Forum Discussion
Optik-Kate
TELUS Team Member
TELUS Team MemberTELUS TV Feature Updates - Ongoing
Dear Neighbours,
We’re experimenting with different formats to assure you we’re listening and working on improvements to the TELUS TV platforms. We have frequent releases designed to tackle the platform's immediate and long-term stability, and we’ll do our best to keep this thread up to date with each new release to celebrate our wins together.
Please note this is not an exhaustive list; minor customer-facing fixes and non-customer-facing backend work are not included. (Note: Previous updates removed due to character limits on post)
Q2 2025 (WIP):
- TELUS TV+ app is now available for download on Amazon Fire TV
- Sports channels upgraded to 1080P at 60 frames per second
- 40+ new Free Stream TV channels
- 4K HDR now available for On Demand content
Q1 2025:
- Firmware Update:
- Dolby vision & HDR support that enhances video quality
- Auto dynamic range adjustment to match the content frame
- Picture-in-picture previews in guide
- Find my remote by holding down the pairing button on the box for >4 seconds
- Advanced audio controls such as normalization of loudness for all content and disable/enable surround sound format
- Privacy & accessibility:
- Customization of microphone and camera permissions
- Adjust text size on-screen with new text scaling options
Q4 2024:
- Zoetrope Previews: See exactly where you're skipping on Live TV, recordings, and On-Demand. Enjoy fullscreen previews when fast-forwarding or rewinding, so you never lose your place. (Thumbnail preview coming soon)
- Fast Forward and Rewind Speeds: Control your scrolling speed with ease:
- 1x: Scroll at 2x speed.
- 2x: Scroll at 8x speed.
- 3x: Scroll at 24x speed.
- Picture Quality Improvements: Most non-sports channels now stream in 1080p (high-definition) for sharper images, with a backup at 720p. Sports channels now uses 720p at 60 frames per second (fps) to keep fast-moving content smooth and prevent display issues—further picture quality improvements to come.
- Recovery After Internet Outage: Your digital box will now automatically resume live TV content as soon as the internet connection is restored.
- Improved Guide on Apple TV: Navigate your TV Guide effortlessly with enhanced performance and no freezing issues.
- Automatic Playback for Recordings: Binge-watch your recorded content with ease as the next recording in your playlist automatically starts playing—no need to press a button!
- Enhanced Restart and Lookback Logic: Enjoy seamless transitions between Restart and Lookback programs for uninterrupted viewing.
Q3 2024:
- Bulk Delete for Recordings: You can now delete multiple recorded episodes simultaneously, making managing your recordings easier.
- Episode List Access: When playing a recorded episode, you can see a list of all other episodes from the same series directly in the player.
- Binge-Watching Made Easy: Enjoy seamless binge-watching of recorded episodes, as they now play sequentially without any interruptions.
- Order Cloud PVR Directly: You can now order Cloud PVR service directly from your set-top box for added convenience.
- Start from the Beginning: Easily start recordings and VOD (Video on Demand) content from the beginning, even if you joined late!
Regards,
Your Friendly Neighbourhood TV Product Development Team.
361 Replies
Your input here is appreciated. Thanks for reminder that others may not share developement progress.
Where the TelusTV failure is in most cases is that it is the very basic things already well known/used features fom past products are still in development stage with this new product. We are beta testers to develop a product that will become obsolete before fully developed.
Then there is the recent announcement that those with a previous product which in their opinion works better than current will soon be retired and replaced by this current one.
KHRThanks Rocky3
There is currently no timeline for the retirement of the Optik 4K PVR and Wireless Digital Boxes. The HD boxes, on the other hand, will start to be retired this year. They were introduced nearly 15 years ago, have not been manufactured for almost 10 and they don't support any OTT apps like Netflix or Prime Video. In addition, hard drives are starting to fail more frequently on this legacy equipment.
For folks on the HD equipment, upgrading to the 4K equivalent is an option. The user interface and functionality is nearly identical, but Netflix and Prime Video are supported on this platform (other apps like Disney+ and Apple TV+ will likely never be supported due to hardware and platform limitations).
That said - the manufacturers of the 4K equipment (Arris and Technicolor) no longer have a license to manufacture and the vendor of the TV platform (MediaKind) has diverted their attention to their next generation IPTV solution, which is based on a very similar chipset and is Android TV-based.
