Keep guide focused on same time while scrolling through channels

Channels Apple TV Feature Requests
#1

I absolutely love Channels DVR and the Apple TV app, but there is one extremely frustrating/annoying thing about the interface. Lets say you want to see what’s on at 8pm, so you set the guide to that time and scroll down. By the time you get to the end of the guide, you might be at 4pm or 10pm, because each channel you scroll through will push the focus of the guide to that time slot. The expected result is for the guide to stay focused on 8pm while scrolling (where you put it, otherwise), until you change it. In any case, it makes scrolling through to see what’s on during a certain time slot very difficult.

Guide jumps around when scrolling up and down
#2

This is supposed to work just as you described. I just tried it here and it works…

#3

On the appleTV, if I set the display so that 8pm is the first timeslot I see and start scrolling down, if a show starts at 7pm, the focus will now change to 7pm instead of 8pm. Same thing if a show I scroll through starts at a time 9:30pm - the focus will change from 8pm to 9:30pm.

#4

This is the behavior I see as well. And I agree it is annoying and makes it difficult to browse what is on at a certain time slot.

#5

tvOS focus engine does move left/right automatically to fully focus whatever you’re viewing. But the guide tab currently remembers what time slot you’re focused on. So if you focus on an 8pm show, move down and it focuses to 7pm, when you move down again it should shift back to 8pm if the next channel starts something at 8pm.

I guess what you’re asking is that the focus not move left/right at all. I think this might be possible, but it can also be confusing because then it will look like every show starts at 8pm even though some might have already started earlier.

#6

Here is video showing an example of the undesired “jumping around”…

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7jzhp7j1yoeret/686A74CC-3D00-465A-92A1-34813B33E444.MP4?dl=0

#7

Yes I think this would be more desirable. And I don’t think it would be confusing since every other grid guide I’ve used before behaved that way.

#8

The iOS app already behaves this way, but on tvOS the focus engine has a mind of its own. I’ll see if I can find a way to beat it into submission.

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#9

Thanks, that would greatly be appreciated! I noticed that the iOS app behaved properly, I didn’t realize they used a different focus engine for iOS.
I don’t think it will be confusing, as it’s pretty easy to see if a show started sooner. It’s the way most other DVR’s handle the interface, so the behavior would be seen as normal for those that have used other options before. Thanks again!

#10

Any luck on this? I keep ending up at 6pm when I’m trying to scan what’s on at 9pm, and so on. As it is now I pretty much always use the iOS app to scan through what’s on at a certain time slot, as it behaves properly, and then I’ll change over to watch it on the appleTV. Kind of clumsy, but at least the guide doesn’t jump all over the place.

Thanks,

Chief

1 Like
#11

Last time I tried I didn’t get very far. I was able to make it stop jumping around, but then when you did want it to scroll it wouldn’t anymore. I’ll have to give it another go sometime.

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#12

Thanks for the reply. Yes, please do give it another go, it’s extremely annoying to have to use the iPhone to avoid this problem.

Thanks