XfinityTV and Equipment

[harleysmom4]

Press menu twice and go to search.

[Agilis]

No the guide is not. Not yet at least.

Generic:

1. The help that is displayed when selecting a specific option is useless. This needs to be in a dedicated area on screen like at the bottom similar to a web browser's status area. That way you can have more, informative text.

2. Allow the brightness of the LCD display on the front of the DVR RNG200 to be configured - I feel sorry for those who use this model in the bed room, it's too bright.

3. Allow the switched outlet to stay off in the event the box is off and a recording is scheduled.

4. Allow more options for video and audio control when it comes to HDMI - Black level, Digital out, etc. Right now, Audio Setup has no effect when HDMI Audio/Optical/Digital Coax is used. It would be nice to know the settings are disabled when those types of connections are being used.

5. Allow different fonts and sizes to be specified for the User Interface. If I choose a smaller font size, the guide should be scaled so more information is shown on screen.

6. Bring back PIP. You have a remote control with a dedicated button but PIP has been removed. Pause/Swap/Play work around does not work for those who relied on PIP to follow two sporting events at once. If a user would pause a sporting event, flip to another sporting event, then flip back, the original sporting event is now behind, which makes watching sporting events LIVE not possible.

7. Add Subtitle/Close-Captioning control to the Quick Menu. Right now it's too difficult to get to this option to temporarily use the feature in the event dialog on screen is hard to follow.

Guide:

1. Adding/Removing certain channels is a must. If HD is becoming popular at such a high rate, there is no need to see a the Standard Definition channels if it means faster browsing. Separate the guide into SD and HD tiers and allow this to be a user setting within the guide.

2. Allow the directional buttons on the remote control to be for guide navigation only. Do not allow them to control the DVR when the remote has dedicated buttons.

3. Remove the advertisements. Users being in a Web driven world are accustomed to ignoring advertisements especially if those ads link to an On-Demand feature. Users will continue to ignore these ads thus wasting valuable space.

4. Offer the guide in a 16:9 layout so users can take advantage of the HDTV. Right now it's 4:3 stretched and makes the guide look cheap on 16x9 TVs.

5. Decrease the size of the image preview while browsing so more guide data can be displayed

DVR

1. Allow the user to see a vertical list of their scheduled recordings. Right now, you need to advance to a specific day.

2. Allow Manual Recordings to be editable instead of just their start/stop times.

3. Allow TV programs to be recorded with the same settings offered when setting up a Manual Recording instead of 'one time' or series only

4. Allow Series recordings to be deleted from other screens and not just Series Priority screen

Thank you for giving the customers an opportunity to share our suggestions.

[rog286713]

All those would be great.  To bad its not going to happen though.  In the Motorola market which I am in we are 2-3 guide updates ahead of the SA/Cisco boxes and we have none of that.

[Agilis]

So what sort of reliability do we have that Comcast is actually hearing/taking in our suggestions? Because right now, the guide is nothing but an annoyance to the majority of their subscribers.

[rog286713]

comcast has limited view into these message boards, these are customer to customer forums for help.  They are coming out with a new guide in a few years though from what I read online.  Also the majority of the users are the motorola market not the SA/Cisco market which I am sure you are in based on your post.  The features you had I would have loved to have had but never did so all I know is what I have has always been this way.   I have no idea why it takes them so long to make simple adjustments. 

[tedtv]

Guide:

1. Adding/Removing certain channels is a must. If HD is becoming popular at such a high rate, there is no need to see a the Standard Definition channels if it means faster browsing. Separate the guide into SD and HD tiers and allow this to be a user setting within the guide.

Try this > press Menu once,,then choose HD, then HD Channel Guide.  

[tedtv]

4. Allow Series recordings to be deleted from other screens and not just Series Priority screen

It's there already.

Series recordings can be deleted from a few places in the guide (at least withy the Motoola guide)

You can click on the series recording in the guide grid or from your scheduled recordings list, arrow over to the red dot (it says set or cancel a recording), select that and then select Don't record (or to remove the entire series from being recorded, select Modify Recording settings  then "don't record this series".

