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. 

Q4 2024: (note: had to remove previous updates due to character limits on post)

• 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.

[Craigvee]

Thank you for the Q4 update and finally implementing resolution switching. It is now usable and I can stop using my ARRIS box. 

Of course the quality isn’t perfect but it’s par with Arris. 

[Montell]

Resolution switching? Could you clarify that a bit? Do you just mean you can select something other then auto?

[Craigvee]

Before the update the resolution was fixed at 4K for hdr tvs, however the source content was 720 or 1080. It made the picture quality look terrible. 

You can now set the resolution to match the dynamic range and frame rate. The result is that the box will output to 1080 when watching TV but switch to HDR when watching Netflix or other supported apps.  Telus cable does not put out in HDR and I have never seen that to be the case even with the 4K channels. 

[Montell]

Hmm sounds like two things going on you are discussing. One is the hdr problem so that was the color space issue. I typically use a nvidia shield which had that implemented for years, but its good to have it now on these telus boxes.

Im a bit confused about the resolution comment though. When I use these and arris boxes I just set it to 4k60p since I often watch 4k sports. I guess if you want your tv to do the upscaling you can set it to 1080, but telus might be even broadcasting in 720p, i am not sure.

The problem to me with the new optik system is not the upscaling of the box to 4k, its that the bitrate looks far worse. I kept my arris at 4k60 as well since i often watch 4k sports channels and it looked substantially better. They really need to fix that.

[Montell]

And just to be clear by fix that I mean fix the bitrate of the channels, they look incredibly bitrate starved compared to the old arris optik system. I dont find the upscaling of the box or the resolution the problem to me its a bitrate issue.

[Optikal_Speak]

Begs the question...why is Telus in the box business period?

When you hear things like Nvidia Shield augmenting the Telus gear, the  consumer should have option to choose tuners à la TVs and projectors, etc. 

Telus should concentrate on the upstream side of the Stream"ing" re: apps, talent and financial resources and leave the downstream gear to other specialists...IMHO. 

[Montell]

100% agreed and it's the argument I made when they first introduced this.

The box business is fine maybe for seniors and a nice remote but most people want to use there apple tv, Sony tv, fire stick, that's the future they don't want to rent boxes like it's 1990 but telus is stuck in the past. Even there channel packages they split up into a million tiny packages is from the 1990s and outdated.

One of my biggest issues that beside the poor bitrate issue contributing to picture quality everyone has complained about for years is the poor GUI in the app. Most smart devices only have a few buttons and I hate the "live guide" I like the full guide but it's excruciating difficult and poorly designed to bring it up on these devices easily without there remote guide button.

But most people I know like me choose Telus simply because they have an app that works with smart devices every home has (minus fire stick). And that's what people want to use things like apple tv, not a 25 dollar cheap android box Telus sells.

[Montell]

And to that point I recently had a friend with a family of 5 switch to Telus from shaw for no other reason then the app. They have apple TV's all over the house and I told them they can just use the app and they were sold. Telus imo should be focusing on the app and software development for these devices. 

Nobody is going to pay to rent 5 android boxes from Telus anyway but if you can use an apple tv, Sony tv, Nvidia shield and other things already in everyone's homes you have a much better chance of getting the customer to sign up.

[Optikal_Speak]

Interesting commentary on Shaw (Rogers).

Debating punting Telus. Will do more research. 

Maybe a situation "better the devil you know..." type thing

[Craigvee]

I was using the Apple TV app exclusively until they fixed the main issues with the android box. The problem with the Apple TV app is that their remote is not effective when navigating the app.

[Montell]

Exactly and it's why they need to make the UI better. My friend and myself are different from you though while the remote is easier on Telus boxes Nvidia shield or apple tv are more powerful devices, there snappier, they work better across many apps and they have massive companies and departments behind them, and they are all over customers homes already, that outweighs the inconvenience with using the remote.

However that was also my point is Telus needs a seriously overhaul on the design for these devices with certain button limitations because it's not well thought out at all for millions of smart streaming devices to navigate.

[Montell]

Although I will say navigating the app on smart devices are ok, my biggest issue is how convoluted it is to get to the full guide on a streaming device. Most of the functionality works fine and I'm good with it on my Nvidia shield android device. It just does not have a guide button on the remote and Telus made the UI unnecessarily difficult to get to the full guide on a streaming device with a few buttons.

But otherwise I don't miss or use Telus cheap android box at all. I had a power supply go on one and just removed it because I never bother to switch to it. 

[viperdiablo1]

I agree with the comments. My biggest issue with using the Apple TV Telus app is no previous channel button or shortcut button for the traditional guide. I mean how hard is it to add a previous and guide shortcut button on the play /pause screen?

[Montell]

Totally agree if they paid even a little attention to the app they could have an excellent app any consumer could run on a smart device  but Telus seemed to put the bare minimum effort into any thought navigating the app with a smart device remote with limited buttons.

Like I said I had a friend switch to Telus simply because they have an app they can use on smart devices throughout his home already installed and the family is familiar with. But Telus seemed to do the opposite and focus entirely on their own box and own hardware remote and pushing customers to use there generic android box, rather then just taking a bit of time to make the app easier to use.

I mean we were discussing how the latest update for the box provided proper dynamic range output for standard and hdr color and apple TV's and Nvidia shields have had that for years.

I just don't understand the direction trying to focus so much on their own android box. You still need a box to provide to some customers I get it, but the app is the future and accessible to any human with a smart device. Telus customers in house holds of more then two people will likely use the app any way because nobody is going to rent and pay for tons of Telus boxes when an app is available on a smart device already in their home.

[Optikal_Speak]

Call it hubris or can't see the forest for the "app" trees.

Perhaps they hired a bunch of twenty-somethings...you know...the "know-it-all's"😉

[Craigvee]

For what it's worth, Shaw's cable offerings are not as good as Telus nor is their app.  I think it is a tough ask for a corporation like Telus to move away from box support to app support since a large amount of their user base are not technically savvy. 

Younger people are not even considering paying for cable TV, but put them money into streaming apps and sharing same.

I think the solution is not perfect, but after a long wait, they have improved the Telus Android Box as they promised to do.

[Montell]

I don't really agree as smart streaming devices are way more accessible and used by house holds not just younger tech savvy people.

Nobody is saying to get rid of the boxes also the Telus android box runs the same os as my Nvidia shield they look identical. The only difference is the remote.

I don't think anyone is saying get rid of these cheap old school android boxes but they should really focus on the app and software development side that can reach millions of homes easily.

[Montell]

If you want to make the argument about tech savvy people my parents in their 70s don't want to switch from old optik to these boxes for that reason. It's the same os as there Sony android TV just geared toward Telus with a remote.

[Optikal_Speak]

Indeed!

All progression requires familiarity and some intuition when it comes to apps, devices and equipment. Cell phones over past decade as an example. 

The manufacturer/provider just needs to build in the associated form and function to operate, whereby the UI doesn't require an AV tech diploma to operate the point and click. 

[starchoice]

@Optik-Kate, I guess you haven't seen my post on "restart". Seems like getting the existing features working should supercede developing "enhancements".

Restart/Resume Not Working 

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@Optik-Kate wrote:

• Enhanced Restart and Lookback Logic: Enjoy seamless transitions between Restart and Lookback programs for uninterrupted viewing.

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By the way, I had my third technician visit tonight trying to solve the problem with no success. Does the development team just come up with an idea which is executed by a development team? Where is the technical support when it's not working? These problems and glitches appear to be beyond the scope of your technicians.

[Timmah2]

Is there an ETA when the closed caption size issue will be fixed. Doesn't matter the setting they are huge and white on black.