BB21
join:2007-08-22
| reply to SGR
Re: IMG Bugs and missing features FAQ
You may want to add to the FAQ (for people who are running into bugs with the new IMG) that mjwedeking reported in the "New IMG Thoughts" thread that:
There is a special refund set up for the messed up IMG. I was told that I should see it on my next bill and continue till the update has been released. I am not sure on the amount I will be compensated but was told to call back if I was not satisfied.
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tclyde
@pnap.net
| reply to SGR
I'm new to Fios (one week). I'm having a problems which I hope are just from a lack of experience.
1. When I record a series, it defaults the "selected channel" to the HD (if available) channel. I want to record in SD so I can watch it on my non-HD TV. How do I change the "Selected Channel"? |
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GeekNJ
Premium
join:2000-09-23
Waldwick, NJ
| Doesn't it select the channel that you are currently on? Are you on say 7 vs 807 when you go to record the series? If not, I think you can go to Modify Series, but I'd have to be in front of the DVR to walk you through the steps.
Also, do you know if you are on the "new" or "old" guide? If not, what state are you in?
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Tweaked your connection? | Mail Parse | Speed Converter |
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tclyde
@pnap.net | reply to SGR
I'm in Northern Virginia. I haven't checked the Build info. I'm recording the series using the DVR button and then following the menu to the Series Manager so I'm not necessarily on the particular channel. |
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Vamp9190
join:2002-02-11
Chantilly, VA
| reply to SGR
said by SGR  :....... 2. Q: My box is missing more than half of its space for Standard Definition. What's happening? A: It's a bug, according to Verizon. The "recorder status" assumes you're recording programs at 8Mbps yet you're really recording at 3.5Mbps for standard definition. According to Verizon, you should still have the same space as you always did and a bug fix is coming soon. It should be noted that it's still a highly debated topic and some believe that excuse is incorrect and that we really are missing space. See the next question for additional information. 3. Q: Do I really only have 12 hours of HD space? A: Yes. Although it isn't clear why just yet. I have confirmed that after 12 hours of HD recording the DVR will start to delete programs. We should be getting 20-25 hours with a 160GB hard drive. This is either a different bug than the "Recorder Status" bug, since the space shouldn't be missing, or could be a universal missing space issue that Verizon has yet to confirm. This could very well mean we are in fact missing space with Standard Definition too. I have the Motorola QIP6416-2 HD DVR as the main unit in a multi-room DVR set-up. How many hours total is the DVR supposed to have? I thought it was 80 hours on SD. (So that would mean that mine, with the bug, should show about 40 total now?)
said by SGR :3. Q: When a recording finishes I'm not immediately presented with an option to delete the program but instead put back into my recordings. Is this normal? A: Yes. Apparently Verizon chose not to include that option. You have to locate the program in your recordings and delete it manually. Yeah I noticed that. On mine I get dumped into the first FOLDER of my DVR...so for example if I recorded 4 different shows & 2+ episodes of each it makes a folder for each show (inside that folder are all the indiv. episodes). If I am playing back a show in the #3 folder and press 'stop', instead of at least putting me in the 'root' of the recorded shows, it puts me inside of folder #1. Just a real pain and it takes a lot more button pressing to go where I want to be.
said by SGR :4. Q: Is there a way to speed up the rewind or fast forward feature? A: Yes, simply press the rewind/FF button multiple times. Unfortunately you're now limited to a max of x3 rather than the old guide which allowed you to do x4. Actually on mine (the multi-room DVR), I CAN use x4 on the main room HD DVR, but only up to x3 on the SD boxes in the other rooms. |
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kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA
| reply to SGR
Let's add this to the list of bugs, was confirmed by Vz today:
"If your DVR loses power, it will not record again until you manually power it back on. The guide/DVR does not load until it is turned on, therefore it will not record anything after a power outage until it is turned on manually." |
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Packman
@verizon.net
| reply to SGR
Here's a few I didn't see on the list. Before starting the list - let me state that I'm *extremely* disappointed, both in the quality of the new IMG software (lack thereof) and the fact that the new software is a step *backward* feature-wise from the old - I had heard it was more Tivo-ish, which would be a good thing. It's not. I've had Tivo, and it's *way* better. I wish Verizon would have ponied up for Tivo software license. I'm seriously considering going back to DirecTV in the next month or two.
OK here we go (note that this list does not include features that would be found in other services - e.g. Tivo, only includes features removed by the new IMG and bugs):
- Missing feature is that they removed the ability to record extra minutes on the end of shows. This is a very important and basic feature - mainly for ensuring that overtime of ball games is recorded.
