After about a 6 month hiatus, Comcast and TiVo are once again expanding Xfinity On Demand services into new regions – Arkansas and Kentucky, to be specific. While we’re not entirely clear on the nature of the pause and had assumed the pair were evaluating perhaps a more efficiently implemented over-the-top app, as seen via Xbox and iPad, it sounds as if the original tech is still play. (Not to mention it’s Comcast’s ongoing partnership with TiVo that has spared them a DVR patent infringement lawsuit and licensing arrangement.) Irrespective of the back story and infrastructure, On Demand services are a big win for joint subscribers of the companies. And one that Cox customers may soon also enjoy.
Wish I could receive Verizon FiOS TV On Demand on TiVo too… please, people? (I also wish my tier received BBCA, but that’s another story…) Related, my brother/sister-in-law, with three children and also on FiOS, would never consider TiVo without access to On Demand.
Those tiers are Funky. I was thinking about downgrading at one point. So I looked at the lower tier. Then I looked at the next one and some of the channels I wanted disappeared. SO then I looked at the next one up and some channels came back but more disappeared, So the only tier that had everything I wanted was the Ultimate HD tier which I was already on.
I won’t look again at it until my promotions run out next Spring. Then I’ll need to make some hard choices with my TV options.
If only they’d roll this out to Chicago markets now. Sigh.
+1 for Chicago markets! I can’t help wonder how they pick which markets….
The first factor is what sort of gear they’re running on the back-end. All the large cable companies are cobbled together from various acquisitions so there’s not a unified solution across all markets (yet). (And another reason why a pure OTT app makes more sense.)
I’m encouraged that they’ve resumed the rollout. I’ve also been told to “stay tuned” regarding future expansion.
Interesting that you can’t get VOD through FIOS. VOD is already coming over the IP Pipe with FIOS. It’s not the traditional QAM forward channel and legacy return channel for trickplay.
Well many Comcast systems use Seachange VOD systems. I know Blue Ridge Cable in Pennsylvania uses Concurrent VOD and they just signed an agreement with Tivo to roll out it’s 6 tuner DVR in Q1 2014. That leads me to believe VOD integration would also work with Concurrent. Seachange and Concurrent are the two big players. Not sure what others are using. I imagine RCN uses one of those two players for VOD and that obviously works with Tivo.
Thanks Sam. We will stay tuned. Because it’s been such a promising relationship so far.
chicago please!