Updated June 2023
Modern “TV Set top boxes” are game changers. In the past 15+ years the boxes have evolved to become PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) which allow you to store “content” on the built-in HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and PVRs offers things like :-
Pause & rewind, a definite game changer.
Record series links so you never miss an episode of your TV series, Awesome.
Record 2, 3 or more “shows” at the same time, while watching something else. Magic!
Have access to an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) and being able to set recordings easily. Again awesome!
All the above and more, changes the way we watch telly. Many of us now don’t watch “live” telly, we just watch what we have recorded and many use the “streaming media services”. Being able to watch what we want and when we want is a game changer. “Live TV” is perhaps a thing of the past, we want to watch telly on our own terms instead of being “controlled” by the TV schedules.
Looking Back, bit of history! Before the days of set top boxes, we just had a telly. To receive any “content”, you just plugged in the aerial (which was usually roof top mounted) and we had a 2 or 3 “Channels” to chose from. The number of channels eventually rose to 5 and these days they are called “Free to Air” channels or “terrestrial” channels. To receive these channels you only need a suitable aerial and don’t need a “set top box”.
At some point, “remote (control) boxes” were introduced for tellies and these enabled us to adjust the volume, switch channels and maybe adjust the brightness and contrast etc and we could do this without moving from our armchair. We had a button to press that did what we wanted to do, awesome!
“Cable TV”. Rediffusion were probably the pioneers of “Cable TV” (in the UK), in that they provided an alternative means of getting a TV (and radio) signal. They “installed / Laid” cables (mostly overhead) which were fed into individual houses to provide TV and Radio signals without having to use the rooftop aerial but this ceased in the 1980s. From memory, you had a wall or windowsill mounted “Rediffusion switch” that you used to select the channel you wanted to watch! There are still plenty of “Rediffusion” cables still haunting us, strung from house to house 🙁
“Cable TV” was still around after “Rediffusion” ceased trading but was ultimately superseded by the likes of “region” Cable (e.g. Yorkshire Cable) in late 1990 / early 2000. The “Cable Companies” installed (mostly) underground “Glass Fibre” (Optical Fibre) cables to most streets in most towns. This meant that “telecoms” cabinets were appearing on most street corners and in principle the cable companies were bringing the (telephone) Exchange to the street and this is now known as “Fibre to the Cabinet” (FTTC).
The main advantage for the cable companies (and their customers) was that they could now offer Broadband Internet connections , TV / Radio signals and Telephony signals using the same “Fibre” cable. A definite game changer!
Here’s a good bit of info on the timeline of cable TV.
“Satellite TV” (e.g. SKY TV). Was basically competing for the same market with regards to TV and Radio but instead of installing cables to homes, the user has to have a “Satellite Dish” installed to receive the TV & Radio signals from satellites orbiting the Earth.The original dishes were maybe about 1 Metre diameter but these days they are less than half that.
Note, To get Broadband Internet you need a “Router” (a.k.a. a Cable or ADSL Router) To get TV / radio services, you need a “set top box” or a “suitable aerial”. Both systems are independent of each other but you could have both or just one of the services.Telephony services were still available independently.
Back to the present.
With Regards to TV / Radio. (where you want access to more than 5 Channels) In all cases (Cable, Satellite or Freeview) you need some extra kit, which receives the TV / Radio Signal and this, in turn, sends the signals to your TV. This extra kit is called a “set top box” (STB) and we now have access to 100s of TV channels instead of 4 or 5, this is a game changer. The STB comes with its own “remote (control) box”, so initially you now had 2 “remotes”. The “TV Remote” is now only used to power up the TV and adjust volume etc but you have to use the “STB Remote” to change channels. Over time, “Set top boxes! evolved into PVRs and the “STB Remote” was modified to allow it to power up the TV and adjust the volume etc. Modern “STB Remotes” even have voice control, which try to address some of the shortcomings of “STB Remotes”. Unfortunately, “STB remotes” haven’t really improved much over the years, they are still basically “TV Remotes” with no real provision for entering text.
This wonderful evolvement of technology is awesome but there’s a Gotcha, a very big Gotcha!
“Set Top Boxes” are not (Dumb) like the TV. Basically the STB is “mini” computer that controls what you see on your telly, they are the “Governor” that sit between your telly and the incoming TV / Radio signals. The TV / radio signals could be from Satellite or cable or indeed your roof top aerial (Freeview). In all cases, the STB is a mini computer that usually runs on a “Linux” (open sourced) based OS (Operating System) and user interaction is by way of a “Menu based” system, which is displayed on the TV screen. The UI (User Interface) is a “game changer” but it relies on the the “STB Remote“. Unfortunately the “STB Remote” is still fashioned on the “TV Remote” and the TV Remote is not fit for purpose because it wasn’t designed to do anything more than respond to pressing a button to say adjust the volume or change channel. TV Remotes were never designed for entering text, they had a dedicated button to do things like adjust the volume or adjust the brightness or just power on / off.
