Jan 15

If the reason everyone upgraded to High-Def is for better graphics and more screen detail...then why is Comcast's onscreen guide and info panels and menu so ugly and awful? The graphics and text look like they're from 8-bit video games circa 1980's...

 

I'm a late upgrade to HD TV, but I'm astounded how awful Comcast's User Interface appears

My home has utilized Comcast for internet and television for years...there's really no choice, they're a monopoly in this area...but I was never motivated to upgrade to their HD offerings. Well until we were forced to when they switched to all digital signals. My gripes and issues with this transition and the requirement I string digital cables boxes off all my high-end, new flat screen tvs...well that's a different rant. But what's really struck me about the new HD TV isn't the detail and the colors...hell if I take off my glasses it's all blurry to me anyway....but it's just how bad, low-tech, and downright backward looking Comcast's Guide, menu, and info panels are considering how much potential exists.

AppleTV versus Comcast's Guide

I've had an AppleTV first generation for a while. And though I've got some complaints about it's user interface, at least it makes use of high-resolution graphics and clear, readable text. It functions better. It looks better. And it's far more readable. Compared to Comcast's Guide and Menus it's night and day. Sure it could be argued that the AppleTV and Comcast's cable box serve different purposes (if you're not comparing Comcast OnDemand) but since most people interact daily with Comcast's onscreen guide...shouldn't it be much, much better. Let's take a look at it.

 

 

 

Comcast's onscreen guide displays pixelated text that looks like it's 8-bit type from an old Nintendo game. The graphics and coloring is clunky and unappealing. Titles are chopped off, scrolling, and paging through the interface is also awkward and difficult. It's just awful. And I've found the "info" provided is often inadequate and less than helpful. 

 

 

 

The opposite of Comcast's bad UI is the AppleTV user interface. Visually compelling - the interface is organized and quick to navigate. Text is crisp and clean and easily read from a distance (even if you take your glasses off). And choices and options are apparent and easy to choose.

 

Even if you argue they're serving different purposes (as I've already admitted) the obvious differences are glaring. The text is my biggest gripe. Why does the Comcast UI use such badly rendered text when it's displaying on my big, beautiful HD flat screen? And it's not like Comcast doesn't know there's an HD TV connected...Comcast forced me to get the digital HD boxes for them.  So why can't they utlitize HD graphics and nicely rendered text? Why does the guide look like it's from the early 80's?

 

With all the processing power and graphic capabilities inherent in today's set-top boxes and HD televisions...shouldn't Comcast do more and do better when presenting their 100s of channels. It's almost a requirement to use the guide since you have so many programming options - it'd take you all day to manually click through them. Comcast should devote more attention and design-time to their onscreen guide. It should adhere to all modern day User Interface guidelines and it should be high definition.

 

What the Comcast onscreen guide should not be is almost anything but what it currently is - an anachronistic example of bad text rendering and bad UI design. I believe that Comcast is missing a big opportunity to improve the usability of their TV offering. And to improve their brand image in a substantive manner (more so than running away from their negative reputation by rebranding to Xfinity). Concentrating on the usability of an element that touches and effects users daily lives would go much further to improving the customer Comcast relationship. After branding lurks in the little details. And in its current state, the Comcast onscreen guide is a big branding and user interface negative. One with big potential that will sadly, probably remain neglected by Comcast.