xfinity
Latest
Comcast’s low-cost wireless service might be a success
The wireless carrier battles have been heating up recently, as reports of a Sprint and T-Mobile merger intensify, which would allow the third and fourth largest cellular carriers in the US to better compete with the likes of giants AT&T and Verizon. But it turns out that there's another carrier to keep an eye on. Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that Comcast's wireless service, called Xfinity Mobile, has gained around 200,000 subscribers in under five months.
Comcast quietly introduces Xfinity Instant TV streaming beta
Cord cutters can already choose from a variety of internet TV companies for skinny bundles, including Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, Hulu, DirecTV Now and any we may have forgotten. Soon some of them will have an option from an unexpected challenger: Comcast. Predictably, its IPTV effort is only available to Comcast internet customers "in select areas," but the Xfinity Instant TV Beta will allow viewing on PCs, tablets, phones or via Roku. Variety highlighted the rollout, although Comcast isn't saying exactly where it's available so far -- there have been tests running for a couple of years around Boston and Chicago -- just that customers can sign in and watch via the Stream app.
YouTube meets cable on Comcast's X1 boxes
Last year Comcast plugged Netflix streaming into the X1 setup and starting today it's rolling out YouTube access nationwide. Just as the company announced earlier this year, the service's videos will be available via the YouTube app, or in Comcast's video on-demand section. According to YouTube exec Robert Kyncl, "The living room is YouTube's fastest growing platform. We are excited to supercharge our distribution there and bring Xfinity X1 users a seamless way to consume all of the content they love. Voice is a key enabler to discovery and we are looking forward to bringing it to Xfinity X1 users."
CBS, Comcast deal brings fantasy football to your cable box
We've seen a few attempts to put fantasy football on TV screens over the years, but despite the game's increasing popularity none have really made an impact (we never did see more fantasy leagues appear for the Xbox One). Now CBS has struck a deal with Comcast to integrate its game with the X1 platform. That's not particularly helpful if you use a different TV setup or have a fantasy league on a different platform, but those are the breaks. If you do have the right combination of circumstances, however, you can keep track of your dominating victory/crushing loss in real time without looking away from the game.
Demand for Mayweather-McGregor fight crashed pay-per-view servers
Did you pay for an expensive pay-per-view or streaming pass to watch the hyped-up boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, only to boil with rage as your access went down? You're far from alone. Numerous reports have revealed that servers across the US crashed or buckled under demand for the fight, creating outages serious enough that organizers delayed the fight to make sure people could tune in. Mayweather himself said that pay-per-view servers in California and Florida crashed, while Showtime and UFC failed to load, ran into login trouble and otherwise couldn't keep up with interest.
Comcast's new sports guide makes it easier to find games and scores
Comcast has made some useful tweaks to its sports guide for X1 on set-top boxes and the Xfinity Stream App just in time for the NFL preseason. On X1, the top of the sports guide now has landing pages for every major league and sport including soccer, tennis and even cricket. And live scores of ongoing games will appear just below. Comcast has also made it simple to jump into any game that's currently on, preview upcoming games and get stats and analyses via the Sports App. Like X1, the Xfinity Stream App is also now sorted by league with ongoing games and upcoming game schedules easier to get to.
New FX subscription streams shows ad-free for $6 a month
Comcast announced today that it, along with FX Networks, will launch a new on-demand and streaming service that will give viewers commercial-free access to current and past episodes of FX and FXX series. However, you'll have to be an Xfinity TV subscriber and the service -- FX+ -- will cost you an additional $6 per month.
Comcast’s new XFi tools give parents more control over the home network
After debuting an all-in-one streaming app for its cable TV service and a new IoT-commanding home gateway earlier this year, Comcast announced on Friday that it is adding a trio of new parental control features to its XFi internet system: Timed Pause, Safer Search and a Notification Center.
Xfinity TV customers can catch up on 'Game of Thrones' for free
If you're clamoring to catch up on Game of Thrones but don't have an HBO subscription, you'd better get ready for an epic binge watch. Starting today, TV customers can access all six seasons of the show through Xfinity on Demand for free. The promotion will run through Sunday, July 16th, which is the premiere date for the show's seventh season.
'AMC Premiere' will let you stream 'The Walking Dead' ad-free
Today, AMC announced a new way to watch its programming -- through a new service called AMC Premiere that allows subscribers to watch episodes of its current season shows without ads. However, unlike HBO's and Showtime's standalone apps, AMC Premiere is only available to those who have AMC as part of their cable packages. And for now, it's available to Xfinity customers exclusively.
Comcast's smart home app controls your Philips Hue lights
Comcast's Xfinity Home app can steer many of the devices in your household, but there's been a conspicuous omission: Philips' Hue lights. Why spring for Comcast's hybrid automation/security service when it can't handle commonplace smart bulbs? That changes today. Comcast and Philips have formed a partnership that brings Hue support to the Xfinity Home app. On top of direct control, you can create automated rules that link your bulbs to your security system and any other smart home devices. Your lights can switch on when you disarm your security after work, for instance.
Comcast's xFi app makes setting up your parents' WiFi less painful
There are plenty of great routers on the market, but most of them have simply horrible interfaces for setting up and configuring your WiFI network. Companies like Google and Apple have built smartphone apps that make managing WiFi much easier, but it's still not a commonplace experience. Comcast, of all companies, is looking to change that. Today, it's launching a new app for Xfinity internet customers called xFi, and judging from the demo we saw, it'll make it much easier for the average user to control their WiFI network.
Comcast jumps into wireless with Xfinity Mobile
Last September Comcast confirmed rumors by announcing its plan to launch wireless service this year based on a combination of its 16 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots and the Verizon network, and today we're getting all of the details. With the launch of Xfinity Mobile, Comcast will offer its customers TV, home internet, home phone and wireless service under one umbrella. With companies like AT&T and Verizon offering TV packages over the internet that compete with cable, now Comcast is moving into their area, although that doesn't guarantee they'll have success.
Comcast could chase cord-cutters with 'Xfinity Instant TV'
For years we've seen Comcast preparing to distribute video like an internet service instead of traditional cable methods, and now there's word it will roll the project out widely. While recent rumors indicated Comcast has signed deals preparing to compete with other video services nationwide, Reuters says that "Xfinity Instant TV" will only be available for Comcast internet customers when it launches later this year. It's an expanded version of what we already know as Comcast Stream, the $15 per month cloud DVR-equipped package it's been testing in a few areas since 2015. In something that's probably not a coincidence, it launched the same month Comcast announced that for the first time ever it had more customers subscribing to internet service than TV.
Comcast's latest all-you-can-watch event includes Netflix
Comcast's efforts to come to terms with Netflix just kicked up a notch. The cable giant is holding its fifth annual Xfinity Watchathon Week between April 3rd and April 9th, and this year Netflix is included as part of the all-access promo. So long as you're a customer with an Xfinity X1 box, you'll have free access to Netflix alongside the opportunity to catch up on shows from conventional TV channels like AMC and Starz. It sounds like an odd move for a company that has frequently been at odds with Netflix, but there's likely a method to the apparent madness.
Comcast told not to claim it has 'America's fastest internet'
Comcast has agreed to stop advertising its Xfinity broadband service as "the fastest internet in America" after an ad industry group said the claim doesn't jibe with the data. The company based the slogan on user Ookla tests, which the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) said were "not a good fit" for the fastest speed claims. After Verizon (the owner of AOL, Engadget's parent) first challenged the ads back in August and won, NARB upheld the decision and recommended Comcast discontinue specific assertions.
Comcast's new 'Gateway' will manage your smart home
Comcast already dominates many people's living rooms, and now it's looking to expand its reach to the rest of your house. Today at CES, the company announced it will release a series of Gateway smart-home hubs throughout the year. In particular, as you might expect, these hubs will allow Comcast's Xfinity customers to manage the menagerie of Internet of Things devices that inhabit the modern home.
Comcast teams with Hollywood to make movies 'more immersive'
Who doesn't love having movies explained to them in real time? Comcast announced on Friday that is is collaborating with a number of major Hollywood studios including Paramount, Universal, Lionsgate and Sony to create a new way to watch movies at home. The company's forthcoming "Enhanced Extras" feature will enable viewers to "explore, connect and engage with a wide variety of online content" -- while the film is playing.
Rogers will launch IPTV in Canada with Comcast's X1 platform
Comcast has been very careful to call its X1 setup a "platform" and not simply a cable box, and now it's licensing the tech for use on an internet TV service. Canadian provider Rogers will roll out IPTV to its gigabit internet customers in 2018 using the X1 platform, although there's no word on whether or not it will include the Netflix app. Before that happens, however, Rogers says customers on its current cable setup can expect more 4K video and 4K DVR features in the next year.
Comcast finally allows HBO, ESPN streaming via PlayStation 4
For those who maintain a cable subscription, one of the (many) annoying aspects is that sometimes channels have streaming apps you can't use, despite being a paying customer. Over the years, Comcast has decided that it's not going to allow customers to use whatever channel's app on one platform or another, but now the PlayStation 4 is off of that list. According to a tweet, owners with Comcast subscriptions can finally log in and use the WatchESPN and HBO Go apps on their game console.
