GuidePlus+ privacy issues

[Lefty]

Anyone else annoyed that ATI wants so much information before they give you
a lousy TV guide listing, and before they let you report a problem?

I hope you are. This is insufferable. TV guides come in the freaking
newspaper! To use GuidePlus+ though, I've got to identify myself, and no
doubt add myself to their databases.

 

[MrMoke]

You can put anything you want into the screens. The only important
information is zip code.

 

[Lefty]

And if you want to request a fix to the listings, they want you to remember
that fake name. Actually, the info they want for bug reporting is even
worse than the info they want at sign-on time.

Anyway, if half of us are putting in fake names, and the other half are
pissed, why don't they freaking unplug the field!!!

 

[Lefty]

ATI does not control the service that provides the listings. If you
don't like it take it up with Gemstar.

Does ATI give me another service with proper privacy protections?

(If it is the only choice they give me, then I think I can take it up
directly, with the people who have my money.)

 

[Lefty]

You can also use UltimateGuide <http://www.ultimateguide.tv> with the
ATI software--it uses TitanTV, which wants first name, last name,
street address, zip code, and email. Showshifter replaces the ATI
software and also uses TitanTV. Snapstream replaces the ATI software
and uses a proprietary directory--they want your name, email, zip,
phone number, street address, and credit card number.

Most of ATI's competitors use TitanTV.

If you really want to have an automatic program guide and don't want
to give _any_ information about yourself out then get a Hauppauge
PVR-250 or 350 (you want the hardware encoder) or an old Matrox G200
Marvel if you can find one and run MythTV. You'll have to learn
Linux in order to set it up, but it doesn't want any of the
information you seem reluctant to divulge. It _may_ be possible to
use MythTV with an ATI board but it's a lot more trouble to set up
than the Hauppauge or Matrox boards.

Personally I think you're overreacting. Spam is annoying but it's
hardly life-threatening and it's easy to set up an account that is
basically a killfile and give that out to anybody who you don't want
to hear from.

Maybe part of it is that I have a cold and sore throat ... makes me cranky.

But sersiously, I think we should be giving our vendors feedback that this
is not appropriate.