View Full Version : This just posted on engadget
engadget's latest take on the HR2x series. (http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/21/directv-dvr-software-update-hits-the-stage-again-now-with-sligh/)
As always, interesting comments.
Especially interesting, since some of us got the lockup without the new up rev that supposedly accompanies it.
SteveHas
10-22-08, 05:40 AM
these are guys are something else
exactly what is the agenda at Engadget?
I wouldn't exactly call that fair or accurate net journalism
these are guys are something else
exactly what is the agenda at Engadget?
I wouldn't exactly call that fair or accurate net journalism
You can't be serious can you? This was a nationwide lockup requiring a reboot in primetime, the second in two weeks and because someone is critical about it you think there is an agenda?
This is the second post/thread I've seen like this in a couple of weeks, that if there is a negative article about the HR2x and D* there must be some evil agenda by the writer.
There is no agenda. It is the reality of how others outside of this cocoon generally perceive the HR2x series.
All I can add is "Two reboots in prime time this month -- NOT cool!"
say-what
10-22-08, 06:57 AM
Not sure of any agenda, but it sure is an inaccurate report as to the cause of the lockups. Normal software updates are pushed in the early morning hours (around 2:30 am). This software push was in response to another series of unexpected lockups as "bad" or enhanced data caused units not running version 290 to lockup again. So a more accurate report by Engadget would be that data (most likely guide data) caused HR2x's to lockup and that DirecTV then pushed a new software version to eliminate this in the future. Just sloppy reporting, it's what happens when you run with assumptions rather than facts.
That's right, now attack Engadget.
Lawyer 101 - When you don't have the facts on your side - attack the credibility of the person stating the facts.
tcusta00
10-22-08, 07:07 AM
Well, they did get the first "fact" wrong. The lockups from a few weeks ago were not from a botched software update, as the writer alleges - the CE at that time was clearly not ready for rollout and from what I recall there was no new software in the stream at the time.
Engadget doesn't bill themselves as a news outlet (at least I would hope not!!); I would liken them more to a "Editorializer" than a news outlet.
Engadget gets their information from user submissions. So, they generally only know what they hear from others. They do welcome comment from the companies as well...so I'm sure if DirecTV felt what they were saying is incorrect they could contact them and have that posted as well.
oldschoolecw
10-22-08, 07:10 AM
Excellent perspective by engadget, they tell it like it is, there’s no ball washing there, just an accurate report on the HR2X debacle…
tcusta00
10-22-08, 07:13 AM
Excellent perspective by engadget, they tell it like it is, there’s no ball washing there, just an accurate report on the HR2X debacle…
Except for that part that was inaccurate. :scratchin
David MacLeod
10-22-08, 07:15 AM
Except for that part that was inaccurate. :scratchin
come on, no sense getting hung up on little things like that. we all know opinion is equal to fact if posted on the internet.
oldschoolecw
10-22-08, 07:16 AM
come on, no sense getting hung up on little things like that. we all know opinion is equal to fact if posted on the internet.
:lol: :lol:
Greg Alsobrook
10-22-08, 07:25 AM
Except for that part that was inaccurate. :scratchin
!rolling
JTWestside
10-22-08, 07:52 AM
All I can add is "Two reboots in prime time this month -- NOT cool!"
ATARI Is spot on.
Regardless of the cause it happened most people aren’t going to say "oh, well if the first time was just guide data that make everything ok." Doesn't matter. If DIRECTV wants to clear things up they should be less vague in their press releases. The original release said "in an effort to improve and expand your services" who wouldn't think that was an upgrade? Not everyone hangs out @ DBSTALK.com
tcusta00
10-22-08, 08:24 AM
ATARI Is spot on.
Regardless of the cause it happened most people aren’t going to say "oh, well if the first time was just guide data that make everything ok." Doesn't matter. If DIRECTV wants to clear things up they should be less vague in their press releases. The original release said "in an effort to improve and expand your services" who wouldn't think that was an upgrade? Not everyone hangs out @ DBSTALK.com
All I'm saying is that if they want to bill themselves as a news-reporting entity they should make some kind of attempt at getting the news right. Not everyone hangs out at DBSTalk, no, but the technology "reporters" of the world should at least get the "news" correct. :rolleyes:
Engadget should have checked with DBSTalk to make sure they had the facts before they wrote anything.
Yeah, they would have gotten an objective view there, wouldn't have they?
keith_benedict
10-22-08, 09:09 AM
these are guys are something else
exactly what is the agenda at Engadget?
I wouldn't exactly call that fair or accurate net journalism
If it didn't take 10 - 15 minutes to reboot, it might be almost acceptable.
scrybigtv
10-22-08, 09:16 AM
Well, they did get the first "fact" wrong. The lockups from a few weeks ago were not from a botched software update, as the writer alleges - the CE at that time was clearly not ready for rollout and from what I recall there was no new software in the stream at the time.
Engadget doesn't bill themselves as a news outlet (at least I would hope not!!); I would liken them more to a "Editorializer" than a news outlet.
Editorializer?
:lol:
Sites like Engadget and TV Predictions collect revenue for views, not their crack(ed) reporting.
That being said, DIRECTV must be held accountable for two failures:
1. Failure to condition/filter the guide data that caused the lockups (related to the expanded cast information?)
2. Timing of the pushed update
I'm guessing that Tribune is in the process of expanding their guide information and DIRECTV wasn't ready.
tcusta00
10-22-08, 09:47 AM
Editorializer?