[Agilis]

Thanks for the HD Tier recommendation and the deletion of Series. I'll try both when I get home.

[jfmagee340561]

I dont think the guide is user friendly, you cant print it, and when you ask to have one sent to you they say they dont have any, I have no idea if it would be user friendly if you had one to read as you try to use it.

[rog286713]

The post is meant to ask is the guide user friendly to use.  If you want a print out of your guide go here enter your information and pull up your local guide and then print it out. 

https://www.comcast.com/Localization/Localize.cspx?Referer=%2fCustomers%2fClu%2fChannelLineup.ashx%3...

[jfmagee340561]

thats channel lineups

[rog286713]

well the guide is technically the channel line up.  What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?  Maybe what you actually want is different than how you are presenting it.  If your looking for a tv guide like item on paper that is like the guide you will not get that.  Your local tv guide or guide in your newspaper has the most common channels in it and is the best your going to do.

[jfmagee340561]

I am looking for a printable version of the user guide which shows the characters etc shown on it.  The characters will not print, I asked comcast for one but somehow even though they just began using it where I am doing have any.

[rog286713]

well thats a whole different story.  Now I will ask you what you want that for?  Are you trying to capture some errors your getting and wanting to show them to comcast or something like that?  If so you can go to youtube they are all up there.  If you want them for some other reason then take a picture of them with a digital camera and upload them to a pc.  I hope that's what you mean by characters.  Again your really not being clear by guide characters.  a better example is in order

[tedtv]

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jfmagee340561 wrote:

I am looking for a printable version of the user guide which shows the characters etc shown on it.  The characters will not print, I asked comcast for one but somehow even though they just began using it where I am doing have any.

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Try here: http://xfinity.comcast.net/meetyourguide/#downloads

[rog286713]

YOu know I never thought by what was asked that he was looking for instructions for how to use the guide. 

[darwinkle]

The new guide/control program took effect here recently (SE MA 6/14/2011) and not only is it no upgrade, it is horrible!  Navigation is ridiculous and we've lost several features,(notably PIP, slow motion and search modes) the info bar is much bigger -nearly 1/3 of the screen and doesn't quickly scroll with the arrow keys as the previous one did;  having attained full use dexterity of the previous I can no longer move about as I did last week and instead am thrown off into some other menu or channel.  I can't even escape the menus and they have gotten bigger and more clumsy.  Sorry- but I suggest we go back to the better version. C'mon guide dog- you posted this 2 1/2 years ago and still I see dozens of complaints about the new guide.  Maybe I should go down the street and speak to my neighbor- brian roberts- to see if he likes it.   

[tedtv]

slow motion:

1. Press the Pause key:
2. Press the Fast Forward key:

If needed, then press Exit to dsmiss the on-screen display.

more info here tha may help http://xfinity.comcast.net/meetyourguide/

From hat I have read, most comcast customers (over 80%) already have had this guide for many years (including I am pretty sure CEO Brian Roberts).  

Last key also brings you back a menu each time. I think Guide Dog initally published his post to talk abourt a version of the Motorola guide that had new features so this tghread is now very confusing. The new SA guide has only started showing up over the last year or so.

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darwinkle wrote:

The new guide/control program took effect here recently (SE MA 6/14/2011) and not only is it no upgrade, it is horrible!  Navigation is ridiculous and we've lost several features,(notably PIP, slow motion and search modes) the info bar is much bigger -nearly 1/3 of the screen and doesn't quickly scroll with the arrow keys as the previous one did;  having attained full use dexterity of the previous I can no longer move about as I did last week and instead am thrown off into some other menu or channel.  I can't even escape the menus and they have gotten bigger and more clumsy.  Sorry- but I suggest we go back to the better version. C'mon guide dog- you posted this 2 1/2 years ago and still I see dozens of complaints about the new guide.  Maybe I should go down the street and speak to my neighbor- brian roberts- to see if he likes it.   

