Trying to find the most user friendly way of navigating between channels

[Kleisthenes]

I recently bought a KDL-42W829B to replace our aging Sony CRT television and a digital set top box (STB). I’ve been trying to find the most user friendly way of changing from one favourite channel to another.

On our old STB, I was able to set up a circular list of our favourite channels and order them so that our most popular channels were bunched together. Then, by pressing one button on the STB control, you were put into the list and the channel currently showing was highlighted. You could then scroll to the desired channel and select the channel by pressing one button. I’ve been trying to set up something as near to this as possible on our new Sony TV, but I have struggled.

I have managed to create a list of our favourite channels in “Favourites 1”. However, the first problem is how to access the list with the shortest number of key presses on the control. The quickest I have found is to press DISCOVER which first displays “Top Picks” (whatever they are!) and then I can scroll down to reach “Favourites 1”. The next problem is that the list is not circular, the highlighted channel is simply the first in the list (not the channel currently showing), and I can find no way of ordering the channels in the list. All this means that, in order to select an HD channel, I have to scroll through many other channels from the beginning of the list in order to get to the desired channel.

I’ve tried using the Guide via the Guide button on the control but, because I can see no way of grouping our favourite channels together, there are similar problems in navigating between channels.

As a result, I have just about given up. I have now written a list of our favourite channels with their channel numbers on a post-it and stuck the post-it on the surface where we keep the control. And we now change channels by typing in the digits of the channel number. This is by far the most user friendly method I have found (and the quickest). But I feel it is quite pathetic to have to resort to this.

So far, I have been very disappointed with the user interface. I expected something so much better these days.

Any suggestions please?

[Anonymous]

I think he means that you can (not 'have to') use Sony's "One Flick" remote - the one with the touchpad.

Might make it quicker to 'flick' through

[tatcan]

Hi

Have you finally got this set up the way you want? As my new tv kdl-50w815 came i had the same problem with the channels and favourite. But i used a software which was on a sony site ( can't find it any more) which i need to export a sdb.xml file from the tv to my computer to edit the channels down and a range them in the order i would like and which number i wanted them on.

This is the site of the creator : http://www.setedit.de/SetEdit.php?spr=2&Editor=140

You'll need to install the software on you pc and the go to your tv with a usb memory stick and export the channel list. 

Put the stick into your pc and run the setedit software select file on the top left and look for the the usb memory stick and the xml file.

Now all the channels are in the list, i found that if i a range the 1st 80 or so into order i can then delet the ones i dont want ( like the adult stuff but they will get retune and save at the high end number's channels. 

Save the new list back to your usb and over Wright the old file. Eject the usb and insert it back into the tv .

got back to the setup menu and import the channel list. Now they should be in your digital tv list when you hit discover so don't need a favourite list with channel numbers all over the place . had to do this twice as i have twin tuner freesat and freeview on my tv.

As before my software was from sony direct but cant find the page.

Hope this helps

TC

[tatcan]

Hi 

Found it.

http://www.sony.de/support/de/content/cnt-dwnl/prd-tvhc/sony-editor/sony-editor

TC

[Kleisthenes]

tatcan, thank you for the replies.  I will think about your suggestion.  I discovered that there is a page in English where you can download the editor:

http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/content/cnt-dwnl/prd-tvhc/sony-editor/sony-editor

The only problem is that, unlike the page in German, it contains no installation instructions.  Still, I learnt German at school so, with the aid of a dictionary, I should be OK.

Currently, I have my favourite channels set up in four lists in Favourites 1, 2, 3, and 4 within DISCOVER, with all the other categories hidden.  This is just about acceptable.  My main issue is "Top Picks" which you see when you use DISCOVER for the first time after switching the TV on.  I'd like to know how to get rid of, or hide, Top Picks.  And what is this keyword that I am continually being asked to set?

[tatcan]

Hi

I know the top pick was and still a pain for me, but not as much as the favourite with their numbers set by the tv.

I have bbc1,2,ITV,Channel 4 all hd set as 1,2,3,4 with the software, I bunched  up the rest like bbc channels e4 then films, music, news and so on.

I found the favourite needing to scroll through to find what i want, but with the new numbers i just need to remember the start of each bunch numder then scroll through . With the software u can edit the favourite list as well. Alot of the new tech i've found that what should be a 10 minutes tweak can easily become 2hrs 

TC