Sept 2020 Fios DVR and Guide Update
Scott804
Enthusiast - Level 2

This week Fios pushed out interface updates for their TV services. After nearly 3 hours in chats, I was finally told that there is no way to roll back updates once loaded and they base new update options based on posts in the forum. Below are my complaints that they will only fix with enough support on here, if you have the same issues, please mark the post. 

1. They removed the chapter function for recorded programs on the dvr (the up arrow that would allow you to move to any 10 min marker in a program).

2. The new Now and Next function causes latency when switching channels. Even after setting it to 0 seconds. 

3. They removed the ability to view a single channel lineup in the tv guide. In the past I would just hit guide a second time to see the next 5-10 shows on a single channel. 

4. Finally, I just find the prettier guide view harder to actually read and process. Not sure if it is the number of channels,  dark screen, or just that it is too busy.  Turning off the background video helped a little, but not much. 

1 Solution

Correct answers
Solved to float for increased visibility on updates!
Nilsa_VZ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Please disregard that this topic has been marked as solved. This post was marked as the solution in order to float it to the beginning of this thread for increased visibility.

Dear Verizon Customers,

Thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention. We are listening to you and based on your feedback, we have made SOME additional changes to the new Fios TV Interface with the APR 7.8 update. Here are the interface updates:

  • User Interface Improvements
    • Guide legibility improvements
    • Free To Me filter renamed to Subscribed
    • Episode font size updated to fit more characters
    • 2 ½ hour guide skipping with prev/next buttons
  • Video On Demand updates
  • Fixes/Improvements

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You will see the above mentioned Fios TV interface changes roll out from 12/09 through 1/13.

Additional responses:

Coloring: Here is another way to navigate to channel groups that used to be colored:

The channel neighborhoods are still organized by the genres you're familiar with.  While in the main Guide, press the Guide button again to apply your filters and move over to the Jump To function.  Now you can jump your guide to specific channel neighborhoods.  If you have Fios TV One with a Voice Remote, while in the guide you can also say “Jump to <channel neighborhood>”.

Last Button: The button labeled "Last" on our remotes for 1100 and 4100's can be configured to operate in one of 2 ways. You can either jump back and forth between your last 2 watched programs, or you can have it bring up the "Last Watched Rail" which contains more of your most recently watched content, including VOD and DVR shows.

Access Menu>Settings>System>Television>Last Watched Rail to enable and disable the Last Watched Rail.

If the "Last Watch Rail" disappears, please use this workaround: Reboot the box or boxes on which the issue is seen to check if that fixes the problem. If it still appears bothersome or comes back, please disable the last watched rail.  Access Menu>Settings>System>Television>Last Watched Rail to enable and disable the Last Watched Rail.

We are aware of the Last Watched Rail issue reported in this Community and we will have a fix in place with the next release.

 

Guide Banner: You can disable the Guide Ad banner setting via the following:

Main Menu>>settings>>Notification>Guide Banners->Disable

 

Lagging / Slowness / Sluggishness:

If you are still experiencing lagging, slowness or sluggishness when interacting with the set top box after the latest update (APR 7.8), please elaborate on which specific functionality is exhibiting this behavior (ex. Navigating Menu/Guide/On Demand, channel surfing, DVR etc.)?

Please feel free to provide any additional details which will be useful and assist the development team as they further investigate.

 

As always, we greatly appreciate and value your feedback.

Thank you.


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Nilsa
Community Manager

Community Manager
Community Manager II

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Re: Sept 2020 Fios DVR and Guide Update
twomedic
Enthusiast - Level 1

In addition to your complaints I also don't like that they took away the color coding for sports, movies, etc....

Recent Update Problems
alfalfa4381
Enthusiast - Level 1

The recent update has some serious issues:

1.  Remote functions on all my tvs are now sluggish. When I try to manually key in a channel if I type as fast as I used to, it drops digits.

2. If I pause a show, the red position bar pops up at the bottom, just as before. But now the extreme bottom right remote button labeled "Ok/Enter" does not remove the intrusive red position banner that is hiding info I want to see while paused, like it used to do.

3. When accessing the Guide using the Favorites button I used to be able to hold down the Channel button to move through the guide at a very fast rate. Not now.

