OK, so hearing “new version of onscreen TV guide” probably doesn’t scream “I must read this blog entry!” at you. But bear with me, because the pics at Zatz Not Funny of the upcoming version of the Verizon FiOS 2.0 version of their onscreen guide are something to see. The interface itself is gorgeous, but it’s what Verizon’s doing with it that is worth noting. With the permission of Dave Zatz, who got a behind-the-scenes tour, a couple of illustrations:
OK, this alone is a huge improvement over any TV interface I’ve seen. All of your choices are there on the left, and the opaque guide still lets you see what’s happening on the show. But here’s what’s really thinking different…
They’re playing around with widgets. Right now they have widgets for local weather, traffic and other local info. The show you’re watching continues to play as you pick your widget. Looks a little like a computer experience, no? Dave writes that Verizon will roll out this 2.0 interface in all its markets by September. Check out the Zatz report, where there are several more pictures including a very cool VOD interface.