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[JIm64]

Okay is this a joke the new guide sucks, press up button to go down press down buttons to go up. Man you took a major step backward. Do you think adding some color makes things nicer therefore better. If you designed this " your fired" worst thing to happen to TV since comcast bought out the corrupt Regis family. go back to the drawing board and come up with something better than this.

[liliwings]

after our area of the country was switched from the old user friendly guide to your software,  things went down hill.  they tell me that the Scientific Atlantic boxes are not compatable with the software on the guide. I have had 4 boxes since then.  And I am no better off.  This guide is DVR H @#$

Even if the box actually was reading the software, I can tell you that I do not like several functions now.  I was completely happy with the old software. Now, I do not get to choose to record a repeat of a show at midnight each week.  I have to keep a list of shows I want to watch. And program them in each week unless its a new show, or unless I want to record it every time it is shown.  This needs to be changed

Otherwise, the window that comes up when I am trying to record a show which tells me there is already another ( it should be two shows) that I have programmed to record at this time, is clumsy in its options.  The old software was clean and gave options right there that were logical.

I do not object to comcast upgrading their service to make more functions available ( eg programming from cell phone in the future).  But the way it is now is that you have sacraficed the basic function to try to achieve this goal.  I would like to stay with comcast. But right now its looking like this DVR and I are not meant to be together. I have had your DVR service for many years and was not intending to switch companies.  But no progress is being made on fixing any of the larger problems. 

I just got off the phone, yet again with comcast. This time there was a notification telling me to call comast and give them a NOSRC ( sp???) code.  Would not let me watch anything until I did that. Oh yes, two days ago, same window, same code.  Thanks for reading this. 

[rog286713]

first of all this is a customer to customer support forum.  Yes the SA upgrade gives you less features than what you had.  The other 80% of us have only had what you have no so you can consider yourself lucky in that respect.  Comast is bringing everyone to the same platform so they can move everyone forward together and everyone is not on different guides.  Yes there are problems with your software and comcast is aware and have admitted to it, don't call and ask a rep to confirm that, they will not.  So if you want to try and ask some questions about how we can possibly give you some shortcuts or better ways to work the guide go ahead and ask. 

here is a link so view

http://blog.comcast.com/2010/05/new-guide-for-scientific-atlanta-cable-boxes.html

[liliwings]

you say the other 80% percent of you have had what we have now?  So you all for years have had software  that stops recprding of its own volition?   Software that crashes? 

You say this is  customer to customer . Yes . However  the post that the person who started the thread was quite misleading. He did call it a job.  I quote:   "I'm a User Experience Researcher with Comcast- my specific focus is on the Guide and other interactive video features.  My job is to evaluate and enhance the "usability" of the Guide and the television experience as a whole.  In simple terms, my goal is to ensure that customers can use our products and features quickly and easily, and that the experience is a pleasant one."

Thanks for the info.  Most important, I now realize this is a cust. to cust. thread. 

[commanguy]

lilliwings

Just to clarify a little if I may. Any username in red on the forums will indicate an official Comcast employee.

Normally the forums are customer to customer helping each other. Comcast employees are notified when something needs escalation, clarification on something, or in the case of this thread they posted something. In general they don't monitor on a regular basis from my understanding. So if you see a RED username that person is a Comcast employee.

[liliwings]

Thanks for the clarification, I appreciate it   Can someone tell me how to unsubscribe  to this thread so I will not continue to get emails re: it in my inbox. I tried to figure out how to do it.   But continued to fall short of success. Thanks

[JayInAlg]

On the right is a "options" dropdown, is there a "unsubscribe" selection to choose?

[khd]

In a word, NO!

We have had the SA  DVR for several years and had no problems with it. About a month ago Comcast downloaded the "new" software. It is REALLY BAD! As I read in another thread, it is slightly better in displaying the program schedule, but its control of the DVR is just awful!  

I understand they want everyone to have the same system, but why couldn't they have waited until the new version was better?

[tedtv]

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khd wrote:

In a word, NO!

We have had the SA  DVR for several years and had no problems with it. About a month ago Comcast downloaded the "new" software. It is REALLY BAD! As I read in another thread, it is slightly better in displaying the program schedule, but its control of the DVR is just awful!  

