Better use of the YouView button for more direct access to MyView recordings list or scheduled reco

KeithKeith Member, Super User Posts: 2,454 ✭✭✭
edited 20 August 2017, 5:17PM in Feedback
*** Summarised idea from trials process ***

Currently the YouView button takes you to the menu system with the highlighted option being the guide yet there is a dedicated button to go directly to the guide.

At present to get to the recordings list and select the top item takes 5 key presses - YouView, Left arrow, OK, OK, OK.

Since going to the recordings list is likely to be one of the most common actions a user will perform this needs to be (more) direct. At the very least the current behaviour should be changed such that pressing the YouView button takes you to the menu system with MyView highlighted. This alone though only reduces the number of presses by one (but does at least mean you only need 2 keys not 3).

Many people would prefer/expect to be able to reach the recording list in a single press. One solution to this is to remap the YouView key to go straight into the recordings list with the top item selected. However, this leaves accessing the menu system in general in an unclean state whereby one then has to back out of the recordings listing. Nevertheless many people may prefer to see this as at least an option they can enable.

Another possible option would be to utilise one of the colour keys as a direct route to the top of the recordings list page in one press.
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Comments

  • edited 26 September 2013, 8:33AM
    I like the idea of highlighting the MyView option would greatly simplify navigation to the recordings, I'm not sure I'd like the (Y) button to tae me INTO MyView though.
  • tracestraces Member Posts: 199
    edited 24 March 2017, 8:42PM
    Streamlining the process on getting to the recordings list would be greatly appreciated.
  • northernnorthern Member Posts: 241
    edited 10 August 2017, 7:38PM
    My other PVR has two direct buttons on the remote "LIB" obviously takes you straight to your recordings and "TIMER" which takes you straight to your scheduled recordings.

    I understand YV want to keep things simple, as they are targetting people with just freeview boxes without PVRs, so dont want the remote cluttered but a more direct route to recordings would be useful
  • swedish cookswedish cook Member Posts: 27
    edited 24 March 2017, 8:43PM
    Why they didn't put a button for recordings on the remote is beyond me.
  • churchwardenchurchwarden Member Posts: 795
    edited 4 May 2017, 12:39AM
    I agree totally with Keith. More use of the 4 colour keys in a context sensitive way could provide really useful additional functionality. I appreciate that there is a balance between functionality and complexity - the more functions potentially the more complex it becomes. But there is also a balance to be struck which includes simplicity as a factor - which is also a design aim. This means reducing the number of key presses to achieve common tasks to a minimum. That is being truly user-friendly. One of the frequently required options is to go to your list of recordings. In an ideal world, this would be a dedicated button, labelled 'recordings' or 'library' (whatever). Providing this as a single button press of, say, the red button, would give those who wish to use it an easy route to achieve this, whilst others may be happy going through the MyView, key press, key press, key press route. Everyone happy - simple and nothing lost.
  • JulesJules Member Posts: 9
    edited 12 March 2017, 8:49PM
    I came from a Humax PVR9200T, and having a direct access button for every function has spoilt me.
    Since buying the YouView box I’ve also bought a HDR-Fox T2 for all the missing functionality.
    When the T2 enters the menu it highlights the last used feature, I think this should appeal to everyone.
    I don’t know why they re-designed the remote as the T2 is far easier to use, every function I perform needs either 2x hands or shuffling the control up and down.
    i.e. deleting a recording you’ve watched requires
    1. STOP
    2. Hand shuffle for DEL
    3. Hand shuffle for confirm
    4. Hand shuffle for a channel.
  • edited 26 September 2013, 8:33AM
    Hi Jules

    There's isn't just one youView box, there are already three from three manufactures with others potentially to follow. The remotes on each will differ.
  • CiceroCicero Member Posts: 345
    edited 12 March 2017, 8:49PM
    Jules said:

    I came from a Humax PVR9200T, and having a direct access button for every function has spoilt me.
    Since buying the YouView box I’ve also bought a HDR-Fox T2 for all the missing functionality.
    When the T2 enters the menu it highlights the last used feature, I think this should appeal to everyone.
    I don’t know why they re-designed the remote as the T2 is far easier to use, every function I perform needs either 2x hands or shuffling the control up and down.
    i.e. deleting a recording you’ve watched requires
    1. STOP
    2. Hand shuffle for DEL
    3. Hand shuffle for confirm
    4. Hand shuffle for a channel.

    Only a minor shuffle save but I was pleased to discover that a second press of the DEL key acts as confirm.
  • FloppyFloppy Member Posts: 17
    edited 8 October 2012, 2:41PM
    This would be great - like Keith, I've got a sequence programmed into my Harmony remote to do this, but it's slow and brittle. A key or remote code would be great!
  • Adrian Wood1Adrian Wood1 Member Posts: 235
    edited 20 August 2017, 5:17PM
    From Jules: "When the T2 enters the menu it highlights the last used feature, I think this should appeal to everyone."

