Release Notes

Updated on May 13, 2025 at 4pm CT. The current app and OS versions for the various models are as follows:

App version for all models is v3.2.6 (update to v3.2.6 for faster channel changes)
OS version for model M1 is 241224
OS version for model M2 and M3 is 250122

If you are already using the latest OS, an app update will take only a minute to install. A full OS update will take about 5-7 minutes to download and install. Please see a video of the OS update process at this link. OS and app versions are listed on the About->Device Info Screen.

Current Advisories

See this link for advisories regarding DVR, content security (DRM) and gateway support.

Coming Soon

v3.3 Multi-Room Live TV for M3 Zapper Mini - Jun 2025

This release has been delayed to June 2025. Live TV ATSC 1.0 channels are working and ATSC 3.0 is in progress.
Ability to watch live TV on M3 devices from M1 or M2 gateways in the same home.
Fix an issue that currently prevents channel change between two concurrent recordings on dual tuner devices.
Simplify deleting recordings by adding a "deleted folder" to the DVR menu.

Extend Multi-Room Live TV to M1 and M2 models - June 2025

Preview video during Fast Forward - July 2025

Preview frames of video during Fast Forward aka scrubbing.
Add setting under "Themes & Options" to generate viewing recommendations.

Roadmap

Gateway - v3.x support encrypted recordings on connected devices.
Offline DRM - In progress, date to be announced.
Gateway - v3.y allow full multi-room controls between ZapperBox devices.
Gateway - v3.z APIs to control ZapperBox from other devices.
MMT (MPEG Media Transport) Protocol. It is currently used by six stations in the USA that are owned by Sinclair. All other stations use an alternate protocol called Route. Sinclair plans to start switching more stations to MMT within a few months. According to Sinclair MMT is better suited for mobile reception in cars and cell phones.
IP controls and SDK for smart home integration
A/344 "Broadcast Apps" (BA key on the remote) & RUN3TV.
NEXTGEN TV logo certification
Streaming apps for smart TVs (v4.0)

Revision History

v3.2.6 Persistence for Additional Markets - April 21-22, 2025

Start with persistence for Tampa, Atlanta, Miami & Philly. Enable all markets over a few weeks.

v3.2.5 DVR Enhancements - April 7-8, 2025

Sort recordings by season.
Allow deleting remote recordings.
Add an option under Settings->Themes to allow remote control input to be disabled or enabled. This allows two or more devices to be placed in the same room while allowing only one to respond to the IR remote.
Display OS Up Time in Signal Meter.
Display tuner sharing settings under Setting->Sharing.

v3.2.3 - IR lockup & incorrect recordings fix, Feb 17, 2025

Fixes an occasional IR lockup that required a power cycle.
This also fixes issues seen with partial or missed recordings.

OS 241224 for M1, Feb 10-11, 2025

Fix for KSAT, San Antonio

OS 250122 for M2 and M3, Feb 10-11, 2025

Fix for formatting certain microSD cards

v3.2.2 Minor fixes, Feb 4-5, 2025

Start showing "Number of Tuner: 1 of 2" in "Device Info" screen for about 200 dual tuner M1s that were sold as single tuner. The second tuner can be software enabled on these devices for $50 by emailing support. Include Device ID in your email.
Fix for certain ATSC 1.0 stations in LA market
Fix for recordings with numeric titles

v3.2 DVR Feature Updates, Jan 28-29, 2025

Simplify deletion & playback of recordings.
End recordings with option to delete or keep them.
Fix formatting for drives with certain unrecognized partition types.
Fix for non-square pixels on ATSC 3.0 channels

v3.1 UI Changes for Zapper Mini, Dec 23, 2024

Support remote DVR recordings on Zapper Mini.

v3.0.2 Gateway Beta, minor fixes - Nov 27, 2024.

Retracted aspect ratio fix for non-square pixels as this does not work for ATSC 1.0 in its current form. Will be reintroduced properly again.
Minor DRM persistence code fixes.

v3.0.1 Gateway Beta, minor fixes - Nov 21, 2024.

v3.0 Gateway Beta, Multi-room DVR - Nov 19-21, 2024.

Faster channel change times.
Correct aspect ratio for non-square pixels.
Gateway features require a 14-day guide data subscription.
Multi-room usage capability for DVR playback menu options.
All ZapperBox dual and single tuner devices in the same home can share their recordings with all other ZapperBox devices.
See this current advisories page for gateway features that WILL NOT be supported in v3.0 and will be added in future v3.x releases.
Secure content (DRM/encrypted channel) license caching (aka persistence) for certain markets. Channel changes to encrypted channels are about 2-3 seconds faster with persistence. It appears that at this time, most licenses never expire. Enabled markets are listed on the current advisories page.

OS 241025 Android stability fixes - Nov 6-8, 2024.

v2.7.5 Minor Fixes - Oct 28-30, 2024.