- What do customers with owned 330 boxes do when the Optik TV is phased out?
So I don't see any update or posting such as Q2 2024 (WIP) on this thread from any TELUS employees, Optik-Kate KHR ? Only a plethora of complaints about the current state of the TELUSTV-21T platform.
What is being actively worked on and prioritized first for an system update?
Any plans for updating the real basics such adding additional time to recordings, bulk delete for series recordings, extending the 90 day recording limit?
- KHR
Hi MrSL
As mentioned 3 weeks ago in this thread "We are looking at a number of improvements to recordings, including more start/end time modifications (either manual or automatic), sports team recordings and a longer storage duration. As usual, we can't promise any timeline on these items, since development times can vary and anything that requires multiple parties to participate gets complicated." We are only about 1/3 of the way through Q2, so when any changes that impact the user experience are available, they will be shared here. More than likely, a view of Q2 changes will likely be towards the end of Q2.
I'm not aware of many telcos that give you this much access to product development roadmaps, timelines and folks on the team, so let's try to be a little bit more civil. I'll end with the cliche that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, but you're welcome to go have a look. https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/04/05/bell-fibe-to-delete-viewers-saved-tv-shows-after-60-day/
Your mention of Bell customers having it worse doesn’t make things any better. All it shows is that most corporate management minds in these companies (ie those that signed off on implementing beta products like this) are like-minded in their detachment of the needs of their customers. All it’s going to do is push existing customers away even more so, perhaps to a combination of over-the-air tuners working alongside streaming boxes like Apple TV, so as to still have access to a certain range of speciality channels via streaming providers.
Like we’re paying Telus for TSN for F1 Racing right now but could easily get better access via the F1 TV app at the same cost. So things are reaching a tipping point, if you will. And unless these problems are resolved expediently, you’ll only see more customers dropping their television packages from typical providers (ie Telus, Bell, etc) and customizing them on their own from an assortment of streaming providers.
Whats hilarious about this all though is that I’ve been mentioning this day would be coming for years to those in your Loyalty Department (who have compensated me immensely for the frustrations I’ve had with your services in the past) but little did I realize that the greatest impetus for this change would be caused by your own companies attempt at creating a streaming box itself. I definitely did not see that coming.
I currently have UIW8001 PVR and 3X UIW4001e. They work pretty well. The old saying, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" comes to mind.
From all of the reviews and comments here and elsewhere, such as DSLReports (https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r33851979-ALL-Comments-Experience-New-Telus-TV-Digital-Box-TelusTV-21T-Android), these new boxes sound like a step backwards, not only in terms of functionality and also picture quality. I've been with Telus long enough to highly suspect that customers will pay more for the priviledge of having less functionaly and worse picture quality.
Considering that 4K TVs are common and 8K TVs are becoming more common, it's not reasonable to expect that customers will be satisfied with poor picture quality on their big and expensive TVs.
This makes me wonder if Telus is serious about staying in this business. Eventually, charging more for less will catch up with you. Unless Telus is intentionally trying to kill the TV market, these new TV boxes sound like a mistake.
- Nailed it.
After a recent billing issue with my internet service, I called in and discovered that my TV agreement expires at the end of this month. I’ll cancel and try the OTA TV thing for a while. I purchased an HDHomeRun box with 4 tuners and I’ll pair it with my Plex server for PVR capabilities. I’ll be saving $80 a month and can stream anything that I can’t get over the air.
Good luck to existing and future Optik customers.Best of luck... Waiting for my contract to expire but another 13 months to go 😢
I see the new Telus TV Android boxes getting a lot of flack here, and I personally don't think it's entirely deserved.
Full disclosure, I worked at Shaw for 12 years, and via the employee discounts had every iteration of their TV boxes. This includes Rovi, HD Guide, Gateway, and their new X1 boxes both QAM and IP based (Bluesky/Bluecurve TV, now called Ignite TV under Rogers). I'm a big fan of the Comcast X1 platform, so my basis of comparison is that platform.
I've had the new Telus TV Android boxes for a few months now, after not having cable for a year. Prior to the year without cable I was on Shaw Bluecurve (now Ignite TV) which is the syndicated Comcast X1 platform. I feel like I'm quite particular with picture quality, and quite honestly I don't notice a difference between the Bluecurve boxes and these new Telus TV boxes. In the past Telus has struggled with picture quality particularly when compared directly to Shaw, but I was pleasantly surprised with these new boxes. Not sure why/how others are saying the picture quality is worse, but my experience has been very positive in this aspect.
