Release Notes

Release Notes

Last updated on June 1 2023 at 9:30am CT.

The current app version is v1.2.2 and OS version is 230322. If you are already using OS 230322, this update will take only a minute to install. A full OS update and 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.

Only app versions v0.12.1 and higher can do an OS update. If you are running a lesser app version, you must first update to v0.12.1.

Coming Soon

v1.3 (June 5-7)

  • Add 14-day guide data for early customers who pre-paid before July 5, 2022. Caveat: This release will not be made available to other customers.
  • A slightly larger video window in the grid guide.

v1.4 (June 12-14)

  • Enable sign ups for 14-day guide data and DVR subscriptions on the ZapperBox website.
  • Add 14-day guide data and DVR subscription to the first time setup process.
  • Enable DVR button on the remote control.

v2.0 (July 10-12)

  • First DVR release features:
    * 30-day free trial registration
    * 14-day guide data
    * Scheduled recordings
    * Conflict management
    * Record from search menu
    * Chronological list of recordings for playback
    * delete and undelete recordings
    * Show free and used storage space
  • Deferred until next releases:
    * Recurring recordings
    * Record only new shows
    * Channel logos
    * Rich meta data like posters
    * Manual recording without subscription
    * Edit scheduled recordings
    * Support multiple drives
    * Multiple ways to categorize recordings (series, genre, etc.)
    * More to come...

In the Pipeline

* Support for encrypted channels (content security)

* Support for A/344 broadcast apps.

* IP controls and SDK for smart home integration

* MMT

* Support local streaming ZapperBox to ZapperBox

* Support local streaming to other clients like Roku, Fire TV, etc.

Revision History

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

  • Add support to format USB Flash drives and hard disk drives. Caveats: The ZapperBox M1’s USB port does not supply enough power for most hard disk drives. An external powered USB hub is required to use hard disk drives. So far, all common external USB disk drives that we have tested with the M1 seem to work just fine. If both a microSD card and a USB drive are inserted the microSD card will be used. The user interface for formatting drives supports only one drive currently. Support for multiple drives will be added in a future release.
  • 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 – does not support ATSC 3.0 captions. We expect to add ATSC 3.0 captioning support back with the v1.3 release.
  • Support to format microSD cards. Known Issue: 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 that caused 1080i content carried over ATSC 3.0 to not play. Two ATSC 3.0 stations in Buffalo (WGRZ 2.1 and WIVB 4.1) were not working on ZapperBox due to this issue. While this is legal, it is not a recommended practice.

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. One hour buffer is enabled if a micro SD card larger than 16GB is detected. 5-minute buffer size using DRAM only if micro SD card is not detected.
  • Most new micro SD cards work without the need to reformat. The ability to reformat cards will be added in v1.2.
  • "Captions" and "Audio Experiences" options have been swapped in the Quick Menu (Zap button) because the Captions on/off feature is used more frequently than Audio Experiences.

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

  • This release will cause existing guide data to be erased and rebuilt from scratch. This happens in the background and does not require a channel scan.
  • Fix for incomplete channel scan in Baltimore , Seattle and Phoenix markets 
  • Minor UI improvements and changes to device info screen.
  • Minor changes to the 7-key simple remote user interface to get it ready for DVR use.

v1.0.2, released Dec 7, 2022

  • An issue with blank video when coming out of standby mode has been fixed for single tuner devices.
  • Search results are now grouped into "Now" and "Later" programs.
  • Support has been added for PSIP data that does not contain service location descriptors (seen in Atlanta)
  • Multi-PLP support has been improved
  • An alternate user interface has been added for a 7-key simple remote. Such a remote is not yet available but the user interface can be accessed by following the instructions available at this link.

OS v1205, released Dec 7, 2022

  • The standby mode known issue has been fixed. In OS 0920 if a device was placed into standby mode by pressing the red power button on the remote, sometimes HDMI output got disabled when the power button was pressed to start using the device again. The workaround was to not put the device into standby and turn the TV off. If the HDMI output got disabled, power cycling the box fixed the issue
  • Fix ATSC 1.0 interlaced content artifacts. Sometimes ATSC 1.0 interlaced content like 1080i or 480i would start showing jagged edges.

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. See a demo at 1:30 in this video.
  • Expand 4K resolution display in the info banner, to show frame rates as 4K30 and 4K60.
  • Ability to upgrade OS image.
  • HDMI-CEC will be turned off completely because when a box reboots after a software update, CEC turns on the connected TV.

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

  • Fixes known issue #7 (“install update” pop-up used to timeout).
  • Pressing DVR keys on the remote control displays a “Feature Coming Soon” message.
  • The Hide/Show menu allows hiding all ATSC 1.0 channels so you can surf just ATSC 3.0 channels.
  • Fixes handling of duplicate channel numbers from neighboring markets in channel guide.
  • Scrolling menu screens (like hide/show channel list) show scroll arrows.
  • Fixes an occasional lockup when ATSC 3.0 signals are being broadcast on multiple frequencies.
  • Easter egg! Enter 159753 and press the Menu key.
  • Fixed known issue #6. (Blank screen if “Cancel” is selected for “Install Upgrade” pop-up in less than one second.)

v0.9, released on August 8, 2022

  • UI themes have been introduced. You can select different UI color themes now.
  • Known issue #1 has been fixed – UI responsiveness during poor signal conditions.
  • Captioning has been improved.
  • Known issue #8 has been fixed – Dolby Dialog Enhancement option can be left on 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.
  • The Setting and Guide options have been swapped in the main menu. This will make it easier to access settings.
  • Menu option spacing has been adjusted and sub-menu placement has been made more consistent.
  • Channel scan has be sped up considerably by reducing the amount of time we wait for guide data on each frequency. Guide data that is missed during the initial channel scan can be acquired later using background channel scans on a dual-tuner box and during standby mode on a single tuner box.
  • The main menu has a new option titled “Buy a ZapperBox”. This will bring up a QR code that can be scanned to go to our website.
  • The antenna setup menu displays signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio values even without a signal lock.

v0.7, released July 18, 2022

  • Some improvements to known issue #1 (UI responsiveness during poor signal conditions).

v0.6, released July 1, 2022

  • First customer release version

ZapperBox, Inc., 1776 22nd Street, Suite 200, West Des Moines, Iowa, 50266, USA Tel: 866-932-1956