why won't Dish fix their idiotic guide issues?

[sam_gordon]

Here's what I don't understand... a broadcaster (local or a network) puts together their guide info in whatever program. Then they send it out to some provider (TitanTV, Gracenote, etc). That provider sends it to the MVPDs, right? So how can it be different coming from Dish via TiVo (for example)? Do the broadcasters give different information to the guide providers (seems like a strange decision if so)?

 

[n0qcu]

According to one of my local broadcasters they get their guide info from the provider

 

[sam_gordon]

According to one of my local broadcasters they get their guide info from the provider

The local gets their guide from the provider? Huh?

 

[olds403]

I have noticed things getting worse in the guide lately. I have had a timer set to record The Curse of Oak Island forever, always recorded, I got some duplicates and it always confused the Digging Deeper episodes but always recorded the regular show. This week it didn't record, I still haven't figured out why it didn't record. I ended up watching it OnDemand.

I have seen movie titles with bizarre abbreviations, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was abbreviated to Mission Ghost. Now I didn't care about watching that particular movie but damn, if someone did want to watch it, that title would make it impossible to find. Every episode of just about everything I record is now listed as a new episode, I am getting a ridiculous amount of duplicates and already viewed episodes recorded. I hope it gets better soon, I am tiring of checking my timers and schedules several times a week.

 

[joegr]

I noticed last night that 60 minutes had the original air date listed as 1968.

 

[TheKrell]

I noticed last night that 60 minutes had the original air date listed as 1968.

Well, if they were rebroadcasting the very 1st 60 minutes, then it would be accurate! Sep 24th according to Wikipedia.

 

[DWS44]

Found last night I needed to create a new timer for "Desus & Mero" on Showtime. Existing timer hadn't fired on the new episode that was airing last night and showed no future recordings scheduled. Made a new one from the guide and it listed the upcoming episodes again.

 

[joegr]

I think that the last time they changed guide providers we had to recreate all or most of our timers to get it to work again.

 

[kevinrs]

Discovery, recording "Homestead Rescue", some episodes show up as 2 or 3 hours, when you watch them, they contain the named episode for 1 hour, along with another episode or 2. Now some are coming up as "Homestead Rescue: Surviving the Wild" as a title.this last Sunday, and next Sunday. Same episode title as episodes from the last few weeks, same 1 hour length, no indication that they are special extended episodes or anything.
Also any timer set for new and reruns seems to record the same episodes over and over. You used to at least most of the time not get repeat recordings until months after you'd deleted them. Now for family member's preferred shows, I'm having to go in every week and skip 90% of the scheduled recordings, because they saw the same episodes in the last few weeks, because they have weekly marathons.

 

[dennispap]

Discovery, recording "Homestead Rescue", some episodes show up as 2 or 3 hours, when you watch them, they contain the named episode for 1 hour, along with another episode or 2. Now some are coming up as "Homestead Rescue: Surviving the Wild" as a title.this last Sunday, and next Sunday. Same episode title as episodes from the last few weeks, same 1 hour length, no indication that they are special extended episodes or anything.
Also any timer set for new and reruns seems to record the same episodes over and over. You used to at least most of the time not get repeat recordings until months after you'd deleted them. Now for family member's preferred shows, I'm having to go in every week and skip 90% of the scheduled recordings, because they saw the same episodes in the last few weeks, because they have weekly marathons.

It was doing the same thing for moonshiners. Recording 3 hours as one episode but it really was 3 different programs. It was finally fixed this week for now.

 

[ClarkGable]

Saw a lot of channels in the movie pak yesterday with descriptions starting with "Part 1 of 2" and "Part 1 of 4." These were all movies, not series.

 

[SandFarmer]

I've been bitchin' since the turn of the century and have thousands of pictures of the issues. But it just seems to migrate to another company or way of doing things.

Several times, even recently, even now in some listings, the listings caught up with the way programming is being done in the 21st Century and it was not only perfect, but genius. Then within the same folder of listings it's back to the failed method.

It has been done and perfectly. So we know it can be done. Why don't they stop when they get it?!!

 

[DishSubLA]

Here's what I don't understand... a broadcaster (local or a network) puts together their guide info in whatever program. Then they send it out to some provider (TitanTV, Gracenote, etc). That provider sends it to the MVPDs, right? So how can it be different coming from Dish via TiVo (for example)? Do the broadcasters give different information to the guide providers (seems like a strange decision if so)?

Actually, there is no difference that I have ever seen in the INFO of the EPG that is displayed on a TiVo or Dish because TiVo is the current provider for Dish.

