From time to time we make improvements to the UltimateTV® service experience. These upgrades take place right over the satellite so you don't have to do a thing.*

It's our way of responding to what you, our customers, tell us you like and don't like. Read on to see what we did for our Spring 2003 release, and watch this page in the future to learn about any new software upgrades as they become available. Common questions on the upgrades.

Several new features improve your UltimateTV experience:

Recording

Record from the past: Whenever you're watching a show, you can press Record to retrieve up to 30 past minutes of the show.

Power off while recording: Use your remote control to turn off your receiver without interrupting the recording.

Get alerts on shows likely to run long: On the Guide, or in All Upcoming Recordings, this symbol alerts you that the show you've chosen to record is likely to run long, so you can extend the recording. Note: Many Sports recordings are automatically extended.

Caller ID

Caller ID lets you receive notifications of calls while you're watching paused or live programs, or while you're anywhere in TV World. Your receiver can also keep a list of recently received calls, if you choose this option.

NOTE: You must subscribe to Caller ID service through your local phone company to use these features. Please contact your local phone company to subscribe. They may charge you a fee for this service.

Also, you can not use Caller ID if you have a wireless jack on your phone line.

To set up Caller ID:

• Step 1: Choose Settings from TV Home or the Options panel, and then choose Phone Options.
• Step 2: Choose Caller ID, and then check the Enable caller ID box.
• Step 3: Choose Continue, then Enable Caller ID, and then Done.

Once you've set up Caller ID, a panel like this will appear when you receive a call. The panel won't affect TV show playback.

The panel, which shows the caller's name and number (when available), will disappear after 15 seconds. You can use BACK, OK, or CLEAR/EXIT buttons to dismiss the panel sooner. If you do not want to see this panel for calls with blocked or missing Caller ID info, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Choose Continue from the Caller ID Options page and then Enable Caller ID from the warning page.
• Step 2: Check the box for Don't show calls without ID.
  NOTE: If you want your receiver to also keep a list of recently received calls, check the box for Keep calls list. For details on this list, see the Call List section of Help.
• Step 3: Choose Done to save your settings.

Press Options on your remote or keyboard and you'll see a new panel that offers easier access to more UltimateTV® features.

• You can use the Options panel to get to TV Home, Guide, Search TV, My Shows, Favorites, Calls, Settings, and Help, or to Go Live after you've paused a show and are ready to catch up to live programming.
• The Options panel also shows the current time.
• When the Options panel is visible, simply press the Options button to dismiss it.

Now there's a faster way to erase many shows at once. At the bottom of the My Shows page, you'll see a button labeled Erase Items.

• You can use the Erase Items button to choose which shows to delete, then delete them all at once.
• You can do the same from the All Upcoming Recordings page, which is accessible from the bottom of the My Shows page.

This does not apply to recordings erased automatically to free up space. Those shows will be recorded again.

To re-record programs you have manually erased, you can schedule a new one-time, Series, or Auto recording for those shows.

Manually erased recordings will record again as part of a Series or Auto-Record if:

• The program was only partially recorded. It will be automatically recorded again to capture the entire show.
• The program information is not detailed enough to uniquely identify each episode. This is the case with programs like network news and other shows that do not have a different title or episode name for each showing.

• Step 1: Choose the Erase Items button on the bottom of the My Shows page or the bottom of any list of already recorded shows from the same Series or Auto record.
• Step 2: Select items to erase by checking the box next to each. Choosing the top-level checkbox for a group of items marks all items in the group to be erased. Or use the buttons at the bottom of the page: Mark All selects all items shown. Clear All clears all checked boxes so no items are erased.
• Step 3: Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose Erase. You'll see an Erase confirmation page like this.

  

• Step 4: Choose Erase to erase all selected items, or choose Don't Erase to return to the previous screen without erasing any shows.

You'll notice a different look when you choose Search TV. You can now choose to view search results alphabetically, so results are grouped by name rather than by show time.

• You can now also search by Director.
• For more complete results, you can use Combination Searches to search channels you've removed from the Guide.

In the History List, you can see how much recording space is available on your receiver, and can view a temporary list of recent recordings, reminders, and canceled or erased recordings.

To view your My Shows History, choose My Shows from your remote, TV Home, or the Options panel. Then scroll down the page and choose History.

You can use the scroll buttons on your remote to move several entries at a time through the list. The arrow buttons move only one entry at a time.

Choose a program to view the information in it.

You can delete all the items in your History list. Scroll to the bottom of the list, choose Clear History, then choose Clear. It is not possible to delete only certain entries from your History.

NOTE: Deleting your History list may cause UltimateTV to re-record programs you have manually erased.

You can also see how much recording space you have left.

And Finally, some additional tips you may find useful.

Guide: when you are navigating through the Guide, press Skip Ahead on your remote to move right 3 hours, or Forward to move ahead 12 hours. Press Replay to move back 3 hours, or Reverse to move back 12 hours.

Picture in Picture (PIP): You can move the PIP window to any corner of your screen. Select the PIP window using the CH CTRL or WINDOW button at the bottom of your remote, then use your arrow keys to move the window.

Favorites: Press Options, then Favorites, then Set Up Favorites to enable more Favorites features.

Credits: This new option on the Program Info page gives you more information about the program, including director, running time and additional actors.

We hope you enjoy the new features we've added to UltimateTV

Upgrade Common Questions 

 What is an "Upgrade"?
 Your DIRECTV™ Receiver with UltimateTV® service can receive automatic software upgrades from time to time that bring you new services and features.

 How do I receive my software upgrade?
 There's nothing you need to do to receive the upgrade. It will be sent to your receiver over the satellite.

 Why is there is an upgrade message on the TV screen when I turn on my receiver?
 This message confirms that your DIRECTV Receiver with UltimateTV service has successfully downloaded the software upgrade. To return to your regular service, simply choose Done at the bottom of the screen.

 Where do I go for help when using the new features?
 Any time you need help with a feature, press HOME on your remote control and choose Help from the bottom of the screen.

 If I purchase a new DIRECTV™ Receiver with UltimateTV® service, will I receive a software upgrade?
 Yes. When you set up the receiver, it will automatically download the latest service upgrade.

 Can I tell if I already have the latest version of software?
 Yes, you can check that your version is the latest by looking at the System Information screen. From TV Home, choose Settings, then System Test, and finally System Info. On the System Information screen, look for "Client SW" (that's techno jargon for "software"). It should say 3.7 - the update that was released in April 2003.

* There may be a charge if you decide to purchase new, additional services that become available through a software upgrade.