Xfinity Stream app on LG TVs: Guide jumps to 1000+ channels numbers about 50% of time

This is an odd issue with the guide. About 2-3 weeks ago this started, so a fairly new issue.

In the Stream app, under Live TV, you have several options: All Channels, Favorite Channels, etc. I usually only view the HD channels, but there are some SD channels I like (that do not have a HD equivalent) so I marked the channels I want to select from as favorites, and use the Favorite Channel option. I select the channel I want to watch, say 107, watch that, then hit the back button to select another channel, (before and how it should work) it will be on 107 in the guide and I can select another channel.

Recently, about 50% (maybe more like 75%) of the time when I hit the back buttton on the remote, the guide is NOT on 107, but it's on 1007...

Yes, I know it's basically the same channel, but the assignments are different (117 is not 1017, etc) and, and if the guide is working correctly, it should be on the channel I was just watching not one 900 (or more) channel numbers off! If I backtrack all the way to 107 and then select another channel near it, watch it for awhile, then hit back, BAM! It may be on the 1000+ channel for the channel I was watching...

Also, when you have been watching say channel 107, then exit the Stream app, the next time you start up the app and select Favorite Channels, it may show it's on channel 1007 - not the starting chhannel for the Favorites list (which in my case is 103 and where 1003 is NOT the same channel) or even 107.

So, not a huge deal breaking issue, but a very annoying one that should not be happeing.

This happens on 2 different LG TVs.

I have uninstalled the Stream app on both TVs and reinstalled it.

I have not seen this in the Android version of Stream on my cell phone.

I never use it much at all on PCs, so can't say there.

I did not make any changes to anything on the TVs before, or after, the time that this started.

LG may have pushed an update to WebOS just prior to this behavior starting, but since LG doesn't date the current version was installed, I can't give exact dates on those updates. But I do seem to remember a fairly recent update message popping up on the TV, which may have been a few weeks ago.

Responses

CCJosh1

Official Employee

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192 Messages

1 year ago

Welcome back @erm54, thanks for providing the additional information. I can see how this "back button" issue can be frustrating since it affects your customer experience and the ability to swap back and forth from recently viewed channels. Since you know that there was an LG update that could be affecting this issue, have you contacted LG regarding the firmware update and see if there were other reports involving the Xfinity Stream app? Also, I noticed that you stated you never experienced this issue on any other streaming device besides the LG TVs. Do you have any other smart tv that we can test this theory on to verify if this is only occurring with LG smart TVs?

DedeT

Visitor

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1 Message

On one of my TVs as soon as I start up the app it starts in the 800 which is where I want it to usually on Fox News 844. The TV in the living room starts out at Channel 3 every time. How can I get that TV to start in the 800s or at least the last Channel we were on, on Startup

11 months ago

user_1ca95c

Visitor

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2 Messages

This also happens on my Samsung TV’s using a Roku stick. I don’t think this is a TV or Roku Issue. Xfinity has changed something. Rey frustrating

11 months ago

erm54

Contributor

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85 Messages

1 year ago

@XfinityJoshM , both TVs are similar LG models, just different sizes and I don't have another brand to test it on.
I haven’t tried the LG forums yet, but in doing an online search I never came across anything remotely similar being discussed. And as far as app issues on the LG TVs, this is the only app that uses such a guide for channel selection, but also the other apps have been working OK. LG does have a “channel” lineup of their own for free viewing, but the little I have used that I have never seen this same behavior either.
As far as updates are concerned, I know that the Stream app on the LG TVs was also updated within the last couple months. But, since the main code for the Stream app runs on Xfinity servers, and not the TV, I have no idea how many updates Xfinity has done on the server side of the code in the same period of time - that never shows up as anything we can see as far as I know and we never receive a notice that such an update even occurred. So during the last few weeks how many times has there been some change to the code on the server side – I can’t say.
The Stream app on the TV says it's version 1.16.0, but I don't know if that's just the client code on the TV or the full Xfinity Stream software system.
Also, since the guide issue is that it's basically jumping to the same channel that XFINITY has assigned over channel number 1000 and not just some really odd random channel, the odds say that's about 99% an Xfinity Stream app issue, not an LG TV issue. I say that as the channel lineup is 100% an Xfinity assigned feature, and LG has nothing to do with it or even knows anything about such a thing. And the odds that an LG WebOS issue can magically change the guide from channel 107 to channel 1007, or 105 to 1005, etc., not likely at all…
And it’s not like I can delete the channels from my favorites list above 1000, I never added them to begin with – Xfinity did! I only added channels between 100 and 717, Xfinity then added ALL channels above 1000 that they also use for those same channels.

CCShan

Official Employee

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443 Messages

And to double check, you said that it was not the same channel, correct? For example, 107 the SD version and 1007 the HD version of a channel)

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1 year ago

erm54

Contributor

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85 Messages

@XfinityShan, Yes, but 107 is the HD version of the channel (7 is the SD version of that channel), the HD channels don't start until 101. The channels above 1000 are all duplicates that Xfinity has assigned for others purposes and I never use them. To know more about those channels above 1000 you will need to talk to someone within Xfinity.
So while it is the same channel, it won't always be 107 to 1007, of course. Always the same channel, not always adding 900. Some channels are assign that way by Xfinity, but Xfinity has some assigned to different channel numbers over 1000.
In the following examples these are all HD versions of the channels.
104 is 1004, 105 is 1005, 107 is 1007, 109 is 1009, 111 is 1011, 113 is 1013...
But, others such as 106 is 1016, 108 is 1028, 103 is 1033, 117 is 1045...
And again to understand all the channels above 1000 and why they are there, you will need to ask someone at Xfinity.
Sometimes when I turn on the TV and start the Stream app, then select Favorite Channels in the guide, it will start at 1033 rather than 103, which is the lowest channel in that list. And that may happen when the last channel watched, before exiting the app and turning off the TV, was 105. It doesn't always happen just when I hit the back button while watching a channel.

