LionMage
08-20-2006, 03:45 PM
I've just spent the last hour or so trying to find an appropriate web page on TiVo-dot-com to report what I view as bugs and misfeatures in the latest software update. I finally decided to use the web page that is designed for suggesting new features to TiVo.
It's great that TiVo takes feature suggestions from its customers, but it should also be taking bug reports and user complaints. Otherwise, they are kidding themselves by living in a false vacuum of complaints. Users like me will just get frustrated and vent anywhere else they think they can (like blogs, or this community discussion forum).
Here's the meat of what I sent to TiVo, or tried to:
My TiVo was recently upgraded to the latest software release, which features KidsZone. Unfortunately, this release seems broken. Even more distressing, your web site provides no indication for how rank-and-file TiVo users are supposed to report bugs or complain about changes to the TiVo user experience.
This latest software update contains no features that I need or want, as I have no children in my household, and furthermore, even if I had children, I would not want to leave filtering solely in the hands of a machine. Rather, the user experience of TiVo's software has degenerated to the point where I no longer feel as though I am getting value for what I am paying each month.
Since this latest software update, I have noticed substantial bugs in the new TiVo software. Here are just some examples:
Save to VCR used to display a black billboard with white text immediately before playing back the content to be saved. Now, after the black billboard is displayed, the TiVo green menu background displays for a couple seconds before the actual program material starts playing back.
Menu operations are more sluggish. There is a substantial pause now between pressing any control on the remote and seeing the results of that action on-screen. Most users would probably describe this as being "less responsive."
Channel changing and guide operations performed while watching live TV are both slower.
In the Now Playing list, pressing the Clear button to delete an item doesn't immediately move it to the Deleted Items folder. Now, an X is displayed next to the item, and the selection is moved to the next item in the list; eventually, the Xed item moves to the Deleted Items folder. The user interface was better in the previous release, in my opinion. First of all, there's no reason to mark an item with an X and leave it in the list for some indeterminate amount of time before making it disappear. Just make it disappear; the Deleted Items folder is there for a reason, so if the user makes a mistake, they're covered. Secondly, the system moves the selection for me, which subverts how I have been accustomed to removing groups of items from the list. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad, but since performance is so sluggish, there's every chance I might hit another button on the remote by the time the menu updates on-screen.
Items have been renamed on the top-level menu, which was disruptive to me and my fiancee at first. In fact, she was so confused, she wasn't sure where to go at first to manage season passes. Renaming menu items and reshuffling them are both big no-nos, especially on a consumer electronics device with a well-established user interface.
It's great that TiVo takes feature suggestions from its customers, but it should also be taking bug reports and user complaints. Otherwise, they are kidding themselves by living in a false vacuum of complaints. Users like me will just get frustrated and vent anywhere else they think they can (like blogs, or this community discussion forum).
Here's the meat of what I sent to TiVo, or tried to:
My TiVo was recently upgraded to the latest software release, which features KidsZone. Unfortunately, this release seems broken. Even more distressing, your web site provides no indication for how rank-and-file TiVo users are supposed to report bugs or complain about changes to the TiVo user experience.
This latest software update contains no features that I need or want, as I have no children in my household, and furthermore, even if I had children, I would not want to leave filtering solely in the hands of a machine. Rather, the user experience of TiVo's software has degenerated to the point where I no longer feel as though I am getting value for what I am paying each month.
Since this latest software update, I have noticed substantial bugs in the new TiVo software. Here are just some examples:
Save to VCR used to display a black billboard with white text immediately before playing back the content to be saved. Now, after the black billboard is displayed, the TiVo green menu background displays for a couple seconds before the actual program material starts playing back.
Menu operations are more sluggish. There is a substantial pause now between pressing any control on the remote and seeing the results of that action on-screen. Most users would probably describe this as being "less responsive."
Channel changing and guide operations performed while watching live TV are both slower.
In the Now Playing list, pressing the Clear button to delete an item doesn't immediately move it to the Deleted Items folder. Now, an X is displayed next to the item, and the selection is moved to the next item in the list; eventually, the Xed item moves to the Deleted Items folder. The user interface was better in the previous release, in my opinion. First of all, there's no reason to mark an item with an X and leave it in the list for some indeterminate amount of time before making it disappear. Just make it disappear; the Deleted Items folder is there for a reason, so if the user makes a mistake, they're covered. Secondly, the system moves the selection for me, which subverts how I have been accustomed to removing groups of items from the list. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad, but since performance is so sluggish, there's every chance I might hit another button on the remote by the time the menu updates on-screen.
Items have been renamed on the top-level menu, which was disruptive to me and my fiancee at first. In fact, she was so confused, she wasn't sure where to go at first to manage season passes. Renaming menu items and reshuffling them are both big no-nos, especially on a consumer electronics device with a well-established user interface.