The sata connection on the back is to add an external hard drive for storage when your internal drive is full I believe.
If your firewire port is unlocked (You can test is this way)
1.) Hold down the SELECT button on the front of the STB until the MESSEGE LIGHT either flashes or lights up.
2.) Press the INFO button either on your remote control or on the front of the STB.
3.) Press either the page up or page down buttons on the remote until you scroll to the page named COPY PROTECTION.
4.) You will see a list of outputs, such as DVI/HDMI,
YPrPb, 1394, and composite.
5.) You will see what kind of protection is used, if any. weither they are enabled, or constrained.
If your box is unlocked then you can transfer the files through firewire