Questions re: Top Shelf Up Next Behavior

[chasut]

I am not sure if things are different, broken, or my memory is failing. Unfortunately I haven't paid enough attention and not sure when the changes began but sometime around December I think. Could be the TVOS update or other changes. Anyway here goes:

1. When I highlight Channels on the top shelf, I don't always see new shows that are just beginning to record available in up next. If I change focus around to other apps, sometimes it will appear. In my memory, as soon as a new show started to record it would just pop-up in up next.

2. When I select a show in up next on the top shelf that is recording, I only get the option to "Watch". I used to get the option to watch from recording or watch live. If I go into the channels app itself and navigate to the show in up next, I do get the option to watch live.

3. After I finish watching a recording that I started from the top shelf and exit to the guide, the guide is not populated. It will stay like that, unpopulated until I navigate around a bit, then the guide populates as usual. I don't see this behavior when I just enter into the app directly, only when I start from the top shelf.

For some background, we primarily enter through the top shelf, either from up next or from the quick guide. I use season passes to manage all of our favorite shows. Everything we watch regularly is in a season pass just keeping the most recent. So when we turn on the TV it is typically the first item in the top shelf and we are one click away from our show. This is particularly great for our sports teams, because you don't always know what channel they are on, but still just a click away.

While it is difficult to pick my favorite Channels feature, this one is certainly a contender.

It kind of feels like something has changed in the background that delays or limits the update for the top shelf information (and the guide?). Have there been changes that impact how I use up next in the top shelf?

TIA

My setup:
Channels DVR: runs on M1 Mac, with Channels data on 2TB SSD and Library on 6TB HDD
Sources: HDHR5-4K, Spectrum TVE, Pluto (from docker); EPlusTV; and 17 Virtual Channels (really like this feature)
Clients: 3 ATV4K (new model), 3 ATV4K, 1 ATVHD

[maddox]

Regarding #1:

It's important to know that Up Next does not show the most recently recorded items, it shows the next item of the shows you have to watch. For example, if you're 3 episodes behind on a show, it shows that episode, not the latest.

If you're caught up on the show, then the latest recording WILL be in Up Next. This may be what's making things confusing.

#2:

This is a bit confusing. This has never been an option. And clicking on an item in Top Shelf has always only taken you to the recording modal, not provided options.

You may be thinking of the actual Guide or On Now, the options you mentioned are presented from there.

#3 We'll take a look at this.

[chasut]

Thanks for the quick reply. You guys are the best!

#1. It certainly does if you set show options to "Watch Newest First" It was this feature that allowed me to get the behavior I desired. It still works this way, it just doesn't refresh as timely as it used to. e.g. my team was playing BB yesterday and ~ 5 minutes after it started recording it didn't pop up in the top shelf so I had to go into the app and navigate to the game. Not hard of course, just a few extra steps.

#2. I could be mis-remembering, my memory is not what it used to be. I am sure you are right, thanks for the confirmation. Not a huge deal, as it is easy enough to just fast forward to real-time.

#3 Let me know if I can help with anything, it is easy to reproduce.

[maddox]

#1 Yep it does! heh. And it's probably the Top Shelf just being slow. Top Shelf exists as it's own binary and application that is controlled by the tvOS system.

[chasut]

Ah, well that would certainly explain what I am seeing on both 1 and 3. It still works, just doesn't refresh/update the same. Don't recall exactly when it started, but certainly around the same time the new TVOS version came out.

I love apple stuff, but sometimes they just can't seem to get out of their own way. If they were just a tad more inclusive with TVOS, I am certain they could absolutely OWN not just the streaming box market but all set-top boxes.