Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!

[nullsoldier]

Ever since I switched to FIOS I have been an extremely happy consumer. I have had no internet outages and more TV channels than I could ever hope to watch. Unfortunately there's one thing that just infuriates me beyond belief. Over the course of my service, Verizon has forcefully deployed new TV menus to my TV box.

I honestly have no problem with it if the new menu wasn't absolute garbage. Clearly who ever was in charge of creating this has NO IDEA what user experience is. I would honestly be embarrassed if I were Verizon. Sorry Verizon, you aren't a software studio and you don't understand user experience. Stop acting like you do.

My complaints

Each update has reduced the number of channels you can see in the TV guide even in full screen mode

First I want to thank you for reducing the number of channels I can see to the point where the menu becomes useless. I most certainly didn't want to look at 10-12 different channels. That's far too complicated for an end user like me. Instead you've decided that I only need to look at 5 channels at a time. Are you serious? Did anyone even test this poorly developed garbage before they deployed it? Who thought only displaying 5 channels was a good idea and why aren't they fired yet? Clearly they're incompetent.

Each update has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced the performance of the menu

Every time Verizon deploys an update the performance of my menu drops beyond acceptable limits. Now after the second or third update, I can barely even use my menu. It some times takes 10 seconds to bring up a menu if my box is choking, and 2-3 seconds to scroll one channel through the menu guide. Yes I understand that I most likely have an older box, but you should think about that before you deploy this horrible update to ALL OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. I can't even fathom how someone could be this retarded.

The latest menu design completely ignores many usability rules

Even as a novice usability designer, I know better than to create something this bad. There's a row of buttons on the bottom that the user is not easily able to access. I tested this with all of the members of my family and no one had any idea how to access them. What's even more humorous is that there's inconsistency in design at the bottom of the menu for accessing "Search" and "Options". Congratulations, you've single handedly made your menu system harder to use while you thought you made it easier and more simple.  

I've uploaded a screenshot of my menu circling all of the reasons I found that this new menu system filas at for first glance.

http://i.imgur.com/OCe0j.jpg

Just for the record, I have a 47" 1080p TV. Good thing I knew the channels I go to by heart because if it was Verizon's job to limit the amount of channels you turn your TV to then they've succeeded.

[nascar]

I may be a bit biased but 1.9 is nothing more than 1.8 with a different color scheme and it is a full HD guide.  Is there more in 1.9? Yes.  Does it get in the way of watching TV?  No, unless you try hard?  I can't see what the complaining is all about unless it is readability.  And that is much better than what it was.  The level of program information is more detailed and better organized over 1.8.  I think if you give it a week or two you will be very happy with all that 1.9 has to offer.

[VectorVictor]

I'm sorry, but I looked at the screenshots that 0100010 put up (thank you, BTW), and I don't see why people are complaining. 

The new guide looks heads and shoulders above what we had before, which was horrible.  Lots of functionality, the guide options remind me of what's available with TiVo from a while back (that's a good thing), and there's no problem with the color palete. 

Sure, the number of channels has been reduced somewhat, but with a 16:9 guide, you're getting more real estate to view upcoming shows by channel and details on the current show, so you make out better in the end than what you were.  And even with the 4:3 guides, there doesn't appear to be any problems, save for losing one or two channels/screen. 

I guess I don't see where all the venom and vitrol is coming from.  Perhaps folks should focus on something valid, like, say, the lack of new HD channels on the horizon...

[wblg]

I agree.   It was good and worked; now it doesn't and it's annoying if not unusable.  In fact, it is sooo inconvenient and annoying that I may bag the FiOS TV thing altogether-not much time for TV anyway.

Specific comments:

- Looks pretty... if you can see it!  Shading and color backgrounds reduce the contrast, and the fonts seem smaller-but that could just be an illusion due to the shading thing and background color thing. The old white on dark worked very well. Bottome line:   I can't read the menu anymore. Change it back!

-It is confusing. How much info really needs to be presented?  Highlighting the selected line by dynamically adding another line?.... when you can't see what's going on anyway?  So much for visual cues and references while scrolling. If you want to disorient the viewer, why not go all out and rearrange everything on the page each time the down button is pressed?  Change it back!

-What good is a guide that show's only few listings at a time? Change it back!

-I wonder who the intended users are. Some of us are not sitting 2 ft away from a 56 inch screen. Some of us don't have 30/20 vision.  Do your use cases! .... and change it back!

[usability]

Although you have more menu items on the screen, the shading and bright lines between the channels are a distraction. I would be very happy if they eliminated the shading on the menu items and used a darker shade of color between the channels. Another option would be to give users options to change the style of menu.

[dtrache]

This is an excellent post.  The new guide is simply terrible.   If Verizon had a contest to determine the ugliest, slowest and most annoying guide, this would probably win.  

