New EPG coming to Sky

altis · 02-11-2007, 10:03

From an original story over on DigitalSpy:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=686968

Apparently, Sky are to have two different EPGs - a simple one for old boxes and a flash new one for newer, more powerful, boxes.

New features include:

Quote:

* replacing the 4-level top menu with a 10-level one (TV Guide; Planner;Anytime; Box office;Interactive; Radio; Search;Parental control; Options;Settings)
* a "mini tv" option (1/8th screen) carrying the last channel viewed (in audio and video)... which will change, while browsing the EPG, to the current selected channel
* Genres displayed at TV Guide level, with pop-ups expanding the genre
* 24 channels per page (or 12 if the "mini TV" option is on)
* Series links by default when "Record" is selected
* Improved Search (on up to 10 letters, and for 7 days; symbol indicating multiple instances of a programme, rather than all immediately shown)
* Search & Scan will show when a programme started, and synopsis displayable via the "i".

Tightscot · 02-11-2007, 10:07

cool.... as long as it doesn't make it run as slow as the Virgin Media one. When i switched from NTL to Sky, the first thing i noticed was the complete lack of lag, and instant response of the SKY EPG / OSD.

**Matt D** · 02-11-2007, 22:08

Two of those features are similar to things I actually missed when I went from ntl to Sky...

Quote:

* a "mini tv" option (1/8th screen) carrying the last channel viewed (in audio and video)... which will change, while browsing the EPG, to the current selected channel
* Search & Scan will show when a programme started, and synopsis displayable via the "i"

It's annoying only being able to bring up info in the S&S banner for the programme you're currently watching.

[Of course, I don't miss the slowness, crashing, 24hr EPG, & endless repeats of something called "Searching…"

]

As with Tightscot, I hope this does not affect EPG & box performance.

Tightscot · 02-11-2007, 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D

It's annoying only being able to bring up info in the S&S banner for the programme you're currently watching.

agree 110% with this, well annoying!

altis · 02-11-2007, 22:44

I've mentioned this before but my own preference would be for a simple HTML browser in the STBs. The actual menu could be generated by a server at each head end. This wouldn't require loads of resources in each box and, because of the return path, could be far more powerful than anything that Sky could offer.

ShadowTD · 06-11-2007, 10:39

@Altis: Are you talking about on Sky or VM? Because precompiled HTML is at the core of what Liberate is...

altis · 06-11-2007, 12:02

I was refering to VM.

alnero02 · 10-11-2007, 22:42

A new EPG great. Lots of boxes crashing, pixelating and turning off all by themselves then. And when you ring sky they will deny that they have done anything to your box. I wonder, as a percentage, of all the people in the country who have sky how many of the problems have been caused by their system software changes, especially with skyplus and how would you go about getting Ofcom to do something about this, as in the past they seem to have given sky a free hand.