    It certainly does NOT appeal to me - to do this would prevent remote control macros from being used to get around problems such as this one - because you would never know where in the menu you would land.

    So yes please, its very important to me that a single press button access to Recordings or MyView is provided, and / or the "Y" button going directly to MyView, but please do not change the current behaviour that pressing "Y" goes to a consistent location in the menu.

    One other option that could kill "two birds with one stone" would be to use the PLAY button. When playing a recording, the buffer, catch-up or On Demand it would act as normal, but when in live TV it would either:

    1) If the previously played recording was stopped before the end, PLAY that recording (with RESUME option available) - pressing the BACK key would then go to back to the recording list.
    or
    2) If the previously played recording was played to the end, go straight the recording list.

    That's how Sky+ works.
  • Scott1Scott1 Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
    edited 21 November 2016, 6:25PM
    Totally agree with the main post.

    When press the youview button, should definitely land on "recordings" not "guide"

    Additionally, on the guide there could be a shortcut (hit one of the colour keys, or perhaps incorporate the scrolling menu at the bottom like when you press youview)

    Completely agreee also that pressing the play button when watching normal live TV should take you to "recordings"
  • gomezgomez Member Posts: 2,073 ✭✭
    edited 12 November 2016, 8:11PM
    I can see why the Youview button acts as the Menu button more commonly seen on PVRs. But the lack of a an explicit Recordings/Archive button is a big UI FAIL,
  • Adrian Wood1Adrian Wood1 Member Posts: 235
    edited 2 August 2014, 6:08PM
    My post above about using the PLAY button is not actually the best way to do it - it's best to go to the recordings list with the last played item selected (unless it has been deleted or played through to the end, in which case it should go to the first recording in the list).

    That way, if someone accidentally presses the play button they will not miss the live TV they are watching, because it will be there in the mini-TV, and they can simply press the BACK or CLOSE button, rewinding a little if needed.
  • Scott1Scott1 Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
    edited 21 November 2016, 6:25PM
    Agreed, would be good if play button took you to the recording list. Though the negative to that is that it's quite handy to just hit play when watching live tv, and you can see how far you can rewind...

    Simplest quick fix (with no negatives) is to press the youview button, land on "recordings" rather than "guide"
  • Adrian Wood1Adrian Wood1 Member Posts: 235
    edited 17 October 2012, 9:57AM
    I've not checked but presumably other buttons would do that too such as pause, info, FF, RW?

    If the current behaviour of the play button is not changed, it would be nice for an alternative single touch button to go to the last played item in the recording list (if it was not fully watched or deleted) else go to the top of the list. In case some users would like it always to go to the top of the list, this could be an option within the box settings.
  • Scott1Scott1 Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
    edited 21 November 2016, 6:25PM
    Not really....info button brings up program info and the pause, ff, rw buttons would bring that info up but would also pause or rewind the program, which isn't great.

    Agreed it would be good to have quick access to last viewed recording (bit like sky+ does with the play button)
  • Adrian Wood1Adrian Wood1 Member Posts: 235
    edited 17 October 2012, 10:33AM
    Scott1 said:

    Not really....info button brings up program info and the pause, ff, rw buttons would bring that info up but would also pause or rewind the program, which isn't great.

    Agreed it would be good to have quick access to last viewed recording (bit like sky+ does with the play button)

    Not disagreeing with your overall point, but surely FF then does exactly the same as Play - since it's live TV you can't FF, so you could use FF instead of play to do the samething - hopefully no less intuitive once people realise that the play actually is used to play recordings when in live TV mode rather than chase-play mode.

    Or does pressing FF actually pause the live TV?

    On other PVRs info or the left arrow or right arrow buttons are used to show how far you are through a programme (and if held down the arrows slide to a different point in the chase-play buffer) which does seem more intuitive to me.
  • gomezgomez Member Posts: 2,073 ✭✭
    edited 21 November 2016, 6:25PM
    Using the i button would work if the progress info was included along with the other programme info it already includes as is common on other boxes in my experience.
  • Adrian Wood1Adrian Wood1 Member Posts: 235
    edited 17 October 2012, 2:57PM
    gomez said:

    Using the i button would work if the progress info was included along with the other programme info it already includes as is common on other boxes in my experience.

    I'd prefer that approach.
  • Scott1Scott1 Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
    edited 21 November 2016, 6:25PM
    gomez said:

    Using the i button would work if the progress info was included along with the other programme info it already includes as is common on other boxes in my experience.