- When using the guide to page forward in time, then selecting a program to record, it doesn't go back to the left-off spot in the guide, it jumps out completely. You have to go back and manually forward to the spot left off.
- Bug/design flaw - when powering on the DVR it takes about 30 seconds to come up when powered back on. Old IMG only took about 5-10 seconds.
- Bug/design flaw - HDMI interface takes 10 seconds to come up when I power on my TV (with DVR remaining powered on). Old IMG took about 3-5 seconds. This is a *major* annoyance.
- Design flaw - response time when stepping through menu options often is *really* slow - like 3-4 seconds some times. E.g. I want to go down one menu option, and hit "down" - it appears to not respond so I hit "down" again, and it then goes down two spots.
On the plus side - the same functionality for fast-forwarding and such seems to be better performance-wise than the old IMG.
- Bad new feature - it now only allows recording up to 5 programs in a series. This number should be selectable - I couldn't find an option to change it though. I only want the DVR to auto-delete programs when I run out of space.
- GUI preference - When using the guide I really don't like how the "current" channel is bigger than the rest. It's counter-intuitive and makes it very difficult to browse then guide when paging through it.
- Bug - sometimes the function to find programs by description just doesn't work. Sunday at 6:30pm I did a find on "chargers", and it didn't find the 8:00pm Chargers/Patriots game, even though the word "chargers" was in the description. It did however find next week's Chargers game - so perhaps this bug is based on the time interval, e.g. only finds programs that are N hours out from present.
- Bad bug - when my IMG software was downloaded, I lost *all* recorded programs - including some really good ones I wanted to watch. However the "recorder info" screen still showed my disk as 85% full! Thus I was only able to record about 6 programs before the IMG said I had no more space. I called tech support, and after one unsuccessful attempt to get through (gave up after 2 hours on hold - got some errands done though at least), I did get through later, and the tech didn't find this problem in the list of known issues. He tried remote reset of the box, as well as manual reset (unplug for 3 minutes or so), and this didn't clear the problem. The problem mysteriously was cleared a few days later (disk then showed empty - lost all programs again).
- Bug - Three times since IMG upgrade (8/19) my HDMI interface has been disabled. S-video still works. Powering the DVR on and off doesn't fix it - I have to unplug the unit.
Verizon if you're reading this - you really need to get your act together on this software. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot with a bad reputation when competing with the cable and satellite guys. I realize you're new at this video thing, but IMO that's no excuse. Pony up for Tivo license, or hire some of their expertise or something like that. I've got another long list of features that I used to have with DirecTV/Tivo that FiOS doesn't have, that I haven't posted. The only reason I'm considering staying with FiOS video is I have a vested interest - otherwise I'd switch back in a heartbeat, despite the savings from bundling. |
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woteva IMG
@saic.com
| reply to SGR
well, after telling all my friends how great FIOS tivo was going to be, i am now eating my words. the new IMG blows.. honestly, how hard it is to basically COPY tivo if you are too cheap to license it. i just called the IMG tech support and the guy said 'a patch will be out in 2 weeks'. i asked what things it will fix and he said 'i don't even have time to tell you all the things it will fix'. so we'll see. i even got permission from the wife to get an HDTIVO + cable cards with FIOS, but unfortunately there are pixelation problems with that approach.
dont' know how they could have released this crappy software after having beta tested it in many areas for so long. |
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BTDT
join:2006-01-25
Flower Mound, TX | I believe the pixelation issues are fixed with the latest TiVo HD firmware pushes. This is true for both the SA and Motorola CableCards. |
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psychofarm
@verizon.net
| reply to SGR
Bad, bad software:
Box locks up frequently, usually requiring cutting power to the unit. I went out of town for a week and not one show recorded while I was gone. I assume this is because the box was frozen again. I'm resorting to recording my important shows on my Panasonic DVR as a backup.
Missing feature:
When scheduling a series, there is no longer the option to automatically protect the recordings from being auto-deleted.
GUI:
Am I the only one who thinks the new guide is much harder to read than the old one, with that magnified listing in the center? (See »www.microsoft-watch.com/fios%20p···uide.jpg to remember what the old one looked like). |
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mbrodeur
join:2007-08-17
Tyngsboro, MA
| reply to SGR
I am fairly new to this DVR and IMG software, but I have used the UltimateTV for many years and I have never seen a Tivo.  With this background I have found a number of things that I think that the current IMG has gotten wrong and that I would love to see changed. They are not so much bugs as they are design flaws, IMHO.
There are really two major items on my list: The "center focus" user interface and poor use of screen real estate.
