Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
questioning_old
Contributor - Level 2

"Hey questioning has it right ! When ever an Oligopoly updates their product - Buy a new product that it will work on! We have to get with the program. We'll be helping the economy and yet another corporations earnings by buying a 48" flatscreen. Or better yet a 3-D 70", I cant seem to find that Aquos 108"  anymore but I'm sure they have dropped the $150,000.00 price tag by now, shoot its already an antique at 4 years old. By the way we will even have to pay to get rid of that old CRT clunker TV nowadays that should also help the economy right! What are we talking a few hundred dollars? Everyone on the planet has a few hundred dollars they can spend on a big new flatscreen so they can read the Guide right, If I don't have a few hundred dollars for a big new flatscreen well theres got to be something wrong with me right? The choice is mine. Oh yeah - complaining isn't a solution. So there isn't even a Choice!"

Flatscreens come in all different sizes.  You can get a smaller one if you want and if you don't have the money to spend all at once, then ask the store if you could possibly finance your payment or if the store would honor a layaway plan.  I'll bet you could finance your purchase even at Best Buy.  I think KMart has layaway plans where you can pay for your purchase gradually in smaller amounts.  I understand that not everyone has the money to be able to afford the payment for a new appliance but I don't think it's an all or nothing situation the way you're making it out to be.  I'm just sharing what my solution to the problem was.  I agree that the CEOs of the big name corporations are profiting from all of this.  There is no question about that but you can't control that and it sure looks like this new layout is here to stay. 

This is the problem when the technoloy changes and think about it:  This is an HD TV Guide display.  It's not meant for the older analog TVs, I hate to say.  The analog TVs are now obsolete and I think that's a reality we are all going to have to deal with.   The days of keeping an electronic device or appliance for 20 years or more are long gone now.  My analog TV was only 6 yeras old and still working fine.  Believe me, I wasn't thrilled at first about this at all because I don't like wasting things and you are right when say that it's a choice but not really a chocie.  In a way, it's like the auto industry.  As soon as you drive a new car off the lot, it depreciates in value and quickly becomes obsolete. 

But if you want to do something about this, then what's the harm in finding out if you can finance your payment or opt for the layaway plan?  Verizon is not going to come knocking at your door apologizing for this update and nobody is going to feel sorry for you.   I'm not defending the mentality of these corporate giants and for sure, the communication definitely needs improvement.  But I just feel that in general, life is what we make of it...and it's 90% of how we react to the 10% of the changes in our lives that we can't control.  It's up to us to respond and take appropriate action with our resources available instead of wasting so much time complaining on and on about it because in the end, what are we trying to accomplish?  The only thing we can do in the end is work with the choices we do have and the one "string" that we *can* control is our attitude...and our approach. 

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
geezer_rock
Newbie

Seriously, dude - you have anger issues.  The FiOS DVR menu upgrade is hardly worth the vehement energy you are investing in it.  Take a break.  Go find a constructive hobby.  Get some fresh outdoor air.  Life's too short.

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
RWWyatt
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have good eyesight and the new colors make the screen harder to read. I work on a computer everyday. You don't use a blue,black & gray background if you want it to be readable. All the other funcions are hindered by readability.

Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
larryathome
Enthusiast - Level 1

I just finished reading all of the comments about the new program guide.  I agree it totally is horrible!  It's hard for my wife and I to read, there seems to be less menu and a whole lot of other crap that I'm not interested in.  The response time is really slow when you attempt to change channels and another issue is that you can't get from the music channels to the regular tv channels anymore.  When you get to the top of the music menu the only way to get to the tv channels is to push the # 2 button. 

The colors are horrible and the print is hard to read but my biggest complaint is that when you do get the menu, you never know what channel it's going to start on. Sometimes it's only one or two channels away from the channel your actually on, sometimes more. We were actually shocked the other night when I pressed the guide button and it was on the same channel that we were watching.

If I understood one person's suggestion, it was to go out and buy a new flat screen tv and then some of the problems will go away.  My wife and I are pushing 60,  I don't know if my job is going to last and we've already lost a third of our income.  Even though I still have an old fashioned tube tv, buying anything right now is not an option, we're doing good to pay our bills and eat. I've already started pulling back on different options with verizon including listing my phone number and giving up the premium channels.

I'm hoping that verizon can fix the problems because we are going to be moving this coming year and since we did like the original menu and the speed it offered I'd like to keep the verizon fios.  But if the problems still exist when we move then I guess it makes our decision of what company to use easier because verizon won't be one thats considered.

Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
oldfashioned
Specialist - Level 2

I've seen flatscreen TVs at Wal-Mart that are pretty cheap.  If you feel that strongly that you have to stick with your tube TV, the same problem will likely remain and I doubt any of that is going to change.  Verizon isn't going to change the display so it can work on analog TVs.  Analog TVs can't handle the HD graphics.  I'm sure this problem has nothing at all to do with your eyesight due to age.  I noticed a huge difference when I replaced my older TV.  My parents are older than you and they've gotten everything up to date.  Flatscreens are much easier to handle.  The analog tube TV is a lot heavier and bulkier.  The flatscreen is much lighter, you can move it around and clean underneath it, and it uses a lot less energy. 

And here is a post where Justin has shown a photo of the display on his flatscreen and Justin is 70.  Just scroll down to the bottom: 

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-TV-Programming/Whats-wrong-with-the-new-TV-guide/td-p/370619

I think in the end, a lot of this depends on how open minded you are and how willing you are to give new ideas a chance.  I understand the tendency for many of us to be resistant to change but it's a part of life.

And be thankful that you have a job! 