[MADianne1]

I totally agree with you about the deficiencies of the new guide. There are some decent added features (being able to see the program information from the Scheduled screen is very useful) but I am extremely disappointed with the slower speed and the reduced number of channels available when scrolling through the guide. 

While I'm complaining I might as well add that the new FXM channel (was Fox Movie channel)  now has commercials during the movies and when recording cuts the end of the movie off!

I'm all for upgrades but the most recent changes include some retrograde moves that really disappoint me.

By the way the Spell Check dictionary should nave been preloaded with FIOS - just common sense.

[MatrixMan]

Who cares about the new features if it's too slow to use. It's garbage!!

[jesbec508]

I think everone should stop complaining. We wanted the new IMG, we received it, lets get use to the fact that this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully in the next upgrade, if there is one, Verizon will improve on the guide base on the response from the 1.9. Everyday technology changes, and I'm sure the higher ups at Verizon will listen to all.

[oldfashioned]

I agree with you jesbec0318.  I predicted a long time ago that once Massachusetts customers received this new guide after wanting it and complaining about the delay, the same complaints as before would follow suit.  I like Massachusetts by the way...but now that it's become a reality for everyone, it does take some getting used to.  It's a little unsettling at first when we're forced to deal with any kind of change that we're not used to but I do like figuring things out.  The menu options are very user friendly.  I would also like to point out that if you have a flatscreen and the graphics are too bright, it's probably because the calibration settings on your TV are too high.  It's amazing how many new things I had to figure out once I purchased my flatscreen.  It was almost like learning a new language.   

I think that given enough time, the complaints will eventually die down...and then there will something else for people to complain about. 

[avemaria92]

i'm in florida and have had Verizon Fios for about 6 years now.. the guide is terribly slow and sucks badly...  each press of a key on the remote while using guide navigation requires a wait time of about a second.. think about this.. say i want to see what is on TV tonight at 10 pm, and it's only 8am right now..  how many seconds do i have to wait until the guide catches up to me clicking 18 times?  and holding down the up or down button moves the guide one channel down, freezes it and lets up on some random channel as if i'm playing the lottery..  I WANT TO SEE THE GUIDE CHANNEL BY CHANNEL AND HAVE IT RESPONSIVE TO MY KEY PRESSES!  FOR CRYING OUT LOUD,  we had cable way back in the early 90s with Paragon before it became Brighthouse and the guide was instantaneous in moving with my key presses..  why does this guide not respond to me as I press the keys?  I wanted to update my box from the 2500 but I had a Verizon employee tell me he also has that box and it's not the problem.. well what is the problem!  If I upgrade my boxes to the new HD boxes will I have to pay more money to get your ridiculous service to work properly?  my guide doesn't work to a level i expect in a service.. what do i do about it?  i've already had them send signals to the box and it's done nothing.. i've reset the router and box myself a few times.. the guide is just slow.. all navigation with the remote is slow.. the only thing that isn't slow is when i enter my password.. the onscreen keyboard moves right along with my presses of the keys.. why does the keyboard to set my password work like lightning but I can't change the channel without waiting 1 second between key presses.. why do i want to sit here and watch a guide I have to wait for?

[416whitewood]

I agree I can't find anything to watch. The guide is utterly useless.

I can't wait for my 2 year contract to be up.

I can't find a single thing to watch - I spend most of my time scrolling around

[TeeLee1]

I HATE the new guide. 5 channels and verizon ad. This sucks! PLEASE give us more channels in the view!!!

[Justin46]

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@TeeLee wrote:
I HATE the new guide. 5 channels and verizon ad. This sucks! PLEASE give us more channels in the view!!!

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5 channels? I have 7 in the newest level of the IMG, 1.9.5, and the ad at the bottom really doesn't use up any channel spage compared to the past, Verizon just moved the stuff that used to be at the bottom to the side and the top and put the ad in its place.

What STBs are you using, and what kind of TVs (HD or SD)?

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9.5
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

[BrianC]

The 5 channel listing is on the SD box (2500 to be specific).  The ad at the bottom doesn't bother me, but I wish they hadn't moved the B to search info to the side bar on the HD display.  So now there are bars on either side of the guide instead of full screen.

[Sleddog17]

I agree with the comments.  The Guide is no longer a guide but a means to show ads.  This new format gives you virtually no visibility to any channels.  USELESS!!!

[tns2]

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@Justin wrote:

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@TeeLee wrote:
I HATE the new guide. 5 channels and verizon ad. This sucks! PLEASE give us more channels in the view!!!

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5 channels? I have 7 in the newest level of the IMG, 1.9.5, and the ad at the bottom really doesn't use up any channel spage compared to the past, Verizon just moved the stuff that used to be at the bottom to the side and the top and put the ad in its place.

What STBs are you using, and what kind of TVs (HD or SD)?

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9.5
Keller, TX 76248 (VHO 1)

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And now you can turn off the ad.  Menu/Settings/Notifications/Guide Banner DISABLE .