* The "center focus" user interface
Somebody apparently studied enough human factors engineering to decide that it is more efficient and perhaps easier for people to keep their attention focused on a single location on screen. In theory that sounds like a good idea, as there is no need to look around to find what you need. In practice I don't think it works well at all.
In my mind there are two use cases: browsing the guide and drilling down through a series of menus. I don't know about anybody else, but when I am browsing the guide I tend to take in the whole page at once. When I'm done I page down and repeat. With this IMG the center of the screen is taken up by something that, most of the time, I am not interested in. I find it distracting and difficult to use.
The second case, drilling through menus, is different. First of all, those who are computer-literate will already have learned a different behavior than the IMG presents. In most menu systems a submenu doesn't automatically appear under the cursor after its parent has been selected, instead the user's attention is drawn to the new menu and they focus on that. Even if the vast majority of users is not computer literate and hasn't learned this behavior, there are other problems. My main objection is that the appearance of the screen changes radically when you select a submenu. For example, think about what happens when you are opening an episode of a recorded series in "DVR". On the far right you see a simple text listing of the recordings, with icons for series. When you hit the "go right" button that list shifts to the center of the screen *but it looks different*. Any context you might have had because your eyes were "working ahead" is gone. Repeat again once you've located your series and the screen shifts again, changing in appearance again, and wiping out your context, again.This is annoying with DVR recordings but is a real pain in the neck when you have to navigate a number of levels, such as when you're finding an On-Demand program.
* Poor use of screen real estate
I noticed right away that viewing the titles and descriptions of shows in the DVR recordings menu or in On-Demand was awkward but it took me a while to figure out why. Basically, the "backward navigation" tabs, which are shown vertically, are robbing the screen of so much real estate that the really useful information is being lost. If you navigate several levels down (and that's really easy to do) you will find that 1/3 of the screen goes toward the tabs, with the rest for the list and details columns. This often results in truncated text or hard-to-read descriptions.
Since descriptions and titles are naturally horizontal pieces of information, leaving as much horizontal screen real estate free as possible is a must. There are a number of ways to fix this, such as limiting the number of vertical tabs (1 or 2), moving them to the top of the screen and displaying them horizontally (with more than one level per line, or better yet, just one line), or others. I would reserve at least half of the width of the screen for the rightmost information. (Actually, I would redesign that display entirely, but that's a different story.)
There are also a number of things that I think others have already mentioned, such as the need to relocate a recording after you're done playing it, so I'll skip them and just give a few minor things that I would love to see tweaked.
* Recording from the guide.
UltimateTV did this similarly to IMG, but recording from the guide was a one-button three-state toggle. One click recorded the selected episode. A second click recorded the series, and a third click cleared the recordings. Took two seconds to learn and was easier to use over time than what IMG does.
* A dedicated "stopped playing the recording" interface.
This is an idea straight from UltimateTV. Whenever you stop watching a recording (not pause, but stop) for any reason you are put on a "page" that covers the entire screen. While this page is up there is no audio or video from the live stream. On the page are typical useful operations, like "continue playing", "remove recording", and "start over". The advantage of this is that you can stop watching a recording without accidentally having the receiver start displaying something else that you really don't want to see at that time. (Such as something else that you're recording for later viewing.) This screen is also displayed when you reach the end of a recording that you're playing.
* An indication of when you have caught up to live TV when you are watching partially recorded or delayed program. Pop up the info screen, or put a "live tv" bug on the screen for a second or something.
* Inconsistent use of the "OK" button and "move right" button.
I'll state for the record that I hate using the "move right" button to navigate menus. Be that as it may, a little consistency would be nice. Why should I press "OK" sometimes and "move right" others to do what appears to be the same thing? (OK, as a software developer I can make an educated guess about that one. "Move right" for operations that can be satisfied immediately on the DVR, "OK" when a round trip to the head end is needed.) I would prefer that you always use the same button. Better yet, make "OK" and "move right" synonyms when they don't otherwise conflict. Best yet, make "OK" the universal selection button that can be used whenever the context indicates it makes sense. Still keep the "move right/left/whatever" buttons, but make "OK" smart, too.
For the record, there are some things I really like: the pop-up info menu is really nice and very informative. Configurable skip forward/back is very nice. Configurable search interface and video in/under guide are likewise very nice.
Whew! That turned into more of an essay than I intended. |
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matcarl
join:2007-03-09
Franklin Square, NY
| said by mbrodeur :Recording from the guide. UltimateTV did this similarly to IMG, but recording from the guide was a one-button three-state toggle. One click recorded the selected episode. A second click recorded the series, and a third click cleared the recordings. Took two seconds to learn and was easier to use over time than what IMG does. Doesn't this work with the new guide? It did with the old one and it's still supposed to. |
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mbrodeur
join:2007-08-17
Tyngsboro, MA
1 edit | No, not quite.
