Comcast has issued another batch of updates for X1, its flagship video platform, including a new feature that lets viewers control video playback with their voice.
Comcast, which has deployed nearly 17 million X1 voice remotes, said customers can now navigate through programming with their voice like they do with traditional remote buttons with commands such as, “jump forward five minutes,” or “go back 30 seconds.”
“Customers can also use voice commands to start, end or navigate to the beginning or end of a program by simply saying for instance, ‘play,’ ‘pause,’ ‘restart this program,’ or ‘go to beginning’,” Keith Vachris, executive director, product Management for Comcast Cable, explained in this blog post.
X1 has also made it easier for customers to get to the platform’s Accessibility settings menu, as customers can now say, “Accessibility” or Accessibility Settings” to access them, or just press the remote’s “B” key. Vachris said about 2 million customers use closed captioning and/or voice guidance.
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Comcast has also refreshed the X1’s sports guide – customers who visit pages of their favorite NFL team will find more prominent branding as well as updated season stats, in-game scores, team record, and standings.
At the end of Q2, about 55% of Comcast’s residential video subscriber base was on X1. The company expects X1 penetration to extend beyond 60% by the end of the year.
