[Merged] CR3-Feedback & Questions in Here Please.

[Nor]

Originally Posted by dezzo

You can use the favourites section. It works almost the same as the old guide (plus you can use the PageUp/Down buttons to jump down the screen)
You access this by pressing yellow from the mini-guide

Its completely different. It doesn't show whats on the channel, just the channels. If I want to see whats on the channel I have to right click over to it, and even then I only see 5 timings. Then if I want to change channel it all dissapears. Its not the same at all as being able to cycle down all the channels and for it to show basically whats on the whole evening. It just seems now to achieve something requires a helluva lot more clicks and menus visited than it did before. I'm sure someone will say, its just cos its different and you're not used to it that you don't like it. I wish it was too, but it isn't its because through both the poor speed of the new epg and the poor design and functionality achieving what you want takes a helluva lot longer than it used to, and than it should. So much so that its genuinely quicker and less frustrating to use the radio times than it is to use the epg.

Now if you are in another room you can tell if a reminder has appeared. I use it if I'm getting some food. The sounds might be annoying to some but what would you have put there?

I'm not complaining about audible reminders. I'm just commenting on the fact that they could have put abit more thought into it and chosen more pleasing sounds, they are just ugly. Personally I don't use them.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Nor

Its completely different.

On CR2 you had a list of all the channels. Moving down gave a listing of each channel. On CR3 you get a list of channels. Clicking right gives you the listings. Clicking left goes back to the channels.

I don't think two click counts as being completely different. You can also use the pageup/down buttons to jump down the listings and I find this the fastest way to use the new EPG.

I'd be interested to know what other people think of this compared to the old guide. I find it a LOT faster to use than the old method.

[Nor]

Considering we're talking about viewing channel contents for the day it doesn't take much to be completely different. Perhaps I'm ott saying 'completely' as it is a slightly similar approach, but thats where the similarity ends.

Before you could find out what was on for basically the whole evening on a channel on the one screen, and then with one click see what was on the next channel at the same time of day. Now you have to right click to see only 5 programs, scroll through to find the time you want, then left click to get back to change the channel, change channel, then right click to get back to the 5 programs you can see, whereup the time is reset and you have to scroll back through the programs again.

It just seems we have 2 ways now of doing what 1 way did previously, and it was far superior and far quicker.

[DeKurver]

Originally Posted by Tristan

Now, aside for the fact you can't scroll up and down the channel list in 100s (which would be a bit odd with the new favourites system, and wouldn't really work with the goal of consistancy across all menus), what exactly is wrong with the fundemental design of it?

I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with it, and on the whole I'd say I'm happy with the upgrade, however the lack of page up/down in the Mini Guide is a real spoiler. It obvious that those who never used this feature don't miss it, but for those that did use it the Mini Guide has become a disappointment. Did you ever make use of page up/down pre-CR3 (I'm betting that you didn't, otherwise my theory is complete BS )? I'd also say that the goal of the different menus should be to allow me to use the EPG quickly and efficiently, in as few clicks as possible. Obviously consistency is a desirable part of any UI, EPG or otherwise, as it reduces the amount of stuff the user needs to remeber, but it shouldn't be an absolute rule. For example, Sky's EPG is much more consistent in that up/down scrolls through channels in the main guide and the mini guide. Similarly, left/right scrolls though programmes on the current channel in both menus. I've always found this unintuitive and much prefer the more intuitive, but inconsistent, approach of using left/right to scroll though channels in the Mini Guide. Therefore, if left/right and up/down can behave differently then why not page up/down as well? IMHO the favourites system is an opt-in system; you shouldn't be forced to use it to be able to make efficient use of the Mini Guide.

[davie_gla]

On the whole im happy with the new look/feel of the software. The only thing that bugs me is why create software that is slower than the old version?


Whenever Im in guide and scroll right for programmes more than 6 hours away all I get is 'programme information unavailable' and have to wait 2-3 minutes for this information to come through. It's frustrating and I eventually give up... meaning missing programmes I would have seen previouly.

I phoned cust. services this morning and they said the problem is that they are running two different software/guides just now and when migration to the new software is complete in the next month or so things will speed up 'dramatically'. Let's hope so!

[Flubflow]

Originally Posted by davie_gla

On the whole im happy with the new look/feel of the software. The only thing that bugs me is why create software that is slower than the old version?


Whenever Im in guide and scroll right for programmes more than 6 hours away all I get is 'programme information unavailable' and have to wait 2-3 minutes for this information to come through. It's frustrating and I eventually give up... meaning missing programmes I would have seen previouly.