This is the Gotcha! It is where things start to go wrong because the “tool” available to communicate with and Control the “set top box” is the (supplied) “TV remote (style) box”, which wasn’t designed to do anything other than press a button to say adjust the volume or brightness etc. The “TV remote boxes” were never designed as an “Input” device where you wanted to input “text“. A “work round” was to have an “Onscreen menu system” (UI) that allowed you to select “characters” by using the Up, Down, Left and right cursor to select the “Character” that you wanted from the onscreen menu. This is a “are you serious” thing. On some STB (remotes) you could also use the “numeric” pad area to select “characters”. This is a “what planet are you from” thing.
This is a major fail at the most basic level and it hasn’t really improved over the years. We still have a “Remote box” that is basically a “TV Remote Box” that doesn’t afford an easy way to enter text input / commands.
On some systems, you could use a “USB Dongle” to connect a “Wireless Keyboard”, which was / is fairly useful but doesn’t really “cut the mustard”. With these limitations in mind, “Apps” were (probably) designed so that you could use your iPad, iPhone or Android device as a “remote control” and this addresses some of the short comings of the “STB Remote”. However, the actual short comings of the “STB Remote” haven’t really been addressed and this is the “Elephant in the room”! The “TV remote style STB Remote” is not “fit for purpose”, when you want to enter “text”.
One solution to this is to have “Voice commands“ on the “STB Remote”, it isn’t perfect but does indeed help with regard to some user input.
The “STB remote” is the main device that allows communication between (Hu) man and machine and this simply needs to be a device that allows total control and includes an easy means of entering text and “commands”, in conjunction with the (on screen) UI. The “TV Remote” is akin to an Abacus but the “STB Remote” needs to be akin to a “Slide Rule” or even better, like an “Electronic Calculator”.
To interact with a “computer”, you need an easy way to enter text (input commands). This is usually done using a “Keyboard and Mouse” or in some cases a “Touch screen” with “Virtual Keyboard” but when “communicating” with your STB, you need a “hand held device” that can ideally by held in one hand. So it must be able to communicate with the STB and still have the benefits of a “Keyboard and Mouse” or “Touchscreen”.
The actual limitations of the “STB remote” haven’t really been addressed in any practical way and this needs sorting. One option would be for the “STB Remote” to have an “Text Input mode”, where a Qwerty style keyboard was available for inputting text, this would enable the user to enter text for say passwords etc. In principle, this would need a complete “Redesign” of the “STB Remote box” and that hasn’t happened 🙁 We still have “STB remote boxes” that haven’t really changed in any significant way from a “TV Remote” but some have “dedicated buttons” for say “TV Guide” and some even have “voice control” but mostly any changes are basically a “cludge” that don’t really address the issue.
The “STB remote (control) box” should allow us to fully communicate with the “Set Top Box” (a mini computer) and the TV. One option is to have a “Smart Remote box” that has a Qwerty (or other) keyboard.This could be via a “touch screen” virtual keyboard or some means of an actual “QWERTY” keyboard, which would need a complete redesign of the STB Remote.
The main thing to keep in mind is that a “STB Remote” is the primary means of communicating and controlling the Set Top Box. It needs to allow “effective and easy control” of the STB and it needs an easy way of entering text. The UI of the STB needs to be simple, uncluttered and user friendly. This should all be possible via the “STB Remote”
Having used Virgin Tivo, Sky Q and Freesat, It would appear that the “STB remote” has never really been given any “practical” thought, with regards to entering text. The on screen UI in all of the STBs available leaves much to be desired. The “STB Remote” is the primary means of communicating with the STB and needs to fulfill the Control aspect.
Apps for phones or tablets should be to enhance the “STB Remote” and not provide a solution to the shortcomings of the “STB Remote”. Apps allow a means of setting a recording, remotely, but they should also allow the viewing of the “list” of “planned recordings” and the “list” of “current recordings”. They should allow options to delete “shows” and series links. In principle the Apps should be capable of allowing us to manage he STB. Apps should be a nice extra and not a solution to fix a “STB Control box” that isn’t up for the job
In conclusion.
Set Top Boxes are generally let down big style by the “STB Control box” but the UI (user Interface) is also a major fail in some cases.
