Botched DirecTV software update requiring HR2X STBs to be restarted?

Generally, we'd pass something like this off as just coincidence, but when over 95% of 1,000+ respondents confess to sharing the same issue, we simply can't turn the other cheek. It's assumed that DirecTV botched up a software update early this morning that affected a number of HR2X set-tops. Over at DBSTalk, the vast majority of readers who voluntarily took part in a poll affirmed that at least one of their HR2X units required a restart / reboot this morning. We know there's no real point in asking if you too were affected, but that aside, what was DirecTV attempting to send down? The world may never know.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Orlando Roman @ Oct 6th 2008 4:27PM]

interesting....

[kal326 @ Oct 6th 2008 6:00PM]

Indeed, looks like the machines will need to find a new way to create skynet this one obviously failed.....

[Eric @ Oct 6th 2008 8:17PM]

I guess I am lucky, I started just fine today, no reset required! Guess DirectTv likes me better! :-)

[John Habblett @ Oct 6th 2008 4:29PM]

I actually had to unplug my receiver to get it to restart.

[Boo Radley @ Oct 6th 2008 4:36PM]

Me too, I thought my remote died at first since I have it set to RF. I wonder what we got, or didn't get?

[Andrew Talerico @ Oct 6th 2008 4:48PM]

I had to restart also. Funny

[Darkest Daze @ Oct 6th 2008 7:11PM]

I just tried to turn on my TV for the first time today because of this thread and had to unplug it to get it to start up.

[vypergts @ Oct 6th 2008 7:27PM]

Ditto for me. 2x HR21's reset.

[Izzy @ Oct 6th 2008 9:27PM]

Same here. Very strange.

[Ben @ Oct 6th 2008 9:45PM]

So did I! The TV was still playing but it wasn't allowing me to change the channel. I had to reset all 5 receivers. How annoying!

[PDubs @ Oct 7th 2008 12:43AM]

Same here. Thanks for the explanation. I was starting to think it was h/w yet again.

[Andrew @ Oct 7th 2008 9:18AM]

Same for me as well.

I thought it had to do with the beta software but I'm glad to see it was nationwide. Hopefully just a fluke.

[stens @ Oct 6th 2008 6:26PM]

Huh. I should check engadget more often, if possible :). I restarted the HR-21 twice around noon...almost to the point of unplugging. Now it seems to be fine.

Now that I've checked in, I know what happened to it.

[Josh VH @ Oct 6th 2008 4:43PM]

YUP! I tried to turn on one of my HR-22's and it wouldnt power on and required me unplugging it.

[kr3st @ Oct 6th 2008 4:44PM]

I was wondering why my box wouldnt work this morning, I had to reset it twice. Glad to know I'm not the only one though.

[Matt Sipes @ Oct 6th 2008 7:53PM]

All of sudden this morning, my controller stopped working...and I had to reset mine.

[david amodt @ Oct 6th 2008 4:45PM]

yep... 2 HR-21 boxes died this morning. had to unplug both. update FAIL

[SaltyGary @ Oct 6th 2008 4:45PM]

Hmmm no wonder. We restarted it, but I noticed it would still black out every once in a while. We'll see what happens tonight when we get home.

[localidiot @ Oct 6th 2008 4:45PM]

I had to reset mine too! the remote stopped working after 5 or 6 clicks

[Xandragnis @ Oct 6th 2008 4:48PM]

Interesting indeeeeeed. I wondered if my system had started to get hick-upz without explanation. And so the mistery remains as such..

[monte @ Oct 6th 2008 4:53PM]

My HR20 went down also, had to reboot 4 times. Went into info and no upgrade was done. ?

[cprimous @ Oct 6th 2008 4:54PM]

Me too. Had to reset as the receiver would not respond to remote commands or the buttons on the box.

[Jay @ Oct 6th 2008 5:02PM]

As confrimed by the thread you linked, this was NOT a software update issue.
The issue is related to started to something else.

[khamel @ Oct 6th 2008 4:53PM]

same thing here, i was watching tv at around 230am and when i tried to delete the program i just finished watching it froze up. the benefit of hd with 2 channel recording is great but i still heart my tivo. please directtv and tivo, make up and have that mpeg4 baby that i've had my eye on for a couple years now. you know you want to.

[James @ Oct 6th 2008 5:15PM]

The HD DirecTivo is coming in late 2009. I got the email from DirecTV saying that they are working on a new model with Tivo.

Anyways, mine locked up and had to pull the plug to reset.

[thehoz @ Oct 6th 2008 4:53PM]

Seem to have to reset and repower my HR20 when it is powered off.

[Doug Brott @ Oct 6th 2008 4:55PM]

There was no software update this morning .. There are problems, yes, but it is not related in any way to a botched software update.

