Help me like Remote v 50

[alokep]

I have been trying out the R v50 for the last few days. Here are my observations/comments:

Touch pad: This is a substitute for the arrow keys and page up/dn keys. It is not like a graphical cursor key that one cam move diagonally across the screen (like a mouse on a laptop w a trackpad). So, one cannot go directly to an icon on, say the DVR|Recorded Programs screen. One has to swipe left/right or up/dn to step to the desired icon.. or bid swipes up/dn to go page up/dn.
Conclusion: R v40 with buttons to do this directly is more convenient.

Voice control: (this should really be Voice input). The quality of voice transcription is pretty good (except for international channel program names But this is helpful only when entering a string for the Search function. Voice control is clunky for playback control (saying Pause.. rewind 10 seconds .. fast forward ..STOP..Play is awkward and gets old really fast!!). The VCR controls and the skip back/ahead buttons on R v 40 are way easier to use to control the exact place to playback.
Conclusion: R v40 is has better user experience except when entering strings.

Rant: the problem is exacerbated by not having a cheat sheet of voice commands that the system accepts. I guess the user is expected to play around (like with Siri ?) to "discover" what the system can do. So, one is left wondering .. Should I say .. Goto CNN ...or .. Find CNN.. or .. channel up.. or ..show CNN..
It is easier to type 200.

Please help me like this remote. And re-hire the folks who designed R v40!!

Aloke

 

[Bobby]

You can move one icon at a time by simply touching the pad on the left or right, top or bottom. You don't need to swipe. Mind you, don't press the pad, just touch it....

 

[Tron2012]

Please help me like this remote. And re-hire the folks who designed R v40!!

Sorry, can't help you there! I hate it as well, pretty much for the same reasons. And we're not alone.

As you know, you can still use the 40 perfectly fine. For me, I have the 52 model. I love it. Compact like the 50 but with buttons AND a number pad. Rarely use the 40 any more, like that one, too.
https://www.mydish.com/support/remote-control-overviews

I will give Dish credit. They do at least try. But they pretty much fall short on the whole user experience or interface with some of their products. Remotes being at the top of the list. These new ones do suffer from crammed-in-ittis. Difficult to "feel for some buttons, have to learn though. And a lot of people hate the fact that one of the most common buttons, the DVR button, is tucked in the middle of other buttons. Instead of being out on its own, easier to thumb. One problem is that when you get this small in size you have to make compromises like one button having dual purposes. Oh well.

Fun Fact: If you want to have some giggles, speak "sh*t snacks" as a search term and see if America's favorite Canadian pops up in the search results. Seriously, when I am bored I pretty much just do dumb stuff like speak "knock flipper" or stupid, odd phrases like that simply to see what Dish serves up to me in the results. Or curse words, but ran those dry already.

So, I guess the 50 does have at least one redeeming value.

 

[alokep]

You can move one icon at a time by simply touching the pad on the left or right, top or bottom. You don't need to swipe. Mind you, don't press the pad, just touch it....

Yes, but it is still moving one icon up/dn, left/right.. just like arrow keys. Swiping will do a page up/dn.

The touchpad should not be used to mimic the function of arrow keys. Dish should make a cursor appear on the screen and control it like one controls a mouse on a laptop using a touchpad.

The test is: is it easier (than v 40) to use this remote the way it is implemented now? Both v 50 and 53 fail that test (except in the case of entering text. Voice recognition does that better, I admit)

 

[alokep]

Sorry, can't help you there! I hate it as well, pretty much for the same reasons. And we're not alone.

As you know, you can still use the 40 perfectly fine. For me, I have the 52 model. I love it. Compact like the 50 but with buttons AND a number pad. Rarely use the 40 any more, like that one, too.
https://www.mydish.com/support/remote-control-overviews

I learned that before getting v 53 and 50 remotes. I use v 40. I like having direct access buttons for most actions. Compared to that, v 53 has multiple functions assigned to buttons, like short and long press doing different things.

