Comcast recently came out with a new app that changes the way content it streamed on devices like Samsung Smart TVs, and Roku boxes. The latter can now be used as ersatz cable boxes through the use of the app, which is to be made available within the year. It will carry tones of live and on-demand programming, a lot like the X1 cable boxes are already doing. Another feature of the app is that it lets you record shows on your DVR.
For current customers of the service using the app, it is possible to take in their old cable boxes so they don’t have to keep paying the extra monthly 10 dollars in equipment rent. The company said that switching to the app would enable customers to access Xfinity programming “wherever they want, whenever they want, on whatever device they want.”
Comcast will be growing their Xfinity TV Partner Program past Samsung and Roku. The new TV app isn’t very different from those available for smartphones and tablets right now, and Comcast says it has already been downloaded 23 million times. But when you check out the new app, it is a lot closer to the cable box experience than something like DirecTV Everywhere or Dish Anywhere. DirecTV and Dish TV are the most popular cable TV alternatives out there right now.
Of course, Comcast isn’t the only TV provider that’s offering apps in lieu of set-top equipment. Also, Xfinity service used to be available over Xbox, but that only lasted around a year before the company dropped support for it.
Cable TV has been growing swiftly in the digital TV market, and this has brought about wider availability of related services on mobile devices and smart TVs. These being the two main device customers turn to for video content, any improvements in the area are an effective way to draw them away from cable TV alternatives.
The FCC isn’t keen on Comcast’s app plan, which it labeled as another way to sell the same service on a different device. “It appears to offer only a proprietary, Comcast-controlled user interface and seems to allow only Comcast content on different devices,” a spokesperson said. Even so, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association did commend the provider cable company for its “innovative marketplace solutions.” Comcast for its part thinks that the technical mandate raised by the FCC would “create substantial costs”.
In today’s digital world, internet access is no longer a luxury it’s a necessity. From…
In an age when streaming platforms are popping up everywhere, you might wonder—why are so…
In today’s world, the internet isn’t just a luxury it’s a necessity. From working remotely…
In today’s digital age, most of us rely on the internet for everything—from streaming movies…
Remote work has gone from being a workplace perk to a professional standard. Whether you’re…
If you’ve ever been in the middle of a movie, an important Zoom meeting, or…