Fix to play correct audio track for recordings.
Prevent buffering spinner from displaying over working video

v2.7.4 Fix for Secure Content License Server Error - Oct 6, 2024

Fix for AWS TLS version negotiation error during secure content license acquisition.

v2.7.3 - General release skipped

Improved DRM error handling
Improved diagnostics

v2.7.2 "4K OTA Ready" - Sep 10-12, 2024

4K OTA Ready - 4K video over ATSC 1.0. Demo at Wisconsin Broadcaster's Clinic. Currently the following stations are broadcasting in 4K:

K03IM in Eugene, OR on RF 3 channels 3.10, 3.11 and 3.13

Additional improvements for DRM license handling
Fixes for missing audio in ATSC 1.0 programs

v2.7.1 Improvements for encrypted channels - Aug 26-28, 2024

Improved license handling for encrypted channels

v2.7 Remote Device Discovery - Aug 13-15, 2024

Discover and list other ZapperBox devices on the same local area network.
Add a Settings Menu option for device sharing.
Add warning against turning on the extended pause buffer with microSD cards.
Add more fields in search results (channel names, program titles, episode titles and descriptions).
Add an optional Zap Pad user interface that utilizes a few centrally located keys for easy menu navigation and channel number entry. Especially, in the dark, without a backlit remote. This feature can be enabled using the Settings->"Themes & Options” menu.
Support for HEVC over ATSC 1.0. We have tested with HEVC 1080p60 broadcasts in Chicago on RF18, Channel 49.5 so far. We will list other stations broadcasting HEVC content over ATSC 1.0 as we confirm them.
Add support for upcoming ZapperBox models M2 and M3.

OS 240717 Improvements to reduce frequency of black screen issues (Jul 25-29, 2024)

This is a full OS update, allow 5-7 minutes for it to download and install. Download size is about 1GB.

v2.6.2 Minor DVR improvements (Jun 20-21, 2024)

v2.6.1 Minor fixes for Atlanta market (Jun 11-12, 2024)

v2.6 More DVR features (Jun 3-5, 2024)

Record only new episodes. This feature requires the guide data subscription.
Do not record duplicates. This feature requires the guide data subscription.
Edit scheduled recordings from the grid guide or search menu.
Persistent and deletable search history.
Support encrypted broadband channels, there is at least one such channel in Las Vegas.

v2.5.2 Improvements for 14-day guide data subscription (May 8-9, 2024)

v2.5.1 Minor Update (April 16-17, 2024)

Fix minor issues reported by customers in v2.5.

v2.5 DVR with Content Security aka DRM/encryption (April 9-11, 2024)

Recording and playback for encrypted channels.
Display incoming HDR format in info bar.

OS 240326 required to enable DVR with content security aka DRM/encryption (April 2-4, 2024)

This update is required to use v2.5. It does not provide any other new features.

v2.4.2 DVR List Minor Update (March 29)

Fix a minor issue that causes empty recording lists to not display.

v2.4.1 Broadband Channels Minor Update (March 26-27, 2024)

Fixes an issue that causes encrypted channels to not work over certain type of Internet connections.

v2.4 Broadband Channels (March 18-20, 2024)

Guide data for broadband channels is broadcast OTA but these channels stream over broadband (Internet). This is one of the most cool features of NEXTGEN TV and allows the number of NEXTGEN channels to far exceed what ATSC 1.0 has to offer, regardless of spectrum availability. Some broadcasters have hinted that we may see 4K content over broadband channels.
Recording and pause/play for BB channels will be supported in a future release.
Add channel icons in grid guide and info bar. Channel icons require a guide data subscription.
Add Season number, episode number and episode title in program information. Season/episode information requires a guide data subscription.

v2.3 Cover Art (Jan 22-23, 2024)

Cover Art requires a guide data subscription.
Enable Cover art (posters) in the DVR library.
Add an option to the Theme Options menu to either enable cover art or use the existing list format.

v2.2.3 ATSC 3.0 Captions (Dec 19-20, 2023)

Enable captions for ATSC 3.0 channels.
Enable H.264 channels for ATSC 1.0. These were disabled in v2.2.
Fix "License not Found" error in v2.2.2 caused if system clock is set incorrectly.

v2.2.2 Captions & Subtitles, Easy Channel Entry (Dec 12-14, 2023)

With this release secure (encrypted) channels work in all US markets.
Enable caption settings for ATSC 1.0
Easy channel entry feature for elderly and sight impaired persons.
Highlight secure (encrypted) channels in bold and italics on channel scan page.

v2.2.1 Update for unresponsive app issue (Nov 7-9, 2023)

This update resolves an unresponsive app issue reported by a few users with the v2.2 release.

v2.2 Support for Secure Content (aka DRM/Encrypted Channels) (Oct 18-20, 2023)

Support content security (aka DRM/encrypted channels) - see instructions above on how to get it enabled. It is not automatic.
Recording buffer; start recording early, record for extra time
Jump by day or page within grid guide
Enable current recording to be stopped by pressing Record button again.
Repeat manual recordings
Series recordings for shows in OTA guide data but not in 14-day extended guide data.
Allow disabling the pause buffer for inexpensive Flash memory that does not use SLC Flash.

