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Comcast is rolling out its HDR-ready Xi5 set-top box before it rolls out 4K
Digital Trends By Kristofer Wouk
May 19, 2016 11:37 AM
Comcast is rolling out its HDR-ready Xi5 set-top box before it rolls out 4K
Comcast plans to launch its HDR-ready Xi5 set-top box on July 4, just in time for NBCUniversal's coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will feature some content airing in HDR.
With more and more TVs being sold that feature support for HDR (High Dynamic Range), which offers increased contrast and better color, there is a clear need for more content in that format. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon offer a handful of titles supporting the new technology, and now Comcast is preparing to release a set-top box that will allow customers to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics — or at least part of them — in HDR.
Comcast plans to ship its first HDR-ready box, the Xi5, on July 4, company executive vice president and chief technology officer Tom Werner told Multichannel News at the Internet & Television Expo (INTX). This means the box will be released just in time for the Rio Olympics, for which NBCUniversal will produce some HDR coverage.
Comcast will also showcase some additional HDR content during the games to give customers and idea of what to expect from the box. While customers may own HDR TVs, they may not know just how much they’re capable of. Werner says he personally is more excited about HDR than 4K, saying that upconverted 1080p content looks fine on its own, but HDR makes it “noticeably better.”
The Xi5 is the latest box Comcast is rolling out to customers of its X1 platform, and the first model to support HDR. Another model, the Xi6, is also in the works, offering 4K in addition to HDR support, but it’s telling that Comcast is shipping HDR earlier than 4K.
Related: Looking forward to Starz shows in HDR? Better look online first
Comcast isn’t the only company talking about its HDR plans at INTX. Ray Milius, Starz executive vice president of programming and operations, said that the company is pursuing HDR, but will likely debut the technology on its over-the-top (OTT) services. The company doesn’t have an exact timeline for when HDR will arrive, and it isn’t yet clear if HDR will appear before or after mass-market 4K from the company, but it certainly seems to be gaining momentum.
DROP THE BOX! SAMSUNG TVS, ROKUS WILL SOON HOST COMCAST’S XFINITY SERVICE
By Stephanie Topacio Long — April 20, 2016
Leasing a set-top box has long seemed like a necessary evil for cable subscribers, but an announcement from Comcast today indicates that the practice may be on the way to becoming a relic of the past. The cable conglomerate will bring its Xfinity app to Roku devices and Samsung TVs as part of its new Xfinity TV Partner Program, and it plans to work with additional manufacturers moving forward.
If you’re an Xfinity subscriber, this will mark a big change. Using a Roku device or Samsung smart TV, you’ll be able to take advantage of your Xfinity TV cable service without the additional (and arguably unnecessary) costs of renting a Comcast set-top box. What’s more, you’ll still get the Xfinity TV guide, live and on demand programming, and, perhaps most important, cloud DVR recording.
With the FCC working to give cable subscribers more alternatives to costly cable boxes, it has been evident that a push for change has been coming. Comcast, however, seems to be looking to adapt on its own terms. In the company’s announcement, Mark Hess, Comcast Cable’s senior vice president of business and industry affairs, made sure to make a case against the FCC’s proposal, calling it “far-reaching” and “unnecessary.”
“The FCC’s proposed set-top box mandate threatens to undermine this highly-dynamic marketplace, create substantial costs and consumer harms, and will take years to develop — only to be likely outdated by the time it reaches the marketplace — all in an effort to achieve what apps are already delivering for consumers,” said Hess.
The Xfinity TV Partner Program will leverage the open HTML5 standard, allowing consumer electronics companies to implement the app. “We are providing a common framework to make it easy for TV and other device manufacturers to bring our Xfinity TV Partner App to customers on their devices,” said Hess.
The FCC, however, seems less convinced that this is a perfect solution. “While we do not know all of the details of this announcement, it appears to offer only a proprietary, Comcast-controlled user interface and seems to allow only Comcast content on different devices, rather than allowing those devices to integrate or search across Comcast content as well as other content consumers subscribe to,” said the FCC in a statement.
The discussion won’t end with today’s announcement of the new Comcast program, but in the meantime, at least, it seems to bring us a step closer to a future without the need for cable boxes.
