Forum Discussion

CurtB's avatar
CurtB
Valued Contributor III
5 years ago

watchtv.cox.com always sets audio to Unmute when selecting a channel

When audio is muted on the watchtv.cox.com website and the channel is changed or even when the same channel is re-selected, audio is always restored to the audio level before audio was muted.  Mute is not retained when selecting a channel.  The website is automatically resetting audio to "Unmute" when a channel is selected.  This is either a coding error or a seriously arbitrary design choice.  Currently, the only way to maintain muted audio when changing channels is to mute your computer sound.  But, this defeats the purpose of the website's mute option: keyboard shortcut  "M "or repeatedly press the "down" arrow.

  • Changes have been made.

    Audio is set to unmuted when the watchtv.cox.com website is loaded.  If audio is then muted by pressing "M" or by repeatedly pressing the down arrow, the muted audio setting is now retained when a new channel is selected or when the same channel is re-selected, without having to mute the computer's sound.

    Thanks, Cox, for making this change.

  • Hi CurtB. Thanks for the feedback and I will be sure to pass it along to the appropriate department. - Lisa, Cox Support Forums Moderator
    • CurtB's avatar
      CurtB
      Valued Contributor III

      I understand from an email received from a Cox representative that the "Unmute" reset when a watchtv.cox.com channel is selected was an intentional design choice.

      "Regarding the mute question that you have, it appears that this is the way it's designed. Since you have to actually close the window of the channel that you're changing from it cancels any audio options you had selected for that channel, as you know. When you open the new window for the channel you're changing to it's goes back to the standard, which is un-muted".  - Cox Social Media Support Specialist   

      This explanation is illogical.  Only one channel may be viewed at a time.  No benefit is provided by assigning the "Mute" or "Unmute" option to a specific channel, particularly since it's going to be cancelled when that channel is closed anyway.  Audio volume level applies to all channels and is retained until changed by the user or is reset to full volume the next time the Contour website is launched.  The mute option should also be made to apply to all channels and only be automatically reset when the website is launched.

      I suspect the choice to "Unmute" audio when changing channels may have been made to reduce the number of erroneous complaints Cox receives from customers that their audio isn't working when it's only because the audio has been muted.  If so, a far less intrusive solution would have been to "Unmute" audio each time the Contour website is launched, similar to how volume level is reset, and then allow users to control it.

      • CurtB's avatar
        CurtB
        Valued Contributor III

        Changes have been made.

        Audio is set to unmuted when the watchtv.cox.com website is loaded.  If audio is then muted by pressing "M" or by repeatedly pressing the down arrow, the muted audio setting is now retained when a new channel is selected or when the same channel is re-selected, without having to mute the computer's sound.

        Thanks, Cox, for making this change.