Comcast Adds Remote DVR Scheduling, Launches AnyRoom DVR and Upgrades On-Screen Program Guide in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

BOSTON, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- With the fall TV season heating up in just a few weeks, Comcast today announced the launch of new features to its Digital Video Recorder (DVR) service that will bring more choice and convenience to its XFINITY TV customers throughout most of Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.

These new innovations, which include AnyRoom DVR and an upgraded on-screen program guide that enables customers to remotely program their DVR while online, coincide with the release of Comcast's second annual "TV Pulse Survey," an independent nationwide survey conducted by International Communications Research, revealing that more consumers than ever before plan to watch their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere, using time-shifting technologies such as Digital Video Recorders, video-on-demand and the Internet.  The survey found that 70 percent of Boston consumers use these time-shifting technologies to watch primetime TV series and discovered that more than half of the consumers that use these technologies rely on them more than they did one year ago.

"We know that Boston area consumers depend on time-shifting technologies to watch their favorite TV shows on their schedules," said Steve Hackley, Senior Vice President of Comcast's Greater Boston Region.  "These new enhancements, like AnyRoom DVR, remote DVR scheduling and the enhanced on-screen guide, are just the latest innovations to our XFINITY platform designed to deliver customers expanded access to their favorite entertainment on their terms and the most choice and control available today."

AnyRoom DVR Service

AnyRoom DVR service gives customers the freedom to watch their recorded TV shows from any room in their house, anytime they want.  This AnyRoom DVR option, which requires new equipment, enables customers to control all their recordings from one primary DVR that can store approximately 50 hours of high definition programming and 240 hours of standard definition content.  With its 500 GB hard drive, the primary DVR outlet gives customers access to all their DVR features, including the ability to schedule and delete recordings, change settings and pause live TV.  The AnyRoom DVR service is available with up to three additional HD-capable set-top boxes that can access the primary outlet through the network to enable customers to view and sort recorded programs, as well as fast-forward, rewind and pause their selections from any room in the house.  Customers can even begin watching a recorded program in one room and finish watching it in another.  Recordings can only be scheduled or deleted from the primary DVR outlet.

With AnyRoom DVR service, both the primary DVR and the networked boxes are HD-capable and function as a regular digital set-top box, including offering access to the interactive program guide, more than 17,000 On Demand movies and programs a month, parental controls and more.

New On-Screen Program Guide Features

Watch in HD Button

• The new Watch in HD button feature allows customers to quickly switch to the HD version of the program they are watching and eliminates searching for the HD version of the channel.
• The Watch in HD Button cuts scroll times and allows customers to jump from the SD channel to the corresponding HD channel faster.

On Demand Skip Ahead/Skip Back

• On Demand Skip Ahead and Skip Back enables customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minutes increments while watching On Demand programming by using the Page Up (skip ahead) and Page Down (skip back) arrows on the remote control.

myDVR Manager

• myDVR Manager allows customers with a Comcast DVR and high-speed Internet service to remotely schedule and adjust their recordings online using Comcast TV Listings.  Comcast customers can log on to www.comcast.net/tv to add programs to their recording list and manage their scheduled DVR recordings as well as change the priority of recorded series.  In addition, customers with an iPhone or iPod Touch can remotely schedule their DVR recordings using the Comcast Mobile App.  

DVR Search & Record

• DVR Search & Record enables customers to search for a program by actor, title, director and keyword.  For example, if a customer searches for "Clint Eastwood" all programs Clint Eastwood acted in or directed that are in the TV Listings would appear. If the customer saves the Clint Eastwood search, the DVR would automatically search for new matches and schedule recordings anytime a Clint Eastwood program aired on any channel.

DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back

• DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back allows customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minute increments by pressing Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.

DVR History, Cleanup and Folders

• DVR History displays information on already recorded, watched and deleted programs.
• DVR Clean Up allows customers to manage their DVR by deleting in bulk programs they no longer want to save.
• DVR Folders - When customers record more than one episode of a series, DVR Folders will automatically create a folder where programs are stored.

Comcast's new AnyRoom DVR service and interactive guide enhancements are part of the company's commitment to deliver more choice and control to its customers through its XFINITY services, which include more than 100 HD channels, 3,000 HD choices, 50 to 70 foreign-language channels, On Demand video choices increasing to 25,000 and increased broadband speeds of up of 50 Mbps now and even faster in the future.  XFINITY also offers thousands of online entertainment choices through XFINITY TV (www.fancast.com) as well as applications that enable customers to program a DVR from the Internet or a mobile device, and cross-platform features like Caller ID to the TV and PC.

For customers who are interested in more information about AnyRoom DVR service or other XFINITY products, please visit www.xfinity.com or call 1-800-XFINITY.  For more information on the new interactive program guide, customers can visit www.comcast.net/newguide.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.  With 23.2 million video customers, 16.4 million high-speed Internet customers, and 8.1 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net).  Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Center, and, through Global Spectrum, manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

SOURCE Comcast Cable

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