Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Stuart Sweet]

The Cutting Edge program is not for everyone. Make sure you have your family's support and that you understand the risks.



Cutting Edge Announcements
The Cutting Edge Announcements forum has an announcement thread at top. Subscribe to it by clicking on "Thread Tools" just above the date and time and choosing "Subscribe to this thread." The thread will be changed at the beginning of every quarter. When details of an upcoming release are posted, you'll find them at the top of the Cutting Edge Issues forum.

Understanding Risk Levels
The risk level of every download is shown in its issues thread. This information comes from DIRECTV and can give you an idea of whether or not to download.

1. Customer Candidate: This release is ready for wide distribution but requires your final testing. Generally there is no risk attached to downloading a customer candidate.
2. Moderate Risk:This release has been tested and should not negatively impact your viewing experience, but things may not always work. There could be problems, and you are expected to test and report.
3. High Risk: High-risk releases are usually found early in the process when new features are being released. It's important to know that anything can happen.
4. Very High Risk: This label is given to CE releases that are sent to us without any prior testing and it's very likely something is broken. Test carefully!

Some content in this post is based on material originally appearing at DBSTalk.com. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

How and when to test
Getting ready to test
In order to test effectively, your receiver or DVR must be network-connected. Enable CE testing mode using the following steps:

1. {MENU}, Search&Browse, Smart Search
2. Search for the word IAMANEDGECUTTER
3. Choose Keyword Search.
4. No results will be found. This is normal.
5. {MENU}, Settings&Help should now show a Misc.Options icon.

Issues Reporting
Each issue report should be accompanied with a log. To generate that log, press {MENU}, Settings&Help, Misc. Options, and choose "Report All." Note the code that's generated. There will be an issues thread in the Cutting Edge Issues forum for your device. Post a short description of your issue, starting with the model number and report (log) code.

Opting out of testing
If you no longer wish to participate in CE, simply load national release software on your receiver using the same technique you usually use to load CE software. Then, disable CE Testing mode by doing a Keyword Search for IAMANEDGECUTTER NOT

 

[Stuart Sweet]

Following the rules
Here's a basic list of the things you'll need to know:

• Report all issues in issues threads.
• Do not report non-issues in issues threads. Those threads are used by DIRECTV staff for bug reporting only. All off-topic posts will be deleted.
• Do not post about slowness or network issues for 12 hours after downloading.
• We want to make CE fun for everyone, but we won't allow anyone to be a bully or a jerk. Your moderators will make those decisions and take appropriate action.

Above all, have fun and take note of all the issues you find.