[Herdfan]

Since I don't have DLB, I needed to find another cool way to watch football. So I found the TV Options that comes up under Yellow and then the Previous Channels. It is a neat option because I can keep track of 5 games/races with it. I even programmed a PRess and Hold Macro for my PC button on my 980.

My problem is that once I go into the Previous Channels and select the one I want, the TV Options box doesn't clear. After all, I made a selection for a new channel, why does the TV Options box stay open?

And it is not just slow to clear. It was up, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, it was still up. So do you all think it should self clear once a selection is made?

 

[luckydob]

huh? What?

 

[dennisj00]

Yes, if you pick a channel, make it go away.

And I'd like the Previous Channels to not clear when the box is put in Standby.

Just keep the list of the last X (not sure how many) channels you used.

 

[jes]

TV Options clear on my HR20s (running CE) when selecting CC or Favorites as I would expect them to do. It does not clear on my H20 (also running CE) and I have reported it as a bug.

I just tried Previous Channels for the first time on my HR20 and it stays open . That makes as much sense as leaving the Mini Guide or the full Guide up after selecting a show... I'm going to report it as a bug in the CE

 

[inkahauts]

Your going to love turbo tune when it gets implemented. I was thrilled when they announced they were bring that back...

 

[Herdfan]

huh? What?

If you press the Yellow button when watching a show, it brings up the TV Options menu. The first option there is the last 4 channels you viewed. So you can easily jump around to recently viewed channels like I was with several games.

The problem is once I selected the previous channel I wanted, the list remained on the screen. I think it should clear once you choose a channel you want.

 

[billsharpe]

I voted no. Heck, you've got the remote in your hand when you change channels. Might as well just push Exit to dismiss the channel list. If it's still there, then it's easy to select yet another choice, if desired.

 

[RACJ2]

If you press the Yellow button when watching a show, it brings up the TV Options menu. The first option there is the last 4 channels you viewed. So you can easily jump around to recently viewed channels like I was with several games.

The problem is once I selected the previous channel I wanted, the list remained on the screen. I think it should clear once you choose a channel you want.

That would be nice, but if you press the yellow button again, the box will disappear. Just like the menu screen. There are other things like the actual DLB that I would prefer that they work on.

 

[Drew2k]

If you press the Yellow button when watching a show, it brings up the TV Options menu. The first option there is the last 4 channels you viewed. So you can easily jump around to recently viewed channels like I was with several games.

The problem is once I selected the previous channel I wanted, the list remained on the screen. I think it should clear once you choose a channel you want.

This actually went through several rounds of testing with a pre-release test audience and changes were made to have the options menu close after CC commands or other commands were selected, but to stay open after the channel was changed via the Previous Channel option because it was the fastest way to let the user surf the four most recent channels with the fewest keystrokes. It's only one key press to close it (EXIT) so I vote that it's not an issue and should not be changed.

 

[Herdfan]

This actually went through several rounds of testing ...... changes were made to have the options menu close after CC commands or other commands were selected, but to stay open after the channel was changed via the Previous Channel option

It seems strange to have the same menu behave two different ways depending on the selection.

Well, in any case, I have thwarted their will and fixed the problem myself. I created a conditional macro (I already had a press and hold macro bring up the channel list) so that when I am in the Previous Channels menu, the Select button executes Select>Exit.

Plus, after I did that, I came up with the idea on use buttons 1-4 to select the channel I want and then clear the menu. So I will program that next Sunday as I sit watching football.

 

[tonyd79]

I would want it to stay up if it were NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN.

We have discussed this before. I have no idea why the yellow button menu is in the middle of the screen but the regular menu is off to the side.

Put the yellow button menu in a corner and it would be nicer, less obtrusive and more polished.

I didn't vote because my option doesn't exist.

 

[tonyd79]

Another thing (worse). Is the behavior of the list. If you choose a channel from the previous channel list, it breaks the behavior of the previous channel button. I documented this many months ago but it seemed no one cared.

 

[Drew2k]

When this was first introduced to the testers, I actually had proposed that Previous Channels not even be an option on the YELLOW options menu, but instead, the Previous Channels list was tied to ... wait for it ... you'll never believe it ... the PREV button.