:lol:
:confused:
Main Entry:
ed·i·to·ri·al·ize Listen to the pronunciation of editorialize
Pronunciation:
\ˌe-də-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-ˌlīz\
Function:
intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
ed·i·to·ri·al·ized; ed·i·to·ri·al·iz·ing
Date:
1856
1 : to express an opinion in the form of an editorial 2 : to introduce opinion into the reporting of facts 3 : to express an opinion (as on a controversial issue)
— ed·i·to·ri·al·i·za·tion Listen to the pronunciation of editorialization \-ˌtȯr-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən\ noun
— ed·i·to·ri·al·iz·er noun
http://mw1.m-w.com/dictionary/editorializer
Doug Brott
10-22-08, 09:52 AM
Engadget should have checked with DBSTalk to make sure they had the facts before they wrote anything.
Yeah, they would have gotten an objective view there, wouldn't have they?
There's plenty of venting to go around here if you haven't noticed :rolleyes:
And yeah, if they had checked here they could have posted something about it 7 hours earlier -- It was already game, set and match by the time it hit Engadget. :D
sigma1914
10-22-08, 09:56 AM
Maybe Swanni can chime in about this. :rolleyes:
mrshermanoaks
10-22-08, 10:00 AM
ATARI Is spot on.
Regardless of the cause it happened most people aren’t going to say "oh, well if the first time was just guide data that make everything ok." Doesn't matter. If DIRECTV wants to clear things up they should be less vague in their press releases. The original release said "in an effort to improve and expand your services" who wouldn't think that was an upgrade? Not everyone hangs out @ DBSTALK.com
Yes, for a company that sells access to TV programming, it's amazing how much they've screwed their customers in the past few months by depriving them of that programming.
They're going to have to figure out how to stream shows from the online services just to cover for their own outages and goofs.
wilbur_the_goose
10-22-08, 11:02 AM
The D* DVRs are now thought of as 'applicances', and as such, they should work 99.9% of the time.
Can you imagine an oven that has the wrong temperature, cooks too hot, or doesn't work at all. To most people, that's what this was - an appliance failure.
Tom Robertson
10-22-08, 12:03 PM
Generally speaking, Engadget seems to get things more right than wrong. And generally without major bias. (They are tech guys, that is their bias.) :)
It was unfortunate that this is the one Engadget got wrong, but it happens. That's why you all come here first for DIRECTV and DBS news. :)
Now for my bias disclaimer: I've met and talked to a couple of the engadget guys. (Not the author of this aritcle, btw.) And I like their coverage of CES and CEDIA and the consumer electronics industry. Yet, I stand by my they get things more correct than not. And I won't say that about everyone I've met at CES...
Cheers,
Tom
come on, no sense getting hung up on little things like that. we all know opinion is equal to fact if posted on the internet.
Only if it's on Wikipedia :lol:
billsharpe
10-22-08, 02:29 PM
Except for that part that was inaccurate. :scratchin
Possibly accurate, possibly not.
The e-mail I got from Directv two weeks ago stated
IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR HD DVR OR DVR RECEIVER
In our effort to improve and expand our service, we experienced a temporary technical glitch.
Since they never defined the "temporary technical glitch" who knows what happened. :confused:
Apparently whatever happened then, happened again yesterday. That doesn't give me a warm feeling that DirecTV has really resolved the problem.
That said, I like the song info remaining on the screen saver for XM channels :icon_cool
billsharpe
10-22-08, 02:32 PM
If it didn't take 10 - 15 minutes to reboot, it might be almost acceptable.
My reboot took over 30 minutes. I suspect there were two reboots, one to restart the machine, and one shortly thereafter to download the new software and reboot again (is "reboot again" redundant?).
I was watching the news OTA on my TV while all this was going on. The rotating blue lights kept me aware that something was going on...
billsharpe
10-22-08, 02:35 PM
There's plenty of venting to go around here if you haven't noticed :rolleyes:
And yeah, if they had checked here they could have posted something about it 7 hours earlier -- It was already game, set and match by the time it hit Engadget. :D
Maybe so, but at least two weeks ago DirecTv sent me an e-mail about the problem. I haven't heard anything from them directly yet this time.
I look on the problem more like baseball than tennis. We're up to two strikes now:mad:
jdmaxell
10-22-08, 05:30 PM
Well, they did get the first "fact" wrong. The lockups from a few weeks ago were not from a botched software update, as the writer alleges - the CE at that time was clearly not ready for rollout and from what I recall there was no new software in the stream at the time.
Engadget doesn't bill themselves as a news outlet (at least I would hope not!!); I would liken them more to a "Editorializer" than a news outlet.
I got the lockups and I do not even know what a CE is!!!
If a data stream to the guide caused all the problems, then boy are we in trouble.
Stop trying to defend the undefendable!!
Lord Vader
10-22-08, 06:38 PM
That's right, now attack Engadget.
Lawyer 101 - When you don't have the facts on your side - attack the credibility of the person stating the facts.
Just ask Joe the Plumber. ;)
dennisj00
10-22-08, 07:03 PM
The D* DVRs are now thought of as 'applicances', and as such, they should work 99.9% of the time.
Can you imagine an oven that has the wrong temperature, cooks too hot, or doesn't work at all. To most people, that's what this was - an appliance failure.
You might want to raise your bar. . . 99.9% is a downtime of 525 minutes a year!
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