Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
freedoms1
Enthusiast - Level 3

I'm a little confused about your response, mcb01. I've never had one of those pre-built PC's.
But every time I install a Microsoft operating system, I have to search to find applications I won't need - so I can disable them.
Just like with every new piece of software I install, I have to tell it I don't really want the Google or Yahoo toolbars that come with them.

But to the broader point. I'm not necessarily being critical of the folks at Verizon for trying to serve its customers by developing enhanced guides and functions. I'm just questioning whether Verizon is attempting to appeal more to those people who are technologically savvy, than to people who just want to watch their televisions - without having to navigate through these "guide experiences."  

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Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
nascar
Master - Level 1

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.

Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
wblg
Enthusiast - Level 1

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!

Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
usability
Newbie

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.

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Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
dtrache
Enthusiast - Level 1

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.  

Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
MADianne1
Enthusiast - Level 1

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.

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Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
MatrixMan
Enthusiast - Level 2

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

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Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
jesbec508
Enthusiast - Level 2

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.

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Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
oldfashioned
Specialist - Level 2

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. 

Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
dpere
Enthusiast - Level 2

I see how this 6 channels per screen was achieved.  The text size shrank to the point where now it looks like the disclaimer text you see at the bottom of car lease commercials.  It's ridiculously small now.  Not all of us have a 999 inch TV.

At least give us the option in the "Classic View" to only view 4 channels worth of programming but FULL SCREEN WITH LARGER TEXT SIZE.  All the classic view does now is eliminate the top two rows of programming and replace it with a larger image of the show currently being viewed.  

Shrink the height of the row showing the description of the currently watched show to one line of text.  All we need is the name of the show.  If we want more info on the current show, we press INFO.

With all the effort nowadays to give visually impaired people the ability to be able to access more media, I can't believe Verizon makes no effort to do so on the channel guide.  I have trouble reading it from more than 12 feet away and I have perfect vision, and judging from the 35 pages of comments in the past year stating the same from other customers, I'm not imagining this.  

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