The behavior I proposed is similar to what my LG TV does: Hit PREV and the channel immediately changes to the last viewed channel, but also displays a list in the upper corner of the 5 other most recently viewed channels. After 5 seconds of inactivity, the list closes on its own. Otherwise, in those 5 seconds, arrow up or down and select a different number. I still love this concept and would love to see it implemented ...

 

[Herdfan]

If you choose a channel from the previous channel list, it breaks the behavior of the previous channel button.

I thought I noticed this. But when I was jumping between 4 games and a race, it was easy to "forget" where I was last. Glad to know it wasn't just me.

but instead, the Previous Channels list was tied to ... wait for it ... you'll never believe it ... the PREV button.

In my world it is.

Perhaps the hinted at turbo tune will be a good solution.

 

[Steve Robertson]

Never knew this feature existed.

 

[tonyd79]

I thought I noticed this. But when I was jumping between 4 games and a race, it was easy to "forget" where I was last. Glad to know it wasn't just me.

Yeah, a while back, I wrote a full report on how it was broken but I cannot find it now.

Basically, the channel being tuned away from gets shoved into the previous channel list relative to the channel chosen rather than at the top of the list.

So, if you are watching channel C then you tune to channel A via guide or channel up/down or punching in the number. Then pick channel B from halfway down your previously viewedlist, you would expect the previous channel button to jump back to A, right? Nope. It goes to channel C as channel A gets stuffed further down the list.

The list appears to be a web browser-like history but it is not. I consider it a bug (and not just bad design) as it breaks the previous channel button.

Edit to add:

Found it! (Not sure why it is closed...timeout?)

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=114074&highlight=previous

 

[Drew2k]

Yeah, a while back, I wrote a full report on how it was broken but I cannot find it now.

Basically, the channel being tuned away from gets shoved into the previous channel list relative to the channel chosen rather than at the top of the list.

So, if you are watching channel C then you tune to channel A via guide or channel up/down or punching in the number. Then pick channel B from halfway down your previously viewedlist, you would expect the previous channel button to jump back to A, right? Nope. It goes to channel C as channel A gets stuffed further down the list.

The list appears to be a web browser-like history but it is not. I consider it a bug (and not just bad design) as it breaks the previous channel button.

Edit to add:

Found it! (Not sure why it is closed...timeout?)

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=114074&highlight=previous

The only thing I remember is that it was supposed to function like a circular queue, with simple repetitive motion all that was necessary to cycle through the list. For example: YELLOW > SELECT. Then press SELECT numerous times and you just cycled through all five recent channels. I just tested this and it's still working ...

Example:
Press YELLOW
Press SELECT. Ch. list: 11, 7, 2, 4. Current channel is 5.
Press SELECT. New list: 7, 2, 4, 5. Current channel is 11.
Press SELECT. New list: 2, 4, 5, 11. Current channel is 7.
Press SELECT. New list: 4, 5, 11, 7. Current channel is 2.
Press SELECT. New list: 5, 11, 7, 2. Current channel is 4.
Press SELECT. New list: 11, 7, 2, 4. Current channels is 5. Back where you started.

Where it "breaks" the circular queue logic is if you hit the down-arrow to go to a different channel in the list. It then "interrupts" the circle and resumes from that position as you hit SELECT to cycle through the channels.

By the way, I just found something I never knew existed: Scroll down to any channel in the Previous Channel list and hit INFO. You get the info screen for the channel that is highlighted. Press BACK to return to the Previous Channel List. Never knew you could do that ...

 

[tonyd79]

The only thing I remember is that it was supposed to function like a circular queue, with simple repetitive motion all that was necessary to cycle through the list. For example: YELLOW > SELECT. Then press SELECT numerous times and you just cycled through all five recent channels. I just tested this and it's still working ...

Example:
Press YELLOW
Press SELECT. Ch. list: 11, 7, 2, 4. Current channel is 5.
Press SELECT. New list: 7, 2, 4, 5. Current channel is 11.
Press SELECT. New list: 2, 4, 5, 11. Current channel is 7.
Press SELECT. New list: 4, 5, 11, 7. Current channel is 2.
Press SELECT. New list: 5, 11, 7, 2. Current channel is 4.
Press SELECT. New list: 11, 7, 2, 4. Current channels is 5. Back where you started.

