View Full Version : The Active Channel Has Been Updated and It's Looking Good!
jonaswan2
12-11-06, 04:35 PM
Active has gone through a little face lift, but nothing major. Took pics from my DirecTV D10, on my 19" 20 year old CRT, with my camera phone. Yes, I was so excited, I couldn't actually wait to get a better camera :D.
platinum
12-11-06, 04:37 PM
There also is no access to the mix channels anymore, which is silly.
jonaswan2
12-11-06, 04:41 PM
There also is no access to the mix channels anymore, which is silly.
DirecTV may have noticed that more people were probably going directly to the mix channels instead of using Active.
What I LOVE about the new look is the fact that the five day forcast is right there.
kentuck1163
12-11-06, 04:49 PM
Yeah, boy thats great.
But those of us with H20 receivers STILL cannot access it even a year after the receivers initial release.
Talk about ridiculous.
FavreJL04
12-11-06, 05:22 PM
What's rediculous is those maps they use on the active weather. I haven't seen maps that inferior since the CBS national weather maps back in the 80s.
bjflynn04
12-11-06, 05:51 PM
The way it looks they will be adding something new in the future. If you go to the Directv Basics screen and you see on the bottom left of the screen above the Return to Active button, "Coming Soon... Look out for DIRECTV'S Interactive Customer Support"
Can't say one way or the other how the new screens look since when I go to active it just says loading and goes no farther.
Jeremy W
12-11-06, 08:01 PM
Looks like they've redesigned it to match the new interface that's coming next year.
PoitNarf
12-11-06, 11:01 PM
Looks like they've redesigned it to match the new interface that's coming next year.
Is that going to happen before or after the H20 gets interactive capabilities? :rolleyes:
Wolffpack
12-11-06, 11:05 PM
Can't say one way or the other how the new screens look since when I go to active it just says loading and goes no farther.
Oh, you just need to wait....and wait....and wait. Eventually the SEMI-ACTIVE channel came up for me on my R15. But I could have fallen asleep in the time it took. How ACTIVE can ACTIVE be when it takes 10-30 seconds to do anything?????
Wolffpack
12-11-06, 11:05 PM
Looks like they've redesigned it to match the new interface that's coming next year.
That's what everyone needs. A new interface before they can even get the old one working.
EDIT: How do you all spell CLUSTER *U#k ?
jonaswan2
12-11-06, 11:11 PM
That's what everyone needs. A new interface before they can even get the old one working.
EDIT: How do you all spell CLUSTER *U#k ?
The old UI doesn't work? I'm pretty it works fine to me (gets you to where you want to go, with little pain in between).
Yeah, boy thats great.
But those of us with H20 receivers STILL cannot access it even a year after the receivers initial release.
Talk about ridiculous.
I've heard that the H20 will eventually have the Active channel, but it is still a ways out. It is apparently a substantial upgrade to incorporate it.
Carl
Jeremy W
12-11-06, 11:27 PM
Is that going to happen before or after the H20 gets interactive capabilities? :rolleyes:
Well I'm sure they want to roll it out this century, so I'd say it'll be before.
What a joke.
Jeremy W
12-11-06, 11:29 PM
I've heard that the H20 will eventually have the Active channel, but it is still a ways out. It is apparently a substantial upgrade to incorporate it.
There is no excuse. It can't be any more substantial than all of the other receivers. The H20 has been out for over a year.
Wolffpack
12-11-06, 11:51 PM
The old UI doesn't work? I'm pretty it works fine to me (gets you to where you want to go, with little pain in between).
Well the UI working is debatable but I was referring to the DVRs themselves. I reality the UI between the R15 and HR20 doesn't work th same. Actions on one do not equal the same actions on the other.
lol, YES, Active does look ALOT better now, much better..BUT, what nobody mentioned here is that it still does NOT hold the zip code when the receiver re-boots. I tested it on the r-15-500 model, when receiver re-boots, you must again enter your zip code. Now on my r-15-300, i have not yet tested, what I did like and noticed that even after the update (or whatever), my zip code is still present on the 300, I have not re-booted the 300 but I'm sure I would have to re-enter my f@ckn zip code, lol, what ever.. it still looks good.
rirwin1983
12-12-06, 12:51 AM
I've heard that the H20 will eventually have the Active channel, but it is still a ways out. It is apparently a substantial upgrade to incorporate it.