    I'd agree with that gomez, though not sure i'd want the programme info up on screen every time fast forwading and rewinding etc though
  • Adrian Wood1Adrian Wood1 Member Posts: 235
    edited 17 October 2012, 3:47PM
    gomez said:

    Using the i button would work if the progress info was included along with the other programme info it already includes as is common on other boxes in my experience.

    yes, that surely should not be necessary ...
  • KeithKeith Member, Super User Posts: 2,454 ✭✭✭
    edited 4 March 2017, 10:29AM
    For those following this topic, the software update scheduled for today (30/10/2012) is now out (although your box may not automatically update until tonight but you can try a manual update if keen).

    The update contains various improvements including a reduced number of clicks to reach the recording list.

    Now when you have MyView highlighted in the menu and press ok you go straight into the recordings list view without having to press a further ok.

    So the sequence of key presses to get to the top entry on the recording list is now YouView, Left arrow, OK, OK.

    If in the next release they could even just make the YouView button bring you into the menus with MyView highlighted that would save another press.
  • KeithKeith Member, Super User Posts: 2,454 ✭✭✭
    edited 4 May 2017, 12:39AM
    To follow on from my post above.

    A reason I have heard that the YouView button brings up the menu highlighting Guide is because Guide is the most commonly accessed function yet it is not mandatory to have a dedicated Guide button on the remote. If that is really the case then it seems like a significant oversight not to have made a guide button on the remote compulsory (given it is apparently the most common function a user accesses).

    As it is I believe both the Humax and Huawei box remotes do have guide buttons so I would suggest they change the spec asap if necessary and ensure all remotes thus do have a guide button and hence remove this theoretical issue and then remap the YouView button to go to highlighting MyView saving us all one more button press.
  • churchwardenchurchwarden Member Posts: 795
    edited 2 December 2016, 8:27PM
    Keith1 said:

    To follow on from my post above.

    A reason I have heard that the YouView button brings up the menu highlighting Guide is because Guide is the most commonly accessed function yet it is not mandatory to have a dedicated Guide button on the remote. If that is really the case then it seems like a significant oversight not to have made a guide button on the remote compulsory (given it is apparently the most common function a user accesses).

    As it is I believe both the Humax and Huawei box remotes do have guide buttons so I would suggest they change the spec asap if necessary and ensure all remotes thus do have a guide button and hence remove this theoretical issue and then remap the YouView button to go to highlighting MyView saving us all one more button press.

    Agree 100%, Keith. I would be interested in knowing which boxes omit the guide button. However, unless those boxes have massive penetration, it makes sense to cater for the majority, and your preferred method definitely does that.
  • FloppyFloppy Member Posts: 17
    edited 2 August 2014, 6:13PM
    Thanks for reducing the number of button presses in the latest update, but I still think this needs more work and a single-button access. Here's hoping you can work something out for the next update!
  • NesbittNesbitt Member Posts: 5
    edited 2 August 2014, 8:30PM
    I'd like to see better use of the colour buttons on the TV guide, to enable a one-button switch to list of recordings; currently in the guide the green button jumps to now and yellow enables editing channels, that leaves the red and blue available - it seems reasonable to me that maybe the blue button could be used to jump straight to your list of recordings (I think the red button should be left alone as it has other. connotations).

    this means if you have looked at the TV guide and nothing takes your fancy, in one press of a button you'd have your alternative viewing listed.
  • Andrew McloughlinAndrew Mcloughlin Member Posts: 12
    edited 29 December 2012, 7:11PM
    One button access is required to the Guide and Recordings. Other PVRs do it, why not YouView?
  • pjbhpjbh Member Posts: 3
    edited 2 August 2014, 6:14PM
    If this isn't fixed, it will stop us using the box. It is simply essential.
  • RoyRoy Member, Super User Posts: 17,797 ✭✭✭
    edited 7 December 2016, 8:38AM
    Keith1 said:

    To follow on from my post above.

    A reason I have heard that the YouView button brings up the menu highlighting Guide is because Guide is the most commonly accessed function yet it is not mandatory to have a dedicated Guide button on the remote. If that is really the case then it seems like a significant oversight not to have made a guide button on the remote compulsory (given it is apparently the most common function a user accesses).

    As it is I believe both the Humax and Huawei box remotes do have guide buttons so I would suggest they change the spec asap if necessary and ensure all remotes thus do have a guide button and hence remove this theoretical issue and then remap the YouView button to go to highlighting MyView saving us all one more button press.

    Potentially having a remote without a Guide button means that Guide needs to be available when you press the YouView button, but it shouldn't mean it has to be the very first entry there.

    As is demonstrated by just about everybody who ever pressed the YV button, it's perfectly feasible to scroll along to what you really want when it's not the first option.

    But I see no excuse not to demote Guide in favour of an option that the millions of us who do have a Guide button on our remote would like to get to more smoothly when we press the YV button; one that isn't available directly on any current YV remote, real or imagined.
    ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
  • gomezgomez Member Posts: 2,073 ✭✭
    edited 2 January 2013, 11:42AM
    Essential is a bit strong,I think.
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