TELUS TV Feature Updates - Ongoing

[Optik-Kate]

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. 

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!

Q2 2024:

• Recording improvements: 
• Eliminated the skipping of the first episode when scheduling recording series
• Reduction of removed recordings due to metadata inconsistencies
• Series schedule will remain in the recording manager after a season ends
• Launch of Free Ad-Supported Streaming Channels so you can watch them anytime, anywhere, without a subscription
• Apple TV interface redesign for better navigation
• Custom date/time picker on Android mobile guide
• Remove content from the resume lane by press & hold (long press) on items in the lane

Q1 2024:

• Recording improvements: Series recording on news-related programs
• Guide filter selection such as “my favourite channel” remains after turning the TV off and on
• Search results are now expanded to include third-party streaming apps availability in the program detail page
• Optimized search functionality via content type and cast member names
• Default focus on home - requiring only one click of the “back” button to return to the last watched stream
• User experience and design improvement on Apple TV and iOS

Q4 2023:

• Additional 4K channels on the TELUS TV Digital Box and Android TV devices 
• New and Live tags in the TV Guide
• Increased Cloud Recording duration to 90 days
• Pay Per View events are now available for purchase
• Recording improvements 
• Unviewable recordings can now be deleted
• The recordings manager now shows the newest recordings first
• Bug fixes related to recordings going missing
• Bug fixes for sports recording auto-extension 
• Surround Sound is now available
• Dismissing the “next episode” prompt is now working correctly

Q3 2023

• Chromecast - cast from TELUS TV+ mobile app to Chromecast-enabled receivers
• Game Zone - a dedicated zone on the Telus TV Digital Box with over 180 free and simple-to-play games using your mobile device as the controller 
• Resume from your Apps row on the home screen to resume shows from Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video and more

Q2 2023 

• Playback Performance Toggle - A new option in the Settings menu aimed at improving video playback on older Android devices (mobile/tablet).
• Pause Live TV for up to 15 minutes on the TELUS TV Digital Box and TELUS TV+ app
• Restart a show from the beginning that aired up to 30 hours in the past

• Profile improvements
• Recordings only show in individual profiles
• ‘Recommended for you’ personalized by profile
• ‘Favourite channels’ and ‘Favourite movies & series’ by profile
• Live Sports recordings are automatically extended; 90 minutes for tennis & 60 minutes for all other sports

Regards,

Your Friendly Neighbourhood TV Product Development Team.

[Optikal_Speak]

Watching Sunday NFL football on TSN, Fox Sports and CBS. 

Having been very critical, and deservedly so, of Telus' inadequate form and function design of the Android TV+ Digital platform; it's only fair to point out the high quality of the audio/video playback vs the Legacy PVR boxes. The sound and visual elements are, by far, superior. 

[Montell]

I am not to sure where to put this, but I am noticing on the new platform tsn 4k channel has the odd random quick stutter, I noticed this watching football last year and seems to be occurring this year again on the tsn 4k channel watching football. Maybe every minute there is a slight stutter. Its very distracting and should be fixed whatever it causing it. It occured on my telus optik android box and my nvidia shield telus app. Nvidia shield runs android 11. It is a slight microstutter which is especially bad for live sports with lots of movement.

[Grimmt]

Just noticed on Monday that our TelusTV-21T app version for Q2 has updated from 1.24.6_900 to 1.24.8_200.   Could have occurred earlier as I've been out of town for over a week.  

I don't see an update posted here describing changes. 
Is this simply a fix release or does it have any functionality/behaviour changes?

[Rocky3]

There was an update end of July that removed some repaired items, such as My Favorites being default in the guide

[Myoptic1]

I have the latest update you outlined but it is still not defaulting to "My Favorites" when restarting and during a day of viewing.

I am on the Android version which may make a difference but definitely on Ver 2.24.8.200

Thanks for your help!

[Grimmt]

Odd, I checked 2-3 weeks ago and it was still at 1.24.6_900. 
Wonder why it took over a month to update for me, compared to you.

[That's a rhetorical "wonder", as I'm sure there won't be any reason other than "just because"]

[Optikal_Speak]

Hello Optik-Kate,

Longtime no post.

Anything new on the horizon? Was looking forward to a Q3 2024 update, especially re: long overdue fixes with ongoing My Favorites and Recording issues. 

[Optikal_Speak]

@Rocky3 @Grimmt @MrSL @DaveYYC 

@TELUS_Support 

Hello @Optik-Kate

Thanks for the update.

Unfortunately, appears, nothing new to address long-standing, ongoing fundamental issues, to reiterate a few:

• Start **early and end **tater intervals 
• Series recording across multiple broadcast channels
• Series recording randomly omitting dates and consecutive days (hit or miss)
• Start recording from beginning if joined late

Bulk Delete for Recordings: 

The Delete Series function (guessing that's the update) is all or nothing. Doesn't allow for batching some episodes, in a series, for deleting.

Being relatively new to the Neighbourhood  (2 months in on new 2yr plan) not sure how much has been updated.

Getting the sense more established Neighbours may have "thrown in the towel" and just biding their time. Again... unfortunate!

[DaveYYC]

So…. What do the Telus folks have to say about this?

Similarly, the problem with not being able to Record Series for Global National News and Global Calgary News at 6.

Please reply Telus!!

[Flash54321]

I can’t think of a single update that didn’t somehow make them more money.  Lots of added channels that you have to subscribe to but no LONG desired features. 

[Rocky3]

Turned on the TV and My Subscribed was default 

SHAME on you. I want My Favorites to be the default. Having fixed this in February and lost in July this is disgraceful.

[Optikal_Speak]

Indeed!

As the old adage goes "fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you".

Seen enough. I'm not staying around for 2 (more) years of this aggravation.

Done.

[Rocky3]

Today I received my replacement tuner box, had a hardware issue, took forever to start after power outage. I wrote down specs of the old 21T and checked the new 21T

Appr version old 21T 1.24.8.200, new 21T 1.24.9.100. Timestamp 2024-08-28

Config old 21T 1724850600, new 21T 1725606457. Timestamp 2024-09-06

Obviously the new box searched and found an update that the old box did not see. Today is 2024-10-04

My hunch was correct, a lot of our problems is the 21T tuner. I wondered about tech support saying unable to duplicate a few times. Time will tell if this one will last longer than 13 months.

[Myoptic1]

Good to know if My Favorites is the default and Scheduled Programs quit disappearing! Hopefully this can still be addressed without everyone requiring a new tuner box?

[Optikal_Speak]

I'm gonna do some reconnaissance on Rogers/Shaw. If I like what I find I'll be bidding adieu. 

Just thought I'd jump in on your box replacement theory wrt My Favorites defaulting. 

Not sure if I'm misinterpreting your hunch on the 21T tuner. Maybe a faulty box here and there. I have (3), all of which the tuner (firmware) seems to be working fine. It's the programming software functionality and remote interface that sucks!

Having only been on this platform since August, I've had all updates...App, Configs and Time Stamps and currently at 1.24.9.100, etc.

That said, My Favorites (when selected and 🩵 'ed) has always held as default, but only "inside" the guide, what I've called a "work around". Outside the guide, when channelling up+/down- during regular viewing,  it still scrolls thru all subscribed channels. Essentialy defaults back to All Subscribed "outside" the guide. 

Is that still your experience with the tuner and remote functions?