How many of you complainers are posting first time, and are not FiOS customers?

[prisaz]

I just had to put this out there. Being many have taken the time to post for the first time. It could be dissatisfaction or something else.

I know many may be FiOS customers and just simply do not like the changes in 1.9. I think some saying they are going to go to Comcast, may just be Comcast customers anyway.

I love the new guide, and yes it was tested extensively!

There may be some issues depending on the model of STB hardware you have, or the settings on the box or your TV. But I believe it is far better than what we had.

[questioning_old]

I don't really understand it myself.  I was having problems with my TV Guide Display too but not anymore.  It was just hard on my eyes and annoying to read with the colors clashing and bleeding into each other with fuzziness, and sure I complained about it.  It's human nature to complain at times and we're all creatures of habit.  I've been a long time Verizon Fios customer but I soon learned that the issue was not because of my STB, but because of the limited resolution of my analog TV, which I have now replaced with a flatscreen.  So that solved the problem and I agree that the new 1.9 display is better and I think it's actually a lot quicker with easier access to the information.  It took some going back and forth to come to a solution to the problem but I was willing to work through it. 

And mind you, I can be very stubborn at times about change and replacing things that I have wanted to keep for a long time. 

It seems like people keep posting and complaining about this very same thing with one post after another.  I stopped reading the posts because it's about the same complaint over and over again.  It's tiring to keep seeing so I don't read them now and the shame of it is that in the meantime, some very good suggestions like replacing the STB and my suggestion of making sure that your TV is a flatscreen have been posted on here many...many times.  The solution is right there.  I mean....what's the point of reaching out for help if we're going to turn down a suggestion and not do anything about it?  We have to move on.  I had intially decided to leave the problem alone but since I realized that it was bothering me and decided it wasn't right to settle, I did something about it. 

I suppose too that it could also be due to dissatisfaction with something else.  I don't understand the idea of just waiting for something to happen because life just doesn't work that way.

[NNard]

prisaz-

I am an extremely happy FiOS customer and would be even happier if 1.9 comes to NY quite soon

[prisaz]

I just had to ask. I know for some there are very legitimate complaints. Yes all of mine are now flat panels. My last tube went bye bye last year due to power issues. I believe it makes a big difference. I just thought I would start this controversy here and see where it went. Oh well.

[questioning_old]

Oh no, I'm not saying the complaints mentioned are not legitimate because I complained too.  Some of the complaints I've seen can be over petty stuff in my opinion and to still complain even after a problem has been resolved doesn't make a lot of sense to me but either way, I'm just a person who doesn't want to keep complaining about the same thing while doing nothing about it.  At some point, I have to choose the best way to respond and to solve the problem.  And honestly, with the way some of the complaints here are embellished, you would think it's the end of the world, all over something that is so easily fixable.

I think Verizon is a good company that provides a very good product.  And for a corporate giant with all of the profits going to its CEOs, that's a good thing to know.  I now understand why my landlord signed a contract with Verizon to make the Fios available here because it really is the best deal for a phone, TV, and Internet service provider.  I just feel that improvement is needed in Verizon's communication with customers, i.e. making sure everyone is informed about upcoming changes and what steps to take if they're having residual problems from the changes.  That's one remaining constructive criticism that I still stand by because I was just in the dark about this for a while.

prisaz, if your TV is a flatscreen and your STB is the 7100 series or higher, then you should be fine.

[prisaz]

I did notice my 1.9 was loaded and worked just fine. When I rebooted it the next day just to see what the box would do, I received a message talking about improvements. I don't think the reboot had anything to do with it, but perhaps it was just Verizon's way of saying we changed things and here is why. The mesage was not there after the img update, and it just showed a day later. I think it was a good idea.

[prisaz]

---

@NNard wrote:

prisaz-

I am an extremely happy FiOS customer and would be even happier if 1.9 comes to NY quite soon

---

I an just outside of D.C. and a happy FiOS customer just like you. So I hope you get your update soon. But really have nothing to do with it. Like I had said before, we were supposed to be last, and I would rather be last and have it work. So there were issues up your way that caused delays.

[Justin46]

Maybe slightly off topic, but take a look at this: a user named clifton4 registered today (10/28) and has made 7 posts so far, every one of them negative about 1.9. I guess I just wonder how typical that is, for people to come here, register, and just post, post, post negative things, and that makes some think that every FiOS customer hates the new system?

