Suggested improvements to guide
Punnygirl
Enthusiast - Level 1

Here are areas where the guide is lacking:

1) READABILITY.  The fonts are too small and often the contrast between type and background insufficient for legibility.  

      A) I am unable to clearly read the age guideline icons, which are way too small (and see point 3)

2) FLEXIBILITY/PERSONALIZATION. I want to permanently delete some channels from my line up.  I personally have no desire for porn, soft or otherwise, on my line up. I want it off, now. Favorites does not cut it. Why should I have to put all most all the channels on favorites just to avoid one or two I don't want? I also want to "hide" some channels unless needed (all the sports channels in my case). I was able to do this with cable. Why can't we with FIOS?

3) CORRECTNESS IN LABELING/CONTENT. My poor young kids have had a real education in the last couple months thanks to incorrect icons (PG when it is actually PG 13, and once even NC 17), or thanks to the content being altogether mislabeled. They now know that "bow chica wow wow" refers to sex (grasshoppers mating), and what French kissing is (on a cartoon rated PG) ...both conversations I was hoping to have in two or three years...all this is on purportedly PG programming. Once or twice the icon was wrong. More usually the content just somehow slipped by whatever censors who may be sleeping on the job. Don't even get me started on commercials (another thread for another time). I am seriously considering canceling my account just for this reason. The "Children" filter mode wipes out appropriate programming and leaves in inappropriate programming. Useless. It's a pain in the neck to use the parental locks. Can't we come up with something simpler? Something that works?

4) USABILITY (IT'S CLUNKY!!). What a pain in the neck to even USE the guide. Sometimes I turn the TV off in sheer frustration/annoyance. Every "feature" requires several moves. State of the art - for 1989!

Labels (1)
Re: Suggested improvements to guide
Malcolm_Stanley
Contributor - Level 3

thanks for the good feedback.

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Re: Suggested improvements to guide
Justin46
Legend

@Malcolm_Stanley wrote:

thanks for the good feedback.


Malcolm,

In my opinion that is not good feedback. She is certainly entitiled to her opinion, but her opinion is no more worthwhile than mine, or anybody else who likes the current Guide, and there are plenty of us who do like it, as I think you already know.

1) READABILITY. The Fonts are just fine the way they are, they are not too small, and the contrast is great.

2) FLEXIBILITY/PERSONALIZATION. Favroites works perfectly to accomplish what she wants. All she has to do is stop complaining and ACTUALLY DO IT. Adding a Favorites list with all of the channels takes all of about 10 seconds, and then she can remove the few offending channels in another 30 seconds or so. And to "hide" some channels, just create a second Favorites list and put them there, then remove then from the first Favorites list. 

3) CORRECTNESS IN LABELING/CONTENT. Maybe this is valid, I have no idea, no kids in the house.

4) USABILITY (IT'S CLUNKY!!). The guide works GREAT! Please don't change a thing. Easy to use, easy to read, intuitive, etc.

Please don't change stuff just because a few people complain, out of the millions of FiOS TV subscribers, listen instead to the silent majority who happily use the FiOS TV service every day.

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

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
nascar
Master - Level 1

I agree here....

3) CORRECTNESS IN LABELING/CONTENT. My poor young kids have had a real education in the last couple months thanks to incorrect icons (PG when it is actually PG 13, and once even NC 17), or thanks to the content being altogether mislabeled. They now know that "bow chica wow wow" refers to sex (grasshoppers mating), and what French kissing is (on a cartoon rated PG) ...both conversations I was hoping to have in two or three years...all this is on purportedly PG programming. Once or twice the icon was wrong. More usually the content just somehow slipped by whatever censors who may be sleeping on the job. Don't even get me started on commercials (another thread for another time). I am seriously considering canceling my account just for this reason. The "Children" filter mode wipes out appropriate programming and leaves in inappropriate programming. Useless. It's a pain in the neck to use the parental locks. Can't we come up with something simpler? Something that works?

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
Malcolm_Stanley
Contributor - Level 3

feedback is good when it is honest and offered in good faith.

If we have usability options and people do not know about them, feedback helps us understand that.

similiarly, if we have adjusted the UI fonts and people still have difficulty reading it, that is good feedback indicating we may need to look at it again.

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
haviru
Enthusiast - Level 3

"feedback is good when it is honest and offered in good faith.