The Guide data providers have copyright to all their descriptions, and the only way to gain copyright is to "re-write" or write their own descriptions for all the programming so that it is original, and, therefore, qualifies for a copyright. However, it could be that the TV channels have episode number ONLY and no descriptions. The metadata is something seperate and something that the old TV Guide had or the newspaper that subscribed to whoever had what we now call "metadata" for all the TV shows and movies. MVPD's can not be dealing with so many sources for the metadata because of its obvious inefficiencies, so a company compiles it all in their own original descriptions from various sources that they may already have copyright (like Leonard Maltin's book of reference for nearly all movies up to the time of its publication). So, at lest the descriptions should be different from one service--say Gracenote--and another service, like TiVo, but all TiVo provided data and descriptions will be the same accross all its client MVPD's.

 

[DishSubLA]

What irks me quite often is the POOR quality of the episode descriptions, most often the sarcastic ones, instead of just stating what the episode is about without making a joke or trying to be clever for their own good in writing.

 

[BarnRat]

What irks me quite often is the POOR quality of the episode descriptions, most often the sarcastic ones, instead of just stating what the episode is about without making a joke or trying to be clever for their own good in writing.

The current sub-contractor that Dish uses for the guide info is one of the worst so far. It seems that when the guide info finally gets sorted out, then Dish switches to another contractor and here we go again . . .

 

[sam_gordon]

Actually, there is no difference that I have ever seen in the INFO of the EPG that is displayed on a TiVo or Dish because TiVo is the current provider for Dish.

The Guide data providers have copyright to all their descriptions, and the only way to gain copyright is to "re-write" or write their own descriptions for all the programming so that it is original, and, therefore, qualifies for a copyright. However, it could be that the TV channels have episode number ONLY and no descriptions. The metadata is something seperate and something that the old TV Guide had or the newspaper that subscribed to whoever had what we now call "metadata" for all the TV shows and movies. MVPD's can not be dealing with so many sources for the metadata because of its obvious inefficiencies, so a company compiles it all in their own original descriptions from various sources that they may already have copyright (like Leonard Maltin's book of reference for nearly all movies up to the time of its publication). So, at lest the descriptions should be different from one service--say Gracenote--and another service, like TiVo, but all TiVo provided data and descriptions will be the same accross all its client MVPD's.

I thought (and could be wrong) that the channels provided ALL of the guide information (episode #, description, etc) to the guide data providers.

 

[BarnRat]

I thought (and could be wrong) that the channels provided ALL of the guide information (episode #, description, etc) to the guide data providers.

That might be true because I don't believe I've seen TCM listings that are botched up so bad.

All that is required is a one sentence synopsis with no opinions. It's simple. Why can't they do that? I've called Dish customer service and complained but the level-one people that I've talked to have no idea what I'm complaining about. So, I gave up calling customer service.

 

[olds403]

What puzzles me is the episode number. That is a cluster**** of epic proportions. Sometimes it is season#, episode#, other times it is total episode# with no season info, all within the same season of episodes. I have seen Season 0, episode 4 for example as well, what the hell is Season 0? WTH, why can't they at least be consistent with episode info!

 

[BarnRat]

Well I've seen "Part 1 of 4" for several different movies that did not have any parts.

 

[DishSubLA]

Well, I have noticed today even MORE straightforward, objective, simple and clear descriptions of movies in the INFO on several of the premiums--at lest the ones for AE 250. How REFRESHING. This must be the new provider of EPG data Scott mentioned. Of course, there are still those obvious TiVo descriptions with phrases like, "Uplifting comedy" or, "This chilling thriller . . ." and, "Spawned from the weird and wonderful mind of David Lynch . . . " Aw, SHUT UP you frustrated great novelst wannabe writer now stuck banging out descriptions for a EPG service.

I'll make up a few of my own based upon real and inspired awful TiVo INFO descriptions:

"In the shocking sixth entry with Jigsaw is up to his old tricks again in one of the biggest horror franchises of all time. . . of this mad-cap comedy gem . . . in the enchanting, wonderful wizardly world of You Know Who . . . in this enduring crowd pleaser." Or for Casablanca I remember something like, "Morraco; spies, Nazis; intrigue; cue the piano player; old loves meet again [and I'll add] none of them amount to a hill of beans in this classic . . ." Can't they just describe the plot in general because there may be a few YOUNG folk who have never seen the movie.

I would never mention in a description for an EPG service that while the movie (Casablanca)was did win awards, and nominated for several more awards, and became a classic, I personally consider it really as a rather unremarkable, formula film with all the tropes and cliche's and rather predictable course and ending seen outside of the context of its release during WWII and its repeated plays on local TV stations for decades, when at that time of the war, one could understand how it captured the Zeitgeist at the time it was released. There were quite a few films like it that preceded Casablanca. I would just stick to the facts, mam.

I had too much fun with this post. Keep adding those much better INFO descriptions, DISH.