Update Now TV app for apple TV

[Anonymous User]

Will the Now TV app for Apple TV ever get an update?

The current version is complete rubbish and makes me regret ever getting a Now TV pass.

Unless there is an update my Now TV experience will be very short indeed.

[nst]

@MrZippy 

Totally agree with the sentiment.

Ive yet to look at beta 2 will do so later this evening.

However, of course the Boost support is much lower down the list of priorities than basic functionality but my hope is that it will be 'switched on' (after all its only a higher quality stream) in a later beta but certainly before it goes live.

I know i must seem to bang on about boost a lot - its just that in 2020, with the function already available on other supported platforms - it seems like a travesty to even contemplate  that the long awaited AppleTV app on the HD and 4K boxes wont be in 1080p  Dolby 5.1!

Again, it will be with a very heavy heart as I simply will not be able to use the app if it is unsupported  and have to stick with the truly awful NowTV box which does.

Who knows.. maybe the app is heading for a new golden era 🙂 with regular updates as often as the iOS counterparts get.... we can but dream 

[nst]

I have to ask...

Anyone else struggling to see where the changes are?  Have I done something wrong because it feels like the same app as beta 1 - definitely updated it though.

[MrZippy]

Yep. A crash bug I reported is fixed. That’s all I’ve noticed so far.

[Anonymous User]

I have to admit I’m finding the same thing, can anyone shed any light

[Anonymous User]

@nst One of the bugs I reported was that swiping around the menus felt more difficult than other apps. It seemed to need a big swipe to move along by one tile, and only a fraction more to move along two, so there was a tendency to overshoot. This seems to be much improved. Haven’t noticed any other difference yet. 

[nst]

erm... i reported that too... one of the first things I reported.

But in my experience this hasn't changed one bit.  Just as sluggish.

Its the main reason I am questioning whats going on as I thought at least that would be different.

Im definitely on the new version!

[MrZippy]

I reported poor scrolling, I’m on the fence as to if this is any different, it seems worse I think as they are static boxes unlike native 3D ones. I won’t say what the outstanding known issue is, but I will ask does the iOS / Roku app correctly show viewed episodes and continue watching work correctly? I’ve only really used the normal Apple TV app as refuse to use two boxes, and that doesn’t have that feature at all.

[Anonymous User]

Well, continue watching seems to be fixed and that was a pretty big bug.

[MrZippy]

Is it, I shouldn’t say this but it was stated it wasn’t. I will retest.

[nst]

@MrZippy 

Yes, well as good as it can be - its not without its bugs on other platforms.

However, yes there is a functioning "watchlist' and 'continue watching' facility on other supported platforms.

Its not without its flaws - for example you can add an upcoming new show to the watchlist - however once the first episode has aired it does not automatically appear in the 'continue watching' section.  You have to physically watch the first episode, and from then on the subsequent episodes will appear on continue watching as they become available.

[Anonymous User]

Oh you’re right, it was stated that was still being fixed. But it was the first thing I tested yesterday and it worked for me much better than it did before. I’ll have to test it again. 

[nst]

Ive just emailed the Trials Manager to ask if he can let us know whats been changed.

OK, I wasnt expecting to see any sort of redesign and was expecting it to *look* the same as before but im struggling to understand what I need to re-test.

As I said before, the highly visible sluggish remote response is still well and truly present in my opinion.

Also, practically speaking its been such a long time since I reported a number of issues Ive forgotten what they were!

[MrZippy]

Really you’d expect a full change log and known issues to effectively beta test this. Or bug tracking so you can view the status of a bug you reported. As said already what do we test, what is fixed?

Can anyone confirm that viewed episodes normally show viewed indicators on other NowTV platforms.

[dr_necessitor]

@MrZippy  Re your post of 05/06/2020 @ 11:02

Totally agree with your points in paragraph 1!

Have been a long time participant (for many years) in many beta trials (of both tv & broadband products) for NOW TV (and also for Sky before that).

But - and it took me a short while to realise this way back, and I still find it difficult to accept - the expected role has never really been one of “testing” the product in the technical sense that anybody who has worked in IT or technology would have - they simply want folk to do “everyday use” of the product and feedback any issues found.

So, not as rigorous as full on testing. How could it be really? We don’t have any info about the spec of what they were trying to design & produce. Nor any brief as to anything specific to test. Nor any change log etc.

All we can realistically do is “use” it on a trial basis without any specific guidance as to what to ”hammer” (or re-hammer)...

(I say all of the above wishing it was not the case though)

[Anonymous User]

Then this is not beta testing! Beta testing is testing the software by end users in the real world. Beta testers should be informed of the fixes made to ensure they have actually been fixed otherwise your wasting everyones time reporting known issues that have not been fixed.

Given the history it seems the norm for Sky/NowTV to charge a premium for an inferior product. Given BTTV app offers nowtv access I am tempted to buy in to that if the BTTV software works better…..

[Anonymous User]

I'm sure its somewhere in the 90+ pages of this forum but how do i get onto the beta trial for the NOW TV apple TV app?

Thanks

[nst]

@Anonymous User 

@dr_necessitor 

I agree with you both in a hybrid of opinions.

Yes, we the recruited public are just dumb morons banging away at it, using it in everyday scenarios and hoping that if we come across something that doesnt work we will tell them

You'd have thought that the product to this point had been through rigorous test phases - though some of the issues raised are surprising.

But, if we are reporting specific issues then it stands to reason that if they have specifically fixed something then they should mention it.  Of course the other way of looking at is is that if they fix something that we have pointed out, then they will replicate that error themselves, and fix and test it their end so theres no need for us to re-address is at all as it should be done.

This seems to be the way this is going.  "here's a new version give it a go and let us know if anything doesnt work" over and over until they deem it worthy for release.

I remain disappointed about boost - as I probably cannot test it as they would like me to as unless I am looking for specific errors or scenarios then I will not be using it to watch my normal NowTV content as I pay for 1080p and this is not available yet on the updated app.

[dr_necessitor]

@Anonymous User 

Exactly!

[Anonymous User]

I've changed my mind about the swipe navigation being fixed. It's not. It's just weirdly inconsistent. Sometimes it seems ok, sometimes it's just awful. I've spent a load of time just swiping left and right, comparing it with other apps. It's really hard to work out why it feels worse than other apps, but it's definitely not right.

[MrZippy]

I suspect a custom controller is being used as the default has 3D when you scroll around, why oh why don’t people just use the native UI elements.

[Anonymous User]

Agreed, it’s stupid to do anything custom when Apple have provided an excellent default system. I’ve been comparing it with the Amazon Video app as that’s also custom. Amazon have done a much better job at this point.