For the record, I have had 1.9 for 3 or 4 months, and am a very happy user, works great on all three of my STBs.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, Internet, and phone user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9A
Keller, TX 76248

[nascar]

There is a pattern of complaints just after a new area gets 1.9.  I completely understand the frustrations with the colors, contrasting, and fonts.  Also the vast inconsistencies among the different screens and menus.  I have voiced my concerns all throughout beta.  There are probably reasons beyond anyone's control to try to achieve a true HD guide.  But it can be improved. 

I will say that after a couple of weeks, once all of the really nice features in 1.9 are realized, the complaints dwindle.

[Justin46]

---

@nascar wrote:

There is a pattern of complaints just after a new area gets 1.9.  I completely understand the frustrations with the colors, contrasting, and fonts.  Also the vast inconsistencies among the different screens and menus.  I have voiced my concerns all throughout beta.  There are probably reasons beyond anyone's control to try to achieve a true HD guide.  But it can be improved. 

I will say that after a couple of weeks, once all of the really nice features in 1.9 are realized the complaints dwindle.

---

And truthfully I do not understand those frustrations. I find the colors much more pleasing than the old Guide, the contrast just fine, and the fonts are very readable. I have vision problems, I am 70 years old, very nearsighted and red-green colorblind, and I can read the Guide and other menus even without my glasses on my 40" LCD from 8 to 10 feet away, not real well, but just as good or better as I could with 1.8. I know you voiced your concerns during the beta, I saw all of the concerns from all of the testers, but improvements were made.

I am not saying that things can't be improved. Obviously, for some people, the Guide is apparently actually hard to read. But I believe that is a small minority of the customer base. And there are some other bugs or issues that need to be addressed. But to me there is absolutely nothing that is a showstopper, I view 1.9 as a big step forward. I do hope that the developers will include in the next release some options for customizing the colors and fonts, and the channel info bar. 

What I think bugs me the most is the relatively small number of people (actual customers? I don't know) who come here, fill the boards with complaints, and then most of them usually just disappear after a day or two. Why? What is their purpose? They have options, like go to cable or satellite, or even OTA. Plus in this particular case with 1.9 I think many, maybe most, of the complaints are being generated by people that have old hardware, 6xxx boxes. If that is correct, then many of those complaints can be easily fixed by getting 7xxx boxes. Mark suggested that Verizon get pro-active and contact those customers who have 6xxx boxes, I thought that was a great idea. Verizon knows who they are, why not do it? Good public relations and improved customer satisfaction I think.

Oh well, you are right, things will probably settle down soon. And then 1.9 will go live in New York, can't wait for that....

[questioning_old]

I'm only about 6 months away from 40.  I'm just amazed by how quickly the analog TV has become a dinosaur with these technological changes.

As for those who just fill up the boards with complaints and then disappear, we can't do anything about it so let's just move on.  People who want to catch on will do so.  Some people just make a habit of complaining for whatever reason...because of boredom?   

[nascar]

There was much more that I brought to the table then the sneak peak forum. Much of my contributions went unseen since I directly worked with the IMG team and the forum was secondary.

Couple of write ups of my contributions...

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/Verizon-at-Home/Customer-Feedback-Makes-the-FiOS-Guide-Even-Better/ba-p...

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/Verizon-at-Home/Bright-Ideas-from-Consumers-Make-FiOS-TV-Even-Better-Ro...

So I appreciate when you say "I view 1.9 as a big step forward". If you saw 1.9 when we received it to the 1.9 you now have, well... it was just 1.8 but blue.

---

@Justin wrote:

---

@nascar wrote:

There is a pattern of complaints just after a new area gets 1.9.  I completely understand the frustrations with the colors, contrasting, and fonts.  Also the vast inconsistencies among the different screens and menus.  I have voiced my concerns all throughout beta.  There are probably reasons beyond anyone's control to try to achieve a true HD guide.  But it can be improved. 

I will say that after a couple of weeks, once all of the really nice features in 1.9 are realized the complaints dwindle.

---

And truthfully I do not understand those frustrations. I find the colors much more pleasing than the old Guide, the contrast just fine, and the fonts are very readable. I have vision problems, I am 70 years old, very nearsighted and red-green colorblind, and I can read the Guide and other menus even without my glasses on my 40" LCD from 8 to 10 feet away, not real well, but just as good or better as I could with 1.8. I know you voiced your concerns during the beta, I saw all of the concerns from all of the testers, but improvements were made.

