topic Re: Changing channel down is up in Sky Stream

Changing channel down is up

Star180 — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:26:38 GMT

So ive just got sky stream and when I click bbc 1 and start watching it go to press down to go bbc 2 and it changes it to channel 1024. Basically down is up and up is down when watching tv. The rest of the time when navigating menus the controls work as they should.

Re: Changing channel down is up

Mark39 — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:31:42 GMT

@Star180 Welcome to this customer Community 🙂

Just so you know, it's unlikely that Sky will respond to your post here.

Bizarrely, what you describe is the way it was designed to work. You'll get used to it eventually!

Re: Changing channel down is up

Fothergill1 — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:49:34 GMT

@Star180 Yes, after many years I still get it wrong. If your watching TV up is down and down is up but when you press the centre button to check the synopsis of the channels it is reversed. Very frustrating and I have never been able to fathom the logic behind the decision. Sky Q was exactly the same.

Re: Changing channel down is up

Hunter2660 — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 17:42:24 GMT

Best way to look at it is: BBC 1 is at the top of the EPG, BBC2 is under it, therefore you press down to follow it. Doesn't quite explain the other little foibles though. One instance is if you land on a channel you're not subscribed to, you have to reverse the sequence, up to go downn etc, very strange. But as said you do get used to it after a while.

Re: Changing channel down is up

MorbetMacErp — Fri, 08 May 2026 08:40:47 GMT

Everything's turning turtle!

I'm not going to suggest what this should do, but it's an inconsistent user experience and feels like very poor design.

To ignore it for years and take the approach that users will get used to it, or distract users by pushing voice search, is to value the platform over users. It sends the message that a consistent experience isn't cost effective.

Re: Changing channel down is up

Angel_Aka — Fri, 08 May 2026 09:01:15 GMT

@MorbetMacErp wrote:
Everything's turning turtle!

I'm not going to suggest what this should do, but it's an inconsistent user experience and feels like very poor design.
To ignore it for years and take the approach that users will get used to it, or distract users by pushing voice search, is to value the platform over users. It sends the message that a consistent experience isn't cost effective.

I think it's largely because linear TV viewing and the need for 'channel hopping' is becoming less important in the streaming age.

With content now scattered between apps and services, more and more people aren't actually bothering with a TV guide - they just open an app or click on a tile on a home page to watch what they want, when they want, rather than what the schedules define.

I certainly haven't used an EPG or channel-hopped for at least a couple of years now.

Re: Changing channel down is up

lettice — Fri, 08 May 2026 14:25:39 GMT

@Fothergill1 wrote:

@Star180 Yes, after many years I still get it wrong. If your watching TV up is down and down is up but when you press the centre button to check the synopsis of the channels it is reversed. Very frustrating and I have never been able to fathom the logic behind the decision. Sky Q was exactly the same.

Yes, always used to find it odd back in the day with Sky Q, still same with Sky Stream/Glass.

A good decade ago for me I remember wondering why.

But yes, even though it seems to defy logic, you get used to it.

Re: Changing channel down is up

MorbetMacErp — Fri, 08 May 2026 17:14:14 GMT

I apologise, I didn't realise I wasn't supposed to be using the tv guide. I must have been confused given that the tv guide sits so high up on the home page.

I suppose if it's not what you're doing, every other user should now switch to voice or scroll on down to the streaming apps.

If that really is the case, perhaps the dev team should just remove the tv guide and be done with it. Then they really wouldn't need to think about it being an inconsistent experience that isn't good design.

I will adjust my viewing habits accordingly and scroll down passed the tv guide from now on.