On 05/04/2011 02:29 PM, Mike Raiford wrote:

> It always seems to me that usability is the lowest possible priority of
> set top box hardware. I won't even go into how much I despise the
> software on our cable box.
>
> Oops... it looks like I just did.

I think perhaps the problem is that

1. You cannot tell how good the software is until *after* you bought the 
device.

2. Once you bought the device, there is no come-back.

Before you buy, you have several competing products that you could 
select. The manufacturers do all they can to make you buy their product 
rather than somebody else's. This usually involves stuffing as many 
features as possible into the device for the lowest possible price, and 
then loudly shouting about all the features on the product packaging.

After you buy... the manufacturers have your money. They don't *care* 
what happens next. It is of no consequence to them. Needless to say, if 
you buy a set-top box and discover 4 months later that the functionality 
for using an external storage device sucks arse, there is nothing you 
can do about it. You cannot possibly take the device back and demand a 
refund [unless you can show that it is actually failing to operate as 
advertised, which you can't].

I think perhaps the way to remedy this is to make it possible to do 
something about poor quality products. Make it so that if the customer 
is not happy, it directly affects the manufacturer in some way. Damned 
if I know how though...

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