On Monday night, DirecTV began sending out a firmware update for their HD DVRs. Within hours, complaints were trickling in that the software update was making the set-tops unresponsive.
Today, the provider posted a note on their website in an effort to help users get back access to their boxes.
“If your set top box is not responding to either your remote control or front panel button input please be advised that you will need to do the following to resolve the issue,” reads the opening statement.
Continued: “Just flip the door down on the front of your set top box and press the red button. Be patient as the box may take up to one minute to respond to this reset. Let the system reboot until either a picture or grey screen appears on your TV. Then press the red button again, which will reboot your system a second time. This should resolve the issue.”
The provider did not offer a timetable for a real fix, or why the glitch occurred.
Result for: remote control
Verizon has announced that FiOS TV users can now stream YouTube and Internet Radio directly from their displays, using their remote controls or smartphone.
Subscribers can access the music and video sharing site via Media Manager, which is now available to all FiOS TV owners, instead of just DVR customers.
“Adding YouTube and Internet Radio to FiOS TV further expands our customers’ digital home-entertainment world by giving them access to an unprecedented amount of online content on the biggest screen in their home – their TV,” adds Shawn Strickland, vice president of consumer strategy for Verizon. “When customers connect their homes to our all-fiber network, their TV and Internet worlds seamlessly come together to create experiences cable can’t deliver. We are working with some of the most popular companies on the Web to create a high-quality, engaging Internet-to-TV experience that will only grow richer with time.”
Users can even use their Motorola Droid phone as a remote control if they download a free “Mobile Remote” app from the Android Market.
To be able to watch YouTube, you will need an HD set-top box or a FiOS TV DVR. From there, it is a simple firmware upgrade.
Result for: remote control
According to Boxee CEO Avner Ronen, the company is working on an app for the iPhone,iPad and Android devices.
The iPad app is already in development while the Android app is so far, just a “coming soon.” Boxee recently listed a job opening for “lead developer on software for Apple’s mobile operating systems.”
There is currently an iPhone app, but it serves as little more than a remote control for the desktop software. The new app would allow for users to stream video on their portable devices.
Speaking about the iPad, Ronen says (via LATimes): “It’s perfect for video. You can start watching in bed. And then just take it with you.”
The company is also looking to add more content providers, better social networking features and to introduce a centralized payment platform.
A recent study showed that 75 percent of all digital companies were actively looking for a strategy for video on the iPad, meaning the tablet may be a little more than a “fad.”