OS 230925 required for Secure Content (aka DRM/Encrypted Channels) (Oct 2-4, 2023)

Another OS update required for secure content support.

v2.1.2 DVR beta minor fix (Sep 22, 2023)

Increased maximum programs that can be recorded over a 2 week period.

OS 230821 required for Secure Content (aka DRM/Encrypted Channels) (Sep 18-20, 2023)

This OS update is required to support secure content with future app updates.
Remove black status bar visible during YouTube videos.

v2.1.1 DVR beta minor fix (Sep 5-7, 2023)

This release fixes an issue in v2.1 that causes some recordings to not be listed for a few minutes after another recording is deleted.

v2.1 DVR Beta (Aug 28-30, 2023)

Manual recordings without a subscription
Group recordings by title, not chronologically.

v2.0 DVR Beta (Aug 2-4, 2023)

DVR, Live TV and Record buttons have been enabled on the remote control.
Scheduled recordings
Recurring recordings
Conflict management
Record from search menu
List of recordings for playback
Delete and undelete recordings
Show free and used storage space
List historical logs of all recordings

v1.4.1 (June 26, 2023) & v1.4 (June 21-23, 2023)

v1.4.1 fixes an issue that sometimes prevents guide data from being downloaded immediately after a software update.
Sign ups for 14-day guide data and DVR subscriptions enabled in the Main Menu and on the ZapperBox website.
14-day guide data and DVR subscription added to the first time setup process.

v1.3 (Released June 7, 2023, available only to pre-order customers)

Add 14-day guide data for early customers who pre-paid before July 5, 2022.
A slightly larger video window in the grid guide.

v1.2.2 + OS 230322 (Released May 16-18, 2023)

Add support to format USB Flash drives and hard disk drives.
Display OS version and device ID on channel scan page.
Display ATSC 3.0 blue arcs on channel scan page if an ATSC 3.0 signal is detected even if no tables are received.
Do not display Sig/SNR values on channel scan page for RF bands with no signal.
Display a graphic for audio only channels during playback.

v1.2 + OS 230322, released April 18, 2023

Play/Pause/FF/REW for ATSC 3.0 channels. Known Issue: v1.2 – did not support ATSC 3.0 captions. This was fixed in v2.2.3.
Support to format microSD cards. Your ZapperBox must be power cycled after a microSD card is inserted. This limitation will be removed in v1.2.1.
The Hide/Show option under Quick Menu allows all channels on the current RF to be hidden or displayed.
The antenna setup screen now shows the channel number and station call letters in addition to the RF channel number.

v1.1.2 + OS 230322, released March 28, 2023

This OS release fixes an issue first seen in Buffalo, NY.

v1.1.2 + OS 230217, released March 6, 2023

This release fixes a bug in v1.1.1 that was causing the first-time-setup to hang when checking for a software update.

v1.1.1 + OS 230217, released Feb 20, 2023

Play/Pause/FF/REW for ATSC 1.0 channels.

v1.0.3 + OS 230117, released Jan 24, 2023

Fix for incomplete channel scan in Baltimore , Seattle and Phoenix markets
Minor UI improvements and changes to device info screen.

v1.0.2, released Dec 7, 2022

Search results are now grouped into "Now" and "Later" programs.
Multi-PLP support has been improved

OS v1205, released Dec 7, 2022

Several fixes

OS v0920, released Oct 20, 2022

Fix for ATSC 3.0 lip-sync
Fix for occasional ATSC 1.0 slow motion video

v0.12.1, released Oct 18, 2022

Redesigned channel scan page to show more details about all RF channels without scrolling.
Expand 4K resolution display in the info banner, to show frame rates as 4K30 and 4K60.
Ability to upgrade OS image.

v0.11.5, released Oct 10, 2022

Minor improvement in ATSC 1.0 channel detection during channel scan.

v0.11.3, released Sep 19, 2022

Fixed known issue #5 (Added support for “Upload Diagnostics”).
The info banner now shows content resolution (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K).
Added guide data search to Main Menu
Added YouTube to Main Menu

v0.10.1, released on Aug 23, 2022

Several fixes

v0.9, released on August 8, 2022

UI themes have been introduced. You can select different UI color themes now.
The grid guide shows a vertical “time line” to indicate the current time.
Captions now display within the scaled video window in the Grid Guide.
The UI display a spinner during channel change transitions.

v0.8.1, released July 26, 2022

Remote access is now under user control.
Channel scan has be sped up considerably.
The antenna setup menu displays signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio values even without a signal lock.

v0.7, released July 18, 2022