The guide/UI is a little clumsy, and this is where I see Telus has the most opportunity for improvement. I don't like having to hit the back button 10 times to get out of Netflix, and the guide can be a little slow to load when the box first turns on. Having seen multiple iterations of tv boxes launch at Shaw, I know that development is always ongoing and most of those platforms had a less than that stellar launch (I'm looking at you, HD Guide). Keep in mind that Telus is actively developing for this platform so I would expect things to improve substantially over time.
I got Telus TV in time for the Superbowl and was very happy to be able to watch it on TSK in 4K. It looked fantastic. While these boxes aren't about to win awards for most outstanding anything, I feel like they're better than their reputation on this blog (and the Telus subreddit).
My 2 cents anyways.
- The issue is with 4K tvs and with the box pushing content in hdr even if it’s hd resulting in a blown out picture quality.
I have both the previous iteration 4K Arris box and the Android box and the picture quality for HD is not even in the same league.
The firmware issues with the Android box are confirmed by Telus and apparently we’re to wait for a new Android OS.
Are you using a 4K tv?
It’s honestly a joke they’d push this out to customers. I only use it for 4K and for streaming services.
Just to point again and this has been an issue for awhile. Telus and I believe every major cable company is offering the first week of mlb extra innings free for users.
Works fine on the old optik, on the new optik platform you get nothing other then asking us to subscribe.
I am not sure why this is still an issue on this platform, why we never get free previews on this platform that the old optik users get??
You used to be able to see what was currently in free preview but according to Telus, "there was a business decision to pull the free previews page on TELUS" so not easy to find any further info...
https://forum.telus.com/t5/Optik-TV/Free-Previews-List/m-p/145277#M13797
- No comment on this from the team? You just don't get free previews on these boxes for some reason?
- KHR
Hi Montell
I can't comment on what other telcos offer for free previews, but capabilities, pricing and reliability certainly all vary. The TELUS TV Digital Box (and the TELUS TV+ app) are based on a different back-end platform which doesn't support free previews the same way as the legacy Optik TV platform.
I know the response won't be satisfactory, but free previews are on the development roadmap, however they are lower in priority than items like video quality and HDR/SDR switching. If there is programming or content that matters to you, you are welcome to subscribe.
So let me get this straight. I have 2 "old" Optik boxes in my house, one that is hardly used. I'll have to pay an additional $10 for the privilege of having a 2nd box? And because I'm on the Essentials TV plan, I have to pay an additional $10 for the privilege of being able to record? Huh?
Will there be a way to tell Telus I don't want the ability to record and to tell them I don't want a 2nd box? I'm not paying $20 more a month for inferior technology and service when I'm sitting here on single strand copper. I really, really regret signing a contract last August.
- KHR
Hi KTown
When and if you are upgraded, you will be presented with options for functionality, equipment and pricing. If you want to opt out of certain equipment, you can do that at any time. If you don't want the ability to record, you can opt out of that at any time as well (for example, you can return your PVR and opt for a Digital Box without harddrive).
Further, you seem concerned about the pricing changes. As an example, our current pricing structure for new customers is:
TELUS TV Digital Box rental price: $10/month
Cloud PVR: $10/month
Core package: $35/month
TOTAL: $55/month
The legacy pricing is:
Optik 4K PVR rental price: $20/month
Recordings: included
Essentials package: $43/month
TOTAL: $63/month
The new pricing structure is less expensive AND offers more flexibility.
I hope this helps.
I pay $43/month for my essentials package with one HD PVR and one wireless HD box and don't pay any rental fees on either. So this new hardware initiative will cost me at least $12 more a month.
I'm on 50mb/s single strand copper (not even bonded pair) so supporting two 4K boxes is not feasible. My connection struggles with 2 people streaming HD content and another person browsing. And as far as I'm aware there are no plans to install fiber on my block.
It looks like in my case that after 12 years as a customer, Telus will be losing a customer even if it means paying the penalty to break my contract.
Have you been told this or is this an assumption?
