My main gripe is the same as always; inability to customise. ....
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting. More complexity has all sorts of costs. More code costs time to develop, introduces more bugs, and may slow down the lowest spec supported boxes (samsung, pace) to an unacceptable degree. Complexity adds to support costs- more calls to support numbers, more complex diagnosis of customer problems. Complexity can also disadvantage customers with physical or learning difficulties - small child visits grandparents and finds the channel editor and deletes a few channels - or just someone pressing the wrong key sequence accidentally - now you have missing channels and the user doesn't know how to put them back, or even that they could be removed in the first place.
Sky's UI has always been a low tech, keep it simple & intuitive for the masses approach - and we all seem to manage to use it. If you've tried the menus on a freeview smart TV recently that you are unfamiliar with it makes an interesting comparison. I was recently at the 6 Music festival fringe and watched one of their techs spend nearly an hour trying to stop an LCD TV popping up an onscreen menu over their static display - it was sensing there was no moving image, so 5 minutes into every talk up would pop the menu - then at the next interval he'd be there changing settings trying to find how to stop it. Eventually he got there but it clearly wasn't user friendly enough.
Under advanced settings you can have an option to restore all advanced settings to default. Problem solved.
You've missed the point that developing advanced features will cost time and money and could mean people with older boxes wouldn't get them. It's not a priority for Sky; if you want something like that, buy a FTA receiver that will contain more advanced options that you desire.
You've missed the point that developing advanced features will cost time and money and could mean people with older boxes wouldn't get them. It's not a priority for Sky; if you want something like that, buy a FTA receiver that will contain more advanced options that you desire.
It wont decode Sky sub channels though!
Unless you know a generic box you can put a Sky card in!
It wont decode Sky sub channels though!
Unless you know a generic box you can put a Sky card in!
Many "hobby" boxes (TM5402, Linux, HTPC etc) with the right software CAM can quite happily decrypt using a Sky sub card and some will even pass through the "keep alive" and other update signals to the viewing card. Many can even give a 7 day EPG.
You've missed the point that developing advanced features will cost time and money and could mean people with older boxes wouldn't get them. It's not a priority for Sky; if you want something like that, buy a FTA receiver that will contain more advanced options that you desire.
What frustrates me is the inability to customise my personal planner, sky introduced the stacking system to tidy up/make navigation simpler, it's not had the desired affect, not here anyway, I have episodes from many series scattered all over the place because someone in their infinite wisdom keeps altering the text on programme entries, I now have to check the episode numbers for programmes that are in stacks and single entries so the series is viewed in its correct order, that's if they have included the episode number in the synopsis, most of the time they just stop, I then have to on the net and obtain the episode guide.
The way I see it is.....
Sky introduced the stacking feature so I reckon they should provide a solution to make it work. They are just as guilty as other channels were the altering of text on programme entries results in single episodes being scattered throughout the planner and not in their corresponding stack. Easy enough to solve I would have thought.
What frustrates me is the inability to customise my personal planner, sky introduced the stacking system to tidy up/make navigation simpler, it's not had the desired affect, not here anyway, I have episodes from many series scattered all over the place because someone in their infinite wisdom keeps altering the text on programme entries, I now have to check the episode numbers for programmes that are in stacks and single entries so the series is viewed in its correct order, that's if they have included the episode number in the synopsis, most of the time they just stop, I then have to on the net and obtain the episode guide.
The way I see it is.....
Sky introduced the stacking feature so I reckon they should provide a solution to make it work. They are just as guilty as other channels were the altering of text on programme entries results in single episodes being scattered throughout the planner and not in their corresponding stack. Easy enough to solve I would have thought.
It's been a bugbare of mine since I got Sky+.
Just last week I got half a series with the regular title and the other half in a different stack with New at the start of the title.
It's been a bugbare of mine since I got Sky+.
Just last week I got half a series with the regular title and the other half in a different stack with New at the start of the title.