Side note to explain: I got into the habit of exiting the app before turning off the TV as there was a problem (have no idea if it still exists and no need to address it now as this was in 2022 and there have been multiple updates to the app since) when I would just turn off the TV while watching a channel. After an update of the app where they added that feature (to start up streaming the last channel being watched prior), when you started the Stream app the next time, it would just start streaming the last channel you were watching when you turned off the TV. That in itself would be fine, but what would happen about 40% of the time is you could NEVER change channels. No buttons worked to do anything, the only button that had an impact at all was the power button to turn off the TV! Even if you brought up the TV app menu and selected the Stream app, it would justgo back to that same screen. I found that after turning off the TV and then on, started the app and then hit the back button as soon as the channel started streaming, I could then have full control and use the guide, change channels, etc. I just stopped turning off the TVs that way as it was too much of a hassle to be so vigilant every time I started the app. Seemed easier to always back out to the guide, or the app main menu screen, before turning off the TV.

1 year ago

CCShan

Official Employee

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443 Messages

Could I have you try one of the settings? You should see the option to either auto-tune to HD or "best available" if HD is an option there could I have you toggle it off and try those functions, please?

I no longer work for Comcast.

1 year ago

erm54

Contributor

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85 Messages

@XfinityShan , thanks but I already checked that, just never mentioned it.

There is no option to auto-tune HD in the Stream app for LG TVs, I've only seen that on X1 and have used it there for years and never had this issue - it never changes the guide channel location (for lack of a better term...).

As for "Play Best Available" (maybe this is suppose to be the same as auto-tune under X1), there is that setting under the app settings/Playback Preferences. It was On (has been since I started using the Stream app on LG TVs 2.5 years ago), but ... that shouldn't impact this since, say channel 107 is HD already.

But, I did want to see IF the option would have an impact, so I turned it off. I then exited the app, turned off the TV, then waited, turned the TV back on and started the Stream app up. Opened the guide and it popped up starting over 1000 .... that was not where I had last selected a channel. But, I backtracked all the way to 107 and selected that channel. The channel comes on, I watched it for about 10 minutes and then backed out to the the guide and it's on 1007.

And since it's been a week or more since I first tried that, I did go through the process again after reading your post and before posting this. Same exact result.

So that setting seems to have no impact on this issue.

Can't continue to do anything more tonight on testing anything that requires Internet access or X1 TV, Comcast has taken down all our services for mainainence until 4-6am...so this is posting using mobile data.

(edited)

1 year ago

XfinityDilary

Official Employee

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1.5K Messages

Thanks for the update, @erm54! I appreciate you trying that on your end. I'd like to troubleshoot further. But I know you stepping away for the night. Would you like us to follow up tomorrow? If not, you can message us at your earliest convenience to continue troubleshooting. Feel free to send us a private message with your name and service address at any time.

To send a Direct Message:

Click "Sign In" if necessary

• Click the "Direct Messaging chat" icon

• Click the "New message" (pencil and paper) icon

• Type "Xfinity Support" in the "To:" line and select "Xfinity Support" from the drop-down list which appears. The "Xfinity Support" graphic replaces the "To:" line

• Type your message in the text area near the bottom of the window

• Press Enter to send it

1 year ago

erm54

Contributor

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85 Messages

11 months ago

2023-09-22

I noticed earlier this week (maybe 9/18-19?) that a new version of the Xfinity app was running on the LG TVs, at least I assume the server portion was updated as the app itself on the TV was not updated.

After this update the channel "jumping" behavior in the guide appears to have stopped (on both of my LG TVs). I wanted to wait a few days to make sure it wasn't just an annomily, but so far I have not seen such behavior in the last few days. And prior it was then happening over 75% of the time.

There are still some odd quirks in the app/guide behavior, such as sometimes when you select "back" and it should go back to the guide but it exits back to the main menu.

And sometimes when you are scrolling thru the channels and stop, then select that channel, it actually brings up the channel before the one you stopped on ... this started at the same time as the "jumping" behavior stopped. So, if you are not paying close attention you actually start watching a different channel than the one you thought you selected. At first I thought I might have just stopped on the wrong channel, but after it happened multiple times (and I rarely ever saw that behavior before in all the years I have been using the app) I assume it just another odd quirk in the channel selection process in the app. Now I pay more attention and check if the channel I stopped on while scrolling is the one it shows when I hit the enter button.

But, this is much less of an issue as far as I'm concerned than the really odd channell jumping behavior.

So I'm assuming they might have fixed the channel jumping behavior, at least on some LG TVs?

user_1ca95c

Visitor

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2 Messages

11 months ago

I have both LG and Samsung TV’s with Roku’s. Same problems with the mini guide. This started several weeks age.