1. TVii service is ALREADY on the Wii U. We just have to wait it's activated SERVER SIDE, so it's no use thinking that this update could have enabled it.
2. Hard lock when using external drives are not caused by lack of compatibility, but lack of information from Nintendo. You have to use external HDDs WITH DEDICATED POWER SUPPLY. The Wii U is capable of powering external HDDs through the USB cable only in few occasions. If you have an external USB 3.0 HDD it probably won't work and/or hard lock the console. Some USB 2.0 external HDDs powered though USB cable can work, better if they use a Y-cable to drain power from TWO USB ports. But to be sure, I'd go with an external power supply for the HDD. I'm using an old 80GB USB 2.0 HDD powered through a Y-cable at the moment and it works fine, but I think I'll buy a 1TB HDD with dedicated power soon.