Comcast has introduced some new features and improvements for X1 that will help customers find content faster and help them pair remote controls to set-tops that run the MSO's IP-capable platform, which features a cloud-based guide.
On the content end, Comcast has updated music video pages with two gallery rows featuring “More Like This,” which suggests new content the viewer might like, and “Artists,” which lists all artists featured in a just-watched video, according to this blog post by Peter Nush, Comcast Cable’s vice president, product management.
Comcast, Nush added, has also enhanced X1’s Recommendations feature to expand the number of suggested programs a customer can see. For example, clicking the “OK” button while on the “Show Me Another” tile will refresh the viewer’s recommendations and present new programs based on titles that have been previously watched.
Nush also reiterated that Kids Zone, a kid-friendly version of X1 introduced in May that features content that is rated and reviewed by Common Sense Media is “officially moving out of Comcast Labs.”
X1 has also added on-screen instructions showing how customers can pair their remote controls to the system, accessible by pressing the Setup button for three seconds, then pressing the Xfinity button. Those instructions complement paper-based instructions that come with all X1 remotes, including the new voice-enabled XR11 model.
Comcast hasn’t said how many of its 22.3 million video customers are on X1, but chairman and CEO Brian Roberts noted on the company’s first quarter earnings call that about 25% of the operator’s triple-play subs now have the next-gen video service, meaning there are at least 2.49 million subs on X1. Last fall, Comcast said it had shipped 5 million X1 boxes. Based on the MSO's earlier estimation that it was shipping about 20,000 X1 boxes per day, Comcast should be approaching 10 million X1 devices deployed.
