Discussions

[mikeism]

In the latest update, the removal of the Live TV 'Favorites' feature and the introduction of the Live TV 'Recent Channels' feature really make it more time consuming and frustrating to navigate Over The Air (OTA) channels via Live TV with the Roku remote control.

Before the update:

When customers selected Live TV,  'Favorite' channels appeared at the top of the screen, and 'all' channels were readily visible below the list of 'Favorites'.  The customer could then select a channel from the 'Favorites' list, or could easily select a channel in the 'all' channels list further down on the same screen.  No need to switch between screens/views.  Simple. Fast.  Easy to use and navigate. 

After the latest update:

Now customers have to choose between viewing 'All Channels' or viewing 'Recent Channels'.  Customers can't see 'recent channels ' and 'all channels'  at the same time on the same screen/view. To switch between views customers have to:

1) Press the left scroll arrow multiple times until a prompt appears letting the customer know that the view can be switched by pressing the * button

2) Press the * button to bring up the option to switch the view

3) Select either 'All Channels' or 'Recent Channels'.  That's the only options you get... display most recent channels, or display all channels.

4) Press OK 

5) Select your channel

6) Now if you switched to a view that you don't really like as your default for Live TV, you need to go through the gyrations to switch it back.

How can this update be considered an improvement?  It's way beyond frustrating and aggravating.  

Suggestion:

Why not show channels grouped like this on one screen:

- Recent OTA Channels ( Favorites)

- All OTA Channels

- Roku Streaming Channels

The functions to hide or show 'All Channels' and 'Streaming Channels' are already in the latest update.  Add the option to hide or show 'Recent Channels'.  With that approach you can configure which of the 3 groups you want to see on your main Live TV guide all on one screen.  When you get there you see exactly what you configured with no need to go through the 6 steps I listed above every time you want to change a view.

Obviously the ability to hide/show individual channels would be nice too, but that's another topic and not in scope for this post.

Mike

Roku TV = A108X
TCL Model = 65R625
Serial Number = X00300R60RS9
Software version 9.4.0 Build 4200-88
Device ID = S053Y9960RS9

[Visitor45763]

Something I think would be intuitive would be for the * (options) button to have meaning in the guide context. I.e., if you left-arrow while watching an antenna tv channel, the guide appears. But, if you press the * button, you get the options for the channel (or all antenna tv channels. I'm unclear on that.). 

If Guide had its own options, you could "configure" guide between recently viewed (history), favorites or all.

FWIW: I think recently-viewed (history) should have an option to say how long you sit on a channel before it's considered viewed. Recently-viewed seems clumsy when simply stepping through channels causes them to be considered recently-viewed. I might want to say 20 seconds is "viewed." Then it's more like history than merely viewed.

Also, if it were me, I'd 1) put favorite indicators in the channel lineup (home>settings>tv inputs>Live TV>hide antenna channels). Add a 2nd checkbox column for "favorites." 2) Move that dialogue to antenna tv settings (pressing * on Live TV), and also to channel settings (pressing * on a channel being watched). The current location is a very long and tedious way to manage things like this. I might want to hide a channel while watching it. It is a "setting" for a channel. I should be able to press * while watching that channel & be deposited right into that dialogue, with that channel selected for me to check/uncheck hide or favorite (without leaving the channel).

I get the impression Roku is trying to blend streaming and antenna into one category. I think that overburdens both categories, and takes away vision/resources from actual improvements in the interface like you've suggested. It seems like the interface already was unintuitive in a number of ways (settings not where you'd expect them). Now it's becoming less intuitive with streaming and antenna merged by default into 1000 channels. That basically *leverages* the tediousness of having to navigate to hide dialogue. Instead of being able to do it on the fly while watching a channel worthy of hiding, you have to make much more effort (now 1000 times more often, perhaps). 

A more feature-rich remote would be helpful too. I'd like to press a button the remote to make a channel a favorite. A numeric keypad would allow direct access to channels (even those that are hidden). If I were Roku, I would go back to basics, redesign the entire thing, allow users to opt into it from the legacy interface (to avoid volatility and kludgy changes rolled in and out based upon the level of dissatisfaction. I.e., make it more positively driven with opt-in users contributing to the interface design without impacting those who want to watch antenna tv without all the new stuff. (There was a recent post of a shut-in grandmother in tears because an update broke her antenna tv. Some people aren't into all that. Others might want to contribute to a new interface design without being on the bleeding edge. Others like being on that edge.).

