I want to provide my feedback for this version to keep up my end of the deal. Please read and take these enhancement requests into serious consideration DirecTV.
I believe it is the attention to small details that can really make a product shine and rise above the competition. I'd like to see DirecTV adopt this belief as well.
The Guide and List menus:
1) Move all of the content that is left justified (channel numbers, preview box, etc) further to the left. It should be the same distance from from the left edge as the preview box is now to the top edge.
2) Decrease the font size slightly and reduce the boldness of the font everywhere in the guide except the top right corner. The title and description of the currently highlighted program needs this the most, so that more words in the description can fit on the screen.
3) Slide the title and the description of the highlighted program up to line up with the top of the preview window. (The Smart Search, TVMail, and other screens got this right.)
4) Add more rows of channels to the list by moving the bottom bar that contains the red, green, and yellow circles down, removing the pointless bar that is currently there. Then move the bar that lists the date and times up closer to the preview window. Slightly decreasing the font size could also help here.
5) If you must include artwork for the currently highlighted program, it should be right justified to line up with the info at the top right.
I think the little Info screen at the top (press Info when no other UI element is on screen) is quite nice. The font size is about right (maybe doesn't need to be as bold), though it could take up slightly less vertical space.
The UI element that appears when you pause a show is quite nice as well. Again, could take up slightly less vertical space, but the font size and boldness looks great.
Random:
1) I'd like to see more animations.
2) There should be some visual que (an animating loading symbol or something) after you press a button and it lags while processing the request. Currently, nothing is displayed on the screen that lets the user know that it's working, so the user thinks they didn't press the button or it's not working.
3) The screen saver is small and cute, but does not move in a fluid motion; it is jittery.
4) It may be wise to add more than 1.5 hours of program titles into the views.
My suggestions for the future:
1) DirecTV's next generation of receivers need to have built-in WiFi.
2) The next UI enhancement could see transparency effects and beautiful animations.
3) Something must be done to make fast forwarding, rewinding, and skipping easier to use and more efficient.
4) Bring some new cool features that will really enhance the whole DirecTV experience. I'd like to see more interaction with mobile devices - controlling the receiver with an iPhone app, watch shows on the iPhone and iPad, stream content among devices, etc.
5) Don't be afraid to implement major changes - especially on the UI.
I strongly believe this new GUI is a big step in the right direction. I love the black and blue color theme. Props to DirecTV for making the software perform better, in addition to making it look much nicer, without having to purchase the latest hardware. Great job and congrats to DirecTV!
Please feel free to comment on any of the above suggestions. I'd love to hear your thoughts concerning these matters.