Simple TV custom channel selection for seniors, dementia...

Rbjr

Please guide me, I am new to spectrum,

Is there any thing like this in spectrum land??

A 1980s style basic TV experience for elderly, damentia patients...

... Simple button on off for TV, returns to previous channel, or home start channel...

simple up down to change limited favorite custom channel selection...

For cable box, no app. No Netflix or other distractions...

No apps, no menus simple goof proof interface.... 

I also noticed all the old channels between 24 and 200 got er relocated to hd land ( fun to try and explain to someone that your favorite 55 is now 619...

Can't limit channels in cable converter box?? Parental control only gives you a type your pin?? I was hoping for only switching through your 20 custom favorites, not getting lost in the other sea of choices... 165 channels ....

And if using the app, up down buttons do not change channel in live TV?, gotta go right to see guide, then up down... Help

Thank you for any ideas and improvements.

Rbjr

After a fruitful hour with customer service.

We managed to set the cable box to switch favorite channels with pressing the up and down channel buttons

I selected a Walmart universal remote to reduce the chance of getting lost in the menu zone .

Here is my attempt to describe the menus and remote...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/s/ICdK3agXd7

William_M

Hi @Frustrated_Caregiver, welcome to our community!

That universal remote definitely looks like a great option for those with cable receivers. Once the favorite channels are selected and the guide filter changed to favorites no additional menus need to be accessed, only those channels will appear in the guide or be selected when choosing channel up and down.

William_M

Hi @Rbjr, welcome to our community!

I'll be happy to forward feedback about a basic cable box guide and/or app. We do have simplified big button remotes for cable receivers. I recommend setting her most watched channels as favorites and then change her guide filter to favorites which will limit the view to just those. Spectrum Guide: Helpful Tips will show you how.

Rbjr

Thank you for your suggestion of the big button remote and using the guide filter favorites.

Let there be 2 remotes??

1. Simple that only changes channels,

And 2. The advanced normal one to change settings . ? Or do in app from internet?

I am hoping for a simple 1980s type remote, or even simpler..

6 buttons, power , channel up and down. Volume up down and mute. That is it less to get wrong or lost in . No guide to navigate to, no apps or menus to select.

You are very close... Just allow custom channel line up for the cable box, (not just in the app on a smart TV, right before changing in the guide if you held the ok button and selected favorites) ..

Can you make the physical box only tune or select the favorites in the guide permanently and a setting that can customization in the app online , or only selectable from secret menu?

Others suggested just use the er parental protection to block channels...

Thank you for forwarding this to the technical team who may be able to tweak some software to make things super simple and er resilient to dementia mad button pressing.

The issues I have with using the guide favorites are.

1. It seems to only be available as a small island in a sea is smart TV apps and menus, and so it is vary easy to navigate away with menu buttons.

Look at all the choices and words needed to describe the big button remote.

https://www.spectrum.net/support/accessibility/spectrum-receiver-big-button-remote

Someone on the spectrum reddit suggested looking into

TiVo for blocking channels...

Further down the rabbit hole I fall ..

Take care and any advancement to simplicity much appreciated.

James_M

We do also have remote covers available that limit the options to power, channel, and volume. Here is a link with more information:

Spectrum Remote Cover Option

As a Spectrum TV customer, you can request a remote with a plastic cover that hides buttons you don't use on a regular basis. The cover can be removed and reattached as desired, but is only compatible with certain remotes. Contact us for more info.

Frustrated_Caregiver

RBJR,

I am 100% with you. It is so overwhelming for elderly parents with dementia to manage the TV with spectrum. There are 1200 channels where we live, and all of them show up whether they are subscribed or not! It is too much. We need an option for just basic channels, like 10-20 channels, or some ability to be able to filter which channels show up when scrolling. I tried parental controls and favorites and both didn't work for her. Showing all of the 1200 channels with a bunch of parental control screens asking for a PIN is not helpful. You also can't assume someone with dementia can go through menus to get to favorites. I am so frustrated. A very basic cable service without a cable box would be ideal. Please help!

RBJR I did find this very basic remote on Amazon (Flipper big button) for my mother and it seems to be helping somewhat, assuming the cable box and tv both turn off and on together every time :( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GR1YZ0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Frustrated_Caregiver

Hi William,

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, the suggestions RBJR made do not work in my situation. I am unable to use the channel up and down buttons to only show favorites. After a call to Spectrum Customer Service, they said that my box and menu are different than the one used by RBJR and mine is not programmable that way.

Is there some kind of disability customer service rep that could contact me about this?!?There has to be a simpler way to allow elderly people to just watch a few basic channels.

Rbjr

Hi frustrated caregiver,

This is the spectrum box I have used.

One funky feature is that the buttons at the top of the standard spectrum remote will switch through all channels regardless of favorite list.

Turn off power saving mode on the spectrum box or it will turn off and then you need to turn on after 4 hours... So simpler if on aff the time.

The channel buttons select the favorites So confusing.

Hope you can get something working that is simple and easy.

Wishing success.

Rbjr

This is the remote I used.

I had to program the remote to the codes for the spectrum box..

1254 code

I do not know if the button functions of the Amazon remote are the same or programmable...

GE 2-Device Big Button Universal TV Remote Control in Silver, 69882 https://www.walmart.com/ip/205406173