Had it a day and hate it already - Sky+ HD

Gizmo247 · 05-11-2009, 20:57

This EPG is unbelievably bad. It looks like a product that was possibly (and most probably) written by people who were never Sky users. I suspect from India or China.

This thing is just riddled with usability issues.

For example:

1. When in "Live Pause" you cannot use the number keys to select another channel, but you can use the up and down arrows.
2. When in playback mode you can enter the EPG but the playback continues and cannot be paused until you exit the EPG.
3. Fast forward and reverse are implemented using a small number of frames making everything jumpy (My sammy used to be so smooth).
4. Cannot use the down key in repeat mode to enter the listings from the middle menu.
5. Using the play button to play the last program previously played does not work if it is in a stack.
6. There is no 'unstacked' view or 'scheduled to record' view in planner.
7. Cannot see the usage of a stack without entering it, so difficult to house keep.
8. Difficult to see when a program was record (require multiple 'i' press.
9. Requires multiple 'backup' presses to exit EPG ('SKY' button is too far up the remote to use.
10. Why is the 'next scheduled' line item not repeated inside the stack.

That is only a sample from about half and hour play.

Looking at the now unpredictable pattern of deployment, I suspect that someone has lost their job over this and the roll-out is going out ASAP.

Investors in Sky should be worried that Sky have lost the ability to execute their vision.

Andrue · 05-11-2009, 21:50

I've had it even less time but so far also not impressed.

It's sluggish.
Most things seem to require twice as many keypresses.
The mini TV...yuk.
Stacks - don't want 'em.
Info button during playback why take up half the screen? With all that space taken up why does it need two pages?
Playback/speed indicator bottom left why isn't it transparent?
Bugs so far:
- Twice it's refused to FF and I've had to back out to the EPG then go back in order to skip adverts.
- Couple of times resuming from FF has been horribly jerky as if it ran out of processing power or disk bandwidth.

The old EPG might have looked dated but at least it felt smooth and responsive. This update has made my three month old box feel decrepit. Probably the slowest EPG I've ever owned. Puts me in mind of the original Amstrad boxes :-/

DarloJo · 05-11-2009, 21:55

Only had Sky for about three weeks, and am also horribly disappointed with this 'upgrade'. I liked the old interface - it was an "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" scenario for me. The new colour scheme is way too harsh on my eyes, and it's putting me off using the guide at all. What a shame, and a waste of money...

xap · 05-11-2009, 22:13

Agreed, this is most disappointing. There is still no option to set a system wide confirmation needed to delete something from the planner so it is necessary to set "Keep" on any program I want to record if I want to make sure it can't be accidentally deleted. On the old EPG this was:

1. Look through the guide for a program.
2. Once I've found a program I want to record then hit 'R'.
3. Takes me to the planner where I then hit the Blue button to "Keep"
4. Press "Back" which takes me right back to the guide at the same place I was previously so I can carry on looking through it.

On the new EPG this becomes:
1. Look through the guide for a program.
2. Once I've found a program I want to record then hit 'R'.
3. Then I have to press the Green button to go the Planner.
4. Press 'Channel Up' to go the end of the Planner.
5. Press 'Up' until I find the program I just selected to record.
6. Press the Blue button to "Keep" the program.
7. Press the 'Guide' button to go back to the guide.
8. Find my way back to wherever I was when I set the program to record so I can carry on scanning forward.

Ok, so I could also just set any programs I want to record first and then go to the planner and find them all to set "Keep" but it's still a major pain in the a***!

Old EPG = 4 Steps
New EPG = 8 Steps

I wonder if enough (or any) proper systems analysis was done as part of this new EPG design - maybe that's why it's taken so long in the first place.

bobcar · 05-11-2009, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by xap

Agreed, this is most disappointing. There is still no option to set a system wide confirmation needed to delete something from the planner so it is necessary to set "Keep" on any program I want to record if I want to make sure it can't be accidentally deleted.

On the old EPG this was:

On the new EPG this becomes:

Old EPG = 4 Steps
New EPG = 8 Steps

I find this particularly annoying as well, it's right up there with the number of key presses required to restart a stopped programme (it varies, I think the maximum I've had so far is 9).

Also I've had several failures when I set record from the search and display banner, obviously I no longer do this! I never ever had failures on the old EPG.

Quote:

I wonder if enough (or any) proper systems analysis was done as part of this new EPG design - maybe that's why it's taken so long in the first place.

You do wonder, they gave it to Sky employees apparently to try, they would have done better asking for volunteers on here.

Mystic Eddy · 05-11-2009, 22:53

You would have thought that after all the delays with the roll out that it would have at least been a bit more stable. The extra keystrokes I can deal with, what does it take but a few extra seconds?

I suppose we will have to wait until the middle of next year for a stability update

.

306xsi · 05-11-2009, 23:31

I'd LOVE to bring back my old EPG.
Someone suggested on here there may be a hard reset possible. By pressing the small reset button on the main board in the Samsung HD box whilst powering up from the mains. It's a long shot but it may bring back the old EPG??
Trouble is no one has tried it yet to know for sure.

306xsi · 05-11-2009, 23:37

Also, no one has mentioned PQ.
It has definately degraded on my Samsung since the update. It looks grainy now in comparison

Mystic Eddy · 05-11-2009, 23:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

I'd LOVE to bring back my old EPG.
Someone suggested on here there may be a hard reset possible. By pressing the small reset button on the main board in the Samsung HD box whilst powering up from the mains. It's a long shot but it may bring back the old EPG??
Trouble is no one has tried it yet to know for sure.

Well why don't you be the first then?

306xsi · 05-11-2009, 23:50

I'm seriously considering it

charmed1987 · 05-11-2009, 23:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

Also, no one has mentioned PQ.
It has definately degraded on my Samsung since the update. It looks grainy now in comparison

on mine the Pq has improved

Daveoc64 · 05-11-2009, 23:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by 306xsi

I'd LOVE to bring back my old EPG.
Someone suggested on here there may be a hard reset possible. By pressing the small reset button on the main board in the Samsung HD box whilst powering up from the mains. It's a long shot but it may bring back the old EPG??
Trouble is no one has tried it yet to know for sure.

Not possible.

Even if you could, you'd run into problems when Sky changes something that only the new EPG can cope with.

Simon Cow · 06-11-2009, 00:17

I have never seen the old EPG so have nothing to compare the new one with.

But I am the only one who likes the Mini-TV!

johnmdc · 06-11-2009, 00:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Cow

I have never seen the old EPG so have nothing to compare the new one with.

But I am the only one who likes the Mini-TV!

Yes i think you are

carnoch04 · 06-11-2009, 02:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Cow

I have never seen the old EPG so have nothing to compare the new one with.

But I am the only one who likes the Mini-TV!

No you're not! It's just that people are 100 times more likely to post about something they dislike rather than post some praise. I like the new EPG and the mini-tv.

mr.ian · 06-11-2009, 02:20

If you don't like it, turn it off.

hunty571 · 06-11-2009, 05:43

ill sneak into the big scary internet forum,

look around, right and left,

and quietly whisper,

i LOVE the new epg!

(and then run away quickly before i get mauled!!)

cockney · 06-11-2009, 07:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Cow

I have never seen the old EPG so have nothing to compare the new one with.

But I am the only one who likes the Mini-TV!

No, I like it as well

cockney · 06-11-2009, 07:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunty571

ill sneak into the big scary internet forum,

look around, right and left,

and quietly whisper,

i LOVE the new epg!

(and then run away quickly before i get mauled!!)

I'm with you on that, right where are we legging it to ?

sheppy124 · 06-11-2009, 07:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gizmo247

This EPG is unbelievably bad. It looks like a product that was possibly (and most probably) written by people who were never Sky users. I suspect from India or China.

This thing is just riddled with usability issues.

For example:

1. When in "Live Pause" you cannot use the number keys to select another channel, but you can use the up and down arrows.
2. When in playback mode you can enter the EPG but the playback continues and cannot be paused until you exit the EPG.
3. Fast forward and reverse are implemented using a small number of frames making everything jumpy (My sammy used to be so smooth).
4. Cannot use the down key in repeat mode to enter the listings from the middle menu.
5. Using the play button to play the last program previously played does not work if it is in a stack.
6. There is no 'unstacked' view or 'scheduled to record' view in planner.
7. Cannot see the usage of a stack without entering it, so difficult to house keep.
8. Difficult to see when a program was record (require multiple 'i' press.
9. Requires multiple 'backup' presses to exit EPG ('SKY' button is too far up the remote to use.
10. Why is the 'next scheduled' line item not repeated inside the stack.

That is only a sample from about half and hour play.

Looking at the now unpredictable pattern of deployment, I suspect that someone has lost their job over this and the roll-out is going out ASAP.

Investors in Sky should be worried that Sky have lost the ability to execute their vision.

Overall its okay, and a lot is down to personal preference and needs, however for my use the main page is to fussy, crammying everything in, I can see where they wanted to go with it, everythings there for you, but i am sure this has caused the lag by doing this, they have the dedicated buttons on the remote.

Though I do prefer option 2 on your list, it enables me to look at the epg set recordings, without binning me out, and having to go back to planner etc

Andrue · 06-11-2009, 07:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.ian

If you don't like it, turn it off.

Apart from the sound

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheppy124

Overall its okay, and a lot is down to personal preference and needs, however for my use the main page is to fussy, crammying everything in

Yup. What's so irritating is that they've made it look fussy and yet they seem to need more space to convey the same information.

Hopefully over time we will get accustomed to the new colour and font so the 'fussyness' will diminish.

toastie15 · 06-11-2009, 08:08

I got the new epg yesterday and I prefer it

.Picture quality looks better on mine as well.One thing I can't find is the volume control for the hd box does anyone know where to find it now?.Also manage to tune in itvhd nothing on when I done it though.

Andrue · 06-11-2009, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by toastie15

I got the new epg yesterday and I prefer it

.Picture quality looks better on mine as well.One thing I can't find is the volume control for the hd box does anyone know where to find it now?

It's been removed.

Quote:

Also manage to tune in itvhd nothing on when I done it though.

Perfectly normal. There's rarely anything on it.

Mr.B · 06-11-2009, 09:10

how many of you spent months pining for the new epg now wish you hadn't received it?

Pencil · 06-11-2009, 09:21

I like the appearence of the new EPG.

When I first got it, I thought "great, scrolling down the channels is as fast as before". I like the way I can scroll right when watching a program, to see what's on later.

I like the way it tells me how long a program's going to be on for.

What I don't like is the top and middle parts, which is very slow and difficult to use. Pushing right to move along to something like Services takes forver in comparision to the old guide.

I don't like the fact that when you scroll to the bottom of your Sky Anytime list or Planner, you reach a dead end.

I badly miss the EPG background music and hate not having the ability to properly close a channel by pressing TV guide.

What's also weird is, I'm sure this EPG is slower today than it was yesterday.

05-11-2009, 20:57	#1
Gizmo247 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Services: Sky+ v1 Posts: 65	Had it a day and hate it already This EPG is unbelievably bad. It looks like a product that was possibly (and most probably) written by people who were never Sky users. I suspect from India or China. This thing is just riddled with usability issues. For example: 1. When in "Live Pause" you cannot use the number keys to select another channel, but you can use the up and down arrows. 2. When in playback mode you can enter the EPG but the playback continues and cannot be paused until you exit the EPG. 3. Fast forward and reverse are implemented using a small number of frames making everything jumpy (My sammy used to be so smooth). 4. Cannot use the down key in repeat mode to enter the listings from the middle menu. 5. Using the play button to play the last program previously played does not work if it is in a stack. 6. There is no 'unstacked' view or 'scheduled to record' view in planner. 7. Cannot see the usage of a stack without entering it, so difficult to house keep. 8. Difficult to see when a program was record (require multiple 'i' press. 9. Requires multiple 'backup' presses to exit EPG ('SKY' button is too far up the remote to use. 10. Why is the 'next scheduled' line item not repeated inside the stack. That is only a sample from about half and hour play. Looking at the now unpredictable pattern of deployment, I suspect that someone has lost their job over this and the roll-out is going out ASAP. Investors in Sky should be worried that Sky have lost the ability to execute their vision.

05-11-2009, 22:53	#6
Mystic Eddy Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Gender: Male Location: Staffordshire Services: Sky BB 20Mb, Sky+ HD, C905, iPod touch 32GB 2G, Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Posts: 2,024 Blog Entries: 2	You would have thought that after all the delays with the roll out that it would have at least been a bit more stable. The extra keystrokes I can deal with, what does it take but a few extra seconds? I suppose we will have to wait until the middle of next year for a stability update.

06-11-2009, 08:08	#22
toastie15 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: kent Services: sky+ talktalk broadband Posts: 33	I like it too I got the new epg yesterday and I prefer it.Picture quality looks better on mine as well.One thing I can't find is the volume control for the hd box does anyone know where to find it now?.Also manage to tune in itvhd nothing on when I done it though.

