[opendtv] News: DirecTV Update Sparks TiVo Tizzy
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 07:47:47 -0400
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,67822,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2
DirecTV Update Sparks TiVo Tizzy
By Katie Dean
09:24 AM Jun. 13, 2005 PT
A recent software upgrade to DirecTV receivers has infuriated TiVo
users who say the change disabled their beloved digital video
recorders -- and has sparked conspiratorial theories that DirecTV
disabled them on purpose.
The problem mainly affects DirecTV customers with D10 receivers and a
stand-alone TiVo, and who use a serial cable to control the satellite
box. DirecTV DVRs that have TiVo functionality built-in are working
fine.
Normally, the stand-alone TiVo will use the serial connection to
change certain channels on the satellite receiver when a scheduled
recording is about to begin. But because of a recent DirecTV upgrade
to the D10 receivers, the satellite box no longer recognizes the
TiVo's commands.
The TiVo thinks it has changed channels, but hasn't, and viewers are
ending up with recorded programs they don't want to see, and missing
their favorite shows, said Thomas Woellhaf, a DirecTV subscriber in
Los Angeles.
"It worked for a long time just perfectly. Why fix something that is
not broken?" Woellhaf said. "Now (DirecTV is) just causing more
problems and making life miserable for TiVo owners."
Said one TiVo Community Forum poster who missed several shows due to
the problem: "Just think if this mess had happened in the middle of
the prime time season. Oh, man ... the rage."
Several ReplayTV users reported similar problems.
The situation has prompted some forum members to wonder if DirecTV
was deliberately sabotaging their TiVos to get them to sign up for
DirecTV DVRs.
"Absolutely not," said Jade Ekstedt, a DirecTV spokeswoman. "I can
absolutely say this is not a tactic to get people to switch over to
another receiver."
DirecTV is pursuing a fix but there is no estimate for when the
problem will be solved, Ekstedt said.
"There was a download that occurred and there are some customers
experiencing problems due to that download," she said.
Still, members of the TiVo Community Forum reported that DirecTV
customer service representatives remained unaware of the problem.
DirecTV is upgrading the D10 receivers to receive "interactive
content," Ekstedt said, which is causing the problem. On certain
channels, the D10 boxes can display up to six programs at one time,
and viewers can watch all six or switch between them.
Ekstedt said that DirecTV began rolling out the download to different
markets in early May, and the company became aware of the problem
shortly after the roll-out began. Complaints on the TiVo Community
Forum started May 25, and have continued as more people receive the
upgrade.
She said that despite the glitch, the company will continue the
rollout through the end of June, while working to fix the problem.
The easiest fix is to use an IR blaster -- an add-on infrared channel
switcher -- rather than the serial ports, but TiVo fans say the IR
blaster has many disadvantages. It's slower, unreliable and clunky,
not to mention just plain ugly, Woellhaf said.
"It's a little plastic thingy in front of your satellite receiver box
and it's not very attractive to look at."
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