Frequently Asked Questions
We get new questions about ZapperBox all the time, and we will post our answers here as we have them. If you have a question about ZapperBox, please write to us here.
Yes. ZapperBox has been shipping since July 2022. We ship within 48 hours and shipping is free within USA.
Yes. The ZapperBox M1 has one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port and one SD-Micro slot. You can see a 360-degree view of the ZapperBox at this link. Scroll down to the second panel.
DVR works with USB drives or the micro-SD card. Both are not needed. DVR requires a minimum storage of 128GB. There is no maximum drive size restriction. See FAQ #22 for more on supported drives. We recommend that the 60-minute pause buffer be disabled when using microSD cards and thumb drives. This will help ensure a long life for such storage.
Currently each TV requires a ZapperBox. The TV and the ZapperBox need to be connected by an HDMI cable. We plan to add support for multi-room DVRs where two ZapperBox units can view each other’s recordings. A second step after that will be to allow streaming live TV over Ethernet or Wi-Fi without running an antenna cable to each room. A final step will be to not require multiple ZapperBox devices and use apps running on smart TVs.
We are working to add these features during 2024 starting with multi-room DVR.
See the “Roadmap” section on our
Release Notes page. This feature is referred to as "multi-room DVR, streaming apps".
You do not need to buy a new TV. However, regular HD TVs typically support a resolution of 1920x1080. A 4K TV supports a resolution that is 4 times higher or 3840x2160. 4K TVs are also referred to as UHD, or Ultra High Definition TVs. A new feature called HDR (High Dynamic Range) for rich colors is supported in most new 4K TVs. Technically, it is possible for regular HD TVs to also support HDR, but that is unlikely.ATSC 3.0 has three main advantages: 4K, HDR and Dolby® AC-4. If you have an HDR capable TV you can enjoy HDR colors. If your TV does not support HDR, you can still enjoy Dolby® AC-4 features. The ZapperBox M1 supports HDR10 and HLG formats for HDR. Dolby Vision also works with HDR10. ZapperBox does not support SL-HDR1.
The Zapperbox will work without an Internet connection. However, there are five reasons for connecting the ZapperBox M1 to the Internet:
1. For software updates. You can always skip some updates and only download essential updates after reviewing the release notes on our website. We plan to keep adding new and interesting features to the ZapperBox via software updates. We recommend keeping your ZapperBox always connected to the Internet.
2. To watch secure content (aka encrypted channel with DRM). However, we will soon provide a software update that will allow encrypted channels to work without an Internet connection.
3. To watch broadband channel. Guide data for these channels comes via your antenna but when you tune to them they play over the Internet. These channels numbers have an 'i' after them, like 12.03i.
4. To download 14-day guide data with a subscription (optional)
5. To watch YouTube content (optional)
The dual-tuner version of ZapperBox has the following advantages:
1. While one tuner is being used to watch TV, the other tuner is used in the background to keep updating guide data being received over the air on other frequencies. This way, whenever you press the guide button, you see the most current guide data.
2. The second tuner can be used to record a program that is not currently being watched.
3. A dual tuner box can record two programs simultaneously while a third pre-recorded program is being watched. A single-tuner device can record one program at a time while another pre-recorded program is being watched.
Software update v3.0 will be released during the summer of 2024. This release will allow multiple ZapperBox devices to share tuners. Effectively, two dual tuner devices will be able to act like a quad tuner. Three, like a 6-tuner, etc. See release notes about v3.0 for more details.
We will also launch tunerless client boxes that can play back recordings, initially and live TV later, from other ZapperBox devices that have tuners. We will effectively offer three models; dual tuner, single tuner and zero tuner. All three models will work seamlessly with each other across the home/office local area network.
The 14-day guide data subscription is priced at $29.99/year, for up to two units at the same address. 14-day guide data requires an Internet connection. Devices under the same account, same physical address and same IP address are considered to be at the same address. The fee for additional devices beyond two units is priced at $15/year.