Set top box manufacturers need to have a really good rethink and look at the big picture, then they need to use some joined up thinking. The “STB Remote” NEEDS to have an effective means of communicating with the “Set top Box”, with regard to text input. The “STB Control box” is the Primary means of communicating and controlling the “STB Box”, it needs a simple and effective means to enter text for such things as WiFi passwords and “Search Criteria”, in principle it needs to be “fit for purpose” and currently “STB Remotes” aren’t.
The “STB UI” (user Interface) should be uncluttered and be intuitive, so there is no ambiguity. When entering “text” e.g. passwords, the “input” should be mirrored on the screen or at least have an option to view the password being entered. Icon driven menus need a rethink, IMO they don’t make things easier. Icons take up more screen space and IMO make it harder find what you’re looking for e.g. a “show / program” that you have recorded.
In closing.
Set top boxes are a “game changer” for the way we watch telly and these have evolved many fold. The technology used is wonderful and is capable of making our lives a lot easier with regard to watching telly but unfortunately the “Primary means” of controlling the Set top box still seems to be an “After thought”!
The UI of Sky Q set top boxes is IMO and being generous is a “Work in Progress” and should never have been released to the general public. It would seem that Sky want to push what they want you to watch and try to get you to subscribe to extra “channels”. User control is minimal and the UI leaves a lot to be desired! IMO the earlier Sky Plus box was miles better.
The UI of Virgin Tivo boxes is better in many ways but has a lot of short comings. I’ve been using the Virgin 360 box for a while and I’m impressed. The new (voice activated) remote box is lovely but entering text is still a PITA! It still is a “TV Remote” box 🙁
The UI of Freeview is unknown to me, I haven’t had access to it.
The UI of Freesat set top boxes appears to be promising but the “remote” is not yet fit for purpose and the UI needs a bit of work. I’m looking forward to Freesat fixing the problems with the remote and UI. IMO Freesat is the way forward because it is a “subscription free” service so they have no advantage in trying to get you to pay for more channels etc and potentially the “user” will be more in control of what is recorded.If Freesat produced a Set Top Remote with a Qwerty keyboard plus voice control, they would IMO be the “go to” TV provider and would possibly relegate Virgin and Sky to “also rans”.
Apps for Sky & Virgin appear to concentrate on letting you watch telly on your tiny phone screen or little larger tablet screen but fail big time in allowing you to see a list of what you have recorded or view a list of your planned recordings so basically the App doesn’t allow you to “Control” your STB.
Note. Virgin Apps and UI have not improved a lot since I last used them 18 months ago.
Apps for Freesat look promising but I wasn’t able check this out because it seems I was entering the wrong WiFi password, Doh!
The “Set Top Remote box” is king! If this isn’t fit for purpose, the whole concept is a fail. If we NEED to use our phones / tablets to address the shortcomings of the “STB remote”, the whole concept is basically a fail or at the best a kludge !
Putting it all together, the STB manufacturers need to have a good re-think and engage in “joined up thinking”. Set Top Boxes are “Mini Computers” and “TV Remote (control) boxes” are not a suitable means of “inputting commands”, where a text input is expected. The “on-screen” UI needs to be user friendly, uncluttered and give the user complete control of what is recorded and / or deleted.
Apps, need to give the same level of control as that afforded with the “STB Remote” accessing the UI interactively otherwise they are just a novelty. Being able to use your phone or tablet to set a recording isn’t much of a WOW factor. Being able to “Completely” control your STB (using an App) would be the dogs wotsits 🙂 Make it so!
Here’s a couple of pics of my old Nokia 9000 (Orange Communicator) a Game Changer! Note the QWERTY keyboard.
It was quite heavy but open it up and you get a qwerty keyboard, this was a game changer.
Set top remotes could easily be designed with a similar feature but wouldn’t need to be as thick or heavy. This is a “No Brainer” just some joined up thinking 🙂
The unfortunate reality of using set top boxes is that the “Media Companies” want to control what you watch. They want to push their political views and use the kit you use as a platform for political propaganda but most “viewers” only want to be entertained and are not interested in politics.
Of course there are many “viewers” that just watch whatever is being “presented” at the time. So the benefits of pause and rewind are lost along with the “Skip 3 Minutes” to avoid the adverts. The current trend seems to be pushing “streaming services” but it isn’t aimed at me 🙂 I like to watch telly when I want and I like to watch telly that has content that I’m interested in. I’m not interested in being spoon fed content that others think I might like. I expect that the Set Top Box to be fully controllable to my viewing desires and not to the expectation of others.