Cox Communications has integrated Netflix on compatible “Contour” set-tops that are powered by Comcast’s cloud-based X1 platform.
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Cox is expected to announce more detail about the integration later today, but this customer support page, first spotted by Fierce Cable, notes that Cox customers can now access Netflix from their Contour 2 receivers. Like Comcast’s Netflix integration, Cox’s version weaves the OTT service into search results and is supported by Contour’s voice remote.
However, the current version of Contour 2 does not support 4K, so that part of Netflix’s library is not available to Cox subs on the set-top box. It might only be a matter of time. Comcast recently extended support for Netflix’s 4K library on X1 devices, starting with the XG1v4, that can render the new pixel-packed video format.
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Update: Cox announced Monday afternoon the integration of Netflix on Cox Contour nationwide at the Internet Association’s Virtuous Circle Summit in San Francisco.
“Cox has supported Netflix subscribers for years with our high-speed internet service and now we’re improving the experience by adding the Netflix service to the Contour TV guide,” Pat Esser, president of Cox, said in a statement. “Customers want to easily access the content they care about – across sources – anytime, anywhere; we’ll continue to look for more ways to improve the video experience.”
Because Netflix is delivered to set-tops OTT via the public internet, that content is subject to Cox’s usage-based internet policy. Cox recently introduced an unlimited data option that complements a policy in which it charges customers $10 for an extra 50 gigabytes when they exceed their monthly data plan.
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Cox’s integration of Netflix isn’t a surprise, as it has been adding new features already rolled out by Comcast on its X1 platform on a regular cadence.
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In an interview earlier this year, Kevin Hart, Cox’s EVP and chief product and technology officer, said that OTT set-top box integration is “on our near-term roadmap.”
Hart also noted that Cox is working on a cloud DVR product. Comcast offers a cloud DVR service for X1 and has also completed an integration of YouTube.