A 14-day guide data subscription allows you to use the following advanced DVR features:
1. Record from the OTA grid guide
2. Record from the search menu.
3. Cover art for recorded shows
Without a subscription you can still use the following DVR features:
1. Record the current show being watched.
2. Schedule a manual recording by specifying the channel number, date and time.
3. See recorded shows as lists without cover art.
Yes. ZapperBox works with all encrypted channels in all markets. Our current implementation of content security requires an Internet connection. Content security without an Internet connection will be supported soon with a software update. Recording and playback of secure content will also be supported soon with a software update. Content security can be enabled on older (pre v2.2) devices via software update. We regularly update our release notes page to announce dates for such feature updates.
If you purchased your ZapperBox on Amazon or are not on our mailing list, please register for our newsletter updates at the bottom of our home page using the “Newsletter Sign UP” block.
Please download this 14-page document (click here) that provides detailed, step-by-step, instructions on using Harmony remote controls with ZapperBox. Thanks to ZapperBox user David Henderson for his efforts in putting these instructions together.
This answer has been moved to the "Release Notes" page under the "Roadmap" section.
When you press the red power button on the remote control, the ZapperBox does not really turn off. It goes into standby (red light). During this time the HDMI output is turned off but all other internal functions keep working. In standby mode, a single-tuner box does channel scans to update guide data. A dual-tuner box is continuously using the second tuner to do channel scans whether it is on or in standby. Therefore, it is more important to put a single tuner box in standby and not so much a dual-tuner box. Putting a box in standby does not save any power.
The ZapperBox remote control uses NEC IR wave forms. The NEC device ID code is 0xBD02. Here are the hex codes for each key:
On/Off: 45
Mute: 80
DVR: D2
Live TV: 5D
Record: 95
BA: D0
Guide: 19
Info: 99
Up: CA
Left: 99
OK: CE
Right: C1
Down: D2
Zap: 42
Menu: 41
1: 43
2: 03
3: 44
4: 46
5: 07
6: 47
7: 55
8: 17
9: 56
Decimal: C3
0: 1B
Back: 11
All ATSC 3.0 broadcasts in the US carry Dolby AC-4 audio. The ZapperBox M1 can:
1. Transcode AC-4 to Dolby Digital Plus or MAT when connected to newer AV receivers and Dolby Digital when connected to legacy AV receivers.
2. Decode any Dolby encoding to PCM stereo in Downmix Mode and send it over HDMI.
3. Passthrough AC-4 audio over HDMI if the connected device is capable of decoding AC-4 audio.
Please see this one-minute video on our YouTube channel for a quick review of how to program the LEARNING KEYS.
No. At this time we do not recommend using the ZapperBox without an Internet connection. Also see FAQ #5.
Yes. The FCC has announced that ATSC 1.0 will be around until 2027. We have paid a lot of attention to supporting it as well as ATSC 3.0. All tuners used in ZapperBox support both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.
5.3 Click on "Account Information" to change your Name and Email Address.
5.4 Click on "Payment Methods" to change or add credit card number.
5.7 Click the 'X' to exit.
6. Place your ZapperBox in standby mode by pressing the red power button.
9. In a few minutes the new guide data should appear.
10. If we do not have any existing customers in the new zip code, it will take 24 hours to start generating guide data for your new zip code.
Please read this blog post about the problem with most microSD cards and thumb drives. We recommend turning the 60-minute pause buffer off when using microSD cards and thumb drives. This will increase the life of such storage.
SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD card - https://a.co/d/84y2l1Z
We plan to offer two programs to involve the developer community. More details will follow when we are ready.
1) We’ll open our box as a developer platform for A/344 app development after we release A/344 support.
2) We plan to add IP controls to our box and will open up the SDK to developers for smart home integration.
Updated on Mar 23, 2024
ZapperBox requires a minimum drive size of 128GB for DVR. HD and 4K recordings require about 5GB/hour and 1080p recordings require about 2.2GB/hour. This means that a 1TB drive can store 200 hours of HD or 4K video and about 450 hours of 1080p video.