[Mike @ Oct 6th 2008 7:22PM]

How do you know? Mine is out also.

[kjb434 @ Oct 6th 2008 4:57PM]

This isn't that bad. It just means their reboot command didn't go through or wasn't present. Comcast and Time Warner do this all the time. You wake up in the morning and the clock on the box is off. The unit has been completely shut down.

The power would reboot, but I remember several time physically unplugging and replugging to get it to boot up.

I guess DirectTV has done a much better job if this is the first big incident....

[rsperez @ Oct 6th 2008 5:01PM]

Had to reset this morning as well. Still having issues with the not responding to remote! WTF

[Mr. B @ Oct 6th 2008 5:23PM]

My unit has been giving me crap for a little while too... and I had to reset this morning. It generally runs slow... almost wish I could defrag it, if that would help.

[Jim Waverly @ Oct 6th 2008 5:26PM]

Yup, same here. My wife called me on my way to work, wanted to know why the DVR wasn't working. I had her flip the power strip it was plugged in to on and off, she said it came back on. Then 20 minutes later she said it was back to a black screen and not responding to any remote commands. Guess I get to figure it out tonight when I get home.

[Kevin Nelson @ Oct 6th 2008 5:29PM]

I have 2 of these boxes... 1 had to be restarted and the other needed to be unplugged to restart. Sweet!

[StalematE @ Oct 6th 2008 5:32PM]

i worked for DTV for about a year as a service technician, and i'll tell ya, the DTV made receivers suck hard and a lot of times their updates make them suck even harder.

[dcoaster @ Oct 6th 2008 5:44PM]

Had the same issue.... Had to unplug and remove access card then start it back up and reinsert the card. Strange....

[nate @ Oct 6th 2008 6:08PM]

i too had the same issue. for the record, this is the worst DVR i've had with directv. it is slow, unresponsive at times and generally is difficult to use.

[PDubs @ Oct 7th 2008 12:43AM]

+1. Worst DVR ever. I never had a single issue with my Tivo/DTV combo box.

[CHRIS @ Oct 6th 2008 6:14PM]

They are probably attempting to put in 'interactive' features which require upload. These are the types of updates that have caused some fairly nasty reboot sequences on Scientific Atlanta and Motorola boxes over the past 1.5 years with Comcast and Cox (I know, I took the calls at Cox).

Just reboot it.

[vypergts @ Oct 6th 2008 7:31PM]

It would be worth to finally get multi-room viewing...

[Neoprimal @ Oct 6th 2008 6:15PM]

I didn't discover it until this evening...so there went all my wifes' soaps for today. Pray for me.

[Scott @ Oct 6th 2008 6:23PM]

I have an HR20 and H20, and both required a reset this morning.
The DVR was recording when this upgrade happened, and while the box mostly crashed, it kept recording all night until i reset it. Good thing it didnt run out of disk space, who knows what would have happened then...

[AustinAG @ Oct 6th 2008 6:40PM]

My HR-21 required a reset.

[Mike @ Oct 6th 2008 6:57PM]

Same here.

[john M @ Oct 6th 2008 7:09PM]

Came hope to a locked up DirecTV HD DVR. Whatever happened must have happened sometime after 4:30ish CST because my house lost power for one second and the noise of all the stuff in my house resetting and the light on my DVR flashing woke me up.

[Drewe @ Oct 6th 2008 7:02PM]

yep, mine dead. My daughter said 'i'm gonna do America a favor and throw those people off the Niagara Falls'.

Good girl :D

[kevin @ Oct 6th 2008 7:10PM]

I am a low voltage installer and had 15 people call me today complaining that their DVRs did not work and my own personal DVRs did not work either.. The red reset button and then pressing the power button is the best fix.. I have been watching tv on mine and it just crashed and reset on its own as well...

good job DTV

[crzygamer208 @ Oct 6th 2008 7:11PM]

Mine too, except it hasn't just been today, theres been a glitch where the show i'm recording will be fine LIVE, but if u go back to select it from the DVR list it is just a black screen and you can't fast forward or rewind etc. only delete it. and also the same issue with everyone else, i also am having.

[Cary @ Oct 6th 2008 7:23PM]

I had the same problem with my HR-21 and my SAT-T60 DirecTiVo. Both had to be unplugged and restarted...

Coincidence?

[Birl @ Oct 6th 2008 9:34PM]

My remote could not change stations. I checked the batteries in the remote and they were good. I pressed the reset button. After a long reboot everything worked normally.

[Brandon @ Oct 7th 2008 7:35PM]

Both of my hr-21's needed to be unplugged. It didn't record my wife's soap this morning. DOH! How's DirecTV gonna stop me from catching a beating?!?