Teacher
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10 Messages
Default to Favorites when pressing Guide button?
Is there a way to default to the user Favorites when pressing the Guide button instead of showing the gazillion channels in the lineup?
The Enter(Zoom) button is a good shortcut alternative to pressing the Menu button and then browsing to the Favorites, but the browser to go to whichever was last selected and used. If I can't make it default to the Favorites then it should at least go to the Favorites if that is what I used last so the next time I press the Guide button it should go to the Favorites.
Maybe the Hide Channels is another way to do this, but then I have to go through the gazillion channels in the lineup (which lists everything, not just my subscription channels) and click to remove them. So in essence through Hide Channels the Guide mirrors my Favorites?
JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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36.9K Messages
11 years ago
It is marked as solved as this is the best answer possible given the current state of the software. The best way, in the current software, to have a list of your favorite channels is to hide the ones you don't want from the guide.
Summary: Should there be easier access to favorites? Absolutely. Is there? No. What can a subscriber do now? Hide channels.
There has been some speculation that the sale of the underlying technology platform (Mediaroom) from Microsoft to Ericcson may mean some better UI on these boxes. However, I'm a little worried that the millions of old boxes AT&T has deployed may not have the horsepower to run the new se xy interface.
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
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downtimetexas
Contributor
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1 Message
11 years ago
Just switched over from Time Warner. I'm very impressed with U-verse, but I'm not a fan of this Favorites process. There was a single "favorites" button on the TW remote for scrolling through selected channels; adding & deleting was also a user friendlly process. Selecting favorites didn't block or hide other channels. They were still accessable using guide and/or channel up/down.
Perhaps this was an intentional decision at U-verse to give less popular channels more exposure.
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baseballisback
ACE - Professor
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8.2K Messages
11 years ago
Hit the enter key at the bottom right of the remote to easily access favorites.
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
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ECONORAM
Tutor
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6 Messages
11 years ago
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aviewer
Expert
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3.2K Messages
11 years ago
Applying the same list to the favorites guide and my multiview is strikes two and three. It is always a mistake to apply one key to two different processes. It is only a matter of time before there is a conflict within the two. My multiview is unmanageable beyond three channels.
Maybe I just want different channels in the MY multiview than on the favorites guide.
If they are going to allow more than one screen full of channels, it should have the ability to allow the customer to set the order of the channels.
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Brangusman
Tutor
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2 Messages
11 years ago
Oh my God. I've had Uverse for 3 days. I just went and started playing around with the zoom to see what it really does. And I'll be darn if you can't switch to a favorite with it...HOWEVER, you must have a different guide displayed on the screen before it will display a new one. If you already have pre-selected a favorite, it has no function. So, go to guide button, then zoom button, then favorites, then select the favorite you really want to see, and I'll be if the guide you wanted doesn't come up. Does Uverse have anyone in the sanity department? To the Uverse genius, I did find one shortcut. When you finally get the guide you want up, select a channel, then, if you hit 'back' the correct guide will appear.
I initially thought I would be foxy and hide all but my favorites on the main guide, then being ever so really foxy, name a favorite and put all the other channels I might want to see at times back on the favorites.
Guess what! Att out-thought me and when you hide any channel, you can never see it again anywhere until it is unhidden.
Nice going you ultra-smart programmers. I didn't know this was going to be a contest.
Is anybody out there ATT?
No? Guess not.
Hey guys, I think they just don't care!
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madtown_jeff
Tutor
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1 Message
11 years ago
I also find it hard to believe the only way to access favorites is through the menu button, and now the menu list has grown with the addition of the 'trending' option, thanks ATT. Why would we set up favorites if we didnt want to use it at least as much or more often then the GUIDE option! Regarding the questions asked if ATT cares, thats a definite no.
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ImpliedConsent
Teacher
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4 Messages
11 years ago
I'm not following here. The ENTER key works fine. (Enter-->>Favorites List)
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aviewer
Expert
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3.2K Messages
11 years ago
What you describe is the the way it used to work (if >> is down arrows). The newest software does have Favorites lists at the top of the menu (note - they added the ability to add up five favorites & apply your choice of name). It does come up with a named favorites list button, but when you select it nothing happens.