We recommend hard disks (HDDs) or Solid State Drives (SSDs) with a read speed rating of 1,050 MB/s or higher. HDDs have been tried and tested technology for decades. SSDs are more convenient and portable. Higher read speeds for SSDs generally imply higher Flash rewrite life cycles. Read about this issue in two blog posts starting with this one. Using SSDs rated at 1,050 MB/s or higher allows you to use the 60-minute pause buffer. The 1,050 MB/s is our best guess. We have been using SSDs rated at 500MB/s and 800MB/s for over 6 months without issues but have removed them from our recommended list. The 60-minute pause buffer is implemented by writing what is being watched, constantly to the storage device. This buffer can be enabled or disabled using the storage option under settings.
microSD cards and thumb drives use cheaper Flash memory and suffer from Flash burnout if the 60-minute pause buffer is enabled. Disable the 60-minute pause buffer is you are using a microSD card or a thumb drive. Use only Flash storage rated at 150 MB/s read speed or higher. Lower speed drives will fail sooner and also cause erratic recording and playback. We do not recommend using any thumb drives. The only one we have used was rated at 400 MB/s.
Most hard disk drives work with ZapperBox but require an external powered USB hub or external power. Flash drives and solid-state drives do not require external power. So far, all external drives that we have tested work fine with the ZapperBox as long as they are rated above the rated read speeds described above. The USB ports on the ZapperBox do not supply enough power for hard disk drives. We have tested a few different USB powered hubs for supporting disk drives and they all work fine. Here is one that is Amazon’s Choice and works fine.
We have tried all these drives except the ones marked with as a '*':
Avolusion 8TB HDD (added Oct 2023, comes with external power adapter) - https://a.co/d/d2jHbxu
We use the following three websites to see what channels are available at a given address. These are ranked by ease of use. The more complex websites provide more technical info but add complexity.
If you have a USB keyboard you can use it like a wired remote. Just plug in the keyboard into a free USB port. Press ‘m’. Does the Menu pop-up? Voila! Your keyboard is working. Here are the key mappings for all the ZapperBox remote keys:
Red power button – none. This key is trapped by Android. It cannot be entered from a keyboard.
DVR – PgDn
LiveTV – F9
Record – F4
BA – F3
Guide – g
Info – i
Zap – F8
Menu – m
Left, Right, Up, Down – arrow keys
OK – Enter
Digits & decimal – digits & decimal
Exit/back – Esc/backspace
Yes. The ZapperBox can work with any Dolby Surround or Dolby Atmos capable AV receiver (AVR). The ZapperBox has three settings for audio decoding:
1. Auto (let the ZB and AVR decide)
2. Stereo downmix (ZB decodes to stereo)
3. Passthrough (ZB passes undecoded audio to connected device).
There are two ways to connect the ZapperBox, AVR and TV.
1. Connect the ZapperBox to an HDMI input of the AVR and connect the AVR HDMI output to the TV.
2. Connect the ZapperBox to the TV first and connect the TV to the AVR via an HDMI-ARC (Audio Return Channel) port on the TV.
These are the instructions for configuring an LG Magic Remote so that it can control a ZapperBox and have been verified for the LG 65UN7300AUD model TV. The instructions for other LG televisions are likely similar.
1. Connect the ZapperBox to HDMI input 1.
2. With the television turned on, press the “settings” button on the remote.
3. Select the “All Settings” option from the on-screen menu.
4. Select the “Connection” option from the on-screen menu.
5. Select the “Device Connection Settings” option from the on-screen menu.
6. Select the “Universal Control Settings” option from the on-screen menu.
7. Select the “MyGica” option from the list of possible devices connected to HDMI.
Once configured, not all LG Magic Remote buttons are recognized by the ZapperBox, but the remote can be used to change channels on the ZapperBox.
If LTE signals are strong enough in your area and you put them through an LNA, the signals can cause distortion products that spread out through the whole TV band, not just the adjacent channels. The distortion products of an overloaded amp include frequencies that are differences and sums of all the different signals going through the amp.
