Since this particular forum thread is high on Google's ranking of "hits" for "DTVPal", I figured I'd post the quote below from Consumer Reports' website:
Several blog posts have indicated there might be some firmware or software issues with Dish's DTVPal
DTV converter causing them to malfunction. We contacted the company to see if they were aware of any problems. The company confirmed that a "small minority of boxes" have such issues, and that starting Friday, Aug. 29 [2008], affected
consumers can call the toll-free number listed in the manual (1-888-638-9912) to exchange their box for a new one. You'll need to have your receipt handy, and you'll get a new box within 90 days. You'll have to pay for shipping the box back, but there's no additional shipping charges to receive the new one.
Some readers who are not Dish satellite TV subscribers have also indicated they've had difficulty receiving customer service, as they are prompted for their subscriber account number. Dish says that it is training its customer-service reps to handle issues regardless of whether a DTVPal owner is a Dish subscriber.
Hope this is helpful to owners of older model TR-40 DTVPal units.
best regards,
--Dennis C.
