Comcast Looks to Gain Ground

March 10th, 20110 Comments »

Over the past few years, Netflix has had a major impact on the way Americans watch television.  While the company may have made its name through DVD rental, Netflix has gained immense popularity by offering an online video streaming platform that has competed with, and in some cases beaten, traditional cable providers.  Netflix currently offers subscribers the ability to stream movies and TV shows in an on-demand format that is easy to use and has many people turning their back on cable companies like Comcast and Verizon.

Comcast is looking to change that!

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is of the belief that the cable giant can create a guide and cable box that are not only on par with what Netflix offers but, in some regards, will be better than that of the competition.  Even with the popularity of streaming video services, Roberts still firmly believes that the cable box is at the heart of entertainment for families — particularly newer models that will interface with the popular Android and iPhone devices.

As part of its new approach, Comcast plans to offer customers a far improved user guide for their on-demand service.  This revamped service will allow customers to watch movies and television shows whenever they want much like the online video providers that we are familiar with.  This service, as was mentioned previously, will interface with Android phones as well as the iPhone and iPad and will feature WiFi connectivity to ensure an enjoyable user experience. This is something that Roberts believes will be a benefit to all customers.  “Roberts said all Comcast lacked was a ‘great navigation device.’  The iPad combined with better software is Comcast’s tool of choice. In the long run, Roberts said that Comcast may pursue bundling deals with smart TVs and devices like the Xbox. The cable box may be a little more hip, but Roberts could go around it if needed.”

In the end, the biggest difference between this service and the on-demand service that Comcast currently has will be the content library.  That is, “the plan is to allow you to access a huge content library from anywhere”.

The popularity that Netflix has gained in the past few years has had an undeniable impact on its competitors in the movie rental and cable markets, and there is no doubt that Comcast has taken note of that.  We will be keeping a close eye on the cable provider and will provide updates as information becomes available.

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About D.Cubbage

I was born and raised in Wilmington, DE but currently call Elkton, MD my home. Technology is my life! I love staying on top of the latest trends and topics in technology and spend most of my free time learning new technologies or brushing up on some older ones. I've worked in IT for about ten years now and would say that computers were my first true love in terms of technology and electronics.

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