Schedulng a Reminder

[srglassw]

I'm wondering if there is a shortcut for setting a program Reminder in the BlueCurve TV Guide? If not, I think it would be a very welcome enhancement.

Setting a Single Reminder on This TV from the program Guide takes approximately 20 key presses. Setting a simple one time reminder should not be nearly so cumbersome.

Here is what it takes to set such a program reminder (19 key presses):

1. Open the Guide (1 key press);
2. Go to the desired channel number in the guide and select it (4 key presses);
3. Move ahead to the desired program listing (1 or more key presses);
4. Select program Information (1 key press);
5. Scroll right to the Remind option and select it (3 key presses);
6. Select Single Reminder (1 key press);
7. Scroll down to the Display on option (2 key presses);
8. Scroll right to This TV (1 key press);
9. Scroll back up to Confirm and select it (3 key presses);
10. Press OK on Single Reminder Set message (1 key press);
11. Exit from the Guide (1 key press).

Is this not a ridiculously complicated procedure?

[rstra]

You could use voice search to eliminate a few steps.

[srglassw]

Using voice search to locate the program to set a reminder defaults to setting a Series Reminder on All TVs rather than a Single Reminder on this TV.

[wtwasp]

When I heard that the Blue Curve also offered a "Reminder" function, I was considering trying Blue Curve.

All I want/need from my cable box - apart from just broadcasting the channels I pay for with a consistent quality signal (which has not been the case over the past couple of months) -  is to show me the channel on the device's face display (so I can see at a glance what channel is tuned), and allow me to preset the automatic tuning-in to certain channels at certain times (NOT recording) throughout the day (12-24 hr period, or longer), so I do not have to stop what I am doing every 30-60 mins to change channels manually (or worse, go guide-surfing for 10 mins each time looking for something interesting to watch each time), as I usually have the TV on as "background noise" while I work and sleep (when I'm not actually watching TV shows). 

This summary of the number of steps outlined by srglasswick does sound extremely complex and far from "quick and easy", which is what I thought modern technology was supposed to provide? It seems like all this fancy new tech is just more aggravation and time-wasting. 

I currently have the older Arris/Motorola DCX-3200 model, and setting up channel presets for automatic tune-ins seems to require a lot fewer steps. 
Maybe it's just those "19 key presses" that make it sound complicated, but even just those 11 separate steps of navigation and selection is a bit much, regardless of the number of actual "key presses" per step. 

With the 3200 : 
1. Press "Guide"
2. Navigate (this includes pressing the arrow keys and/or page up/down keys to find shows and showtimes)
3. Press "Enter" on select show/showtime to prompt Menu (using ▲/▼ buttons, choose between "Tune to this channel now", "Set Reminder", and "Set Lock") and Press "Enter" again.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for additional reminder settings, or press "Exit" to close the guide. 

Pretty simple. Not sure how anyone would take a 4-step protocol and replace it with an 11-step protocol and think that is somehow "more convenient"? 
And as srglasswick has confirmed (and as I suspected), the fancy "voice command" only slips a couple of those steps, but omits/ignores additional settings one might wish to select, requiring the person to go through the entire 11 steps via the controls anyway. 

I dunno where they find these idiots to design these new devices, but they suck. They make everything worse, not better. For every genuine innovation or perk, there are countless caveats and the (unnecessary) removal of other GOOD features/functions. 

I may still give a Blue Curve box a try anyway, on a TRIAL basis (if Shaw can see fit to let me "borrow" a box for a week or two and see how it works - in general, and in meeting MY needs), but I sure won't be giving up my 3200s anytime soon if it turns out to be a convoluted, complicated, frustrating hodgepodge of redundant steps and button presses to do what the 3200 can do in less than 5 steps. 

What I am still NOT clear on is, if the set Reminders in the Blue Curve actually tunes in to (display on the TV screen) the preset channel/show, or if it just discreetly "records" in the background (no different from a PVR)?

I'm hoping, and assuming (by logical deduction) that it is indeed the former, but, given the "set up steps overkill" protocol, who knows? I've come to never underestimate the levels of illogical stupidity from technology or the sheeple that design and/or blindly use it these days (honestly, it's like you could convince some people that a pair of "rubbing sticks" was the next big innovative step in fire-starting technology, conning them to toss their Bics and Zippos, and they'd not only believe it, but also obediently conform to it).

If srglasswick can kindly confirm for me exactly how the Reminder function works (without doing PVR recording) after all selections are made/programmed, it may help me decide if Blue Curve is even worth the hassle of a trial, let alone a hardware upgrade...?
(Thanks in advance)

~ W

[srglassw]

What I am still NOT clear on is, if the set Reminders in the Blue Curve actually tunes in to (display on the TV screen) the preset channel/show, or if it just discreetly "records" in the background (no different from a PVR)?

Unfortunately, the answer is "neither". The reminder in BlueCurve TV merely pops up a reminder box on the TV screen at the scheduled time with option to manually select whether to switch to the scheduled channel or to cancel the reminder. There is no automatic switch to the channel or to record the program.

The reminder function remains unchanged from my original post on this topic a year ago. Apparently Shaw does not see this cumbersome and inefficient function as an issue.

[wtwasp]

Unfortunately, the answer is "neither". The reminder in BlueCurve TV merely pops up a reminder box on the TV screen at the scheduled time with option to manually select whether to switch to the scheduled channel or to cancel the reminder. There is no automatic switch to the channel or to record the program.

Ahhh, that actually sounds familiar - that was how the Reminder function worked on the old silver-face Motorola (6200) DCTs. It also had a separate function called "VCR Recording" which made the box auto-tune to the channel at the preset time so one's "VCR" (remember those?) could record from the DCT (that was all from the pre-PVR days). 

The reminder function remains unchanged from my original post on this topic a year ago. Apparently Shaw does not see this cumbersome and inefficient function as an issue.

Yeah, Shaw doesn't care. I've had endless problems with them on all kinds of things, usually TV signal quality, and the recent screw-up they did last summer where I can no longer view my own account online. I can access and navigate every other aspect of the Shaw site, but not MY Shaw. Their big cookie cutter answer to that is that I should spend thousands of dollars that I don't have on a bunch of dumbed-down, unsafe, untrustworthy tech that I don't want (i.e. Windows 10, modern phones with "apps", etc), instead of them simply undoing what they did and having respect for legacy users. 

Anyway, thanks for your reply!
Your input pretty much confirms what I suspected on all this new-fangled Blue-crap : it's useless to me and my TV needs.