My wife has switched to v 53. I use v40. V50 is sitting unused.

Maybe if Dish published the list of voice commands, we could use v 50 to its full potential...

 

[Tron2012]

My wife has switched to v 53. I use v40. V50 is sitting unused.

*I think you meant to type 52 and not 53. Unless you know of some secret remote we don't know about!

And people know I always post this but as it always comes up, this remote Echostar developed into a working prototype over 4 years ago has a lot of the features we'd (or at least I) like. Either in the Hopper interface, but also near the end you can see they do have a small optical device that acts like a mouse. Like you referenced. And many others like us. So the tech, nav-concept, interface was all there to implement.

And IMO, that interface where you could actually set points in a recording would have been a HUGE thing for the Summer Olympics. Where family can point out exciting or key moments in their recordings to others. Again, Echostar just not thinking toward the horizon.



Do agree that there should be a help page somewhere for the remote usage and typical/main commands. It's not like this remote came out last week. <sigh>

 

[alokep]

*I think you meant to type 52 and not 53. Unless you know of some secret remote we don't know about!

Yes. Typo. I meant 52.

These are minor 1st world problems, but I was disappointed after all the markrting hype about the "voice control remote". It is not easy to come up with a good UI, but hopefully, Dish can keep improving the software side and documentation.

Aside: I haven't found a good voice interface (except in the movie Her ). There is a threshold of perfection needed that is hard to achieve. The voice recognition and UI has to be perfect (near perfect is not good enough) where one can speak and expect (without the need to verify!) the correct interpretation and execution. It will gradually become irksome if one has to check after speaking if the command was correctly interpreted and carried out. That's why most people I know give up on Siri etc after the initial novelty has faded. The same will happen to R v50.

 

[Tron2012]

alokep Agree. I may have sounded a bit harsh but I can understand that some may love the voice part of the remote. I just cringe whenever I hear the word voice command. Makes one appreciate just how grand our organic brains are when it comes to effortlessly processing interpretive types of information as compared to technology. Some day we will be replaced though!

 

[peggy97850]

Since the voice remote can be software updated I'm hoping it can be improved upon, but like many of us I keep going back & forth between the 40 & the voice. I do like that I can use the light up feature to see where everything is but the 40 is automatic, I use it more often.

 

[docdaddy]

H3, two 4K Joeys. Dish sent me a voice remote for free as part of the deal to come back to Dish from Directv. Long story, but we ended up with 3 voice remotes/50s. So we have a 52, 3 50s, and two 40s.

I thought the voice remote would be very cool, especially for my wife, who is technology challenged. Frustrated trying to figure out how to do something? Just say it! And the search capabilities are cool, for example, just saying Kansas City Royals or General Hospital or Hill Street Blues brings those up.

However, after more playing with it, I realize that the "cool" factor is wearing off, and I really just want to push a button to do what I want. It's not that big a deal to hit the search button and enter what you're looking for. In fact, it's nice to see the recommendations pop up as you are typing in your search.

It IS better than the 52, IMO, just because the 52 is lacking things like a "Stop" button. But the reason I like it better than the 52 that came with the H3 is more about the deficiencies in the 52 than it is how great the 50 is. And I find my wife keeps reaching for the 40.

Perhaps there are things the voice remote does that are easier/better than the 40? But I haven't yet found any significant advantages over what I can do with the 40.

So for now, we will end up ordering a 3rd 40 for the H3, and probably have 3 50s and a 52 in a box of unused remotes. (If anyone wants a deal on 3 brand new 50s, let me know.)

 

[Tron2012]

It IS better than the 52, IMO, just because the 52 is lacking things like a "Stop" button.

While the 50/52 do not have a dedicated stop button, you can long press the Back button to get the recording to stop playback and at least go to live TV. Would be nice to go to the DVR menu instead. Also, if you press the channel up or down you can stop the recording playback to live TV.

All hacks I agree, but if one wants a quick on button stop on these remotes, this will do it.