Where it "breaks" the circular queue logic is if you hit the down-arrow to go to a different channel in the list. It then "interrupts" the circle and resumes from that position as you hit SELECT to cycle through the channels.

By the way, I just found something I never knew existed: Scroll down to any channel in the Previous Channel list and hit INFO. You get the info screen for the channel that is highlighted. Press BACK to return to the Previous Channel List. Never knew you could do that ...

Now, that is just stupid. The most recent channel should be on the top, not the bottom. Especially since the list is populated that way. If you are on channel 206 and key in 501, then 206 goes to the top. Circle is broken before it is set up.

The logic of the circle would never hold up under any circumstances except the very special case you noted. ANY deviation from yellow/select/select will break this nosensical and impossible to maintain circle.

If they just do it the *right* way (that is, a history of the most recent channels in that order) then there is no special condition for this key sequence versus this key sequence. It works intuitively and the same way the rest of the world works in terms of history.

BTW, cool catch on the INFO button.

 

[Drew2k]

Now, that is just stupid. The most recent channel should be on the top, not the bottom. Especially since the list is populated that way. If you are on channel 206 and key in 501, then 206 goes to the top. Circle is broken before it is set up.

The logic of the circle would never hold up under any circumstances except the very special case you noted. ANY deviation from yellow/select/select will break this nosensical and impossible to maintain circle.

If they just do it the *right* way (that is, a history of the most recent channels in that order) then there is no special condition for this key sequence versus this key sequence. It works intuitively and the same way the rest of the world works in terms of history.

BTW, cool catch on the INFO button.

The thing is PREV will still go to the most recent channel, regardless of how it's displayed in the Previous Channels list. I truly believe they wanted the PC list to be a fast way to surf the five most recent channels simply by tapping SELECT once the list appeared, so that's why they ordered it the way they did.

Hopefully this clarification better reflects the workings of the list:

Current channel is 5.
Press YELLOW.
Press SELECT. The channel list appears, with the last four channels used: 11, 7, 2, 4.
Highlight is on 11. Press SELECT. Tuner changes to 11. The list updates: 7, 2, 4, 5.
Highlight is on 7. Press SELECT. Tuner changes to 7. The list updates: 2, 4, 5, 11.
Highlight is on 2. Press SELECT. Tuner changes to 2. The list updates: 4, 5, 11, 7.
Highlight is on 4. Press SELECT. Tuner changes to 4. The list updates: 5, 11, 7, 2
Highlight is on 5. Press SELECT. Tuner changes to 5. The list updates: 11, 7, 2, 4.
Current channels is 5. Back where you started.

So the user could quickly surf five channels that could be all anywhere in the grid by simply pressing YELLOW > SELECT > SELECT > SELECT > SELECT > SELECT > SELECT.

If the user wants to toggle the last two channels, ignore YELLOW and simply tap PREV.

I will admit I like the current behavior of the channel list, because it does make it very easy to cycle multiple channels ... In fact, this could be Turbo Tune - we've already got it!

How they could fix it would be that if the user picks any channel down lower in the list, they reorder the list so that from that point forward its a circular queue again ... it shouldn't be that hard to fix, right?

 

[Herdfan]

The thing is PREV will still go to the most recent channel, regardless of how it's displayed in the Previous Channels list.

No I don't think it does. It is more like Tony explained a couple of posts ago. Once you go into the PC list, the PREV button exhibits different behavior.

IIRC, when I was watching 4 games and a race on Sunday, if I was watching Game 1 and used PC to pick Game 2, then PC to pick the race and then while watching the race, I used PREV, it would revert me back to Game 1, not Game 2.

I will try to figure out exactly what it is doing later this evening. But the PC function definately makes the PREV button behave strangely.

OK, I cycled 206, 207, 208, 209, and 609 (ESPN Suite) which game me the channel I was watching (609) and the 4 20X ESPN's. From 609 I used PC to 206, (I exited and reentered each time), then 207. At that point, PREV should have taken me back to 206, but instead it took me back to 609. Adding 1 step to 208and 2 steps to 209 rendered the same PREV return to 609 even though I tuned to 3 addition channels.

OK, here is where it is really broken. Before, I exited and reenter the PC list. Staying in the PC list and starting from 609 and using PC to go to 206 then 207 and then exiting, at that point PC took me to 208.