Digital Trends By Kristofer Wouk
May 19, 2016 11:37 AM
Comcast is rolling out its HDR-ready Xi5 set-top box before it rolls out 4K
Comcast plans to launch its HDR-ready Xi5 set-top box on July 4, just in time for NBCUniversal's coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will feature some content airing in HDR.
With more and more TVs being sold that feature support for HDR (High Dynamic Range), which offers increased contrast and better color, there is a clear need for more content in that format. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon offer a handful of titles supporting the new technology, and now Comcast is preparing to release a set-top box that will allow customers to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics — or at least part of them — in HDR.
Comcast plans to ship its first HDR-ready box, the Xi5, on July 4, company executive vice president and chief technology officer Tom Werner told Multichannel News at the Internet & Television Expo (INTX). This means the box will be released just in time for the Rio Olympics, for which NBCUniversal will produce some HDR coverage.
Comcast will also showcase some additional HDR content during the games to give customers and idea of what to expect from the box. While customers may own HDR TVs, they may not know just how much they’re capable of. Werner says he personally is more excited about HDR than 4K, saying that upconverted 1080p content looks fine on its own, but HDR makes it “noticeably better.”
The Xi5 is the latest box Comcast is rolling out to customers of its X1 platform, and the first model to support HDR. Another model, the Xi6, is also in the works, offering 4K in addition to HDR support, but it’s telling that Comcast is shipping HDR earlier than 4K.
Related: Looking forward to Starz shows in HDR? Better look online first
Comcast isn’t the only company talking about its HDR plans at INTX. Ray Milius, Starz executive vice president of programming and operations, said that the company is pursuing HDR, but will likely debut the technology on its over-the-top (OTT) services. The company doesn’t have an exact timeline for when HDR will arrive, and it isn’t yet clear if HDR will appear before or after mass-market 4K from the company, but it certainly seems to be gaining momentum.
DROP THE BOX! SAMSUNG TVS, ROKUS WILL SOON HOST COMCAST’S XFINITY SERVICE
By Stephanie Topacio Long — April 20, 2016
Leasing a set-top box has long seemed like a necessary evil for cable subscribers, but an announcement from Comcast today indicates that the practice may be on the way to becoming a relic of the past. The cable conglomerate will bring its Xfinity app to Roku devices and Samsung TVs as part of its new Xfinity TV Partner Program, and it plans to work with additional manufacturers moving forward.
If you’re an Xfinity subscriber, this will mark a big change. Using a Roku device or Samsung smart TV, you’ll be able to take advantage of your Xfinity TV cable service without the additional (and arguably unnecessary) costs of renting a Comcast set-top box. What’s more, you’ll still get the Xfinity TV guide, live and on demand programming, and, perhaps most important, cloud DVR recording.
With the FCC working to give cable subscribers more alternatives to costly cable boxes, it has been evident that a push for change has been coming. Comcast, however, seems to be looking to adapt on its own terms. In the company’s announcement, Mark Hess, Comcast Cable’s senior vice president of business and industry affairs, made sure to make a case against the FCC’s proposal, calling it “far-reaching” and “unnecessary.”
“The FCC’s proposed set-top box mandate threatens to undermine this highly-dynamic marketplace, create substantial costs and consumer harms, and will take years to develop — only to be likely outdated by the time it reaches the marketplace — all in an effort to achieve what apps are already delivering for consumers,” said Hess.
The Xfinity TV Partner Program will leverage the open HTML5 standard, allowing consumer electronics companies to implement the app. “We are providing a common framework to make it easy for TV and other device manufacturers to bring our Xfinity TV Partner App to customers on their devices,” said Hess.
The FCC, however, seems less convinced that this is a perfect solution. “While we do not know all of the details of this announcement, it appears to offer only a proprietary, Comcast-controlled user interface and seems to allow only Comcast content on different devices, rather than allowing those devices to integrate or search across Comcast content as well as other content consumers subscribe to,” said the FCC in a statement.
The discussion won’t end with today’s announcement of the new Comcast program, but in the meantime, at least, it seems to bring us a step closer to a future without the need for cable boxes.
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