9to5mac.com reports today that Comcast’s new Xfinity Remote prototype has been creating a lot of excitement since it was demoed by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts at the Cable Show 2010 in Los Angeles yesterday. 9to5mac.com quotes leading music industry blogger Bob Lefsetz as saying “So far, we haven’t found an app that demands purchase of the iPad. Today, we’ve got one.†And as you can see from Comcast’s You Tube video, Xfinity is certainly a very impressive app indeed. Essentially, it’s a way of controlling your Comcast cable box with your iPad, enabling you to search for shows and movies on TV and video on demand, set your DVR remotely, and change the channel on your cable box from your iPad. It also boasts some great social and sharing features, such as the one demonstrated on the video, where Roberts invites Kevin from G4 to watch Gangs of New York with him via his iPad. Very cool! You can just imagine doing this sort of thing with your friends and family in the future. By Maura Sutton, iPadForums.net Source: 9TO5mac.com
Does not really interest me, as I do not watch TV or movies. But, thatnis very cool. Not even even out 6 weeks, and look at all the inovative things our little pad is learning to do...., awesome!
I want that but for Windows media center. That would be awesome! Does anyone know if there is anything like that ?
I can't wait until this comes out. I have been wanting remote DVR control for a long time... and an iPad app makes it even better! Comcast's guide and menu system is pretty rough... after years of having DirecTV and TiVo I got used to a system that worked really smoothly. If this works as well as advertised, I will be a VERY happy padder!
I could see it for ease of use in looking at what's on cable - but wouldn't a remote be easier for changing channels, etc.?
A remote forces u to use the on-TV linear menu which will be very crude. With an iPad you could zoom thru the menus in any direction, set up your own schedule, and lots of other stuff you couldn't do with just the tv.
There is an iPhone app for DirecTV. It shows the listings and allows you to set up shows to record remotely. My daughter uses it quite often to schedule things she forgets to set up.