Carl
That is just bull ****, how can a fricken 50 dollar reciever be able to do it yet a 100 dollar one cant, you'd think it be vice versa and not be on the d11's and older. Us h20 owners have been waiting a year for this to rollout, keep being told its in the next software release. I say get off your ass directv and give us a full featured hd box, just like my brothern want from your hd dvd box and regular dvr box. Prove Mr Murdok that you realy arent a "turd bird"
bonscott87
12-12-06, 09:22 AM
It seemed a bit faster for me when I checked it out. But still slowish overall.
Looks like they've redesigned it to match the new interface that's coming next year.
Man, Jeremy I hope you are right I really like the color scheme ,I think it would look good for the guide:)
purtman
12-12-06, 12:44 PM
That is just bull ****, how can a fricken 50 dollar reciever be able to do it yet a 100 dollar one cant, you'd think it be vice versa and not be on the d11's and older. Us h20 owners have been waiting a year for this to rollout, keep being told its in the next software release. I say get off your ass directv and give us a full featured hd box, just like my brothern want from your hd dvd box and regular dvr box. Prove Mr Murdok that you realy arent a "turd bird"
Why don't you just say to "get off your butt" or something else ...
Jeremy W
12-12-06, 02:13 PM
Man, Jeremy I hope you are right I really like the color scheme ,I think it would look good for the guide:)
I agree, I think it's going to look very good when they roll it out. I have no idea when that will be though, since DirecTV can't seem to keep any of their time tables on track these days.
Terry K
12-13-06, 05:24 PM
They've also relocated it to channel 9999 and it was on 480
Wolffpack
12-13-06, 06:36 PM
OK, let's say it looks good. But it's slower than crap. I just pressed ACTIVE on my -500 under 10FA and it took 13 seconds to be "active". I went to Weather and it took 7 seconds to complete. 5 Seconds to get to my cities. 8 seconds to go from Weather back to Home. Went back into Weather (thinking maybe the info was cached) still took 7 seconds. Back to Home took 6 seconds. Another 6 seconds to get to Lottery results.
Sorry guys, there's nothing "active" with response times like this. If you cannot provide a feature such as ACTIVE with a reasonable response time, don't do it. Go back to the features you eliminated from existing DTV DVRs. All I can say about ACTIVE is:
:icon_lame
jonaswan2
12-13-06, 08:37 PM
OK, let's say it looks good. But it's slower than crap. I just pressed ACTIVE on my -500 under 10FA and it took 13 seconds to be "active". I went to Weather and it took 7 seconds to complete. 5 Seconds to get to my cities. 8 seconds to go from Weather back to Home. Went back into Weather (thinking maybe the info was cached) still took 7 seconds. Back to Home took 6 seconds. Another 6 seconds to get to Lottery results.
Sorry guys, there's nothing "active" with response times like this. If you cannot provide a feature such as ACTIVE with a reasonable response time, don't do it. Go back to the features you eliminated from existing DTV DVRs. All I can say about ACTIVE is:
:icon_lame
Is it your signal? On all my recievers I get active in less than 10 seconds. Maybe the R15 is trying to cache all of the info from the Active channel and with so much info it's taking a lot to do it? Also, when something else is using the middleware (like the UI), it can't load, at all. So make sure that nothing could be using the middleware while you're in active, you can only really do that with the HR20.
But yeah, it's the plus reciever trying to cache the channel and/or you have a bad signal most likely, not the service because I'm getting it nice and speedy (especially on my D10's, which it gets to the home page in like 3 seconds, where this feature is the most useful).
EDIT: Wait a minute, your complaining about 20 SECONDS! from start to weather? And you get 5 day right from the get go, so really only 13. What do you need with those precious 13 SECONDS! that you are afraid to get back. I guaranty you it would take you long to look that information up on your pc from standby or your cell phone from off. Even if it took 13 second for Active to load up for me, I would find it acceptible, because it does what it intends to do faster than most devices on the market other than your own senses.
Wolffpack
12-13-06, 09:49 PM
Is it your signal? On all my recievers I get active in less than 10 seconds. Maybe the R15 is trying to cache all of the info from the Active channel and with so much info it's taking a lot to do it? Also, when something else is using the middleware (like the UI), it can't load, at all. So make sure that nothing could be using the middleware while you're in active, you can only really do that with the HR20.
But yeah, it's the plus reciever trying to cache the channel and/or you have a bad signal most likely, not the service because I'm getting it nice and speedy (especially on my D10's, which it gets to the home page in like 3 seconds, where this feature is the most useful).