I have to say that the stacking thing doesnt bother me so much, I rarely keep episodes and if I have put a few in to watch they are usually from on demand and there they never use 'New' it the title!
I think the only thing in a series that I have kept a few of is Doctor Who and that only stacks into 3 as I have recordings from 3 different channels!
The solution would be to make sure text entries are the same for every episode in the series.
Nice to hear they ate working on it, cheers for the info ;-)
They could definitely associate the episodes without doing text matching - the box clearly can track which episodes are related, or series link wouldn't work after a title change. Sky could use that to help associate the stacks if they wanted to (this is the way my Freesat box works.)
By all accounts on the sky forum there a few bugs with it so the longer the better for me, people complaining too AnnieUk and shes not even a sky employee just goes on there to give her opinion.
How long does it usually take before it's available via the Download Stream?
Several weeks IIRC. Remember it's there for Disaster Recovery purposes, so that if a significant bug is found in the new software then those people affected can be advised to roll back.
So the version on the DR stream will always be one that's had long enough to be proved sufficiently stable for mass adoption.
A solution would surely just be to allow users to move things in and out of stacks themselves? Otherwise, it's just relying on the channels/program makers to name/code stuff correctly.
In fact, just being able to move stuff around the planner manually would be a lovely feature. For example, it would be nice to move all my kids shows together so as they don't interfere with the adults shows. All well and good if all the shows are broadcast on kids channels and you can just go to the "Kids" tab...but they aren't!
Indeed. Sky typically do a small initial rollout,, and then nothing for a couple of weeks, presumably to give time for any major issues to emerge. This is followed by larger weekly rollouts increasing to twice weekly.
It usually goes on the DR stream about the time they go to twice weekly rollouts, about 6-8 weeks after the initial appearance, longer if any issues do emerge.
One thing to be aware of is that performing a forced download can interrupt any scheduled download that may be in progress and cause you to go to the back of the update queue.
A solution would surely just be to allow users to move things in and out of stacks themselves? Otherwise, it's just relying on the channels/program makers to name/code stuff correctly.
In fact, just being able to move stuff around the planner manually would be a lovely feature. For example, it would be nice to move all my kids shows together so as they don't interfere with the adults shows. All well and good if all the shows are broadcast on kids channels and you can just go to the "Kids" tab...but they aren't!
There is already a way to show only kids shows or anything from a certain genera by the tabs just above the planner.
One is deleted items, another is 'all items' in the planner and then you have the same categories that the TV guide does.
There is already a way to show only kids shows or anything from a certain genera by the tabs just above the planner.
One is deleted items, another is 'all items' in the planner and then you have the same categories that the TV guide does.
Maybe you would like to re-read what was said, I have highlighted it for you.
A solution would surely just be to allow users to move things in and out of stacks themselves? Otherwise, it's just relying on the channels/program makers to name/code stuff correctly.
In fact, just being able to move stuff around the planner manually would be a lovely feature. For example, it would be nice to move all my kids shows together so as they don't interfere with the adults shows. All well and good if all the shows are broadcast on kids channels and you can just go to the "Kids" tab...but they aren't!
Comments
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting. More complexity has all sorts of costs. More code costs time to develop, introduces more bugs, and may slow down the lowest spec supported boxes (samsung, pace) to an unacceptable degree. Complexity adds to support costs- more calls to support numbers, more complex diagnosis of customer problems. Complexity can also disadvantage customers with physical or learning difficulties - small child visits grandparents and finds the channel editor and deletes a few channels - or just someone pressing the wrong key sequence accidentally - now you have missing channels and the user doesn't know how to put them back, or even that they could be removed in the first place.
