Our television viewing habits have changed dramatically in a relatively short span of time. Quite simply, consumers today expect to be able to view programming when they want, where they want and on the device of their choice. The universe of those devices, available recording capacity and the number of locations where programming can be consumed – all are continuing to expand.
Because Comcast continues to innovate and invest in its network to provide a great customer experience, our customers are perfectly positioned to exercise all these choices – and many more no other provider can offer – via our X1 platform.
Our IP-based X1 platform, available here in the Keystone Region at no additional charge for multi-product customers, is being installed in tens of thousands of homes every day. Its intuitive search function spans across live TV, Xfinity on Demand and the DVR and allows you to look for specific TV series, movies, actors or sports teams, among other variables. If you’re an avid hockey fan and don’t want to miss a moment as this season heads toward the playoffs, make your team a favorite on the X1 and your DVR will record every program or game that involves them on any channel on your service level.
Looking for an actor’s biography or all the movies and shows where you can currently find his or her work? X1 does the research. Want the ease of searching with your voice? The X1 Voice Remote makes it possible. Is someone in your home visually impaired? Activate the X1 Talking Guide and they can hear their programming choices spoken to them – in English or Spanish. Want live NFL stats and scores on your screen while watching the game? X1 has them.
X1 customers can also live stream their lineup to any device in the home while connected to their home Xfinity WiFi network and – while outside the home using the free Xfinity TV app – download or access content from their DVR, view On Demand choices and more than 100 channels of live programming. And now Netflix customers can search for and view that content directly and easily from their X1 app.
Comcast has worked hard in recent years to develop and refine this technology, and we continue to innovate on this platform as demonstrated by making every minute of every event available to X1 customers during the recent Rio Olympic Games. There’s more exciting functionality ahead, and we’ve also worked to expand customer eligibility for X1, which can be shipped directly to customers for easy self-installation at a time convenient to them.
Our technology investments are also central to our Xfinity On Campus product, which gives college students living on campus at more than 60 schools across the country access to up to 100 live channels, Xfinity On Demand content, 20 hours of storage on Cloud DVR and the ability to add premium channels – all on the device of their choice anywhere they are connected to their school’s WiFi network. Students at six schools in our region, including Carnegie Mellon, Lebanon Valley College, Lock Haven University, York College, Juniata College and Elizabethtown College, are already using Xfinity On Campus and telling our teams how much they love it. And we’re poised to announce more in the coming months.
It’s an exciting time for those of us who love to watch TV on their terms, and Comcast is proud to be leading the way in providing the technology that makes it all possible.
Christine Whitaker is the Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Keystone Region.