An LTE (Long-Term Evolution) filter is typically used to mitigate interference from nearby LTE or 4G cellular signals that could negatively impact the performance of TV signals, especially in areas where these signals are strong. The placement of the LTE filter in relation to a TV signal amplifier depends on the specific situation and setup.
In most cases, it's recommended to install the LTE filter before the TV signal amplifier. Here's why:
1. Filtering Interference: An LTE filter is designed to block out unwanted LTE frequencies while allowing the TV frequencies to pass through. If the filter is installed before the amplifier, it can prevent LTE interference from reaching the amplifier and possibly being amplified along with the TV signal.
2. Amplifying Clean Signal: Placing the LTE filter before the amplifier ensures that the TV signal that is being amplified is already free from LTE interference. This can result in a cleaner, higher-quality signal being amplified, which can lead to better picture and audio quality on your television.
3. Protecting Amplifier: If LTE interference reaches the amplifier, it could potentially overload the amplifier or cause other issues that degrade the TV signal quality. By placing the LTE filter before the amplifier, you're protecting the amplifier from potential interference-related problems.
Here's the typical order of installation:
Antenna --> LTE Filter --> TV Signal Amplifier --> TV or Distribution System
However, every setup can be unique, so it's important to consider your specific situation. If you're unsure about the best placement for the LTE filter in your setup, you might want to consult with a professional who specializes in antenna and signal distribution installations. They can evaluate your situation and provide the most appropriate guidance.
You can also consider using our ZapperBox A1 Antenna by Televes. This antenna has all three components built in: Antenna, LTE filter, and amplifier. It also has a built-in antenna for 4G/LTE routers.
The ZapperBox has a built-in buffer that allows you to pause Live TV for up to 5 minutes. If you add extra storage for DVR (see FAQ #22) you can pause live TV for up to 60 minutes even if you are not recording the show that you are watching.
We do not recommend using the 60-minute pause buffer with microSD cards or thumb drives as these do not support high enough lifetime rewrite cycles. Using the 60-minute pasue buffer is recommended for SSD and HDD drives. See our blog post about rewrite lifetime at this link.
All recordings made on your ZapperBox are kept in the following folder (the "D:\" is specific to a PC and may vary): D:\Android\data\com.bitrouter.zapperbox\files\recordings. Each recording is in a directory with a name that has the format of YYYYMMDD_xxxxxx. The YYYYMMDD is the date when the recording was made and xxxxxx are random characters to make the name unique.
To backup your ZapperBox DVR storage media, do the following:
1. Format another drive on your ZapperBox. Let’s call this the target drive.
2. Plug both the source drive and target drives into you PC or Mac.
3. Copy the contents of the “\Android\data\com.bitrouter.zapperbox\files\recordings” folder from the source drive to the target drive's "recordings" folder.
4. Plug the target drive into the ZapperBox to verify the backup worked and all your recordings appear in the DVR library.
5. Remove the target drive and plug your original source drive back into the ZapperBox.
Note: at this time you cannot play these recordings on your PC or Mac because we use a proprietary HLS manifest format to make the recording process more efficient. The ability to play "in the clear" recordings on other devices will be added in the future. You will not be able to play secure (DRM protected or encrypted) content on other devices.
Yes. Go to guide. Press Zap to enter "jump mode". Now the left/right keys let you jump back and forward by 24 hours. The up/down keys let you jump up and down one page at a time. Press Zap again to exit jump mode.
Yes. Press DVR. Select the show being recorded. It will have a red dot next to it. Select "Play" and start watching it.
1. The blue rainbow in the grid guide means that this is a NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) channel.
2. The purple key means that this channel is encrypted. Eventually, almost all NEXTGEN TV signals are going to be encrypted.
3. The two-sided blue arcs in the info bar imply that this is a NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) channel.
4. The two-sided white arcs in the info bar imply that this is an ATSC 1.0 channel.
5. The number below the two-sided arcs is the signal quality number. It ranges from 0 to 100. We combine the signal strength (SIG) and signal to noise ratio (SNR) to compute this number. You can see the actual SIG and SNR values by pressing the Zap key on the remote and activating the antenna setup screen.
