Forum Discussion

dmckenzie7777's avatar
dmckenzie7777
New Contributor
2 years ago

Please make an option to turn off screensaver

It serves no function, and even if it did, there is no reason to not let people turn it off if they want to.  The TV channel is the screensaver, and there are all kinds of reasons that people might want their TV to stay on even if they are not there to hit a button on the remote.  I have requested this easy fix by calling customer service many times with no real response.  I see many people have been making this request for years.  I'm canceling if the issue is not addressed by the end of the month.  Thank you. 

Screensaver
  • mgnelson1221's avatar
    mgnelson1221
    New Contributor
    2 years ago

    I couldn't agree more with dmckenzie7777.  I too use the TV as background noise while sleeping and it wakes me up multiple times a night. Worse yet, we have a newborn and he will also wake up once the screeensaver turns on which is extremely frustrating. Ideally there should be an option to turn it off but at the very least there should be an option to leave the volume on even if the screensaver comes on. I too am considering canceling my cox because of this. As parents of a newborn sleep is of the upmost importance and this is something that is affecting our day to day lives. Please, please, please fix or add an option to leave the volume on.

    • TiffanyR's avatar
      TiffanyR
      Former Moderator
      2 years ago

      Hello Mgnelson1221,

      I can understand needing undisturbed sleep with a newborn in the home. I am sorry to hear that the screensaver coming on wakes you and your newborn up. We value your loyalty and wouldn't want to see you go. I have sent your feedback to our products team to see if this can be changed in upcoming updates. Please reach out to us at cox.help@cox.com if you need any additional assistance. 

       

      The purpose of the Cox TV Support Forum is to allow customers to discuss technical topics related to residential Cox Cable Television services with other customers. If you need help with billing or other account specific issues, or would like to submit a channel request, please reach us on Twitter at CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or at cox.help@cox.com.

       

  • Mrbrightside333's avatar
    Mrbrightside333
    New Contributor
    4 months ago

    How has this not been addressed yet? We pay too **bleep** much for 'parent' control over how long our television is active/inactive. 

    • Shevys's avatar
      Shevys
      New Contributor
      3 months ago

      It’s ridiculous. It also locks my screen to the point that I have to change the channel to get the TV to unlock just so I can change the input. So effing frustrating  

      Fix this, Cox! I’m about ready to switch to Google TV for real. 

      • JulianN's avatar
        JulianN
        Moderator
        3 months ago

        Hello, I am very sorry you’ve not had the best experience with Cox. I understand how important communication and reliable service is. We value your business, and do not want to see you go. Please email us your “full” name, “complete” address, and a copy of your post to Cox.Help@cox.com for further assistance. Thank you! 

      • CT7700's avatar
        CT7700
        New Contributor
        3 months ago

        I just got a new box at the end of December. There is no option on the box how to get rid of the screen saver. You have to enter in a channel to take it off.  It's annoying and makes me wonder why we're paying so much for something we can't control. And don't even get me started on how touchy and glitchy this "streaming player" is. I wish they still had the old cable boxes, like the one that was dying on me I had for years. Their price is going up every year but equipment is getting worse! 

  • RaquelD's avatar
    RaquelD
    Moderator
    2 years ago

    Hello Dmckenzie7777, 
    I apologize that this request has not become a feature that can be self controlled. We would not want to lose a loyal customer such as yourself for a feature such as this. I definitely understand the desire to adjust or disable the screensaver. I use TV as background noise and when the screensaver pops up, it always wakes me up. In the screensaver settings you are able to adjust the time before the screensaver turns on to a maximum of 5 hours. This can be done simply by using the voice feature and saying 'open screensaver settings', or going to the settings, select 'device settings', then 'screensaver'. 
    I have once again submitted additional feedback on your behalf to request more control over turning the screensaver on and off, not just increasing the time before it goes into effect. If you have any additional questions or need help with accessing this, please email us at cox.help@cox.com with a link to this thread, your name, and address, and we would be happy to assist further.
    The purpose of the Cox TV Support Forum is to allow customers to discuss technical topics related to residential Cox Cable Television services with other customers. If you need help with billing or other account specific issues, or would like to submit a channel request, please reach us on Twitter at CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or at cox.help@cox.com.

    • Mrbrightside333's avatar
      Mrbrightside333
      New Contributor
      4 months ago

      Any update on this? This is is a deal breaker feature for my family. This is unacceptable for how much we pay for service. 

      • RobertS1's avatar
        RobertS1
        Moderator
        4 months ago

        Hello Mrbrightside333,  I apologize that you didn't have a positive experience with the screensaver feature for Contour. We truly value you as a customer and want you to always feel that way. The options we will have available for managing the activity of your screen saver can be found in the following article. https://www.cox.com/residential/support/contour-and-power-save-mode.html. If you have further questions or need more detailed support for your box please feel free to send us an email at cox.help@cox.com with your full name and address I would love to assist you. Thank you.

  • Jennifer3636's avatar
    Jennifer3636
    New Contributor
    2 years ago

    I agree the screensaver should be an option especially when I pay for a specific Network for my animals while I'm at work. I'm starting to wonder what the point of why I pay for an animal subscription if I can't allow it to run while I'm gone without it being interrupted by a screensaver. I'm thinking of going with a different cable provider because I pay a whole lot for cable and if I wanted it to run all day then that's exactly what I pay for so not giving me an option makes me think I should also get a discount for all the hours that I cannot run the cable as I want to. 

    • CurtB's avatar
      CurtB
      Honored Contributor
      2 years ago

      Cox TV has options for "Power on Timer" and "Power off Timer".  If Contour has those options, set "Power off Timer" to the approximate time-of-day when the screensaver will be activated.  Set "Power on Timer" to the channel you want and time to a minute after the "Power off Timer" time.   Result: Sometime around the time screensaver would be activated, the cable box will turn off and back on to the channel you want.  That should get your animals through most of the day until you get home from work.

      If something is recording, does that reset when the screensaver will be activated?  If it does, record a short program more frequently than the screensaver activation period.  You can delete the filler recordings when you get home.  

      Or, teach your animals to use the remote (hope they're not goldfish). 

  • CurtB's avatar
    CurtB
    Honored Contributor
    2 years ago

    The screensaver is probably more for Cox's benefit than for its customers.  If a Switched Digital Video channel is playing when the specified period of inactivity is reached, the channel's frequency will become available for use by another channel, if no other customer on the node is viewing or recording the channel.  Only the most popular channels have a network-wide stream.   SDV frees up bandwidth by only broadcasting channels that are actively being watched or recorded.  The screensaver replaces a blank screen.  If it's thought of as a feature, albeit unwanted, it will have successfully distracted from why it's used.