Oct 7 2014 Uverse Update?

Heck, it's like pulling teeth to find out anything about the release.  Release notes??? Get out of here.  Here's some information that I've pulled from various sources:

• There's some information about some new features (e.g. Time of Day/Day of Week Parental Restrictions) on the 411/1411 channel.
• The titles of recorded shows that have been partially viewed are now in italics.
• When you take the option of viewing the next episode of a series, you're now prompted to delete the one you just viewed.
• The ENTER button menu has been shortened, and I think they've fixed the favorites handling in there.
• The HDMI crushed blacks issue on certain receivers may have been fixed (don't know yet)
• The selected item in menus is now framed in white.

Re: The ENTER button menu has been shortened, and I think they've fixed the favorites handling in there.

The ENTER button menu has been shortened by removing the ability to bring up a Favorites guide )not fix it). The  ENTER button favorites access is only for initiating a new list or adding the show being viewed to a list.

Also, CC is moved to the top of the list, which is where it belongs. But, only because it does not have its own button.

Favorites guide should also have its own button.

Audio selection is second on the list. Seems to me Zoom would be accessed more frequently.

Channel search is too slow to benefit from the ENTER shortcut. MENU access is sufficient.

U-verse never considers minimizing button clicks. The ENTER button is a shortcut that should mininimize button clicks.

Instead of setting the cursor at the top of the menu, it should start at the middle (on the most used item [CC]). This would halve the clicks needed to reach any item. All menus can benefit from this technique.

The two Favorites activities should be under one ENTER menu item.

The zoom item should open to the opposite of what is set at because the most likely reason to visit it is to change it. The setting is indicaated by a check & back out is just another button press. THe only activity that requires unnecessary clicks is a reset.

While I will agree with aviewer that AT&T's UX designers for the TV Receiver interface need to think different, the OP asked not what could be better, but what is different.

Thanks for the short list. Seems like they did make several fixed / improvements. The selected item being outlined in white is one thing we thought was different but werent sure. This confirms that.

Now if ATT would just make it so I can hit play on a folder of episodes and have all the episodes play sequentially, I would be happy. This is honestly the single feature DirecTV has over Uverse that I miss.

Any anyone had issues following this update?

I have had to reset my receiver multiple times due to:

1. Freezing

2. Dark picture

3. HDMI error message

These issues seem to be fixed for now. I had never had these problems before the update.

My only issue so far was that the boxes lost the Aspect Ratio setting as a result of the update and I had to reset it.  Other than that (and the timing of the DVR update), its been fine.

Intel WiDi connection has also been lost.

I have it on all boxes except the DVR.  Have rebooted and unplugged multiple times. Thoughts?

You could try the non-destructive disaster recovery (unplug from power, plug back in, unplug when 3 dots appear, repeat twice more, then let it boot up.  See what happens.

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@melanieg09 wrote:

Any anyone had issues following this update?

 

I have had to reset my receiver multiple times due to:

 

1. Freezing

2. Dark picture

3. HDMI error message

 

These issues seem to be fixed for now. I had never had these problems before the update.

 

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Hi @melanieg09 

1. I don't usually have issues with Freezing.  If freezing is an issue, I would not expect a software release to cause (or fix) that.  Freezing is usally a line or radio frequency (RF) interference issue.

2. I'm not a videophoile but I have not had much of an issue with dark pictures.  Honestly my blu-ray player on my plasma TV always has a darker picture than U-Verse, sometimes too much so.

3. Since buying the 65" Samsung Plasma set, in the Spring of 2013, I have routinely have had what I can "best guess" as HDMI issues.  The picture will go black and the Samsung displays a box in the upper left with the aspect ratio flashing OR I get a U-Verse "HDCP error" screen.  It's been a few months since I had the latter but I got the former just last night, about two weeks after the update.  So, in my case, what I expect to be an HDMI issue was not fixed.  Rebooting the box (always on my DVR)  fixes it or sometimes just powering down and restarting the TV fixes it.  So no better / no worse.