I understand they want everyone to have the same system, but why couldn't they have waited until the new version was better?

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wow, what problems are you having?  

[Kiez-san]

I do not have HD on all my TV's and I have the SA boxes throughout the house. We were updated a couple of nights ago and I must say the new guide has already frustrated me to the point I want to leave Comcast. I cannot search by title, or change the date for future shows, the page runs off the side of the TV screen,  I have to use the slow scroll, and I have to click past the perverbial advertisements every 6 or so line items.  I pay enough for comcast NOT to have to get past advertising every 6th click!

I am so frustrated, I find myself thinking "I'll see what's on" and then quit because I do not want to deal with this new system.  I feel as through I am using a Commodore 64.  Just terrible.

Something must be done because honestly, I have enough stress in my life without having to fight my programming screen.  This is a deal breaker for me.

[tedtv]

Search by title? Press menu twice then select Search. 

Go ahead a Day, press the red C button (Day Plus)
Page up/page down to skip over the ads.

Good Luck

[tennstrike]

Your new channel guide is TERRIBLE! It's almost like the software programmers were trying to annoy your customers! Two glaring problems that would be easy to fix.

1. You can not move backwards in time. You could before. Sometimes, you need to see what you just missed! This is simply a S T U P I D software miss.

2. When you are moving up and down through channels you stop at that ad at the bottom. How ubelievably annoying! You can force the ad on us without interrupting our search for what is on. After all, I am moving up and down to find something to watch not to have something pushed at me. You have the exact opposite effect on me, at least, from the desired one. My reaction is to become annoyed not at the

idi x t programmer but at the show/thing being advertised that has interrupted my channel search.

Please fix these two problems.

"You used a bad word, idi x t, in the body of your post. Please clean up the body before posting."

 Are you kidding? I guess if I were one, I would consider it a bad word too. 

[tennstrike]

Absolutely agree. You can't go backwards in time either. Sometimes you just missed something or it might actually have been delayed because of a sports event.

[commanguy]

One thing I have found if you push GUIDE twice you get a listing for the whole channel you are on at the time.

I can use the scroll up and down button to check that whole channel out, no ads. The left and right arrow go to other channels.

The RED C button gives me up to four days in the future in one day increments and the BLUE B button goes back.

Not as neat as the old guide but occasionally useful.

[Razmus]

I am most impressed that this question is actually being asked by a Comcast employee! Maybe there is hope for Comcast after all!

Our set box recently went through an update which **finally** added a favorites filter to the guide. But, in the process the look and feel went backwards significantly! Rather than moving towards a nice interface, such as an iPad, you've gone back to the Atari 2600 look -- just plain ugly, terribly pixelated! 

Also, functionality in managing the DVR recordings and schedule has been seriously messed up and made much more difficult to manage. I can't even find a list of scheduled events anywhere! Bottom line, the advent of Xfinity seems to have degraded the user experience.

I can tell you that compared to my Dish system at home in GA, Comcast is light-years behind in interface quality, appearance, and functionality. The Guide is one of the most pronounced differences. I've used uVerse and seen a similar quality difference and that is AT&T for heavens sake! As a user interface designer in aviation and military systems, horrible interface designs and implementation are genuinely  offensive! But, I'm thrilled you asked and look forward to improvements.

Our box: CISCO RNG200 - best Arlington VA Comcast has to offer!

[moron-customer]

Razmus

I see you are a Dish Network user.  Could you tell me any issues you've had with the company.  This new menu interface is my last straw with comcast. This xfinity menu interface is beyond my tolerance.  I am trying to decide between Direct TV and Dish Network.  Any info you have would be appreciated!

[moron-customer]

Well... this is my third day of torture.  Has anyone tried the reminders yet?  What a joke.  Still ticked off about this new moronic menu but I have to wait a little longer to leave this bogus company behind.  I found out through comcast employees that I know the reactions to this new menu have been complaints 2 to 1.   But the company who touts "customer satisfaction" doesn't give a hoot. 

