[la_canuck]

I've been thinking about this off and on for a while. I am curious to know if anyone is capable of programming our own upgrade for our own user features. Unfortunately I am not good at this. Though if we put some ideas on a list and were able to get some folks to try and program revisions for us would that work?


One of my hopes would be someway of remote programming the UTV device if we forgot to program something.


I may sound a little nuts or too hopeful and assuming that anyone would be interested in this. However, UTV is a great recorder.


Carl McKay

 

[Tygh]

No one has "cracked" the UTV's like they have the Tivo's. The only upgrade that has ever been perfected is the installation of a bigger hard drive. And, since there are so few of us UTVr's around, I doubt there is any serious effort going on.


BTW, I am a San Diego Canuck.

 

[Ohiokie]

The important difference is that the Tivo code is Linux based, and therefore is open source. No one had to "crack" the Tivo operating system, it was open from the very start. That's why there's books out there on "hacking Tivo", because it's not the illegal kind of hacking. It's just the "void your warranty" kind of hacking.


The UTV operating system is Microsoft based, and they wouldn't take to kindly to someone hacking into their propriety code. The only thing we could do from this end (legally) is hope that when they decide to stop supporting the UTV they would open the code up for the community. And since we're talking about Microsoft here, go ahead and tatto the words "Not Bloodly Likely" to this concept altogether. It just ain't gonna happen with their blessing.


-OHiokie-

 

[technofiend]

Not gonna happen. If MS opens up the boxes, it's too likely you'll

be able to get free programming and they aren't going to be liable

for the inevitable lawsuits.


It's too bad, really. These things would make *great* slave units for

media center edition boxes.


Heck, MS charges $139 or so for OEM MCE and I'd pay that much if

they developed new UTV firmware with features from our wishlists.


But the market's too small; they didn't sell that many units to worry about

selling 60,000? copies of a $140 title. That's only 8.4 million gross, peanuts

to MS.


If there ever was an application for their 'signed driver' WHQL stuff, this is

it. If you could develop for the platform, but only use MS' signed drivers

to do PPV, channel+subscription validation the possibilites would be

endless.