I phoned cust. services this morning and they said the problem is that they are running two different software/guides just now and when migration to the new software is complete in the next month or so things will speed up 'dramatically'. Let's hope so!

I can see how running two epg vesions could possibly slow down programme epg data updates.
However, I can't see how the general speed of navigating between visible programmes/channels/menus will improve though because when you are doing that the data is already there in the box.
We'll see.

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by davie_gla

I phoned cust. services this morning and they said the problem is that they are running two different software/guides just now and when migration to the new software is complete in the next month or so things will speed up 'dramatically'. Let's hope so!

I thought it had already been stated that although this was the case for Bromley it is not true for Langley.

[frosty12345]

i have been reading this topic for a while and i have the excwc cr3 and am curious, in the guide time grid, does the pageup/down shift the channels by a page?

also, i cant understand why there is so much "blue space" on each page, surely this could be better used to show more listings etc..

frosty

[DeKurver]

Originally Posted by davie_gla

I phoned cust. services this morning and they said the problem is that they are running two different software/guides just now and when migration to the new software is complete in the next month or so things will speed up 'dramatically'. Let's hope so!

There's always the possibility that ntl: will make some performance improvements in the future, but a recent thread on Digital Spy seemed to put the kibosh on speculation that performance will automatically improve when the roll-out is completed.

Reason Behind Slow Service with CR3

[Flubflow]

Personally I think it is currently about as fast as it is ever going be on the STBs we have now. Lets face it, they've been working on it for ages and I think speed would have been a fairly high priority.

[abun880007x]

Hi All

I was just wondering if anyone knows if there are new dates for the LCR3 rollout in the Hemel Hempstead Area.

Regards


abun880007x

[looselipsuk]

Just so people know.
I live in the NG17 area which is covered by Nottingham and have yet to receive notification of CR3.
Have rung CS this afternoon and although Nottingham is starting tomorrow there are no dates showing when my area is going to receive it.
Perhaps somebody here can clarify the roll out situation for the whole Nottingham area as I would have thought that coming under the Nottingham area something would be at least pencilled in as to possible time scale.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Flubflow

Personally I think it is currently about as fast as it is ever going be on the STBs we have now. Lets face it, they've been working on it for ages and I think speed would have been a fairly high priority.

Well Java is hardly the fastest language when it comes to performance. Why java? Surely they could have used a faster language.

[Sam B]

As an update for you on some areas.
Unfortunately there are no new dates available yet for Warwick, Andover and Hemel Hempstead.

There are two other areas that were due to start this week, that are also now on hold: Oxford and Reading.

Nottingham will go ahead as planned though. As I said, some areas are on hold for operational reasons unrelated to the CR3 software.

As soon as I have any updates on new dates then I wiill let you know.

Cheers
Sam

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Well Java is hardly the fastest language when it comes to performance. Why java? Surely they could have used a faster language.

It's not Java. It's a combination of C and Javascript.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

It's not Java. It's a combination of C and Javascript.

My limited understanding of Java/Javascript tells me that it is not the most efficient language to code in. Efficiency being a key requirement to performance especially if you have hardware limitations.

Perhaps they should have written it in ZX Spectrum basic. Could have got the code in 48k then.

[rince]

Nah... BBC Basic cos then you could fit it into 32K

[Big Ted]

Originally Posted by Sam B

There are two other areas that were due to start this week, that are also now on hold: Oxford and Reading.
Cheers
Sam

Awwww

Originally Posted by Sam B

Nottingham will go ahead as planned though. As I said, some areas are on hold for operational reasons unrelated to the CR3 software

I got my letter and guide in the post this morning

[ikthius]

I wonder what language they did use?

I think the case for slow browsing is not the fact of the language, but a fact of that particular machine and the amount of data being transferred to and from the client machine and the servers. there could be a kind of bottleneck for some clients which makes browsing slow.

I myself like the new software and I find it a hell of a lot faster than the old purple software. especially because the old purple interface did not show any progs most of the time when I checked the guide (but that was just my experience).

Although browsing for individual channels and only seeing the next 2 progs (in the new software) is enough for me at times. But when I check the guide, then I get what I want, when i want. I can see what channels I want to look forward to that day/night.

Again as said by someone else, space has not been used wisely, and why do NTL need to have such a big square to advertise its help page, its bold enough to see, so change the small tv square to the big ad square, and use the space better.

ik