives may be accommodated.

 
Clear and Delete (pre 12/1/2006)

This is documented during the installation process, but just in case you miss it - don't forget to do a clear and delete everything after installing your new drive in your TiVo, followed by guided setup. If you skip the clear and delete everything you will have problems recording programming. Some versions of the software do NOT require a clear and delete everything - if you do not see a message at the end of your installation indicating it is necessary, you do not need to do one. If you receive a 'hardware error' or an "error 51" after booting your drive in your TiVo, then you probably need to do a clear and delete everything. Note: If you are using PTVnet, you should not need to do a clear and delete everything; if you are receiving a "hardware error" then you may not have installed/configured PTVnet properly.

Local Channels

After completing guided setup your local channels will not be available immediately -- please be patient, it can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for local channels to be visible in your channel line-up after completing your guided setup. Or, if you want them right away, you can log into your DIRECTV account and refresh your services using this link.

HR10-250 3.1.5f Special Slicer Edition
This special edition version of InstantCake will work the same as the standard edition of InstantCake. It will install 3.1.5f in a normal environment and if your unit is eligible for the 6.3 upgrade from DirecTV it will eventually update itself over time. Naturally, the special edition can also be used in conjunction with PTVnet for your HR10-250, as well.  The 3.1.5f special edition contains slices for 6.3a and 6.3b versions of the TiVo operating environment.

The extra benefit fo the special edition is that when it is used along with PTVnet, your networked TiVo can now be manually upgraded to 6.3a or 6.3b or later versions in conjunction with The Slicer. The Slicer is easily installed on your networked unit using FTP, and is invoked using TELNET. The Slicer will manually install 6.3a and also preserve your basic network connectivity, so that you can update your unit to 6.3a without pulling your drive, and without losing basic connectivity. You can then remotely log in to reinstall any other modifications and/or tune the modifications that have been preserved.

The other benefit is that if 6.3 does not work well for you (many people have complained about 6.3 not working well in their environments, and it appears to be somewhat random), you can easily rebuild your drives to run 3.1.5f, and keep your unit 'frozen' at that version, knowing you have the latest stable software.

The Slicer is intended to be a technical tool for intermediate users - if you don't understand what you are currently reading, then you probably don't need it! But for those who see the benefits, we encourage you to try it out, you may like it.

Screenshots 

Here is a link to some screen shots of InstantCakeHD 6.3 in action.