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
charliebarrett
Contributor - Level 2

Verizon isn't testing their new stuff on a large group of good Beta users, apparently

I also found that if Iwatch a live program that also happens to be recording, then any attempt to REWIND, JUMP BACK, or PAUSE it results in the banner freezong and becoming unresponsive to any further attempts to PLAY,

Sooo, to unfreeze the program, you have to click the blue DVR button above Play, go into the DVR's Recording programs list, and manually select and play the program that hung up in the Live mode. That allows you to play the program from the beginning, and REW/FF/Pause/Play buttons will then start working (even if slowly)

If you click that recording program off the guide again, though, it will again pause and freeze the first time I press REW /Jump / Pause. 

Charlie

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
charliebarrett
Contributor - Level 2

 OH - I also thought that the Guide would cover 100% of the HDTV screen instead of it just covering the SD square in the center.

There's a lot of wasted space on the HDTV screens, and the fonts are too small for me to read at a modest distance. Since HDTV's are now the rule, not the exception anymore, I think the guide should be optimized to make use of all the HD screen real estate available.

.Also, is there a way to DISABLE that very annoying 2nd guide screen and the banner? The 2nd guide screen is just an annoyance. The banner (which pops up at the bottom of the screen every time you do a Pause or just about anything else), is irritating because it usually blocks the video that I wanted to see when I rewound it (such as the Fox News ticker at the bottom of the screen). All the information on that 1/3 screen banner could be conveyed fy a few small icons at the TOP of the screen, where people normally never need to look when rewinding something.

The icon replacement for the banner shouldn't take more than 1/10th of the screen.

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
Justin46
Legend

@charliebarrett wrote:

Verizon isn't testing their new stuff on a large group of good Beta users, apparently

I also found that if Iwatch a live program that also happens to be recording, then any attempt to REWIND, JUMP BACK, or PAUSE it results in the banner freezong and becoming unresponsive to any further attempts to PLAY,

Sooo, to unfreeze the program, you have to click the blue DVR button above Play, go into the DVR's Recording programs list, and manually select and play the program that hung up in the Live mode. That allows you to play the program from the beginning, and REW/FF/Pause/Play buttons will then start working (even if slowly)

If you click that recording program off the guide again, though, it will again pause and freeze the first time I press REW /Jump / Pause. 

Charlie


I was not a participant in the beta test, but I was able to follow the progress. I am not sure but I think there were about 100 participants. There were certainly a variety of configurations and interests represented, but I feel sure not all TV types, home theater systems, external hard drives, etc, could be tested. As you might expect, there were some participants who were apparently more interested or motivated than others to try everything out that they could, so for sure Verizon got some very good feedback on problems and suggested improvements.

I have 1.9, I have a 7232 DVR, and I do just what you describe regularly and I have never, not once, experienced that freeze in the four months or so I have had 1.9. 

So I am just wondering, what model DVR do you have? Is there anything else you can tell us about your environment that might have some bearing on this?

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9
Keller, TX 76248

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
Justin46
Legend

@charliebarrett wrote:

 OH - I also thought that the Guide would cover 100% of the HDTV screen instead of it just covering the SD square in the center.

There's a lot of wasted space on the HDTV screens, and the fonts are too small for me to read at a modest distance. Since HDTV's are now the rule, not the exception anymore, I think the guide should be optimized to make use of all the HD screen real estate available.

.Also, is there a way to DISABLE that very annoying 2nd guide screen and the banner? The 2nd guide screen is just an annoyance. The banner (which pops up at the bottom of the screen every time you do a Pause or just about anything else), is irritating because it usually blocks the video that I wanted to see when I rewound it (such as the Fox News ticker at the bottom of the screen). All the information on that 1/3 screen banner could be conveyed fy a few small icons at the TOP of the screen, where people normally never need to look when rewinding something.

The icon replacement for the banner shouldn't take more than 1/10th of the screen.


The Guide covers 100% of my screen on my 40" HD TV. You have some setting wrong (assuming you have an HD STB and an HD TV connected). I have posted this picture here in the Forums previously but if you haven't seen it, here is what the Guide looks like on my 6 year old Sony TV:

image

If you look carefully you can see that it uses the entire screen.

I find the fonts to be plenty large for me. I am very nearsighted and 70 years old and I can read the Guide from 10-12 feet away even without my glasses.I suspect that if you fix your definition issue that you will find the Guide to be much more readable.

I don't understand what annoying second Guide screen you are referring to, can you elaborate?

Verizon is aware of the issue with the Info banner popping up at the bottom of the screen. Today the only way I know of to get rid of it immediately is to hit the Exit button. I understand that in the next level of the IMG there will be some options available to users to control the display of that banner. And I most certainly agree that the banner is too large, it needs to be condensed.

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9
Keller, TX 76248

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Re: New Programmin​g Guide SUCKS (rolled out 9/28/11) - Verizon
oldfashioned
Specialist - Level 2

Yes...for the guide to fill up the whole screen, the video setting has to be on HD.  It won't take up the whole screen if it's on SD.

I don't know why people are still carrying on about this after all this time.  I wish people would move on and do something about it, particularly if it's something simple like changing a setting.  The attitudes are astounding.  I can see and read my display just fine too and mind you, I am "lopsided" with one of my eyes being weaker than the other...and I'm pushing 40 which still isn't old.  lol

Imagine if we suddenly had no TV at all?  Oh would that be the end of civlization now!  lol

This whole ongoing "discussion" is becoming so pointless.  Do people just want to complain or is this about resolving a problem?  It's actually pretty sad.  I'm really going to have to depart from this "discussion" now.  I wanted to help but I don't understand what people want.  I don't know if people are just taking advantage by fillng up all of this space to get attention and then never coming back again.  Sitting back and complaining and just waiting for something to happen doesn't resolve anything.  That's no way to get through life.  I don't know...people need to grow up and for crying out loud...flatscreen TVs are not expensive!

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