EDIT: Wait a minute, your complaining about 20 SECONDS! from start to weather? And you get 5 day right from the get go, so really only 13. What do you need with those precious 13 SECONDS! that you are afraid to get back. I guaranty you it would take you long to look that information up on your pc from standby or your cell phone from off. Even if it took 13 second for Active to load up for me, I would find it acceptible, because it does what it intends to do faster than most devices on the market other than your own senses.
WTF does the SAT signal have to do with anything? I'm getting, and always have gotten low 90's on 101, low 80s on 119 and low 80s on 110. How does the signal strength effect the speed at which an application can run on the R15. That's just plain BS. BTW, I'm running 10FA, what version is your system running? Also, what do you mean by the statement "Also, when something else is using the middleware (like the UI), it can't load, at all. So make sure that nothing could be using the middleware while you're in active, you can only really do that with the HR20."?
Is a customer even suppose to be aware of this?
You state on your R15 it takes 10 seconds to get "active". Is that acceptable to you? It's not to me!! I have yet to see the value of the active weather, what's hot, lottery, or horoscopes (all of which you loose when you reset the unit) over dual live buffers, a DVR that can properly tell the difference between a First Run program and a Repeat (which all of my DTivos can currently do), comprehensive guide data (which should include original air dates as well as all actors and info listed in the Tribune data stream), and proper DVR with History (like we have on Tivos) that can properly help a customer figure out why they had problems and last of all, a DVR that is reliable.
Bottom line here is that DTV cut many critical, already existing features of the DVRs they were selling from the new crop of DVR+ units. I'm not sure if any of this new crap will fit anywhere, but everything they are doing now is slower than $hit.
jonaswan2
12-13-06, 10:05 PM
WTF does the SAT signal have to do with anything? I'm getting, and always have gotten low 90's on 101, low 80s on 119 and low 80s on 110. How does the signal strength effect the speed at which an application can run on the R15. That's just plain BS. BTW, I'm running 10FA, what version is your system running? Also, what do you mean by the statement "Also, when something else is using the middleware (like the UI), it can't load, at all. So make sure that nothing could be using the middleware while you're in active, you can only really do that with the HR20."?
Is a customer even suppose to be aware of this?
You state on your R15 it takes 10 seconds to get "active". Is that acceptable to you? It's not to me!! I have yet to see the value of the active weather, what's hot, lottery, or horoscopes (all of which you loose when you reset the unit) over dual live buffers, a DVR that can properly tell the difference between a First Run program and a Repeat (which all of my DTivos can currently do), comprehensive guide data (which should include original air dates as well as all actors and info listed in the Tribune data stream), and proper DVR with History (like we have on Tivos) that can properly help a customer figure out why they had problems and last of all, a DVR that is reliable.
Bottom line here is that DTV cut many critical, already existing features of the DVRs they were selling from the new crop of DVR+ units. I'm not sure if any of this new crap will fit anywhere, but everything they are doing now is slower than $hit.
Okay, your upset because the R15 doesn't yet have the features you think it needs. This has little to do with the Active channel though, since the person in charge with programing and the people that make these interactive things don't have any hand in what goes on with the DVR. At all, except the programing that is put on it. The development of the Active feature probably took no time nor money away from the development of new DVR functions.
Wolffpack
12-13-06, 11:43 PM
Okay, your upset because the R15 doesn't yet have the features you think it needs. This has little to do with the Active channel though, since the person in charge with programing and the people that make these interactive things don't have any hand in what goes on with the DVR. At all, except the programing that is put on it. The development of the Active feature probably took no time nor money away from the development of new DVR functions.
I'm not upset. IMO the active channel is worthless. It's very slow and what does it give me? Weather, horoscope, lottery. A few years ago my Dad's DISH system gave him the weather and it didn't take 20 seconds for it to tell him the temp. Tell me, what is this really worth? Does anyone get up every morning, turn on their TV and press the ACTIVE button or to they get up, turn on their TV and turn to the weather channel or local/nation news? DTV is obviously spending time and $$$ on their redesign of the Active channel. How do you come up with the fact that it "Probably took no time nor money away from the development of new DVR functions"?
In the end it doesn't matter how fancy this thing looks, it matters if it can work.
Sorry, I've been reading this thread, watching everyone pat DTV on the back for the good job they've done on ACTIVE. All I can do is shake my head in wonderment and ask why.