Anyone know how to scroll just the channels you have without getting an advertisement and without taking up the whole screen?  How about backing out to the tier above the show info in pay per view.  Anyone know how to see the full menu without a wide screen TV?  Does everyone show "...." when the title cell is small or when the show started before you can scroll backwards? 

[rog286713]

well you have to use the page up and down buttons and now the arrow up and down. only use those when you get to the page you want to view your channel on

[ojmc]

I'm with cypherx 100%. The new guide was recently foisted on us in the Albuquerque area and is full of bugs.Since cypherx' post was in 2009, I'm not hopeful of any resolution. I was told that the problem is with the Scientific Atlanta DVRs we use in this area. Well if that's so go back to the old guide. As cipherx says there are many GOOD guides, the FIOS was an examplewhich I saw when I visited my daughter on the East Coast.

[moron-customer]

This is the thing,  I didn't/won't memorize my channel line up and when I surf channel by channel, I can't tell which one I can watch or not.  It' is absurd to be so agreivated and I will be switching to a dish since comcast/xfinity has not mentioned fixing this trash guide.

[getlance]

Good Things about the "New and Improved" Comcast Interface:

1) You can add time onto programmed recordings in case the show goes long - expecially great for sports and live TV events.

Not So Good Things about the "New and Inproved" Comcast Interface:

1) The "improved" interface wiped out everything that I had programmed to serial record when deployed. I 
then had to visit all my older relatives and re-program their serial DVR recordings, as this happened to all 
of us.

2) The "improved" interface will not serial record some programs, no matter how many times you program 
them - like new episodes of Pawn Stars, for example.

3) My mother has arthritis and she now has to scroll through a banner ad after every 4 channels on the TV listings menu, which she never had to do before - shame on you Comcast!

4) The "skip to end" feature is gone from the DVR function, which I used quite a bit.

5) When you pause, 1/5th of the screen is permanently covered by the blue control bar (covers up 
subtitles). Before the "upgrade", the control bar would disappear, once you initiated pause.

6) When you use slow motion, 1/5th of the screen is permanently covered by the blue control bar (covers 
up subtitles). Before the "upgrade", the control bar would disappear, once you initiated slow motion.

7) You can only scroll down through the DVR recorded program menu, meaning that if you have an external hard drive with many programs to choose from, it takes many minutes to get to where you can select older recordings. You used to be able to scroll up and down the menu, making finding old programs on the DVR a breeze.

8) It seems that the "skip to day" feature in the TV listings is gone.

9) The function's remote control interface was changed enough that my smart remotes had to all be 
re-programmed to work properly with the "improved" interface.

10) The "series priority" function takes quite a bit of learning to master and if you don't program it, the 
DVR may start erasing your favorite recordings, leaving lesser shows in their place. One should have the 
option of disabling this feature.

11) When you play back a show on the DVR, it always lists the program as "To Be Announced", no matter 
what the show is - ALWAYS.

12) The "Future Recordings" menu no longer lists channel numbers, just show titles.

And these are just some of the "improvements" made to my cable watching experience! I know that this mess has me seriously looking for alternatives to Comcast!

[ojmc]

I have some of the some problems some I don't. I can offer help wih a couiple of things tho

.

#3 Using the Guide setup, (screen grid option I think) you can get back one more line of useful info. Some hepl but not much

#5 & #6. This used to annoy me too til a helpful tech told me to click "exit" to get rid of the blue bar. That works.

[tedtv]

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getlance wrote:

Good Things about the "New and Improved" Comcast Interface:

3) My mother has arthritis and she now has to scroll through a banner ad after every 4 channels on the TV listings menu, which she never had to do before - shame on you Comcast!

4) The "skip to end" feature is gone from the DVR function, which I used quite a bit.

5) When you pause, 1/5th of the screen is permanently covered by the blue control bar (covers up 
subtitles). Before the "upgrade", the control bar would disappear, once you initiated pause.

6) When you use slow motion, 1/5th of the screen is permanently covered by the blue control bar (covers 
up subtitles). Before the "upgrade", the control bar would disappear, once you initiated slow motion.

