I saw this announcement on the BBC website:

Freeview failure hits Sony recorder owners

Many people using Sony HXD DVD recorders are experiencing problems receiving Freeview TV channels after a software update apparently malfunctioned.

Dozens of owners have written to the BBC to complain that an update on Friday has caused their devices to stop receiving or recording Freeview.

Many complained about a lack of response from Sony customer support.

Sony acknowledged the problem on Twitter and said it has been "flagged to our dedicated team".

The company's own support forums as well as other independent online sites were filled with complaints from irate users over the weekend.

Sony HXD recorders, such as the RDR-HXD870 model, which were updated Friday with the firmware 1.70 fix, seem to be affected by the issue.

"It may already have come to your attention that thousands of owners of Sony DVD units have completely lost all their access to Freeview channels," Geoff Cheers, from Chorley, wrote to the BBC.

Graham Johnson, from Oxford, wrote: "There are thousands of people affected by this, many of whom, like me, have wasted hours today trying to retune and repair their machine. Many folks, it seems, have also been out and bought a new one.

"Sony's Twitter feed and own technical support website are in meltdown with angry customers, and Sony themselves are conspicuous by their absence."

The BBC was unable to reach anyone at Sony UK for comment on Sunday.