It takes Active about 16 seconds for Active to fully load for me. I`ll be upset when I have to enter my zip code again. I think the information it provides is adequate, as long as I don't have to enter my zip code when it reboots !!!!! other wise, I'm with wolffpack, they really done nothing for us!!!
dvrblogger
12-14-06, 05:39 AM
It takes Active about 16 seconds for Active to fully load for me. I`ll be upset when I have to enter my zip code again. I think the information it provides is adequate, as long as I don't have to enter my zip code when it reboots !!!!! other wise, I'm with wolffpack, they really done nothing for us!!!
Maybe now with the network turned on we will see some of these things delivered over broadband . That should reduce the delay and not require changing channels. Maybe even allow storing settings on directv.com so you dont need to re-enter when changing boxes etc
Jeremy W
12-14-06, 03:11 PM
Maybe now with the network turned on we will see some of these things delivered over broadband.
I wouldn't count on it.
I wake up this morning, turn on my TV and R-15, I have NO video at all, i have to reboot !!!!I then get video back, check Active and it says el segundo, WTF, thats not my zip code, what happened ???? ACTIVE SUCKS THATS WHAT @!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeremy W
12-14-06, 03:49 PM
I then get video back, check Active and it says el segundo, WTF, thats not my zip code, what happened ???? ACTIVE SUCKS THATS WHAT @!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's been like that since the beginning. Calm yourself.
I wake up this morning, turn on my TV and R-15, I have NO video at all, i have to reboot !!!!I then get video back, check Active and it says el segundo, WTF, thats not my zip code, what happened ???? ACTIVE SUCKS THATS WHAT @!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A reboot always wipes out your zip code information, you need to reenter it.
And if you didn't know, El Segundo is where D*'s headquarters is located. Maybe they did that so when their headquarter boxes reboot they don't need to go around reentering the zip code;)
NEED TO RE ENTER IT???? I dont NEED to use it either. what a piece of crap, I refuse to enter my zip code, what do you think of that ?????
Jeremy W
12-14-06, 04:04 PM
I refuse to enter my zip code, what do you think of that ?????
Oh god no. Please, anything but that.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T USE IT! AND SHUT THE HELL UP!
Wolffpack
12-14-06, 04:23 PM
Oh god no. Please, anything but that.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T USE IT! AND SHUT THE HELL UP!
Spoken like a true gentleman. Unless that was suppose to be sarcastic and I missed the inflection of your message. :D
Wolffpack
12-14-06, 04:25 PM
Maybe now with the network turned on we will see some of these things delivered over broadband . That should reduce the delay and not require changing channels. Maybe even allow storing settings on directv.com so you dont need to re-enter when changing boxes etc
I see now we're discussing two different ACTIVE channels. That of the HR20 and that of the R15. My comments refer to the R15, which doesn't have networking and the ACTIVE channel is slower than crap. We may possibly even have two different ACTIVE channels. Can someone post a pic of the ACTIVE channel on the HR20?
Jeremy W
12-14-06, 04:27 PM
Spoken like a true gentleman. Unless that was suppose to be sarcastic and I missed the inflection of your message. :D
Nope, I was really yelling at him. It's fine to criticize when it's constructive, like what you have posted in this thread. But when you have Mr. unsub just screaming about what a piece of crap it is, and "what if I don't want to?" garbage, that's just worthless.
Jeremy W
12-14-06, 04:28 PM
We may possibly even have two different ACYIVE channels. Can someone post a pic of the ACTIVE channel on the HR20?
Assuming the pictures in this thread came from the R15, the HR20 looks exactly the same.
Wolffpack
12-14-06, 06:45 PM
Assuming the pictures in this thread came from the R15, the HR20 looks exactly the same.
Those were from a D10 according to the OP and look the same as my R15. I just wasn't sure about the HR20. Guess they're all the same.
Lets see now . . . . my H20 still hasn't responded once I hit the Active button for 12 months . . . . was "promised" update "late summer". 12 inches of snow and sub zero wind chill . . . . summer's way over D*
Wolffpack
12-15-06, 03:58 PM
Lets see now . . . . my H20 still hasn't responded once I hit the Active button for 12 months . . . . was "promised" update "late summer". 12 inches of snow and sub zero wind chill . . . . summer's way over D*
That's a pretty slow response time for ACTIVE.
