Firmware upgrade for Samsung SIR-T150?

[kbandy]

I have been using a Samsung SIR-T150 STB for about 5 months now. Having been my first experience with HDTV, I was very impressed with picture quality on "real" HD programming. I have noticed from the start that programming on my local ABC affiliate had serious audio problems on their primary channel, however on a secondary channel of theirs it was OK. I wasn't too distressed over this since I don't watch ABC that much. Last week, my CBS affiliate updated the software that maps the channels, and I lost them completely. This is a problem for me. No more CSI!:mad: I didn't notice the problem until I "memorized" the channels, which I do every so often in case any new ones pop up.

I have tried several times to do the "upgrade" of the firmware from Samsung's web site, but it is not doing anything. My unit shows it is running v 1.8 already, but I thought I might be able to resolve my problems by hitting it anyway. Has anyone had any luck with this upgrade, and if so, exactly how did you do it?

[BrentT]

If you are running v1.8 then the upgrade will do no good. The firmware uprade cable costs $35. Your problem may be from the station. I find the whole DTV experience quite experimental. Our local Philadelphia stations seem to be playing with their transmissions frequently.

A good way to find stations is to find the actual UHF frequency for your local DTV station. These can be found at:

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html

Dial in those stations directly into Samsung. For example, my local channel 12 broadcasts DTV on channel 55. If there is a strong enough signal the receiver will pick it up and convert the display to the "virtual" station number. If you are in a fringe area be sure to do this when signal strength is high. I find the strength varies greatly depending on weather and time of day.

[kevinw]

You may not be having box problems. Weather and Tv station problems can cause channel lock failure. Try unplugging you box to reset, then do a new channel scan.

[kbandy]

Does anyone know how to do a hard reset on this STB? I mean so it has to re-learn everything. This, along with a lot of other things, is not covered in the owners manual.

I put a call in to "technical support" at Samsung,and was told an engineer would call me back. That was 3 days ago!:mad: