12/13, 7:17pm
Xfinity TV app works for Android and iOS
Comcast announced today that it would be extending the opportunity for its Xfinity TV customers to download content from the Internet to their mobile devices. The Xfinity TV Player App now lets customers watch their favorite content while on the go, without having to be connected to the Internet for streaming. Starting today, customers can download thousands of premium TV and movie content from Showtime, Starz, Encore, and Movieplex.
more
05/22, 11:58am
Viewdini platform will aggregate video content from free, paid services
At The Cable Show in Boston, Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced it will soon release a new platform called Viewdini that will allow streaming of video content to subscribers of Comcast Xfinity, Hulu Plus, mSpot, Netflix, and TV sites to their mobile devices. Also, 4G mobile plans are required, and the service will only be available to Android-powered devices first, though support for other platforms is promised, as is content from Verizon FiOS.
more
05/16, 6:45pm
Nationwide rollout of Skype on Xfinity commences
Comcast has made its Skype on Xfinity system available in Boston and Seattle in the first stage of a nationwide rollout. The previously leaked Skype camera allows users to perform video calls through the service, with instant messaging available while watching TV at the same time.
more
04/23, 4:30pm
Netflix Q1 beats estimates but takes on Comcast
Netflix was aggressive both in performance and in political stance with its quarterly results on Monday. Despite anticipating significant losses, it lost just $5 million as part of its push to the UK and other countries where the consensus had been closer to a $16.9 million hit. Its revenue at $870 million, while down from the fall, was up 21 percent over a year earlier, reflecting the much larger number of subscribers.
more
03/27, 10:00am
MLB joins cable on Xbox 360
Microsoft took its promised Comcast Xfinity TV and HBO Go support live on the Xbox 360 Tuesday with the extra addition of MLB.tv. Akin to the ESPN app, it gives users the option of watching live and on-demand events, albeit live only for out-of-market games. Kinect owners have the extra advantage of motion and voice commands that can sometimes speed up the action.
more
03/23, 7:55pm
Xfinity TV on Xbox 360 near ready
Comcast has slipped out through a support page that it's currently beta testing its Xfinity TV app for the Xbox 360. The service as it stands will give Comcast subscribers who sign in access to a large but incomplete pick of Comcast's usual access. It should include the four core broadcasters and build in major premium providers like HBO, The Movie Channel, and Comcast's own Streampix, but it won't have many mid-tier TV networks.
more
03/09, 2:25pm
Comcast won't bring Netflix to its portfolio
Despite recent reports that Netflix is in talks with cable providers on some form of partnership, Comcast has gone on record to say it has no interest in such a deal. It won't add the service to its Xfinity subscribers as an on-demand offering or part of its billing service on any device, claims a New York Times report. Netflix believes it could be offered by major cable providers as a premium offering.
more
03/07, 5:25pm
Service to arrive a year after announcement
Comcast is reportedly set to launch its Xfinity On Demand service for TiVo set-top boxes, nearly a year after plans of the offering first surfaced. Although the cable provider has yet to confirm a specific launch date, unnamed sources have told Zatz Not Funny the service will arrive sometime in April.
more
01/07, 6:40pm
Comcast preps Skype cam for cable hardware
Comcast is preparing its own webcam for Skype video calls that could bypass the usual computing link. Both an FCC filing noted by Wireless Goodness as well as a leak to Engadget have pointed to the camera, called Astro, attaching to a cable set-top box with an HDMI passthrough for other sources. It could work audio-only or with text and would support picture-in-picture to avoid completely interrupting an ongoing show.
more
01/04, 4:10pm
Comcast and Disney sign new 10-year TV, web deal
Cable provider Comcast has renewed its distribution deal with Disney, signing on for another 10 years. Programming from ABC, ESPN and 68 other channels or services is included in the deal, as is streaming to portable devices such as notebooks, iPhones and iPads through dedicated apps. Under the deal, Comcast will pay more money to Disney with each successive year as license fee schedules are introduced over time, which will more than likely translate to increased bills for Xfinity users.
more
12/05, 12:30am
Microsoft outlines launch plans for X360 live TV
In sync with the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update, Microsoft has provided a listing of TV providers that will be ready to go this week. Along with existing access to ESPN, Hulu, and Netflix, the December 6 update will also bring EPIX authenticated video in the US, Lovefilm in the UK, MediaSet's Premium Play in Italy, Sky Go in Austria and Germany, Telefonica España's Movistar Imagenio, and MSNBC's Today in the US.
more
09/23, 4:55pm
Leak shows Comcast AnyPlay Service for tablets
Comcast's long-referenced plans for live iPad TV are getting close, a leaked guide showed Friday afternoon. The option, now christened AnyPlay, will stream live TV over an iPad or certain other tablets as long as they're on Wi-Fi in the home, MacRumors saw. Viewers will need a special Motorola set-top box to watch, though, and will be limited to one tablet at a time for a maximum of ten registered tablets.
more
08/22, 7:50am
Comcast XFINITY gets iOS update, BB support
Comcast has announced that it has developed a version of its XFINITY app (free, XFINITY site) for BlackBerry devices. The app allows BlackBerry users to schedule programs remotely, as well as stay connected to XFINITY voice- and e-mail. Comcast has also announced that it has updated its XFINITY app (free, iTunes) for the iPad and iPhone.
more
07/26, 7:45pm
Fox demands 8-day delay on Hulu shows
Fox on Tuesday night set out to shelter traditional TV with a long hinted-at plan to delay TV shows on Hulu for non-subscribers. Free viewers will face an eight-day delay for access to Fox TV shows unless they either pay for Hulu Plus or can prove they subscribe to a conventional TV service. Only satellite provider Dish Network is so far cleared to give users same-day access in the strategy, which starts up August 15.
more
07/11, 4:35pm
Comcast updates Xfinity TV tablet, iPhone apps
Comcast just announced that its Xfinity TV app is now available for Android 3.0-powered tablets such as Motorola's Xoom. The free app allows Comcast cable subscribers to browse TV listings by area and browse On Demand libraries as well as search either database. The Xoom is guaranteed to support the app, but other Android 3.1 tablets with a 1280x800 resolution should also support the new app.
more
07/10, 8:55pm
Netflix and Hulu mutually uninterested in deal
New tips Sunday ruled out Netflix as one of the candidates to buy Hulu. The movie streaming service hasn't been actively involved, sources for the WSJ said. Hulu also reportedly hasn't been actively interested, in part since it would create overlap and reduce the number of suppliers, not increase them.
more
06/14, 12:35pm
Skype service to be enabled via adaptor box
Comcast has announced that its cable subscribers will soon be able to take advantage of Skype's video calling services. Users will be able to make and receive Skype video and audio calls directly from a television, even while watching shows. An onscreen notification will also provide caller ID information for incoming calls, while calls can be seamlessly transferred from the TV system to a smartphone or tablet running the Xfinity Mobile app.
more
06/08, 3:05pm
Comcast launches Xfinity home security services
Comcast has began offering a new use for its traditional communications services with the Xfinity Home Security service. Six markets will get the option of ordering basic home security monitoring, remote lighting control, video surveillance or monitoring and remote digital thermostat control for potential energy savings. Accessing the system is done by an iOS or Android app or through the Internet browser.
more
05/25, 9:35pm
Comcast goes through MIT to test IPTV system
Comcast revealed Wednesday that it was testing a TV-over-IP system for its network. A dry run on MIT's grounds in the fall would prove it can deliver its regular TV service using Internet protocol in a way that would simplify delivering it beyond TV sets. The move as cast by the Wall Street Journal would simplify watching real-time broadcasts on tablets like the iPad, Xbox 360s, and other devices that Comcast can't normally reach.
more
04/14, 11:35am
Comcast 105Mbps Internet hits 40m potential users
Comcast on Thursday hoped to take its 105Mbps cable Internet mainstream with a national rollout. The Extreme 105 tier is estimated to be in reach of about 40 million potential subscribers in core cities, such as Boston, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC. Its service as before runs off of the DOCSIS 3.0 standard's channel bonding and can upload faster than many home connections at 10Mbps.
more
03/15, 9:40am
NPD gives Netflix 61pc of online movies
Netflix now has a dominant share of the online video on demand business, according to new NPD data. The subscription streaming service has 61 percent of all the movies downloaded or streamed in January and February. Apple, despite iTunes' reputation, was at just four percent and tied with both DirecTV and Time Warner Cable.
more
03/03, 1:10pm
Comcast Xfinity service to bring Netflix-like UI
CEO of Comcast Brian Roberts in a discussion of future plans made clear intentions that the Xfinity online streaming service would compete directly against other services. He considered Netflix a target and planned to improve the user interface to exceed it, among other changes. The company's future cable boxes will all have Wi-Fi built in as well, Roberts said.
more
03/01, 4:35pm
Xfinity TV for Android has DVR, live TV due soon
Months after its iOS version arrived, Comcast today put out an Android version of Xfinity TV. The app gives Comcast subscribers both an immediate remote control for most TV set-tops as well as a way to remotely schedule the DVR or buy on-demand movies. The programming guide serves as a jumping point for many actions and can be filtered just to show HD programming, kids' shows or other material.
more
02/01, 1:05pm
Comcast, Time Warner intro long-term partnership
Comcast has landed a partnership with Time Warner on Tuesday that will bring shows and movies to Comcast On Demand customers soon after they first air. XfinityTV subscribers will also have access to the streaming content at no additional cost, with content from channels such as TNT, TBS, CNN, HLN, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Those with Turner's apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android-based devices, as well as web users, will also be able to access this content.
more
01/07, 4:40pm
New content delivery deals struck
Samsung has struck new deals with Comcast and Time Warner. Comcast’s Xfinity TV will be distributed to Samsung’s smart TVs and on the application store for the Galaxy products interacting through the Comcast set-top box. On the Galaxy Tab, the Xfinity TV experience is a virtual television guide and a mobile video player all in one. Xfinity TV digital customers will be able to browse, discover and sort video content, change the channel on a Samsung smart TV in real time, and program DVRs.
more
12/21, 7:15pm
Xfinity Spectrum quad-tuner HD DVR
Comcast subscribers soon will have access to a new quad-tuner DVR, the Xfinity Spectrum, which may represent the 'Xcalibur' codename from a recent report. The HD-capable device will reportedly allow users to watch video on one channel, while simultaneously recording content from three other channels. A graphical interface is also said to integrate a "Freinds Trends" feature for ranking movies or TV shows and comparing the listings with others.
more
12/17, 2:35pm
Level 3 says FCC must limit Comcast-NBC
Level 3 has tried to bring the FCC more directly into its net neutrality dispute with Comcast with a letter sent later on Thursday. The message to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski and the Department of Justice's Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney to impose conditions on the proposed Comcast-NBC merger to keep it fair. Comcast's insistence on higher rates for Level 3 to reach its network "adversely changes the nature of the Internet" and, buy implication, might get worse if it owned a TV network.
more
12/10, 5:50pm
Comcast offers Extreme package for $105 per month
Cable and phone provider Comcast is rolling out a promotional bundle for its Extreme 105 high-speed Internet service. For a 12-month period in available areas, the 105Mbps package will be priced at $105 per month and be bundled with cable TV. Other packages and combinations will be offered in various markets, but Comcast wouldn't let out any details.
more
12/07, 7:05pm
Comcast talks Xfinity for Android and usage prices
Comcast today posted an Android version of its Xfinity Mobile mobile app. Less advanced than Xfinity TV for iOS, the app can remotely schedule a DVR and check listings but can't remote control live programming. The app serves as a catch-all for other Comcast services and will take in VoIP voicemail as well as check Comcast mail.
more
11/15, 12:15pm
Comcast Xfinity TV hits iOS, video streams in 2011
Comcast started off the week by launching Xfinity TV (free, App Store) for the iPad and iPhone. The app currently serves as a remote control and lets users steer live TV, on demand videos and the DVR to either change stations or schedule recordings for later. Unlike some options, it doesn't need Wi-Fi and will work on 3G as long as the owner has a Comcast ID or e-mail sign-in.
more
07/28, 4:50pm
Comcast telling subscribers about 105Mbps web
Cable provider Comcast has started to advertise ultra high-speed, 105Mbps home Internet access, first hinted at back in May. Bundled with its Xfinity all-digital TV, Internet and home phone service, the DOCSIS 3.0-powered residential tier will be more than twice as fast as the company's current 50Mbps offering. While pricing hasn't been officially revealed, it is likely to cost $200 per month for the bundle.
more
05/12, 4:50pm
Comcast Xfinity Remote for iPad previewed
Comcast at the Cable Show today demoed an upcoming Xfinity Remote app for the iPad (video below). The software will turn the Apple tablet into a control for the cable provider's set-top boxes and will show a TV-style guide for changing channels or recording shows to a DVR. Social links will play just as much of a role, the company added: users can either chat live while watching a show or invite friends to watch at the same time.
more
02/17, 11:45am
HBO Go gives online viewing to TV subs
Premium cable channel HBO on Wednesday took its streaming video service HBO Go out of beta. The feature is meant as a complement to a TV subscription and gives those with an existing TV subscription access to about 600 hours of the station's shows through a web browser. The service is much larger than the previous HBO On Demand.
more
