set top box Archive

  • DirecTV software update locks up HD DVRs nationwide — Update: Fixed

    DirecTV software update locks up HD DVRs nationwide — Update: Fixed

    Posted on June 8, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/hardware/DirecTV_software_update_locks_up_HD_DVRs_nationwide'; It looks like one of DirecTV's astronauts had more trouble flipping switches than their DISH counterparts, after a software or guide data update last night knocked out HD DVRs all over -- and not for the first time. Currently the only advice needed to get back in working order is to reset the box twice (there's a red button on the front, underneath the flap) within a thirty minute period (the official website indicates you can wait as little as 15 seconds between resets) and all should be well, but good luck getting through to customer service to get that message right now. Countdown to an apology starts... now.

    [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

    Update: According to DirecTV's website, a "transmission glitch" was to blame and it has automatically reset affected receivers from its end, so no further red button pushing should be necessary. [Thanks, Blake!]

    Continue reading DirecTV software update locks up HD DVRs nationwide -- Update: Fixed

    DirecTV software update locks up HD DVRs nationwide -- Update: Fixed originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Bonux’s Android set-top box is pretty much Google TV lite… really lite (video)

    Bonux’s Android set-top box is pretty much Google TV lite… really lite (video)

    Posted on June 4, 2010 | No Comments
    No patience left to wait for Google TV? Tough luck, bubs -- 'cause Bonux's Android set-top box ain't shipping till the year's end, either. Tucked away in a small corner of Computex was the gem you see above: an Android 2.1-based set-top box designed to bring... well, Android to your television. The white mockup box was strictly in place to demonstrate the software, and the inability to find a live internet connection on the floor crushed their desires to demonstrate connected extras. Essentially, this STB would scale a mobile OS up to TV size, which isn't exactly the most elegant of solutions. That said, it does "work," and the idea of using Android to pull in local media and web content may tempt those who aren't willing to deal with the expense and complications of snagging a full-blown HTPC. We were told that the box could play back nearly every major file format known to man, and the HDMI output ensures broad compatibility with practically every HDTV ever sold.

    When speaking with company representatives at its booth, they asserted that their goal was to shrink the white box down to the size of the black unit sitting beside it, or something barely larger than a deck of cards. If all goes to plan, they should be shipping worldwide by the end of this year, but they stated that it would be awhile before Froyo (Android 2.2) was supported given the intrinsic need for more potent hardware. Speaking of which, they've yet to actually nail down a final processor, and they're still debating whether they'll have WiFi as an option. In the end, consumers should expect "between one and three" variants (including one with an integrated TV tuner, possibly), and a retail starting price of around "$120 to $130." So, found that patience you were looking for yet? Per usual, a video demonstration awaits you after the break.

    Continue reading Bonux's Android set-top box is pretty much Google TV lite... really lite (video)

    Bonux's Android set-top box is pretty much Google TV lite... really lite (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Steve Jobs on TV: ‘no one wants to buy a box’

    Steve Jobs on TV: ‘no one wants to buy a box’

    Posted on June 1, 2010 | No Comments
    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Steve_Jobs_on_TV_no_one_wants_to_buy_a_box_Engadget'; Well isn't that a breath of fresh air. With no apologies given to its long-standing policy, Apple CEO Steve Jobs provided a pretty honest and thorough assessment of what's wrong with the TV set-top box market. "No one wants to buy a box -- ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask us... ask Google in a few months" (in the spirit of competition, of course). In Jobs' opinion, "the only way that's going to change is if you tear up the [box], give it a new UI, and get it in front of consumers in a way they're going to want it." Frankly, we're pretty happy how quick and succinct he was able to respond in a Q &A session, seems like he's been mulling it over -- and given what we heard about Apple TV's future plans, we're not surprised. All the pertinent quotes, care of our liveblog, after the break.

    Continue reading Steve Jobs on TV: 'no one wants to buy a box'

    Steve Jobs on TV: 'no one wants to buy a box' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Entelligence: Hello WebTV part II

    Entelligence: Hello WebTV part II

    Posted on May 30, 2010 | No Comments
    Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

    In a world of connected screens it's sometimes hard to classify what's what. I mean, what's a PC? We call smartphones "phones," but the reality is they're tiny PCs that go in our pocket. Similarly, the TV has undergone an evolution as well, and now Google is attempting to bring the PC and TV even closer together with the introduction of Google TV. What is it? Well there are three core elements: Android 2.2, the Chrome browser and the Android app marketplace. It's ambitious, but I'm skeptical. I feel like I've heard a lot of this before -- and in fact, I have. By no small coincidence, Android is headed by Andy Rubin, the man who was in charge of a product called WebTV before it was sold to Microsoft. And just as with WebTV, there's a lot of potential in the ideas behind GoogleTV, but I'm not sure Google has nailed it.

    Continue reading Entelligence: Hello WebTV part II

    Entelligence: Hello WebTV part II originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Cox ‘Plus Package’ brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels

    Cox ‘Plus Package’ brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels

    Posted on May 10, 2010 | No Comments
    Cox is ready to make a major leap forward in its user interface -- goodbye SARA and Passport, we won't miss you -- with the newly developed "Plus Package" rolling out in limited areas during Q2 and throughout its service area by the end of the year. For the hardware Cox is bringing a Whole Home DVR solution to bear based on a Cisco 8642 HD/DVR with 500GB (3x more than the sizes currently offered) of storage, and MoCA-connected 1642 HD receivers, which are also necessary to tune to the new HD channels on the way delivered over Switched Digital Video (SDV) in the 860-MHz band.

    The star of the show however is the new "Trio" program guide (video embedded after the break), a 16:9 interface that spaces out program info over three panes -- channels on the left, programs in the middle, details on the right. TV programs can also be sorted grid-style, by themes, HD-only or favorite channels, while VOD lists titles, box art and detailed info in the three window style. There's personalization for up to eight members of a household, as well as TiVo-style suggestions and related programming searches based on metadata. An exec told Multichannel News the new tru2way-built software started by realizing that "our guides were, in fact, broken" and this all-new approach is a step towards fixing that. Besides the TiVos and Moxis of the world, other service providers with similar setups include DirecTV, FiOS, Dish Network and U-verse and while we'd definitely like to see that middle pane expanded a bit to show more of each title, Cox could be the first cable company offering a set-top box that actually competes with any of them.

    Continue reading Cox 'Plus Package' brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels

    Cox 'Plus Package' brings advanced Trio UI, 500GB multiroom DVR and more HD channels originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 May 2010 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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