AT&T U-verse set top box "hacked"

Hoo boy, this one is a real riot. Seems when AT&T originally released their U-verse IPTV service, every set top box they gave to consumers (one per TV to be hooked up) was a DVR. Apparently they decided such functionality would confuse users when they switched to client-server Motorola boxes, so they quickly changed their tact and started offering only one DVR per customer. Of course, consumers still needed set top boxes for their other TVs, so AT&T did the only reasonable thing: unhooked the HDDs from DVR units and shipped the disabled boxes to consumers. Well, the game is up, because the folks over at UverseUsers just had a peek under the hood, and it turns out that AT&T is leaving the hard drive inside! They've got a quick rundown on how to hook the drive back up and return your box to its full DVR powers. Good times.

[Thanks Chad B.]

[Felix @ Aug 11th 2006 3:58PM]

Ford escorts actually have v12 engines but 8 of the valves are disabled so people wouldnt confuse it as a nice car.

[Bill Hancock @ Aug 11th 2006 4:10PM]

Felix....thats not even relevent...have you ever even looked under the hood of you escort??? do you even know what you are talking about...8 of the valves...please tell me you dont work for the auto industry cause if you did you alone would explain the reason they are losing so much money

[joe @ Aug 11th 2006 4:15PM]

ahhaha 8 valves. wow.

[joe @ Aug 11th 2006 4:16PM]

ahhaha 8 valves. wow.

[Uncle Jerry @ Aug 11th 2006 4:23PM]

Felix must get his auto information from the tubes.

[Jeff @ Aug 11th 2006 4:28PM]

How big is the HD? I mean, yeah, hooking it back up gives you a DVR, but finishing AT&T's job and removing it altogether give you a free hard drive. That's pretty cool in and of itself, I say.

Yeah, and felix.. wtf, man? =/ hehe

[Britney @ Aug 11th 2006 4:28PM]

I am glad that the little people are still putting it to these corperate Giants, but with Att able to get court cases thrown out because of National Security I worry about talking bad about them in public domain because I now wonder what they can do in the name of National Security

[Cman @ Aug 11th 2006 4:41PM]

I'm gonna open my Xbox 360 ... maybe there is a HDDVD in their?

Get off Felix's back...in his rush to be first he said valves instead of gerbils...an easy mistake.

[mark @ Aug 11th 2006 4:58PM]

NOT " changed their tack..."; it's "changed their tack..." - like tacking a sail (hence the origin of the phrase)

unless, of course, you meant "changed their tactics..."

[Vilppi @ Aug 11th 2006 5:15PM]

Say what? There's 12 former third reich propaganda ministers in an Escort engine?

[enzo @ Aug 11th 2006 6:07PM]

"Felix must get his auto information from the tubes."

Had me laughing in the office chair...
It's not a dump truck!

[mastershake916 @ Aug 11th 2006 7:04PM]

You're not even going to put "VIA HACK A DAY"?
Don't tell me that you don't read hack a day?

[George T @ Aug 11th 2006 7:57PM]

Back when computers filled rooms and were rented, there were some slower cheaper models that were really the full system with every other clock cycle grounded out. Being on the night shift and figuring I could sleep if I got all the work done, I found out which jumper I could remove in the CPU to make it run full speed. I like to think of myself as a pioneer overclocker having done it on a Honeywell system in 1966.

[Tim @ Aug 11th 2006 8:10PM]

mastershake916:

they're not supposed to be connected in any way shape or form to hack-a-day since weblogs got bought someone bigger. aol or somesuch.

[mastershake916 @ Aug 11th 2006 8:17PM]

But you can't deny that they are related.
There have been many times that Hack A Day has been credited, and I find it strange that it would not happen now.
I'm sure Eliot reads Engadget and I thought the engadget writers read Hack A Day.

[john @ Aug 11th 2006 10:16PM]

I think you meant "changed their tack". It's a sailing metaphor. "Changed their tact" means, mmm, nothing.

[Perrey Z. @ Aug 11th 2006 10:54PM]

Some people might be surprise how many consumer electronic devices come with extra features that are disabled and only active on high-end models.

I had a Hitachi 42HDS52A plasma HDTV that had the VGA and PC RCA-type audio present {printed} on the circuit board but no terminals., and it gets better, on top of that the set had another extra set of component with audio, S-Video and RCA-type audio and video inputs., and on the side, a SD Card slot printed but not shown in the same form as the rear inputs.

These functions/inputs were all turn off in the service menu under "Region Data Adjustments" before turning them back to "Active Mode", i opened the set and performed the alteration to it based on suggestions and warnings on the service manual for the Japanese version.

After that, i'd enjoyed working on my Media Center and the advantage of the huge display for 4-months until the day i decided to move it to another room in favor of a new 50-incher and it broke in process. The set also had the TV Guide function off. I hope this year's models are all like that.

This wasn't the only set i owned with disable features, my Philips 50PF9630A have TV Guide off and Stereo Ambilight in the service menu under "Options" and "Data" sections. This model SHOULD NOT have these features activated, only the high-end 50PF9830A.

Same deal for my HP Pavilion PL4200N, LC2600N and LC3200N, the [TV] Guide button is present on the remotes, these TVs are rebadged and slighty altered versions of Panasonic PX500U and Sharp D6U Series but the TV Guide function is not activated on ODMs, only the original versions.

[GhostDoggy @ Aug 12th 2006 11:06AM]

AT&T is evil. Pure evil. But AT&T users of their U-verse already sold their souls, knowingly or not.

[Karl Viklund @ Aug 13th 2006 6:06PM]

WoW :)
I guess AT&T will so something about this as fast as they can :)

[Cap'n Ahab @ Aug 13th 2006 8:50PM]

john, I like the cut of your jib!