imo, it’s one of the cons about closed-source models - we’re slaves to what the providers decide to give us. And it’s only going to get worse as more and more “content protection/DRM” is pushed down our throats.

Imagine if you could tweak the UI with your own modifications, or download others modifications from the web (ideally, directly from your T.V.). Many people would benefit from better UIs more suited to their tastes.

Why can’t I have the channel lineup filter out channels I don’t currently get (i.e. I’m not subscribed) automatically? Why can’t I move channels around (change the order they appear in on the channel menu) to better suit me, so that the HD channels show up in a more convenient location (as opposed to being stuck up in some obscure channel range. Why are XXX channels scattered all through the channel lineup? They should be easily filtered so as to not appear at all, and they should be listed together rather than scattered so widely across channel lineup.

Even better, let me put together my own cable box rather than your own (which the providers are doing their best to prevent for DRM purposes (DSCP?)). Then I can put a decent hard disk in my PVR rather than your puny one. Not to mention that my providers cable box/PVR is plagued with bugs.

Opening these bizarre idiotic interfaces to modification by the public would be a big step in the right direction. Please, providers, provde the content, but let me have some control over how I interact with it. I know it goes against your core principle of control over the consumer, but really. This idiocy has to stop.