[Shanewing]

If roku does not put out a remote with numbers on it I will never buy another roku tv after this new update this tcl tv is junk r55-625!!!!!!!!

[mwcline2468]

I have a Roku Soundbar hooked up to a Roku TCL tv.  I have an antenna in the coax of the TV.  I used to be able to easily watch local channels,. Now, with the soundbar, I don't like the cumbersome process of having to use two remotes to exit out of the soundbar, back to the tv, in order to use the Antenna input.  Is Roku looking at a way to integrate the coax antenna connection into the soundbar, so I don't have to keep switching back and forth.  This is very close to a deal-breaker for me.  

Thanks,

Mike

[mikeism]

Hi Mike... 

If you have an HDMI ARC input on your TV, then try plugging the soundbar into that input and plug your coax cable into the coax antenna input on your TV.  That's how my Roku soundbar is configured with my TCL Roku TV and it works great. 

I can't remember the exact config in the settings section on the soundbar and the TV.  I think I just followed the directions that came with the soundbar to configure the settings.  Whatever the case, I control everything with the TV remote.  When I adjust the audio volume with the TV remote it changes the audio volume on the soundbar.  The only time I have to use the soundbar remote is when I want to do something specific to the soundbar like install a software update.

I've been very happy with the Roku soundbar.  I also got the sub-woofer.  To my surprise, the sound leveling feature works pretty well.

That said, my experience with the latest TV software update is a step backward for Live TV navigation and a significant disappointment.  Roku removed the 'Favorites' list and thus forces the customer to waste a lot of time navigating to the the new 'Recent Channels' list.  In my case, when I get there after 6 button clicks, 'Recent Channels' doesn't work; no OTA channels are listed and the streaming channels are wrong.  Then... more remote button clicks are needed to return the 'All Channels' view.  Very poor interface/flow design.

[rb65]

Ok. Figured it out.

It's settings,  tv inputs,  live tv, hide streaming Channels.

[Eder]

Go to home then settings 

TV input

Live TV

Hide Streaming TV Channels

Hide All

[pikkygirl]

This was tried before and it still sucks!  I liked having my major networks front and center.  I chatted with Roku and after 30 minutes the agent asked me if she could send the solution by email.  Well that went nowhere!  All this and supposedly Roku just was recognized as the # 1 streaming service ! Hah!  I am with others on this forum.  Either give me a remote with number buttons or I am done! 

[Visitor45763]

---

@pikkygirl wrote:

All this and supposedly Roku just was recognized as the # 1 streaming service! 

---

As a streaming service, it probably is good. I'm not very familiar with Roku's streaming, and not at all with whatever alternatives are out there. I watch antenna tv & YouTube. Very rarely I'll watch something on Roku's channel, or Pluto. Like, once every 6 months. 

I would consider buying an external Roku device whenever I replace my two TCL/Roku TVs. It could be the best choice of what's available. I wouldn't hold my antenna-tv experience against them.

But, I'm pretty darn sure I won't buy another tv with Roku in it.

This all looks like a very bad idea to me. 1) I think the volatile updates betray a reality about how hard it must be to support an operating system for so many brands/models of tv. (Remember the early MS-DOS/Windows days? Everyone put emphasis on a clone IBM PC's "compatibility." There was so much hardware that wasn't in MS's control that incompatibility & instability were a common problem.). 2) Either there's a disregard for making antenna tv a best-in-class experience (like everything else they get good reviews for), or some very (very) bad vision about what such an experience is (and a irrational unwillingness to reconsider that vision).

I like other brands' antenna-tv experience (relatively speaking, at least). Maybe Roku as an external streaming service would be good. If it really comes down to it (if all brands start having bad, overloaded antenna-tv experiences), there's the $30 external set-top boxes ("digital tv tuner with hdmi output"). Maybe there's going to be a "cut the cord" 2.0 movement to go along with Roku's TV 2.0 madness. 🙂 People cutting their relationship with Roku just so they can have what they bought a tv for in the first place. 

[Oudge]

Thank you so much. It works!!