If I press "record" once, it records an episode.
Press a second time and it pops up a menu that asks me if I want to record the series or cancel the recording. Navigate to "record series" and select.
It isn't horrible, but I think it's harder to do. |
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mbrodeur
join:2007-08-17
Tyngsboro, MA
| Oh, a couple of things I forgot.
The "Upcoming Schedule" for recordings on DVR only goes out about 3 or 4 days on my system. I would have hoped it would go out for however many days the guide has data.
There are mysterious terms that show up in various places. The one I'm especially thinking of shows up on the guide for (I think) shows with recording conflicts. Says something like "Bumped show deleted" or something. Bumped? What's that?
I like the way you change the priority of series, that's pretty neat. On the other hand, I haven't figured out how to find out if there are upcoming conflicts or how to resolve conflicts. |
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timjkarp
Premium
join:2002-03-10
Falls Church, VA
| reply to SGR
I sure hope that they do a refund, since one of my problems is limiting my ability to watch some HD programming:
1.When adding some HD channels to Favorites, the non-HD channels get added, resulting in excess Favorite channels to scroll through. (These channels include USA, FX, SPIKE, TLC, ANPL) Seems like the IMG looks at the channel name and not number!
2.When attempting to record on those same HD channels, the recording get’s scheduled on the non-HD channel, thereby losing viewing of HD programming.
3.Playing shows that are in the process of being recorded: if you stop playing and then begin playing again (resume play doesn't display), the play picks up at the live TV time, not the time when the play was stopped.
4.Deleting multiple recorded shows, the system crashes. This last occurred while recording other shows, had occurred previously, not sure if the circumstances were the same.
5. HDMI port fails often. Sometimes signal works again after changing between inputs on the TV using the remote. Other times, have to connect to TV using component video cables for a day, then switch back and it works. |
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DynStatic
@verizon.net | reply to SGR
On my 1080P tv, when the HD-DVR is set to 1080i, there is a dark green bar down the right size of screen. It's about an inch think on a 47" set. I've got Version 1.0.3 build 3.40. |
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DynStatic
@verizon.net | reply to SGR
2 more things. I'm in Richmond, VA. And this set up worked before the new IMG. |
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mrlaugh
@verizon.net
| reply to timjkarp
said by timjkarp :I sure hope that they do a refund, since one of my problems is limiting my ability to watch some HD programming: 1.When adding some HD channels to Favorites, the non-HD channels get added, resulting in excess Favorite channels to scroll through. (These channels include USA, FX, SPIKE, TLC, ANPL) Seems like the IMG looks at the channel name and not number! unless you know something the rest of us don't.. we don't get any of those channels you listed in HD. I'm not even sure if they're available anywhere yet. Perhaps you're confusing the Spanish language package channels with the HD channels?
I have that issue, the 500 level channels auto select as favorites when I select the lower numbered english version. I have seen posts about issues with always recording the lower numbered channel, as well, but this doesn't apply to HD, that I've heard.
my roommate has had the occassional problem with the HDMI connection, but it has been a pretty simple unplug something and it's fixed issue. I have a HDMI to DVI cable and haven't had any issues at all since the new guide, and only the rare problem in the old one. |
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psychofarm
| reply to mbrodeur
said by mbrodeur :There are mysterious terms that show up in various places. The one I'm especially thinking of shows up on the guide for (I think) shows with recording conflicts. Says something like "Bumped show deleted" or something. Bumped? What's that? "Bumped due to deletion" I get these too, and the only way to resolve them is to cancel the recording and re-record it.
At this point, the whole system is so unreliable, I am having to check what shows are going to record that day to make sure that it hasn't canceled the recordings or marked them "bumped". I'm still recording the shows I really care about on my stand-alone DVR as extra insurance.
Another thing: I miss the old replay duration. That really was the ideal time for me. 10-seconds is just a little too long for that "What did he just say?" moment without having to hear a lot of the conversation preceding the missed dialogue. |
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DanFouts
@state.gov
| reply to DynStatic
THis IMG is HORRIBLE. I have pushed and praised Fios, but I am thinking about leaving for DirectTV.
BUGS
1. The dreaded Green bar. No technician has figured it out yet. I seriously doubt all of our TVs when Green bar coincidentally after the software push.
2. Won't record some episodes
3. Replay starts in the middle if it is on live. I wanted to watch Chargers game without knowing score. Hit play and it picks up in the third quarter live.
4. Who approved pushing this beta garbage...... |
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