If we have usability options and people do not know about them, feedback helps us understand that.

similiarly, if we have adjusted the UI fonts and people still have difficulty reading it, that is good feedback indicating we may need to look at it again"

Let me add to all the comments posted that there are so many variables involved that unless the poster includes the hardware he or she is using, it becomes impossible to help with problems they are having.  For instance stating the IMG is hard to read tells us nothing.  What size screen, viewing distance, ambient lighting all affect the viewer. 

I and my wife found that with the upgrade, the picture was much improved both in color and crispness.  And that goes for old shows like Newhart and such.  My wife's tv is a Sony Bravia 40" while mine is a Pinoneer Plasma 60".  Both stb's are 7232; mibe with a 500 g external drive.  DTW, I record everything to watch.  Cannot stand the commercials which besides being mostly stupid waste 20 minutes out of every hour of my time and yours.

Harry

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
prisaz
Legend

@Malcolm_Stanley wrote:

thanks for the good feedback.


#1 I like the guide colors and contrasts, and it looks just great for me, but some have complained and perhaps some user selectable options in here would be ok. But don't ruin what the rest of us like. If you are going to change anything perhaps add themes. With the current one being Classic HD, the old 1.8 being Classic SD, perhaps high contrast for acessability, and the maybe a couple of others. You can't have everything in a standard HD box with linited memory. This is not a computer.


#2 is the only feed back I really like. Yes all the OPs personal feedback may be there honest opinion, but not everyones. If we select subscribed channels, this is what we should get, and the quide should stay there. I know there are favorites and also agree with the point that the functionality is great and should not change. BUT it goes back to when you set your guide to stay at last viewed, it does not stay at last viewed. Need to have a default gude settiing that can be set, instead of the STB or DVR thinking it knows where you were last at. It forgets!!!!!

#3 Yes we all know that FYI and whatever other guide information provider is used in unison, they can quite often be wrong on content and rating. That is why I put in the Idea of switching to Tribune Media for the guide. Most other poviders use them. Including TiVO.

4. Clunky? Mine works great and is not clunky. Now the 2500 and 6xxx boxes I would say yes VERY CLUNKY. Over time they must go. But now they are being given to new customers free because they know no better. Come on now that is wrong.Smiley Mad

My opinion 4 times. Honestly.

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
beetlejuice2
Specialist - Level 1

I dont have good vision anymore, have a 37 inch tv, and sit a good 12 feet away from my tv and I have 0 issues reading the guide. I would say fool around with your tv settings, colors, contrast, etc. and see if you can get it to where it works. Some people have their color settings up way to high on their tv's.

As far as the channels go why not just set it to only show you your subscribed channels?

Go to menu, then to settings, then down to televison, then down to last viewed guide state then click on enable.

Now go to your guide, hit the option button on your remote and click on subscribed channels.

Now from now on it will only show the channels you are subscribed to.

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
JRTEMT
Contributor - Level 2

OK, maybe it's because I'm used to Windows operating systems but I'd like to be able to adjust the column wideth of the IMG.

When I'm showing Premium Channels --> Showtime --> Series

a listing of all the shows truncates the full text label so you only see Shamel |      .....   | Episode name

the width of each column doesn't let you read the entire name of the movies  or series you're looking for. I need to scroll across to the episode and continuously use the remote control down button.

Also, the episodes sort order should be able to reorganize Earliest to Latest so I don't use up my remote batteries clicking down, down, down, down to get to last Sunday's listing at the bottom. Put the most current episodes at the TOP!

Instead of listing MOVIES alphabetically, why not sort by Date Released.  Saturday nights I'm looking for a current movie to watch, not 80s disco movies. Paying for Premium content so let me watch Current releases. Only Encore seems to have a category to view a listing of New Premiers...maybe this is up to the Premium channel provider and not VZ but IMHO it would be nice. Your categories for comedy, drama and family are great!

Re: Suggested improvements to guide
AMSV
Enthusiast - Level 1

We do not like the current guide, either. We have changed a few settings but my inlaws are so frustrated with it they regret leaving Comcast. Starting in the middle of the list is annoying. It's awkward, unweidly and cumbersome. It takes forever to find anything.

But our main problem right now is inappropriate commercials or content while we are looking for children's programming. Just a bit ago, my husband was looking for Team Umizoomi on a TV that did not have that particular program bookmarked. He was in the kids' section and was getting commercials for TV shows that are not appropriate for a preschooler. I have also had the experience that when the OnDemand content ends, the commercials shown are similarly not for preschoolers. Why can't the children's area be fed with content appropriate for them?