Sunday, October 25, 2009

Choose your next TV by it's remote control

I recently purchased a new TV. It happens to be an RCA L32HD31R (which I'm happy to explicitly name, because there is no point in protecting the guilty). It's not ultra high-end - it's a fairly run of the mill 32" LCD. It is certainly not meant to be the centerpiece of an impressive home theater. So I have to ask why does RCA think they have to provide a remote control which uses different codes than all that have gone before?

Some small percentage of people might connect their TV directly to an antenna, but the much larger majority use their TV as little more than a display with speakers. They select their channel with a cable box or their Tivo (sorry DVR, we don't want Tivo to become another Klennex/Xerox). What people require is that their TV remote uses standard codes that every universal remote know about. They want exactly 3 functions from the TV remote - on/off, volume, and switch to the DVD input.

Engineers at RCA: Come on, guys. This is not rocket science. You don't have to invent new things. Your jobs is to adopt existing standards. Coming up with a a set of remote codes that is incompatible with previous RCA products - or ANYONE ELSE'S - is an act of hubris. You either think you are smarter than other electrical engineers (trust me, you're not) or that your products are so compellingly awesome that customers will not want to toss your remote in the drawer and use the universal that came with the cable box (trust me, your products are not and the customers will).

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

CableCards and Truck Rolls - Why?

I'm not really a TV watcher, so I've never bothered with more than basic cable and an old POS VCR for time-shifting. But, my wife religiously follows "So You Think You Can Dance" and is often out on Wednesday evenings, so I succumbed and bought a TiVo last month. I have only good things to say about the TiVo. It does what it is supposed to as a DVR, let's me stream Netflix to it, and a bunch of other stuff.

But, WTF with Cablevision requiring a truck roll to install an M-card in the TiVo. Here is what is required.
1. Plug in the card
2. Wait a while. In this case it was about 45 minutes while the m-card (not the TiVo) required a firmware update.
3. Copy a few numbers off the screen
4. Call a dispatcher and tell them the number

Now, I fully understand how there is no up-channel with the current DOCSIS standard, so the card can't inform CableVision directly that it has bonded with the TiVo. But seriously, do we need a tech to come out and read a few numbers? I get the feeling they keep it difficult to discourage 3rd party boxes as opposed to their own (less flexible) offerings.

How can we fix this?

When you call to ask for the m-card installation, they could offer self-install. For that, they send you a card and a set of instructions which point you do their web site. The site guides you through the procedure (for various DVR models) and leads you to a page where you can enter the numbers. In fact, they could even charge you a $20 activation fee and it would still be cheaper for everyone and more convenient as well.