re: telus tv mini - such a downgrade

I fully agree. Everything about this new equipment and technology is cheap and inferior.  Everything noted in NP's article I have experienced as well. Again it is not minions designing this stuff, it is the overpaid executives in the ivory towers that need to be held accountable. They will still collect their massive salaries and probably receive massive bonuses on top of that.

1. The remote is cheap plastic with some buttons you have to press multiple times to have them respond.
2. Setting recordings is a nightmare.  a) When setting series you have no control what channel it records on so when looking for future recordings of the series you can't find them to see if you have to extend the time (record the next show) because a sporting event may go longer and result in your series being missed.
3. Stored recordings are limited by time rather than storage capacity. There goes that Superbowl game you like to watch over and over every few months. 
4. The old equipment provided a live feed of the most recent channel watched enabling you to switch between games when delays (including commercials) came on and then showed you when the game came back on.

I want my old equipment back and if that can't happen a reduction in my TV services cost.