Spectrum TV app on ATV4K is BADLY BROKEN!

DSperber

I subscribe to CloudDVR Unlimited. I also have Xumo, Roku Ultra, and ATV4K (Gen3) devices on which the Spectrum TV app is usable.

The Spectrum TV app works properly on Xumo and Roku Ultra. However it is badly broken on ATV4K.

(1) There is no way to actually schedule a one-off (i.e. non-series) recording for a single individual program shown in the Guide.

When viewing the Guide for a future program, and pushing OK to initiate the dialog normally providing setting EITHER (a) a one-off recording of the individual program shown in the Guide cell, or (b) a series recording, in fact the one-off dialog DOES NOT EXIST!!! The only thing the user can do is schedule a SERIES RECORDING!!

In other words the only presentation shown is that for setting up a series recording. There is no way to present the one-off single recording setting dialog.

In contrast, the Spectrum TV app on both Xumo and Roku provides two choices on the 1st-level down presentation from a Guide cell: (a) set up an individual single recording of just that program, or (b) set up a series recording. Not the case with the spectrum TV app on the ATV4K.

(2) There is no "View DVR" item shown under "My Library", as is shown with Xumo and Roku. This may be caused by my not having any recordings in my CloudDVR library, as well as no currently scheduled upcoming recordings, either one-off or series. Perhaps the "View DVR" item would be shown to me if I had at least one recording, but I don't know.

In any case the "View DVR" item on Xumo and Roku provides a "view scheduled" button, so that you can look at upcoming scheduled recordings. Or, it would say "none scheduled".

But for sure, the 'View DVR" button is important, to look at the existing contents of "My Library" of recordings, no matter whether I have zero or at least one or more. And I should also be able to see my upcoming schedule of recordings, again no matter whether i have zero or at least one or more.

Works properly on Xumo and Roku. Non-existent on ATV4K.

DSperber

Well, as far as (2) goes, it appears the problem is related to no current recordings in My Library. I have lots of upcoming scheduled recordings, but at the time yesterday I had no existing recordings.

Today is a new day, and some of the recordings which WERE scheduled for last night HAVE BEEN MADE. So now My Library is not "empty".

And now sure enough, the "View DVR" button is available, allowing me to both (a) review all of my existing recordings, as well as (b) look at my upcoming schedule of recordings. This is the normal interface for "My Library" that I expected to see yesterday, although with no existing recordings. But I certainly wanted to review my upcoming recording schedule but was unable to since "View DVR" was not presented.

And now, today, I have it. And that is because I now have a non-zero list of existing recordings.

So the "breakage" is (and only for ATV4K, not for Roku or Xumo) that when there are no existing recordings, the "My Library" UI doesn't allow for "View DVR" and thus the user cannot review upcoming recording schedule.

Edward_T

Hello @DSperber;

I can understand your concerns about the Spectrum TV app not giving you the proper options for the Apple TV. The Apple TV version of the Spectrum TV app should act very similar to other devices using it. This maybe an issue where you are not properly signed into the app. Can you go into the settings and select the log out option. Open the app again and make sure to sign in with your Spectrum login. If this does not help then please reach back out.

DSperber

Yes, I have three newly acquired Xumo devices. I am aware that only after LOGOUT and then LOGIN are the devices now correctly associated with my account CloudDVR Unlimited subscription, etc.

So yesterday when I was just looking to see what the Roku Ultra and ATV4K apps provided (although I have no need or intention to ever use them, since I have a superior Xumo box at each of the same TV locations), that was when I discovered the oddity that "View DVR" was not presented on the ATV4K. This surprised me.

Again, at the particular point in time that I discovered this (a) I DID have future recordings scheduled, but (b) I DID NOT have any current recordings in My Library. I didn't know that this was crucial to exposing the bug defect in the ATV4K version of the Spectrum TV app, but I do now.

Anyway, yesterday I double checked with Spectrum TV app on my Roku Ultra, and sure enough the "View DVR" WAS SHOWN, as it also was on the Xumo. Same situation of future recordings scheduled but no currently existing recordings. And yet both Roku and Xumo shows "View DVR" for me to check future recording schedule when I clicked on "My Library". Only the ATV4K failed to present "View DVR".

Today things are different. I actually now DO have several existing recordings, along with future scheduled recordings. And now sure enough the AT4K version of Spectrum TV app DOES SHOW "VIEW DVR"! Yesterday it didn't show "View DVR", and today it does show. Only difference is that now I have a non-zero existing set of recordings in "My Library". But with none the "View DVR" did not show.

Should be easy for your tech folks to duplicate the setup here, and confirm what I'm reporting.

—> THE REALLY BAD FACT ABOUT SPECTRUM TV APP ON ALL PLATFORMS IS ONLY 2.0 AUDIO!!! This is a true outrage, that the streaming app doesn't deliver the true DD5.1 audio which your customers get on "linear cable" to the home via coax through STB/DVR mechanical equipment.

I have the Xumo sound output setting set to "passthrough" and sure enough all other apps running on the Xumo deliver 5.1 and even Dolby Atmos to my downstream HDMI-connected AVR and audio system. Only the Spectrum TV app audio content itself has been downmixed from 5.1 to 2.0 at the Spectrum headend, for the audio component of the H.264 streaming A/V output delivered to the home through the Spectrum TV app running on any device.

This 2.0 audio from Spectrum TV is UNACCEPTABLE!!! And it is on all platforms on which the Spectrum TV app runs, including Roku, ATV4K and even Xumo itself!!! All three devices have "passthrough" set for audio output via HDMI to the downstream AVR and user's audio system. So the criminal in this story is Spectrum and what they have decided to deliver through the Spectrum TV app… a terrible 2.0 audio.

THIS SHOULD BE CHANGED!!! USERS DESERVE THE ORIGINAL 5.1 AUDIO ON CABLE CHANNELS FROM THE SPECTRUM TV STREAMING APP, same as they would get from those same channels through coax delivered linear cable to the home.