The DIRECTV Genie 2, also known as the HS17, is DIRECTV’s top dog DVR. It gives you the ability to watch live TV in 7 rooms including two programs in 4K at the same time. It’s been with us since early 2018, and while that’s a long time in electronics terms, it’s still a very strong contender. It offers everything that customers want and need out of a DVR. It has tons of recording space, it’s unobtrusive, and helps cut down on wire clutter in your house.
But can you “force a download” on it?
Let’s back up a second
There’s a lot to unpack in those few words, so let’s back up. First of all, it was common practice until about 2011 to force a DIRECTV receiver to pull the latest software down from the satellite. In those days, DIRECTV’s software was evolving rapidly and there were new features and bug fixes seemingly every week.
However, since 2013 I have recommended against this practice because it’s largely a waste of time and at least 99% of the issues solved by forcing a download are actually just solved by rebooting the device, which is faster anyway.
And now, with the HS17, it’s pretty hard for average folks to do. It’s not even super easy for professionals.
There’s a field test procedure for forcing a download. The folks who test pre-release software have gotten good at it, but it’s pretty complex. This is what I’m talking about, courtesy of iamanedgecutter.com:
(1) Press the red reset button on the Genie 2. All live and recorded TVs on the client boxes will stop working.
(2) At this point, as the box reboots you should see the “Add Client” button at “STATUS” LED on the front turn solid white. When you see that, press and hold the Add Client button until the white light flashes and the download will commence. You won’t see a lot of feedback other than the flashing lights on the front. Important: If the light does not turn white do not push the button.
Why is this so hard?
HS17 Genie 2’s are unique because they can get software from the internet instead of just from the sky. This makes the download process 15-20x faster and so HS17s will download new software by themselves whenever it’s needed. In some cases a reboot may not even be necessary, all that might be needed is that no one is actively watching TV and that no recordings are taking place. The idea of “forcing a download” just doesn’t fit into the way the HS17 works.
Although it’s a new product, the HS17 does share a lot of commonality with the generation 1 Genies and so its software is already pretty mature. There’s little that can be accomplished by forcing a download, according to DIRECTV. I believe them, since there aren’t expected to be new features for the Genie 2 for some time and it’s already practically bug-free.
So, when it comes to forcing downloads on DIRECTV receivers, even the new Genie 2, think of it as just another step you used to take like cleaning your Nintendo cartridges with an eraser or shaking a floppy disk before using it. It’s just not something you need to do in today’s modern world.
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