8) It seems that the "skip to day" feature in the TV listings is gone.

9) The function's remote control interface was changed enough that my smart remotes had to all be 
re-programmed to work properly with the "improved" interface.

12) The "Future Recordings" menu no longer lists channel numbers, just show titles.

And these are just some of the "improvements" made to my cable watching experience! I know that this mess has me seriously looking for alternatives to Comcast!

---

some suggestions for some of what you have above

#3 Page up and page down buttons on the comcast silver remote control will skip over the ads.

#4  DVR Skip to End is no longer supported, but you can now resume your DVR show from where you left off or restart your show from the beginning. To restart from where you left off, select the Play option from your DVR program (it is the second icon from the left). Have you used the 5 minute skip-ahead and skip-back features to get around in DVR playback? Page Up moves you ahead 5 minutes at a time while Page Down moves you back 5 minutes. That is another shortcut to get around in a DVR program and also a new feature.

#5 and #6 pressing exit key on the remote control dismisses the on-screen transport bar at any time.  

#8 use the red C button (labeled Day +) to go ahead one day at a time in the guide grid.

#9 i read somehere that buttons and actions like Last, Guide, Menu, page uip, page down, MyDVR and On Demand may need to be programmed into the customer’s owned remote control. Customers should consult their remote control user manual or visit the device’s website for additional instructions

#12 - for scheduled dvr recordings the channel number is not on the same line but it is listed at the top of the screen to the right of the show title. Agreed that would be a good addition.

[nueros]

This was started by "Comcast" from the looks of it... has there been ANY response to these complaints?  The thread is quite old.

[jimbarrow]

The search feature can't be found that way anymore (MENU, MENU, SEARCH).  And when you do finally get there, it is totally useless.  Please put it back the way it was! 

[tedtv]

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jimbarrow wrote:

The search feature can't be found that way anymore (MENU, MENU, SEARCH).  And when you do finally get there, it is totally useless.  Please put it back the way it was! 

---

What kind of cable box do you have? The model number should be on the front panel. And how do you get to search now? what is useless about it?

I get to search by Menu, Find Shows, Search TV & On Demand.

http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FAQViewer.aspx?Guid=8106fc9a-b316-48db-b125-6558f8910e41

[rog286713]

this thread was intended for the motorola market as a question to weather you found the guide easy to use. It has nothing to do with the SA cisco market and how the guide you are getting is not as good as what you had.   This thread has taken on a life of its own. 

[jimbarrow]

Tedtv, I have a Motorola DCT 3416.  I now get to search the same way you described.  It wasn't alway thus. But it's not the method of getting there, it's the results that I don't care for.  

The rediculousness of it:  I was searching for Chuggington for my grandson.  After typing in all the searchletters, i get 2 results:  Chuggington S2 Ep3, both the same.  Clicking on either does nothing. "Program info not available".  Using the Infinity app on my ipad gives me every Chuggington on every channel instantly. 

I am searching for Fringe right now which starts Friday night.  9 matches. Fringe S4 Ep1 New HD.  Clicking on it does nothing.  It doesn't tell me anything useful, not even what time it plays. The ipad app has it listed for the next 2 weeks.

What was wrong with the way it used to be? 

[rog286713]

fringe on friday which is tomorrow has not aired yet, what exactly would you like your box to do?  When you search for a show on your box it is going to tell you when the show you are searching for is airing.  Its up to you when the guide finds it what you want to do with it, set a reminder, record it etc. 
what exactly did you want your search to show you for a show that has not even aired yet?

[jimbarrow]

Rog,

I want it to tell me what time a TV show is on.  Particularly one that hasn't played yet.  That's what I would expect the search feature to tell me.  I don't care about a show that has already played. 

[rog286713]

so when the search finds your show,  select it in the right side column the press ok select and it will show you when its on, you can record it, set up a reminder for it, find other times its on.  

[tedtv]

Fringe S4 Ep1 New HD sounds like an On Demand program. If you click on it it should bring you to that program so you can view it. Is that part not working?