[hugh]

It appears the 9242 has received a new firmware update V184.

I noticed it when the Favourite List now is highlighted.

Any other changes?



Edit by 57. Many people are having problems with the PVR acting erratically - channels changing by itself, turning on/off, info/guide coming up, etc.

This is due to changes in the firmware which causes IR interference from other devices (like LCD TVs) to impact the PVR more than before. Read the following post on the problem carefully and thoroughly. It also outlines the many solutions discussed in this thread. Bell are aware of the issue and are working on a solution, however, in the meantime, if you have an LCD TV, using the proper settings will help with the problem (and provide you with better picture quality too). This is not really a new problem, but it has been exacerbated by the new firmware.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=64463


It would be nice if people were to post the other positive or negative changes that came with the new firmware.
.
.

 

[hugh]

Was going through the menu.

Found Self Serve (was that before?), Pressed on the ON DEMAND option and it said loading the interactive application. I pressed CANCEL and the whole thing crashed.

I now have a big black screen and a crashed unit.

EDIT: Wow. Pressed power button on 9242 but would not reset. Had to unplug the unit to get it working again.

 

[dc1977]

Was it the "Channels on Demand" button you selected? I was able to load that application without problem on my 9242.

If you look under menu 6-1-4 (connectivity), you will see an option for broadband, which allows for ip callouts for pay per view etc assuming you have it plugged into a router.

 

[Tom.F.1]

I pressed CANCEL and the whole thing crashed.

I now have a big black screen and a crashed unit.

I have had that happen lots of times (not everytime) with any and everything interactive. Lottery, weather, etc. Pressing cancel makes it crash. been going on for a couple years.
Is there anyway to dis-able interactive completely?

 

[hugh]

dc1977, it was when I pressed Cancel that it crashed. Can't believe you guys at Bell didn't test what would happen if you pressed Cancel while it was loading!

 

[DrewSat]

V184

The new software enables the IP connection on the receiver. Customers can now connect a cable from their broadband router to the receiver allowing them to purchase PPV.

Caller ID and Interactive service (iTV) purchases still require a phone line.

The V184 upgrade also will help those 9242 users that had difficulty accessing their external hard drives when they were almost full.

We're slowly rolling out the upgrade to 9242s. All receivers should be upgraded by the end of next week.

I'll keep a closer eye on this thread for a bit to answer any questions you might have about it.

Drewsat

 

[jayoldschool]

The new software enables the IP connection on the receiver. Customers can now connect a cable from their broadband router to the receiver allowing them to purchase PPV.

Great upgrade. I will plug in my 9242 right away. It's not near a phone line.

 

[hugh]

6-1-4 (connectivity), you will see an option for broadband, which allows for ip callouts for pay per view etc assuming you have it plugged into a router.

Plugged in an Ethernet Cable and it picked up an IP address. Can't set Receiver Nickname, It says enter nickname but nothing works and you have to cancel out. Why have the option if you can't set it?

Tried the Channels On Demand Application. Seems just like an app to order channels which seems like a waste when you can just call or go online. In addition, the screen is all messed up when it first loads.

I tried the Cancel again when loading and it failed gracefully. I assume they never tested Cancel on the first try suggesting it will fail on the first try and work on subsequent attempts. If so, then its a rookie testing mistake.

 

[hugh]

In summary, I can't find anything noteworthy in this update.

The Channels on Demand seems like a waste of programming time and effort and driven by senior marketing types. I would prefer to see some work being done on Slingbox or Archos connectivity.

I guess the order PPV without the need for a home phone connection is interesting but if folks don't have a phone line to their receiver, what makes you think they are going to have an ethernet connection at their box.

If it fixes some bugs then presumably that benefits some users so that's positive.

 

[scrooloose]

I guess the IP connectivity is for the folks that have abandoned their land lines altogether. At least they have another option now.

-Mike

 

[taxtwit]

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the ethernet connection will also function as a "receiver locator" for Bell, although I guess this would require Bell to have some kind of IP address/geolocation software.

 

[hugh]

taxtwit, no conspiracy but to answer your question "yes it would" but I doubt Bell is monitoring to ensure that your IP address correlates to your physical address.

Anybody who is pirating or account splitting is not going to be plugging in their receiver to a phone jack or an ethernet port.

 

[ScaryBob]

Is there anyway to dis-able interactive completely?

I locked out all the interactive channels. It works until they add a new one that needs to be locked out.

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks the ethernet connection will also function as a "receiver locator" for Bell

The phone line requirement is actually more effective to determine receiver location and has been around for years. The IP will let Bell know who your ISP is though.

In summary, I can't find anything noteworthy in this update.

That doesn't surprise me at all. For once, I would like to see an update that fixes all the outstanding bugs without adding more crud that creates new bugs or brings back old ones that were fixed on a previous update.

 

[Tom.F.1]

Drewsat, do you think this update does anything to fix the digital audio dropout problem?
Bell CSR's are telling me to use the analog, but i paid over 500 bucks for a digital sat rcvr, advertised to have Dolby 5.1
Dolby should be on somebodys case, cause he's getting a really bad reputation.....

 

[DrewSat]

Hugh,

I've tried several times this afternoon to reproduce the crashing you're seeing and can't reproduce it. I'll bring it up to the software team to look into it. They might have better (un)luck. I'm sorry you're receiver's behaving that way.

Taxtwit: I don't think we're part of a large conspiracy to find out where your receiver is but it sounds like an interesting premise for a movie or novel. I would call it "The Net" and have somebody like Sandra Bullock star....Wait a minute....

Tom: Can we chat over PM? I'd like to get more details from you to find out about your set-up so I can help you get this resolved.

 

[DrewSat]

Two more changes I forgot to include:

The Recordings list is now under a Multimedia menu found in the Main Menu.

The receivers should support external hard drives up to 1.5TB. The usual requirements still apply: USB 2.0, self-powered, 7200 RPM, no power saving shut-down, etc.

The latter might be welcome news to external hard drive enthusiasts.

 

[bartlett]

I see my 9242 is still 183...how can I force the update?

 

[jayoldschool]

You just wait for it. They don't send it out to all the receivers at once.

 

[dpytel]

I am really hoping for a fix to the audio dropouts that many have experienced when watching recorded HD material via HDMI. Fingers are crossed.

 

[scrooloose]

Mine is still at V183 too. I don't suppose they added the "grouping" feature to the EHD, like the internal disk can do (where you group like programs into folders)?

-Mike