Floyd
06-08-2010, 12:15 PM
Here's my version of a press release:
__________________________________________________ _____________________
Millions of DirecTV viewers woke up this morning to find that thier DirecTV DVRs were apparently dead. The front panel lights were off, and the units wouldn't respond to the remote or the power button on the unit. Unplugging or pressing the red "reset" button didin't work either.
The DirecTV call centers are swamped with calls, making it nearly impossible to get through and get any assistance to solve the problem.
Apparently, DirecTV has been releasing a new software version to allow the receivers to display the new 3D movies, and something in that software has produced an incompatibility with the guide data. Many of the receivers that were affected this morning received the new software earlier during the night, though some receivers had received the new software several days ago and only failed this morning, which leads investigators to look at the guide data for the source of the failures.
Owners of the affected receivers learned that a double or triple reset was the apparent solution to getting their receivers back to a normal operating condition, and that information was being passed out from the call centers to those lucky enough to get through. The internet forums were alive with speculation and also provided the solution to their members.
DirecTV has been beset with quirky performance problems for the last several years as they frequentl release new software updates that are intended to provide new user features and fix old problems that may have been caused by past upgrades. It has been a scramble for them to add features, while trying to preserve the basic functionality of their DVR, and having to cope with the limitations of the processors in the existing units has proven to be a challenge. Beta testers are used to try and develop the new software and get out any bugs before a national rollout, but the process is evidently not very successful, since every software release produces a new set of problems, or reintroduces problems that were thought to be solved by previous fixes.
__________________________________________________ _____________________
Millions of DirecTV viewers woke up this morning to find that thier DirecTV DVRs were apparently dead. The front panel lights were off, and the units wouldn't respond to the remote or the power button on the unit. Unplugging or pressing the red "reset" button didin't work either.
The DirecTV call centers are swamped with calls, making it nearly impossible to get through and get any assistance to solve the problem.
Apparently, DirecTV has been releasing a new software version to allow the receivers to display the new 3D movies, and something in that software has produced an incompatibility with the guide data. Many of the receivers that were affected this morning received the new software earlier during the night, though some receivers had received the new software several days ago and only failed this morning, which leads investigators to look at the guide data for the source of the failures.
Owners of the affected receivers learned that a double or triple reset was the apparent solution to getting their receivers back to a normal operating condition, and that information was being passed out from the call centers to those lucky enough to get through. The internet forums were alive with speculation and also provided the solution to their members.
DirecTV has been beset with quirky performance problems for the last several years as they frequentl release new software updates that are intended to provide new user features and fix old problems that may have been caused by past upgrades. It has been a scramble for them to add features, while trying to preserve the basic functionality of their DVR, and having to cope with the limitations of the processors in the existing units has proven to be a challenge. Beta testers are used to try and develop the new software and get out any bugs before a national rollout, but the process is evidently not very successful, since every software release produces a new set of problems, or reintroduces problems that were thought to be solved by previous fixes.