Sky's UI has always been a low tech, keep it simple & intuitive for the masses approach - and we all seem to manage to use it. If you've tried the menus on a freeview smart TV recently that you are unfamiliar with it makes an interesting comparison. I was recently at the 6 Music festival fringe and watched one of their techs spend nearly an hour trying to stop an LCD TV popping up an onscreen menu over their static display - it was sensing there was no moving image, so 5 minutes into every talk up would pop the menu - then at the next interval he'd be there changing settings trying to find how to stop it. Eventually he got there but it clearly wasn't user friendly enough.
You've missed the point that developing advanced features will cost time and money and could mean people with older boxes wouldn't get them. It's not a priority for Sky; if you want something like that, buy a FTA receiver that will contain more advanced options that you desire.
It wont decode Sky sub channels though!
Unless you know a generic box you can put a Sky card in!
Did anyone get this this morning???
Also is it on the download stream yet for update manually?
To answer both your questions........Nope and Nope
Many "hobby" boxes (TM5402, Linux, HTPC etc) with the right software CAM can quite happily decrypt using a Sky sub card and some will even pass through the "keep alive" and other update signals to the viewing card. Many can even give a 7 day EPG.
What frustrates me is the inability to customise my personal planner, sky introduced the stacking system to tidy up/make navigation simpler, it's not had the desired affect, not here anyway, I have episodes from many series scattered all over the place because someone in their infinite wisdom keeps altering the text on programme entries, I now have to check the episode numbers for programmes that are in stacks and single entries so the series is viewed in its correct order, that's if they have included the episode number in the synopsis, most of the time they just stop, I then have to on the net and obtain the episode guide.
The way I see it is.....
Sky introduced the stacking feature so I reckon they should provide a solution to make it work. They are just as guilty as other channels were the altering of text on programme entries results in single episodes being scattered throughout the planner and not in their corresponding stack. Easy enough to solve I would have thought.
The solution would be to make sure text entries are the same for every episode in the series.
Nice to hear they ate working on it, cheers for the info ;-)
Just last week I got half a series with the regular title and the other half in a different stack with New at the start of the title.
I have to say that the stacking thing doesnt bother me so much, I rarely keep episodes and if I have put a few in to watch they are usually from on demand and there they never use 'New' it the title!
I think the only thing in a series that I have kept a few of is Doctor Who and that only stacks into 3 as I have recordings from 3 different channels!
no update this morning but some boxes may get it on Tuesday
They could definitely associate the episodes without doing text matching - the box clearly can track which episodes are related, or series link wouldn't work after a title change. Sky could use that to help associate the stacks if they wanted to (this is the way my Freesat box works.)
As others have said on the thread. You have to be patient. Its not on the stream yet.
Hi
How long does it usually take before it's available via the Download Stream?
Thanks
Baz
Several weeks IIRC. Remember it's there for Disaster Recovery purposes, so that if a significant bug is found in the new software then those people affected can be advised to roll back.
So the version on the DR stream will always be one that's had long enough to be proved sufficiently stable for mass adoption.
A solution would surely just be to allow users to move things in and out of stacks themselves? Otherwise, it's just relying on the channels/program makers to name/code stuff correctly.
In fact, just being able to move stuff around the planner manually would be a lovely feature. For example, it would be nice to move all my kids shows together so as they don't interfere with the adults shows. All well and good if all the shows are broadcast on kids channels and you can just go to the "Kids" tab...but they aren't!
Indeed. Sky typically do a small initial rollout,, and then nothing for a couple of weeks, presumably to give time for any major issues to emerge. This is followed by larger weekly rollouts increasing to twice weekly.
It usually goes on the DR stream about the time they go to twice weekly rollouts, about 6-8 weeks after the initial appearance, longer if any issues do emerge.
One thing to be aware of is that performing a forced download can interrupt any scheduled download that may be in progress and cause you to go to the back of the update queue.
There is already a way to show only kids shows or anything from a certain genera by the tabs just above the planner.
One is deleted items, another is 'all items' in the planner and then you have the same categories that the TV guide does.
Maybe you would like to re-read what was said, I have highlighted it for you.
Thanks for that! Thought I was losing my mind!