topic Rif.: Program recording usability is very clunky in Other TVs

Program recording usability is very clunky

ChrisXenon — Tue, 05 May 2015 09:41:39 GMT

Message

I have a 50W829B. As far as I can tell, the ergonomics of making and playing recording is dreadful. Please let me know if I'm wrong in any respect:

1. I cannot say "record this program I'm watching, and all othes in this series".

I can record THIS PROGRAM ONLY or - if I can forsee the need,

I can go forward to it in the guide and from there, record the series.

2. The UI struggles when two consecutive programs have the same program title when I want to record them both.

I may see the pink "I have a plan to record stuff in this time slot" bar - or I may not. And if I don't, there's nothign I can do about it.

Sony say it will record it (and they're right), but say the fault may be with digitaluk.co.uk who source the guide data.

3. The display of recorded programs is flat. Series are not presented hierarchicaly - which is a no-brainer sensible thing to do.

4. No search.

5. Deleting a program is cumbersome. I can see why you want to guard against accidental deletion, but even so it's a pain.

6. The thumbnails are often not represneting what's recorded - often an advert, for example. I know that signals are sent to accommodate programs starting early or late - these should be used to correct this but they apparently aren't.

7. Sometimes the guide gets the wrong program title. Example Star Trek - the original series versus Star Trek - thre next generation.

It shows one title but contains the other program.

8. There is no indiaction of "watched".

Is this clunky UI designed to be barely adequate so that we'll buy a pricey DVR, or are there tricks I'm missing?

Thanks,

Chris

Rif.: Program recording usability is very clunky

rooobb — Tue, 05 May 2015 10:02:29 GMT

Remember that this is an added feature to the TV and not its primary use. Said that (and haveing an older W8 version) I'll try to give you some hint from my side:

1. don't know about series recording, since in Italy they are not available in any case (I know my old RDR HXD870 have it but only in UK)

2. do not really understand the problem: you have 2 programs, you can select them for recording regardless their own title... or you may choose to extend the duration of the first to cover both..

3.agree, you may choose to display them by genre but I don't know if it make the search better

4.you have search functionalities in TV sideview app if you need

5. to delete a program you may press the yellow button on the remote and than confirm the deletion: is it to much?

6.I don't have thumbnail at all (:() but getting the right one is really complex: which one you'd want to have: the title? when main actors are in the scene? OK in a full featured PVR you may choose by yourself the thumbnail...

7.Data are got from the broadcaster, if they are wrong....Be aware that by pressing the option button, file info you get the description of the program and it may change during the play of the file (ie if the recording started before the actual program run)

8.New recorded program (not watched) should have a "new" icon, don't you have it?

Hope it helps. One more hint: you may use alternative ways to record a program: use the Gracenote guide instead of freeview one (slower but more detailed) or with the TV sideview app mentioned above on a tablet/smartphone.