The next item on the menu is add/remove to/from favorites, followed by edit favorites.
If you have the old way, you must have missed the rollout.
Even the original implementation took too many clicks. Usability says the most used function should require the least clicks. The most used functions are Guide, Recordings or On demand depending on the customers viewing habits. Att made a button for each.
What they missed on usability is that favorites is an even more efficient, even more favored version of guide for those that use it & should be treated as such. Since it can not have less than one click, it should have its own button and have priority on any menu.
This request has been ignored for seven years. Instead, they keep adding clicks for useless junk that could just as easily be added to the end of the list.
The enter button menu makes sense if it was just zoom & perhaps add//remove for favorites. Now it is unwieldy
CC is similar. It should toggle on/off with one button. It was something like 22 clicks. After much pressure it was cut back. I think I saw it is still 10.
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vid30jk
Scholar
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75 Messages
11 years ago
Bell Fibe TV in Ontario and Quebec is basically a carbon copy of Uverse, in that they also use MediaRoom. They actually DO have the "B" button on the MxV3 remote (black Uverse remote) pre-programmed as Favorites, but it is exactly the same number of button-presses as you pressing ENTER and getting the Favorites menu.
I'm certain that if you look up CenturyTel's IPTV product (which is also a carbon copy of Uverse, using MediaRoom) you're going to find the same process required.
THEREFORE, it is NOT AT&T that is somehow at fault here! While AT&T was the largest customer to Microsoft's MediaRoom platform in North America, it looks like Microsoft paid scant attention to feedback anyone gave them in improvements to their IPTV platform. Surprised? You shouldn't be if you look at the plethora of "upgrades" or "innovations" M$ was busying themselves with -- a new Windurrs that's been panned by practically everyone tech-savvy, yet ANOTHER version of Office, getting more into Mobile phone competition ........ basically everything BUT their MediaRoom. Yet, somehow, it's AT&T's fault that your Favorites don't magically appear the way you want them. Puhleeze.
Could be worse. Remember the days when your "favorites" were only what you could find on the antenna? And you had to hoist your behind outta the chair every time you wanted to find yet another "favorite"?
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ImpliedConsent
Teacher
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4 Messages
11 years ago
You're absolutely right. I did not follow-though before clicking the buttons, so I tested on my daughters cartoons favorites. Nada, nothin', doesn't work. My bad.
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aviewer
Expert
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3.2K Messages
11 years ago
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wpcatalano
Contributor
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1 Message
11 years ago
It is amazing that Favorites can be set up, but not accessed without hitting multiple buttons. People set up favorites so they don't have to go through all 700+ possible channels to find what they like to view. So, At&t figures we should all go through that menu first and hit multiple buttons each time we want to see a favorites menu? Really? Who thought of this scheme? Enough to make me go back to Dish. I still have 29 days to do so and may. Or, I guess I could hide 600 or so channels on three different receivers so I don't have this issue? Hmmmmm? Just goes to show the folks that do this are not end users, but rather folks that live in offices that are engineers just connecting the dots.
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trisha2766
Contributor
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1 Message
11 years ago
Like everyone else said, there needs to be one button access to favorites.
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aviewer
Expert
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3.2K Messages
11 years ago
I just got one button favorites. But, before you get too excited, I have to tell you that it is thanks to Logitech, not att.
I had previously tried programming my Logitech Harmony 700 with multi-step activity & it was not a success because the IR is so flaky. I recently got a Logitech Harmony Smart Control (SC). It is rock solid controlling the U-verse STB.
Your post revived my interest in a remote solution. I programmed the remote to send the necessary five steps to bring up the favorites guide.
Now a light touch of the MENU button produces my favorites guide.
BTW, I found another bug in the new rollout. If you build more than one favorites list, not only do you need to choose which one each time, but it also offers ALL channels at the top of the list. It is not enough to have a GUIDE button and the full guide at the top of the menu, but it is another speedbump on the way to the Favorites. One of the available Favorites should have the ability to be a set default to go directly to.
CC: @beckyww
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