4. When viewing a DVR show and hitting Rewind or Fast Forward, it takes 3 of 4 seconds for anything to happen. 

5. The type font in the guide is smaller, too hard to read. I DO LIKE the ability to select the channel icon in the guide, click Select, and add channels to the two Fav lists! But, even on my 65" TV that I sit close at 9', some of the Channel icons are too small to identify the network id.

6. I miss the color coding in the guide for categories. I used to scroll through and look for Green, to find sports stuff.

I hope Verizon will fix these issues. I normally like changes, but not when they cause frustration.

New Fios Guide
dodzter1
Enthusiast - Level 3

This new guide for FIOS is AWFUL!! It's dull and bland and they took away the little box in the upper left corner where you could still see the show you are watching while you peruse the guide. The old guide was colorful and pleasing to look at. Shows were color coded. Movies in red, series shows in blue and sports green, I think. Plus it is slow to respond. If you click more info and get the full size description of a show, it is very slow to respond when you click on exit.
What I find more amazing and disappointing is that VZ didn't even reach out to their customers to ask if they wanted a guide upgrade and/or what they would like to see in a guide.
I retired 2 years ago from VZ after working there 37 years. They have a big problem with fixing things that are not broken. Plus not fixing things that are actually broken. However the guide was NOT broken. Please fix this ASAP!!

Re: New Fios Guide
fjinva
Enthusiast - Level 1

New guide is not good.  The changes that eliminated valuable features:

  • No chaptering is horrible
  • No category colors makes it very hard to find programs
  • No ability to scroll fast through the guide by holding down the page up or page down buttons.
  • No ability to increase the transparency, so you can still see the program while searching

Come on Verizon, get it together.  These are important functions for user convenience.

You Tube is getting better looking every day.

Re: Sept 2020 Fios DVR and Guide Update
EnForce
Enthusiast - Level 1

Made an account for the sole purpose of complaining about this update - it's that bad.

Totally agree with everything that's been mentioned so far in this thread.

It's so much more difficult to quickly scan and find something to watch.

I'd like to add:

Bring back the option to disable the info bar/position banner when using DVR controls. I don't need or want to view the info bar when I'm skipping back and forth. Every time I skip ahead or back, it stays on screen for 8 seconds.

And remove the control function from showing on screen too. I'm trying to watch a TV show, not "info bar & +30 sec".

I don't remember if was an option in the settings to disable it or it was just like that, but the old method was much better. Just skip ahead, no need to show anything on screen. I know what I'm watching and what button I just pressed.

Re: Sept 2020 Fios DVR and Guide Update
Rootie1
Enthusiast - Level 1

I cannot see the guide well -  the “transparent” background is distracting, the text/print too small, channel list on the left is too small. 

When trying to set programs to record,  I find that I cannot advance the hours on the guide by pressing the single black arrow  ( to the right of the DVR button) on my remote. In the past, I could advance using that very button. Now I can only advance by using the blue arrow ( to the right of green OK button). 

The old guide was so much easier to use, to read. I don’t know why FIOS felt the need to fix what wasn’t broken.

Re: Sept 2020 Fios DVR and Guide Update
Rootie1
Enthusiast - Level 1

I am responding to my own post. I agree with all the previous posters. The response to anything - to change channels, to adjust volume, to pause, to fast forward or to rewind is very, slow, sluggish. 

Again, FIOS, why change something that worked perfectly fine? If you did so for expediency, you failed. Now it’s very frustrating to navigate. 

Re: Sept 2020 Fios DVR and Guide Update
DanielFoss
Enthusiast - Level 1

Agreed, the drab gray is pretty rough overall but I mainly watch the movie and sports channels and it was a much better experience before to just look for those color bars in the guide while skimming to see what might be on Food Network.  At this point I intensely dislike the new drab guide and have yet to uncover a feature that was enhanced for me but have found several that have been removed.

Latest Guide and UI Updates
cgracon
Enthusiast - Level 1

  I have found the Guide and UI changes made late in the summer to be horrible. The response time on the Guide and while changing channels is so slow. Where I used to be able to type in a channel number to change the channel, now about 1/3 of the time one of the digits drop and it takes what seems to be seconds longer to register that I am looking to change a channel and then change the channel.  I used to be able to bring up the guide with the heart button, and cycle through the favorites, but now I can only bring up the Guide with the guide button and not cycle through.

 The Guide used to be so fast to come up and to scroll through. Now it is frustratingly slow.