05-11-2009, 21:50	#2
Andrue Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Brackley, UK Services: Sky HD, Be ADSL (13.5Mb), FreeSat PC Posts: 2,065	I've had it even less time but so far also not impressed. It's sluggish. Most things seem to require twice as many keypresses. The mini TV...yuk. Stacks - don't want 'em. Info button during playback why take up half the screen? With all that space taken up why does it need two pages? Playback/speed indicator bottom left why isn't it transparent? Bugs so far: - Twice it's refused to FF and I've had to back out to the EPG then go back in order to skip adverts. - Couple of times resuming from FF has been horribly jerky as if it ran out of processing power or disk bandwidth. The old EPG might have looked dated but at least it felt smooth and responsive. This update has made my three month old box feel decrepit. Probably the slowest EPG I've ever owned. Puts me in mind of the original Amstrad boxes :-/

05-11-2009, 21:55	#3
DarloJo Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 468	Only had Sky for about three weeks, and am also horribly disappointed with this 'upgrade'. I liked the old interface - it was an "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" scenario for me. The new colour scheme is way too harsh on my eyes, and it's putting me off using the guide at all. What a shame, and a waste of money...

05-11-2009, 22:13	#4
xap Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Cardiff Services: Sky+HD, Be Unlimited Posts: 34	Agreed, this is most disappointing. There is still no option to set a system wide confirmation needed to delete something from the planner so it is necessary to set "Keep" on any program I want to record if I want to make sure it can't be accidentally deleted. On the old EPG this was: 1. Look through the guide for a program. 2. Once I've found a program I want to record then hit 'R'. 3. Takes me to the planner where I then hit the Blue button to "Keep" 4. Press "Back" which takes me right back to the guide at the same place I was previously so I can carry on looking through it. On the new EPG this becomes: 1. Look through the guide for a program. 2. Once I've found a program I want to record then hit 'R'. 3. Then I have to press the Green button to go the Planner. 4. Press 'Channel Up' to go the end of the Planner. 5. Press 'Up' until I find the program I just selected to record. 6. Press the Blue button to "Keep" the program. 7. Press the 'Guide' button to go back to the guide. 8. Find my way back to wherever I was when I set the program to record so I can carry on scanning forward. Ok, so I could also just set any programs I want to record first and then go to the planner and find them all to set "Keep" but it's still a major pain in the a***! Old EPG = 4 Steps New EPG = 8 Steps I wonder if enough (or any) proper systems analysis was done as part of this new EPG design - maybe that's why it's taken so long in the first place.

05-11-2009, 23:31	#7
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	I'd LOVE to bring back my old EPG. Someone suggested on here there may be a hard reset possible. By pressing the small reset button on the main board in the Samsung HD box whilst powering up from the mains. It's a long shot but it may bring back the old EPG?? Trouble is no one has tried it yet to know for sure.

05-11-2009, 23:37	#8
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	Also, no one has mentioned PQ. It has definately degraded on my Samsung since the update. It looks grainy now in comparison

05-11-2009, 23:50	#10
306xsi Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 52	I'm seriously considering it

06-11-2009, 00:17	#13
Simon Cow Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,768	I have never seen the old EPG so have nothing to compare the new one with. But I am the only one who likes the Mini-TV!

06-11-2009, 02:20	#16
mr.ian Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Bonnie Scotland Services: ? Posts: 3,790	If you don't like it, turn it off.

06-11-2009, 05:43	#17
hunty571 Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 158	ill sneak into the big scary internet forum, look around, right and left, and quietly whisper, i LOVE the new epg! (and then run away quickly before i get mauled!!)

06-11-2009, 09:10	#24
Mr.B Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Yorkshire Services: gas, electric & water Posts: 820	how many of you spent months pining for the new epg now wish you hadn't received it?

06-11-2009, 09:21	#25
Pencil Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Essex Posts: 1,961	I like the appearence of the new EPG. When I first got it, I thought "great, scrolling down the channels is as fast as before". I like the way I can scroll right when watching a program, to see what's on later. I like the way it tells me how long a program's going to be on for. What I don't like is the top and middle parts, which is very slow and difficult to use. Pushing right to move along to something like Services takes forver in comparision to the old guide. I don't like the fact that when you scroll to the bottom of your Sky Anytime list or Planner, you reach a dead end. I badly miss the EPG background music and hate not having the ability to properly close a channel by pressing TV guide. What's also weird is, I'm sure this EPG is slower today than it was yesterday.