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Tech Frustrations Blog

It's Complicated

2/9/2017

6 Comments

 
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HGTV is fun to watch. So is C-SPAN. In fact, a bunch of the cable channels are interesting depending on my mood. 
 
In late August of 2001, we decided to significantly cut our expenses, so we cancelled cable TV (among other things).  Comcast stopped charging us for TV services the day of our phone call, but they didn’t actually turn off the TV access until mid-day on September 11. That was interesting. We didn’t turn cable TV back on again for about a year, and when we did, I swore I’d never go without access to TV news again. 
 
About three years ago the topic of TV options came up with some of my friends. We discussed and debated the various merits of cable, satellite, and Roku. Even over-the-air access seemed to be gaining some traction again. So my husband, Jim, and I decided to try a combination of over-the-air access (for news) and Netflix streaming (for entertainment). Jim purchased a $100 antenna which he and my son installed in our garage attic. Apparently at one point, while they were up there installing and adjusting the antenna, my son asked, “Is this legal?” We still laugh about this … sort of.  It’s funny that the concept of capturing TV signals through the air was so unusual in ~2013 that my son thought it might be illegal. But it makes us a little uneasy knowing that he thought we might be willing to break the law so deliberately. By the time you get a kid to 18, you’d like to think that you taught him to be a law abiding citizen. And you’d really like to think that he’d noticed that you are one of them too. 
 
Since then we’ve toyed with a variety of TV options. Right now we have cable, Roku, and Netflix streaming. We had the Netflix DVD option for a few months, but didn’t use it enough to justify the expense.

For years, I didn’t understand how to operate the TV. When my husband went out of town, I just didn’t watch it. It felt like a healthy thing to do, and my life was so jam packed with commitments, it really wasn’t a sacrifice. But in the last few months I’ve taken the time to figure it all out. I’ve had the time to do it, and I figured that I ought to be able to watch my own TV! My conclusion: It’s complicated. Way too complicated. It's crazy to think that by the time I was four years old I’d mastered most features available on our TV set with the possible exceptions of getting those rabbit ears just right and stopping the picture from flipping by fast in horizontal lines on occasion. But in terms of on/off, channel selection, and volume, it was a breeze. 
 
The other night we tried to watch a PBS show via their “on demand” option only to find out that we had to pay to access the program we wanted (Victoria). What’s that about?! I thought that PBS was supposed to be free.  Even that has changed, I guess. 
 
It seems to me that the TV is a regular source of a lot of Tech Frustrations. It’s complicated. I sure wish someone would simplify the user interface. This has to be a huge opportunity for the right person or company. Jim tells me that he just heard about a programmable Logitech universal remote that might make everything easier. If programming it is easy, then it might be the solution I seek. Have you tried it? If so, I’d like to hear about your experience in the comments section below.

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6 Comments
Bruce Lundeby link
2/10/2017 05:18:45 am

Universal remotes can simplify operation, but it often requires a sacrifice of ergonomic convenience. The peanut shaped remotes which originated with TiVo perhaps have the best ergonic feel and ability for in-the-dark operation The TiVo designs came from self-described TV addicts. But, they may lacked sufficient programming to fully control a complex entertainment system. A console remote will have plenty of power, but may require kind of a studio control board user experiasnce. Logitech Harmony had remotes which did fit the combination of feel and features several years ago, but they dropped the line, presumably due to poor sales. An expensive programable remote needs to look like the price is justified, even if that sacrifices ergonomics. Marketing matters. Fortunately, we have Ebay to keep old products alive so that some of us can get the replacements we really want.

Reply
Kathy Calder Haselmaier link
2/10/2017 08:22:40 am

Hi Bruce. Since leaving my intense job, I'm watching more TV. And it's reminding me that senior citizens often watch a lot of TV. I *think* I'm more technical than the average senior citizen, so wonder why someone hasn't created an interface easy enough for a 4-year-old to master. Isn't there a glaring market opportunity here? How about this? How about a service you call and they set up your user interface for you? It would be customized. When I have time, figuring out all of this stuff is fun. I'm guessing that the designers think it's fun all of the time. And ... I'm guessing the average senior citizen may not find this quite as entertaining. Hmm.

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Jim Haselmaier
2/10/2017 07:31:01 am

We have so many options now it's hard to keep them all straight. And when the TV provider is the same company as the internet provider I think that makes it even more complicated. One is left to keep track of whether you want to watch the "TV side" or watch something that comes through on the "internet side".

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Kathy Haselmaier link
2/10/2017 08:25:37 am

"... when the TV provider is the same company as the internet provider I think that makes it even more complicated." What?! If one company controls both, it seems to me that they ought to be able to simplify the interface. It should be a selling feature. IMHO ;)

Reply
Paul Dechene
2/11/2017 08:41:28 am

One of my pet peeves about remotes is maintaining the batteries. Is the remote not working because the batteries are marginal, or am I holding the remote backwards, or (since they all look alike) did I just choose the wrong remote for the task at hand? It would be nice if remotes included a built in means to confirm the battery status.

Many of the early remotes of the 50's/60's didn't require batteries, as they used mechanical energy to generate tuned ultrasonic sound pulses which were received by a special microphone inside the TV. With only two buttons, they were easy to understand, but they had their own quirks. Our TV featured a 'Magnavox Phantom Remote', which was nothing more than a hand powered air compressor where the buttons were used to compress a bellows which in turn forced air through tuned dog whistles. Pushing a button required substantial hand strength and I don't think my mom ever mastered the technique. The marketing name was very apropos because we soon discovered that the TV would mysteriously turn on (at full volume) by itself. The 'phantom' was eventually identified as the squeak of the wheels on our vacuum cleaner when we vacuumed the carpet or the occasional jingling of keys or coins in a pocket.

Even the seemingly simple technology solutions have their problems.

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Kathy Haselmaier link
2/11/2017 01:46:18 pm

Hi Paul. It's great to hear from you! Thanks for the commiseration, history lesson and funny story.

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    Kathy Haselmaier

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