A question and a request...
When I click and hold on a source a menu comes up and one of the options is "channel logos only", what does this do? (I tried it but didn't notice any difference)
Can "unchecking" a source be moved to this menu? Right now it is fairly easy for someone to accidentally disable a source (I've seen it happen twice). As rare as it is that a source needs to be disabled on a client it would be better to "hide" this in the long press menu.
The long press menu is for support/diagnostics only. No one would ever know to try that so we can't put features that users expect to use in there.
The Logos Only option is supposed to show logos in On Now and Quick Guide, but it is not supported and might not work anymore.
What is the purpose of client based sources and priority? Personally I would like the DVR sources and priority to be adhered to on all clients. The client settings have only been a source of confusion and issues in practice. That being said I may be overlooking a good use case for the feature.
Ideally I would like to see the client settings adjusted, if signed into a DVR only show "DVR" as the source (the right sidebar could then show the different tuners that the DVR is using rather than being used to select favorites).
Add an additional setting for "Assign Favorites" with channels from all sources being displayed in the right sidebar. (This is another point of confusion that I have experienced where users are unsure if they need to favorite a channel for each source)
The option to disable a source seems better served on the DVR side within the webui.
Reason for the request:
These are not personal issue I have, but rather what I have witnessed with family and friends. I assume most of the people that use the Channels app don't understand the HDHR, how it works, why there may be multiple listed in sources, and why some have different channels (Prime, OTA, TVE).
Proposed Settings Changes
Settings Tab
Sources
-DVR
-Scan netowork for tuners
-Add Source
General
-Favorites
-Lineup Order
-Quick Guide
Use case is this: DVR should record on specific channels. Possibly, some channels are higher quality, or a user has multiple antennas fed into different HDHomeRuns, picking up different markets in different cities. User may want DVR to prioritize the stuff airing in home city, so can set favorites and priorities on the DVR to do that.
While doing this, it is still possible to have a favorites list on the client that enables quick access to all favorite stations, from multiple cities, thanks to the separate settings.
Another use case:
A family lives in a house with multiple rooms in it. And not everyone has the same preferences.
I agree on this, keep the priority options on the DVR side.
Also agree, the client should have the option to set favorites, but instead of choosing favorites from each individual source, present the user with all channels and let them mark the favorites. If, for example, the complete list includes "Fox" from two markets then there will be two "Fox" listings two choose from, the channel number is still present when choosing favorites.
I'm not advocating doing away with source priority or doing away with favorites. What I am advocating is keeping sources and priority strictly on the DVR settings. The client should abide by the DVR settings. In addition, the client should only show that they are connected to the DVR (with the sources listed but not configurable) and give the user a single list of all channels to choose their favorites.
When I first started using Channels it seemed strange, as it is not typical of a commercial DVR. But I've now come to appreciate the ability to 'customize' per client. Since this thread is within Apple TV, it almost sounds like what you're really wanting is the ability to lock down preferences in the Apple TV app since it is shared by many different people
I don't want to lock down the main "customization", I still want users to be able to select favorites and even disable certain channels per client if desired. I actually want to make that process easier to understand by having a setting for "Favorites" clearly defined with a single list of all channels from all sources.
What I would like to lock down (or at least make more difficult to inadvertently alter) is the active sources and the priority of those. Twice I have had sources accidentally click on which disabled them for that client, and recently when I was trying to tell a family member over the phone how to add a new channel to favorites it happened again when I told her to "highlight the source and click on a channel to mark it as a favorite".
The easiest way to explain it is this: If someone who has never used channels before asked how to add/alter there favorites, which would be option would be the most user friendly...
Go to the settings tab > There is a option there that says favorites > Click that and you will be presented with a channel list to choose your favorites from
Go to the settings tab > Under sources you will see three different HDHomeRuns > Highlight the first Prime (without clicking on it) and move to the right where the channels are listed, select you're favorites > Now go back to the left and highlight the next HDHomeRun, select any additional favorites that may not have been listed beside the first HDHR > Repeat again for the third source
At this point I start getting questions... Why are there three sources? Why do the sources have many of the same Channels? If I marked a Channel as a favorite in source #1 do I also need to mark the same channel again in the other sources?
TLDR; I would like the DVR sources and priority settings to be lockable or moved to a sub-setting rather than the first option on the Client settings tab. I would like to see favorites have its own individual setting and complete channel list to chose from under the General section.
I'm still not clear on what you're asking. Are you discussing just the Apple TV app, and what you believe to be UI challenges related to it being an app used by lots of people, or are you referring to all Channels client applications? I can see the need to have the Apple TV app preferences more locked down, but not the preferences in all client apps.
I like the idea. DVR is an admin interface. Clients have simple settings to favorite channels, but not alter hardware settings.
Only issue is for users who don’t have a DVR. They would have no place to configure their client apps.
The Apple TV app is my main concern, I've tried the other platforms but this is what my family uses and the request comes from observed behavior/issues of normal use with friends/family that require a simple and intuitive interface.
(Which Channels does a great job of providing, outside of small annoyances such as this)
Then only make the change to the "DVR" app, the paid app can stay as-is.
OK I get it now. This is in the Apple TV forum, but it seemed like you were speaking generically of all client apps. I can definitely see the value in tweaking the preferences in apps for devices like the Apple TV where there may be lots of users of the single app. I don't agree that the solution is to remove that functionality as it is very useful to have in the various Channels client apps. Perhaps nesting the sources menu into a sub menu. Or have a confirmation dialog when tweaking sources.
Here is an idea that I quickly threw together. Move the sources to the "General" section and have the option to enable/disable/adjust nested in a sub-settting (the way favorites are now). Further, add a "Favorites" setting under "General" with a full channel list nested on the right side as currently done, but list channels from all sources in one list.
Note: Both nested settings will not be shown at once, this is just for illustrative purposes. The side menu will correspond to the highlighted option (sources/favorites)
