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Sky software sucks!

sillygoose
sillygoose Posts: 4,795 Forumite
Part of the Furniture
edited 17 April 2014 at 7:50AM in TV MoneySaving
Got a Sky update last night, hate the new version, written by an imbecile.

Now when I press the Guide button - because (shock horror) I want to go to the guide it goes to a stupid home screen and have to press again to go into the Guide, pressing back takes 5 presses now as you go back up through the unwanted home screen.

I gather its Sky's way of sticking the on demand in your face as a reminder its there in the hope of getting more revenue. Sorry to rant but meddling with perfectly good software and making it more fiddly is a pet hate of mine. At least put an option to turn it off!

Comments

  • penrhyn
    penrhyn Posts: 15,215 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Maybe they employed an ex Microsoft Windows 8 engineer.

    sky-home-update.jpg

    Maybe there is a way of disabling it like there is/was with those useless big search option things.

    epg_1

    .....and they still have not put the channel name under the mini TV.
    That gum you like is coming back in style.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 26,612 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I still haven't had the update, but it looks to be minor cosmetic changes rather than any improvement to functionality.
    Nothing I'm too worried about either way..
  • sillygoose
    sillygoose Posts: 4,795 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    No changes to functionality... just after years and years of simply flipping into the guide and then backup to go back to the program..

    Now you have to retrain your brain to press Guide twice with a half second pause if God forbid you actually just wanted the guide.

    Then train your brain not to press backup as it takes 5 presses now to go back to the picture and apparently press the sky button instead.

    I repeat... no new functionality for us to benefit from this. In fact it feels more sluggish to me.

    A life long experience of big corporates tells me how this came about...

    Someone at Sky looked at the numbers and found people were just finding something worth watching in the guide and it wasn't occurring to them to use the other sources like Sky Store. So he proposed to seniors (probably with some pretty powerpoint slides) that if they made everyone go via a screen of all these other features every time they wanted to go to the guide it would remind the dumb customers and take up would increase by 9.0845%. They all cheered and said well done Geoff, good work, lets do it. No one ever considered would it pee off customers, revenue, more revenue $$$$$ :shocked::shocked::shocked:

    I have had these discussions with many corporates, like the M6 toll company who told me their new Tag account statements were 'better' when I complained to them for changing the font from simple black to light grey, so when it prints out on paper its barely legible! Better how? more stylish apparently!
  • Niv
    Niv Posts: 2,604 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I prefer it as it makes it easier to find new series that I have missed the first couple of episodes of. I will admit however, I have not messed with it much, just a little mess around.
    YNWA

    Target: Mortgage free by 58.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 26,612 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    sillygoose wrote: »
    just after years and years of simply flipping into the guide and then backup to go back to the program..
    I think you'll find that all you have to do is press the "Sky" button (once) to return to normal viewing. I don't know why you've been pressing "back-up" all these years..
  • sillygoose
    sillygoose Posts: 4,795 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    edited 17 April 2014 at 10:57AM
    I think you'll find that all you have to do is press the "Sky" button (once) to return to normal viewing. I don't know why you've been pressing "back-up" all these years..

    Because on my remote Backup key is almost next to key guide.

    I use a programmable multi device remote because the Sky one an ugly great brick and I don't have to have half a dozen remotes sitting around either.

    So after years of happy use, I need to dig out the manual for the remote, work out how to program a new 'Sky' button onto it using the learning function and get used to using it.

    Meanwhile the new software does nothing new... what have I actually 'gained' with the update?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 26,612 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    sillygoose wrote: »
    imbecile.

    sillygoose wrote: »
    I gather its Sky's way of sticking the on demand in your face as a reminder its there in the hope of getting more revenue.
    "On Demand" doesn't provide more revenue unless you utilise it to purchase Pay Per Views?
    sillygoose wrote: »
    Now you have to retrain your brain to press Guide twice with a half second pause if God forbid you actually just wanted the guide.
    But this is only true for you because you don't use the Sky remote..


    sillygoose wrote: »
    Someone at Sky looked at the numbers and found people were just finding something worth watching in the guide and it wasn't occurring to them to use the other sources like Sky Store.
    I think Sky just want more people aware what they can download from On Demand if they are connected to the internet. I'm sure there are future plans to turn this into an additional revenue stream, but currently it doesn't cost any extra.
    sillygoose wrote: »
    I use a programmable multi device remote because the Sky one an ugly great brick
    Perhaps you need to consider looking elsewhere for your subscription TV?
    sillygoose wrote: »

    So after years of happy use, I need to dig out the manual for the remote, work out how to program a new 'Sky' button onto it using the learning function and get used to using it.
    I'm sure you'll forgive me for having no sympathy for your "plight".;)
  • almillar
    almillar Posts: 8,621 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    OK Pressing Guide twice to get straight in has sped me up so thanks for that. New guide does look better and is better suited to HD TVs.
  • sillygoose
    sillygoose Posts: 4,795 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    "On Demand" doesn't provide more revenue unless you utilise it to purchase Pay Per Views?


    But this is only true for you because you don't use the Sky remote..




    I think Sky just want more people aware what they can download from On Demand if they are connected to the internet. I'm sure there are future plans to turn this into an additional revenue stream, but currently it doesn't cost any extra.


    Perhaps you need to consider looking elsewhere for your subscription TV?

    I'm sure you'll forgive me for having no sympathy for your "plight".;)

    Each to their own, for any view there will always be an au contraire but on other forums I am not the only one unimpressed. I can at least 'undo' it by reprogramming my remote to press 'Guide' twice. The question remains, why fix what wasn't broken, it rarely turns out well. 30 years in engineering taught me that much. :cool:
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