Navigator Update

[Danno321]

To check your software version press and hold SELECT until the mail icon lights up.  Then press the down arrow to bring up the DIAGNOSTIC menu.  It is on page 8 or so I think of 28 pages.

[nick3092]

My SA8300HD is running MDN 2.4.1 May 28 2008 (3.9d32).

That's odd, my 8300HD has been on MDN 2.4.4-15 since like December.  The software is dated Nov 11 2008.

[Danno321]

That's odd, my 8300HD has been on MDN 2.4.4-15 since like December.  The software is dated Nov 11 2008.

Are you using an eSATA drive with no problems?

[Danno321]

To clarify:  Res: 2.4.4-15-ptv Nov 11 2008 and PE: 3.9d32 (MDN 2.4.1) May 2008.  This is on page 14 of the DIAG menu.  So it IS MDN 2.4.1.  What does Res and PE stand for?

[nick3092]

To clarify:  Res: 2.4.4-15-ptv Nov 11 2008 and PE: 3.9d32 (MDN 2.4.1) May 2008.  This is on page 14 of the DIAG menu.  So it IS MDN 2.4.1.  What does Res and PE stand for?

I don't know what the difference is for Res and PE, but the Res seems to be the version number that people on AVS use for comparison.

I'm not using an esata drive with my MDN box.  I had one hooked up to my parents ODN box until about a month ago when the new 3.x.x software dropped and broke esata support.

[Jack 1000]

According to the AVS forum (post 7898) a new version of Navigator is coming this year:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16378220&posted=1#post16378220

Hoping for Keyword Search and Manual Recording.  San Diego gets stuff a few months before we do (like 1-2 months difference)  if it is like last time.  They will likely do the legacy boxes first and than the C-boxes.  (MDN, than OCAP)  It says the update will also fix some bugs with the new Samsung DVR boxes.

Jack

[Jack 1000]

I believe that TWC should have kept outside programing designers with more experience on the job for Navigator. What is strange is that I read somewhere that they now WANT third-party developers to implement new applications for Navigator. I don't know if they would bring in this help for bug fixes or not. Are most of these smaller areas actually "bugs," or just overlooked dotting of the "I's" and crossing of the "T's" that TWC forgot to do? In the last year with Navigator, I have not found very many defects in performance. It is pretty stable, (I have MDN.) However, I have found little things, very subtle things, stupid little things, that I have noticed where I don't see these improvements in features coming as fast from TWC as I would like.

The software stability is good and overall my experience with Navigator has been very good. However, I do have to agree with Navigator's critics that if TWC would have brought in more experienced programmers to assist them with Navigator's creation, we would be looking at a real cool 2010 and beyond program guide, comparable to a TIVO, DIRECT TV, or those screen shots from that Moxi IPG, which I think came from Comcast (see below for Jpeg image)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8428/comcastdvr1yu3.jpg

Oh and speaking of Comcast, their integrated Tivo guide is LOADED WITH BUGS and is very unreliable, (Like Navigator's first year.) Customers should just get the regular non-Tivo guide and wait a year or more for the integrated Comcast guide's bugs to be worked out.

But anyway, like I said, if TWC had hired outside help for Navigator from the get-go, I do agree that we would be looking at an awesome guide, instead of just a good IPG with the potential to be great guide. TWC's engineers don't have the experience in developing IPG's like third party vendors do, and have done for years. Passport/Aptiv TV goes through a decade of design and implementation, and supposedly has a great IPG with the newest version. TWC took three years, just to get proficient with programing skills to create an above average guide. Now they want outside help for applet enhancements. This is understandable TWC, but it should have been thought about five years ago when Navigator was still in your development labs. As of consequence, Navigator. what could have been GREAT, is now just GOOD.

Jack

[LoadStar]

Oh and speaking of Comcast, their integrated Tivo guide is LOADED WITH BUGS and is very unreliable, (Like Navigator's first year.) Customers should just get the regular non-Tivo guide and wait a year or more for the integrated Comcast guide's bugs to be worked out.

The problems with Comcast's implementation of TiVo isn't so much bugs in the software (though they are there), Manyof the problems are due to the TiVo software severely overloading the poor Motorola boxes that Comcast uses... they just can't handle it at all.

[Jack 1000]

Version 2.4.6-19 downloaded to my SA-8300HD (MDN Box)  This is an upgrade from Version 2.4.4-15

Post any changes known.

Jack

[mhz40]

For starters, the version number is different!
{fart}

[agrotto]

I noticed that "free" on demand titles now tell you for how long the particular episode will be available for.

[popegreg]

When you are playing back a recording and it is on Pause, hitting Fast Forward or Rewind used to make it actually Fast Forward or Rewind.  Now it just skips forward or back a few frames.  It's going to take me a while to get used to this!

No idea why they would change this, other than the fact that TWC doesn't really care about the user experience as long as they have your $$$.

[uwgrad]

When you are playing back a recording and it is on Pause, hitting Fast Forward or Rewind used to make it actually Fast Forward or Rewind.  Now it just skips forward or back a few frames.  It's going to take me a while to get used to this!

No idea why they would change this, other than the fact that TWC doesn't really care about the user experience as long as they have your $$$.

This will actually make many people really happy.  And actually it shows that TWC DOES care (occasionally) about the user experience since they added back a Passport feature that was missing from the early versions of Navigator.  

I for one am glad to have it back.

[Danno321]

eSATA still a problem.

[popegreg]

This will actually make many people really happy.  And actually it shows that TWC DOES care (occasionally) about the user experience since they added back a Passport feature that was missing from the early versions of Navigator.  

I for one am glad to have it back.

Yeah now that I  think about it, it has actually reverted back to the Passport functionality.  I still find it frustrating that I have to relearn it, and who is to say they won't change it again on some programmer's whim.

And IMO if they really cared about their customers they would never have dropped Passport.  Navigator still has a long way to go, I'm still waiting to get Keyword search back.