Seagate (ST18000VE002) 18TB Skyhawk Ai Surveillance 3.5" Hard Drive

I bought this to replace a failing drive in my Tivo (Roamio Plus). I've always had good longevity with Seagate drives, and perhaps this one would last. However, I could hear this drive head seeking even while watching TV, and I could even hear the comparatively loud noise of its platter rotation with the TV off. Got a replacement from Home Essentials Direct, thinking the drive was faulty. How could a drive be this obnoxious? Well, the replacement was just as bad. I purchased a WD purple instead, and it is as quiet as the old WD DVR drive in the Tivo--which lasted six years. I still like Seagate for the desktop, but forget buying this class of drive from them for your Tivo.

I have an 8 camera system with high res cameras... this holds an entire month plus days of video. Perfect fit, easy install and a value that is immeasurable.

I purchased the 4 TB drive. I was slightly concerned having a lower spin rate as well as a 64 MB cache. I am running eight cameras in a Samsung/Wisenet system. This system came with 1 TB and four cameras. But after I added four more to the system the 1 TB was no longer sufficient. I purchased this for terabyte drive, because it was the exact model of my 1 TB. This Is a 3.5 drive, so be sure that it will fit your console or whatever you are placing it in. It's important that people know this is not a standard drive and is made for surveillance cameras, or something that is access to an overridden on a regular basis. Unlike a standard hard drive in your PC that has correction control most of these drives for the surveillance systems do not have correction. Meaning ... MoreI purchased the 4 TB drive. I was slightly concerned having a lower spin rate as well as a 64 MB cache. I am running eight cameras in a Samsung/Wisenet system. This system came with 1 TB and four cameras. But after I added four more to the system the 1 TB was no longer sufficient. I purchased this for terabyte drive, because it was the exact model of my 1 TB. This Is a 3.5 drive, so be sure that it will fit your console or whatever you are placing it in. It's important that people know this is not a standard drive and is made for surveillance cameras, or something that is access to an overridden on a regular basis. Unlike a standard hard drive in your PC that has correction control most of these drives for the surveillance systems do not have correction. Meaning once it copies the data there is no verification that the data was copied correctly. Why this is not usually a problem on a system is a good hard drive and a smooth running operating system it could result in data loss. That is why it is advised to buy a surveillance hard drive, something that is specifically made to run off and and to keep copying the files without correction. I found a hard drive to be very efficient, and for some reason works faster than my 1 TB of the same maker and brand. It is also quieter than the 1 TB that my system came with. In fact the fan on my DVR makes more noise than a hard drive does and I have a quiet fan. Keep in mind why this may fit the majority of DVR's that are out there formats do vary from Linux, Windows or their own proprietary software. And formatting the drive may vary. Generally speaking most surveillance hard drives are compatible with buried systems but keep in mind that your hard drive may need to be formatted either by the DVR system, or possibly externally done to make it compatible with your DVR. I have seen more people have problems with DVR hard drives when they do not realize that the system they are installing in a have a proprietary format system and may not be compatible with the drive you purchased. That is why it's important to find a hard drive that has a wide range of compatibility as well is something that's been around for a while. Your surveillance cameras are expensive investment for most people. And the data that we have on these hard drives is why they are valuable. Anybody can purchase DVR, and cameras are pretty similar across the board improving with each year. But hard drives are the core operating systems bread-and-butter of you will. When you need the hard drive to work you need to work, this is barely second two cameras being of high quality because you have a high-quality camera but if your hard drive is a standard drive or of a low quality you may have issues. So if you've invested the camera system it's wise to buy a compatible high-quality hard drive that is built for surveillance systems and has a decent warranty. Overview: I highly recommend the drive. At this time it installed quickly, was able to format on my DVR with no issues. Is extremely quiet and accessing data to copy to another hard drive, or to use for fast search was extremely fast with no issues whatsoever. Check on Home Essentials Direct as the the prices vary from size to size. The 4 TB seemed to be about the best deal because it was slightly more than the 1 2 and 3 TB, but considerably less than the 6 TB, making this the best choice and value. Running at 4K, my cameras have enough room to record for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. Depending on whether you have motion or straight recording this can vary and your quality of cameras. I am guessing if you have a 1080 P camera system this may last you up to a month possibly depending on your settings.