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

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.

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

Agreed. The new guide is terrible. 4 channels? Its ridiculous. I think the picture in the guide is smaller as well.

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

Your picture shows 6 channels displayed.  The old guide had 9 but complete obscured one with the mode that is on top (and scrolled as if it had only 8 displayed.  It also partially obscured the next 3 with the  the current channel.  Effective only displaying 5.

So effective channels displayed is 6 now 5 before.  And more hours displayed.  You can now see 3 hours of info, you used to see only 1 1/2. 

 Search button B (Blue) is indicated and  you can now start search from the channel display. 

Mode was previously displayed at top.  Option was previously to use left button or option button to show guide mode but I believe is only the option button in 1.9.

There were comments during the sneak preview about the speed being slow on older model stb's.

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

Effectively you're only displaying 5 channels when you bring up the menu, and 6 when scrolling through. To a user, they generally don't care what the current channel is selected but are interested in the unselected channels they are scrolling through. So in the best case sceanario they are looking at 6 channels while manually searching. 

The old menu did not effectively only display 5, but a much more reasonable number than the amount it displays now. I'm not able to point out how many it previously displayed because I don't have access to the old menu but as an end user not only does it display less channels but the UI itself makes the menu feel claustrophobic making the user experience feel as if there's less to look through by design.

Regardless of justification, the buttons on the bottom don't make logical sense to end users. If I put the controller in the hands of all of my family and they can't figure it out then something is wrong.

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

I am trying to locate a good image of the old guide for you but it was as I described.  Only 5 channels were displayed without something being displayed over the top of them.  3 were half covered.  A page scroll went down 7 channels. 

Now 6 are fully displayed and a page scroll is down five.

Personally I prefer the new guide.  Haven't seen it but supposively you can still switch back to a guide similar to the one you seem to prefer. 

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

I believe there is a setting called Guide View.  Classic or Standard are the choices.  Located in Menu... Settings... Television... Guide View.

Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
0100010
Contributor - Level 1

@nascar wrote:

I believe there is a setting called Guide View.  Classic or Standard are the choices.  Located in Menu... Settings... Television... Guide View.



Correct.

Menu - Settings - Television - Guide View :

Classic = 4 visible channels on Full Screen Guide

Standard = 6 visible channelson Full Screen Guide

Provided the OP is on a 6xxx or 2500.

Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
frankay213
Enthusiast - Level 3

@nullsoldier wrote:

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.



Ok, its not that hard. i dont even have the guide and one glance i figured it out:

1. the bar on top is a scroll bar, showing you how far left or right you are on the channel giude. Just like a scroll bar on a computer

2. those spaces in between the shows are not Verizon's fault. It is whatever the braodcaster tells them is on

3. Hit the B button on your remote to Search

4. Hit the Options button on your remote to change the guide mode

if you use a computer AT ALL, you should be able to understand simple things like this

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

Here is a image of the old screen

image

Also can someone confirm how many channels are shown on the new screen.  In the help video it also looks like its 8 channels, rather than the 6 shown in OP post.

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Re: Introducing the new Verizon FIOS TV Guide, now even worse than before!
0100010
Contributor - Level 1

Depends which Guide you're looking at in 1.9.

You can choose the Full Guide (in Standard or Classic) views, Channel Guide, Half Guide or Mini Guide.

7xxx HD

Full Guide Standard = 7 channels (hit Guide once)

Full Guide Classic = 5 channels (available option in Television settings menu)

Channel Guide = 7 channels horizontally (hit Guide twice)

Mini Guide = really just one channel at a time (hit the down arrow on live TV)

Half Guide = 6 channels (hit the up arrow on live TV)

2500 / 6xxx / 7xxx SD

Full Guide Standard = 6 channels (hit Guide once)

Full Guide Classic = 4 channels (available option in Television settings menu)

Channel Guide = 6 channels horizontally (hit Guide twice)

Mini Guide = really just one channel at a time (hit the down arrow on live TV)

Half Guide = 5 channels (hit the up arrow on live TV)