I am not saying that things can't be improved. Obviously, for some people, the Guide is apparently actually hard to read. But I believe that is a small minority of the customer base. And there are some other bugs or issues that need to be addressed. But to me there is absolutely nothing that is a showstopper, I view 1.9 as a big step forward. I do hope that the developers will include in the next release some options for customizing the colors and fonts, and the channel info bar. 

What I think bugs me the most is the relatively small number of people (actual customers? I don't know) who come here, fill the boards with complaints, and then most of them usually just disappear after a day or two. Why? What is their purpose? They have options, like go to cable or satellite, or even OTA. Plus in this particular case with 1.9 I think many, maybe most, of the complaints are being generated by people that have old hardware, 6xxx boxes. If that is correct, then many of those complaints can be easily fixed by getting 7xxx boxes. Mark suggested that Verizon get pro-active and contact those customers who have 6xxx boxes, I thought that was a great idea. Verizon knows who they are, why not do it? Good public relations and improved customer satisfaction I think.

Oh well, you are right, things will probably settle down soon. And then 1.9 will go live in New York, can't wait for that....

---

[questioning_old]

"And truthfully I do not understand those frustrations. I find the colors much more pleasing than the old Guide, the contrast just fine, and the fonts are very readable. I have vision problems, I am 70 years old, very nearsighted and red-green colorblind, and I can read the Guide and other menus even without my glasses on my 40" LCD from 8 to 10 feet away, not real well, but just as good or better as I could with 1.8. I know you voiced your concerns during the beta, I saw all of the concerns from all of the testers, but improvements were made."

Justin, you are probably correct about your observations but don't let other people's attitudes bother you because it's not worth it. 

You can't do anything about it.  In the end, we can only control ourselves and our own actions.  Even my suggestions have been skipped over quite a bit.  It's kind of ironic when I see that but I don't take it personally.  All you can do is suggest and what other people decide to do with your information is up to them in the end. 

You're also old enough to be my father, just a couple of years older than my dad.  My father has poor vision too but I think it's nice that you're not so set in your ways with technology and that you have a lot of common sense.  I honestly thought at first that you were younger than me because I've come across other people at least 10 years younger than me who are more into these new features than I am but I think it's great that you're able to keep up with everything.  It's also good that you're very bright and that you don't just sit around waiting for something to happen.  I'm just a stubborn mule at times.  lol...I'm usually "in between" when it comes to the old vs. new ways, depending on what you're talking about.  I try to keep things as simple as possible at home and leave out extra gadgets whenever possible.

It's always a learning experience.

[questioning_old]

"Maybe slightly off topic, but take a look at this: a user named clifton4 registered today (10/28) and has made 7 posts so far, every one of them negative about 1.9. I guess I just wonder how typical that is, for people to come here, register, and just post, post, post negative things, and that makes some think that every FiOS customer hates the new system?"

Yep!  That's what I'm talking about.  And all of that over a TV Guide display.  That's just silly after a while.  It really makes you wonder.  I don't understand myself what the really accomplishes, just posting endlessly all for the sake of complaining?   I'm sure there are many people who are satisfied with this new system.  I'm satisfied...now, after some delay, but at least I got there.

I was just looking at that photo of your display that you had posted, justin.  The only difference I see between mine and yours is the size and shape of our TVs.  Yours is more square shaped.  Mine is a 26" widescreen so my display is a little more stretched out but that's to be expected.

[ukbritt]

I love the new guide...I like that I can delete all at once for programs under a folder...yeah..the font maybe a little hard to read...but it's really a non-issue. If you are accessing a computer, you are dealing with a smaller font than that..

[dcgaijin]

I don't understand the complaints. Even on a 20 year old tv set, the contrast is good between the text and the background in the guide. the text isn't the sharpest, but neither is the picture on the tv. on my hdtv, the guide is excellent.

[NNard]

I can't comment on the new guide (as I am in NY and don't have it yet) but I imagine a lot of user complaints have poorly calibrated HDTV's or analog TV's with too much contrast or brightness. 