We've been with Telus for many years, starting long before Optik was introduced. We switched to Optik almost 15 years ago and I don't want to think about how many Telus boxes we've been through that ended up in the landfill. We finally got fibre just over a year ago and went through months of unreliability of the NAH, WiFi Booster and PVR/STB equipment. Now that it's finally been stable for a while, Telus is rolling out another half-baked solution. Based on the comments, I'm going to hold off as long as possible. Hopefully by the time Telus forces us to switch, it will finally work.
I wonder how long Telus will let people stay with the older more reliable boxes after reading this on Telus website :
https://www.telus.com/en/support/article/upgrading-your-optik-tv-hardware-to-telus-tv
Good find. Those with the old optik take notice.
"Later in 2024, TELUS will no longer be supporting a selection of older Optik TV HD PVR and Digital Boxes"
viperdiablo1 wrote:I wonder how long Telus will let people stay with the older more reliable boxes after reading this on Telus website :
https://www.telus.com/en/support/article/upgrading-your-optik-tv-hardware-to-telus-tv
Good day. I do not see updates being worked on to fix the always HDR resolution issues.
I just "upgraded" to the Android box from the Arris 4k box and the picture quality on all non 4K is absolutely abysmal. It looks like what SD used to look like on the HD box. I am currently forced to use the old Arris box simultaneously with the Android box.
I also noticed that the sound quality is not as good as the Arris box. I use Dolby DD+ with a receiver, however it sounds worse when comparing side by side.
The always HDR issue/HD upscaling is a HUGE problem and I do not understand how Telus could roll out these boxes to their customers in their current iteration.
Can you please advise whether this problem is being addressed?
Any update on this? It's December and the picture quality is still really bad.
- It’s definitely not an upgrade. The new platform is terrible.
- I think everyone agrees to this statement
- Hi, are there any plans to update the recording options ?
I want to record canucks games, but if i setup a series recording it records every NHL game that comes on so I constantly have to deleted so many recordings
I would like to be able to setup series recording for Canucks only like I used to on my old system.
Also when would this 90 day recoding expire setting go away ?
I want to save certain shows or recordings, I don't want them to delete . . . Please remove this automatic 90 day expire.- KHR
We are looking at a number of improvements to recordings, including more start/end time modifications (either manual or automatic), sports team recordings and a longer storage duration. As usual, we can't promise any timeline on these items, since development times can vary and anything that requires multiple parties to participate gets complicated. TELUS uses a 3rd party service for guide data, and having sports team recordings requires codevelopment.
I will say that is extremely unlikely that TELUS will ever have unlimited forever storage on the cloud PVR service...not only would server space become ridiculous pretty quick but there are copyright law implications that didn't exist with a hard-drive solution. That said, we are evaluating options for download and/or 'keep for longer'.
- Thanks for the info and great to hear there is process being made !
It's be a learning process and a little frustrating coming from Shaw where all these things were already in place. . . . seemed so strange to me to get this brand new system that's so far behind the old systems and their features / options.
You can record locally in real time while watching/playing a show whether live or from cloud recording using a HDMI splitter. While the cloud recording is a file just like the previous PVR I have not found a way to just copy the file.
I started this thread on "Auto update apps"
I was told a while ago how to manually update. That seems to be awol now so if you do not get the push update how do you do a manual update.
My telus tv box is also showing no update so far.
So are you developing the android tv app in tandem with the official telus box? Can I expect my shield tv telus tv app to also be updated? Last update was November 21st which was getting a bit lengthy after 3 months....
I am pretty happy with the android tv app on my shield, obviously some bugs with recordings need to be sorted out, and in general I think everyone would like to see a bump in picture quality so it looks like the old optik tv system when I had fibre with the old system it was very impressive picture. I think thats probably the number 1 wish everyone has.
I dont use the telus tv box and convinced my friend to switch from shaw for this reason this week. He also uses sony android tv telus app. He was done with additional telecom boxes and remotes being required. So I really hope the android tv app will also receive this update soon.
The only other big glaring feature for me personally missing from the android tv telus app is ppv purchases. I still have the cheap telus tv android box for this reason only.
- KHR
Yes, there is an update to Android TV as well.
Google and Apple have different policies and best practice guidelines on app update rollouts. For example, as soon as a new app is published to the Apple App Store, it can be manually updated by anyone. If you have automatic updates turned on, you will get the app pushed to your device according to a set rollout schedule over a few days to a week. For Android, you have to wait your turn; you can't manually update until the end of the rollout schedule for automatic updates.
