With a mayoral election looming that could change the cable landscape in Boston, Comcast has launched what is effectively a pre-emptive, audience-pleasing strike, stepping up its game with the Xfinity X1, its new cable box that lets customers record four shows at once — and watch them from any television in the home.
Boston viewers of course have been denied the Verizon FiOS option that their suburban counterparts enjoy, due to a failure of Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Verizon to cut a deal — a logjam that a new mayor might want to clear.
But now available to Greater Boston customers who purchase the triple-play Internet package for varying prices, the X1 has a modernized interface reminiscent of Netflix, and improved HD. Instead of fumbling through confusing menus, viewers can digitally flip through cover art to find shows. A new search engine will scour On Demand, live shows and TV listings at once. The device also makes Comcast more competitive with Roku, Xbox and other online viewing devices.
Best of all, you can control the television with your iPhone. An X1 mobile app, currently for iOS only, turns your smartphone into a remote. The app instantly recognized my nearby TV, whereas other available remote control apps are clunkier. The iPhone app controls your television with a touchscreen interface, or through voice commands. Voice recognition was shockingly responsive and accurate. For instance, say “watch HGTV.” A second or two later, there it is.
When I asked the X1 iPhone app, “What should I watch?” the screen filled with recommendations based on my family’s viewing habits. The selection of sci-fi and children’s shows correctly reflected our tastes. Comcast says an Android app is coming soon.
The look and feel is pleasant. If your TV has been idle, a screen saver of artful photographs will take over, presenting news, traffic and weather in an unobtrusive box. Such alerts can show up during regular programming if enabled.
If you like interacting on Facebook during your favorite shows, that social network is one of several apps the X1 offers, along with Pandora, which streams music. A sports app displays game-day information and real-time scores on a split-screen.
Updates are pushed out automatically, like an upcoming feature that will enable subscribers to watch stored shows via the cloud on devices such as an iPad or smartphone. Unlike the frustrating set-top box I had tolerated for so long, the X1 provides reliable, uninterrupted service, save for one frozen screen just after install. Install, by the way, took a whopping two hours.
I’ve been tough on cable providers in the past. But the X1 is a huge improvement. Watching TV in Boston just got a lot better. The question for Comcast is whether it will be enough to keep pressure for change off the new mayor.