Kevin Dupuy
12-15-06, 07:05 PM
I'm not upset. IMO the active channel is worthless. It's very slow and what does it give me? Weather, horoscope, lottery. A few years ago my Dad's DISH system gave him the weather and it didn't take 20 seconds for it to tell him the temp. Tell me, what is this really worth? Does anyone get up every morning, turn on their TV and press the ACTIVE button or to they get up, turn on their TV and turn to the weather channel or local/nation news? DTV is obviously spending time and $$$ on their redesign of the Active channel. How do you come up with the fact that it "Probably took no time nor money away from the development of new DVR functions"?
In the end it doesn't matter how fancy this thing looks, it matters if it can work.
Sorry, I've been reading this thread, watching everyone pat DTV on the back for the good job they've done on ACTIVE. All I can do is shake my head in wonderment and ask why.
I am ashamed to say that I do actually get up in the morning and turn on the Active channel. Of course, it's only cause I got about 15 min. in the morning to get ready for school, so I jsut need to quickly check the weather and horoscope. But I agree with ya, if D* wants to make an interactive service, why don't they catch up with DISH, whose service has news, weather, movie reviews, games and a bunch of other stuff? I hate to say it, but it's times like this when I miss WINK. (Although TechTV's interactive stuff was just a big ad.)
A reboot always wipes out your zip code information, you need to reenter it.
And if you didn't know, El Segundo is where D*'s headquarters is located. Maybe they did that so when their headquarter boxes reboot they don't need to go around reentering the zip code;)
Not exactly. Most companies, when info is location-sensitive, defaults to the company headquarters. Oh, I get it, sarcasm. Man, I need to stop smoking the stuff D* is.
tonyd79
12-15-06, 08:56 PM
We are entering the digital age of TV, gentlemen. You should have at least 2 sub-channels locally that have weather 24/7. They need to add a lot better content to make it worthwhile.
Active is a piece of garbage. I need to know the weather for tomorrow. I hit the Active key on the remote, it says El Segundo, CA, thats not my zip code that I put in several weeks ago. I now REFUSE to enter in my zip code ever again! I hit exit on the remote, and i`m back, using my p.c. on line to check weather. A real sub would think just like me. Thats how I know you people are not real.
bonscott87
12-16-06, 08:47 AM
Active is a piece of garbage. I need to know the weather for tomorrow. I hit the Active key on the remote, it says El Segundo, CA, thats not my zip code that I put in several weeks ago. I now REFUSE to enter in my zip code ever again! I hit exit on the remote, and i`m back, using my p.c. on line to check weather. A real sub would think just like me. Thats how I know you people are not real.
While I agree with you for my personal usage, but then I'm on a computer all the time. Just about everyone I work with has never checked the weather online, they don't have a clue where to go, even weather.com they don't know about. They get their weather from the local news or the weather channel. In other words this Active is directed right at Joe Sixpack who will use it.
Having said that, the Sunday Ticket Active stuff is awesome and I heavily use it every Sunday. It's really the best thing since sliced bread to get fantasy player updates in real time via popups on the screen.
jonaswan2
12-16-06, 01:21 PM
We are entering the digital age of TV, gentlemen. You should have at least 2 sub-channels locally that have weather 24/7. They need to add a lot better content to make it worthwhile.
All of the local channels I get are from Memphis. The weather difference between Memphis and where I live is large enough where I rely on the active channel for my 5-day weather info.
Wolffpack
12-16-06, 03:04 PM
Again, I'd like to ask where DTV get's it weather info. ACTIVE channel 5 day forecast and weather.com are different for my zip code. Not so much the highs, but weather.com is showing lows below freezing and DTV isn't.
Plus, I have yet to see any type of weather alert on ACTIVE. Are alerts and warning included? If not, what's the use?
EDIT: Local stations and the internet provides alrerts as well as radar. Telling me the temp (highs & lows) is way too basic.
Kevin Dupuy
12-16-06, 03:17 PM
Again, I'd like to ask where DTV get's it weather info. ACTIVE channel 5 day forecast and weather.com are different for my zip code. Not so much the highs, but weather.com is showing lows below freezing and DTV isn't.
Plus, I have yet to see any type of weather alert on ACTIVE. Are alerts and warning included? If not, what's the use?
EDIT: Local stations and the internet provides alrerts as well as radar. Telling me the temp (highs & lows) is way too basic.
Not sure where it gets it from, but I guess AccuWeather or whereever Fox News Weather comes from.
No, no severe alerts. But I heard that DBS providers will start next year having to broadcast local EAS alerts. I forgot where, though.
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