Software bug found in Microsoft's UltimateTV box

By Daniel Sieberg
CNN

(CNN) -- Microsoft's UltimateTV set-top box, used to surf the Web and tape shows while watching TV, contains a software glitch that decreases recordable storage space on the hard drive, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Microsoft WebTV Networks, which handles the UltimateTV technology, was recently contacted by a subscriber who reported having this problem on their machine. Nine other subscribers have also contacted the company, and technicians are reviewing their claims to confirm that it is the same condition.

An UltimateTV subscriber also contacted CNN on Thursday who described his set-top box box as having a "serious problem."

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"This is neither a manufacturing nor a design flaw," said Microsoft WebTV Networks in the statement. "We believe it is a software bug that is exacerbated by some fairly obscure pattern of usage by the subscriber."

Partners informed

According to the statement, if a subscriber deletes a recorded program while in "pause" mode, the listing of this recorded program disappears but the recorded content is not actually deleted from the hard drive, thereby diminishing the hard drive space.

After discussions with the subscriber who reported the glitch, the company said it was able to reproduce the condition in its labs. A software patch or update will apparently be shipped in mid-May to correct the problem.

"Our partners have been fully informed of this condition and know we have a fix that will be downloaded via phone line for any subscriber calling to report this problem."

UltimateTV includes the MicrosoftTV platform and became available from DirecTV this year. UltimateTV is a successor of WebTV, which provides Internet access through a television set.

On top of DirecTV service fees, UltimateTV customers pay $9.95 for basics (recording functions, interactive features, and three hours of Net access). Additional Net access is available for a fee.

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