Patent ID: 8347281

Claim:
In a media distribution system comprising a media provider and a set-top box, a method updating set-top box software from a resident software version stored in a memory of the set-top box to a current software version, the set-top box comprising a tuner for receiving one or more signals transmitted by the media provider and a modem, the method comprising the steps of: after the set-top box is reset, automatically checking to determine if the resident software version is the current software version; and downloading data comprising at least a portion of the current software version if the resident software version is not the current software version, comprising the steps of: determining if the tuner locks on to any of the one or more signals transmitted by the media provider; and if the tuner does not lock on to any of the one or more signals transmitted by the media provider, automatically downloading the data comprising the at least a portion of the current software version via the modem to update the resident software version.