[questioning_old]

It's not meant for an analog TV if you ask me.  Lowering the contrast and brightness on that only makes the picture worse on your TV programs.  I already went down that road.  An analog TV can't handle the HD, though I suppose it could still be OK depending on what kind of analog TV you have and the capability of its pixels.  There is nothing wrong with keeping an existing analog TV if you can get along that way.  On mine, it stunk and was hard on my eyes with fuzziness and clashing with the colors and all of the settings on it were set correctly but now with my new HDTV, it's fine.  That sort of complaint I had was legitimate but I have resolved it now, so I have moved on.    

I think the analog TV has become a dinosaur because the technology has made it obsolete and mine was only 6 years old.   

My new HDTV is great and my STB is up to date.  I don't know what a "poorly calibrated" HDTV means.

[NNard]

I should have said properly and not poorly calibrated.  It just means that most HDTV's out of the box have their picture settings set higher -  When you walk into an electronics store and see the displayed HDTV's that are properly calibrated, they look fantastic.  Thanks for posting your positive experiences with 1.9-

[questioning_old]

"I should have said properly and not poorly calibrated.  It just means that most HDTV's out of the box have their picture settings set higher -  When you walk into an electronics store and see the displayed HDTV's that are properly calibrated, they look fantastic.  Thanks for posting your positive experiences with 1.9-"  No problem.  It's just my first time dealing with an HDTV at home so it's a learning experience.  I didn't understand what you meant.  I think all of these changes that we deal with throughout our lives, just in general, are an education and it's how we respond to the changes that really matters most in the end.  The days of analog TV were simple.  With these new changes, it's more information to absorb and it can get complicated if you're not used to it.   

You are correct that the HDTV's on display in the stores look fantastic and the ones I saw on display were without that extra HDMI cable.  To be perfectly honest, I thought that setting up my new HDTV out of the box was very simple and the settings on mine seem just fine.  I'm satisfied now with my picture and TV Guide Display and I think also, the TV Guide Display has indeed been improved so that it's quicker to navigate and if you want the full synopsis of the TV program, you can not only get that but now it's also possible to read the entire listing of all the main actors.  With the old guide, the list of actors would get cut off at a certain point.  And it's not that I ever needed that before but I think that's pretty awesome to see.  The graphics really are pretty nice...provided that you have the correct updated equipment.  And now with my HDTV, I can get the full benefit of the Verizon Fios.  You can also get a list of the upcoming programs on the same channel and a list of times when the same program is going to air again.  And it's good too that you know about all of this in advance because I had no advance notice about this for my system.  It was like navigating through the dark until I came here and finally figured out the problem. 

I didn't realize that most HDTV's out of the box have their picture settings set higher.  I know when I was setting up my TV....hmmm...I think all of mine are set in the middle but I can check again to be sure.  Mine is not too bright at all.  I think usually the middle setting is right where it should be.  But either way, I now see your point, that if the settings are way too high on the HDTV, that can definitely cause too much contrast and brightness to make the display much harder on your eyes.  My point was that when you lower those settings on an analog TV, it might make the TV Guide Display more readable but then the picture display from your programs will stink.  lol

I'm glad this discussion can be more positive now.  I have posted my very same suggestions so many times that I'm not doing it anymore.  I don't care if people use a certain suggestion or not or just skip right over it, but what's the point of asking for help then?  We all have to make our choices in the end and proceed as we may.  I think also too, that finding a solution to a problem depends on how much we are willing to work through it and re-examine our ways of thinking and how open minded we are about new ideas.  It can be kind of tough to do at times when you're stubborn (and getting older) but it's doable.  lol

Getting rid of my old analog TV was kind of laborious but at least somebody grabbed it off the curb by the next day. 

[questioning_old]

NNard - Thanks for the information about  the picture settings on a new HDTV from the box being set higher.  I didn't even realize that.  After reading and responding to your post, I was just fooling with the settings on mine to see what you were talking about and I saw that my contrast level was up to the top, 100, which is definitely a little too high for me.  I can see that making the TV Guide Display menu a little too hard on your eyes but that's been resolved now since I lowered the contrast to 75.  I have my contrast and brightness on 75, sharpness and color on 50, and backlight set to 8.  I also just learned that my TV has auto volume which automatically equalizes the volume each time I change stations.  I think that's good to have because without that, the volume output from each station can vary quite a bit and I keep having to raise or lower it a lot each time.  But the auto volume definitely eliminates that issue.