Comcast is Allegedly Developing a Video Streaming Aggregator

AlphaAtlas

AlphaAtlas

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Citing "people, who asked not to be named because the internal discussions are private," CNBC reports that Comcast is working on a new product that aggregates multiple streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube together. That may sound like a Roku, Shield, or any number of existing streaming platforms, but apparently, the product isn't a "direct competitor" to devices like that. There's no word on when the device will come to market, or how much it will cost, but one has to appreciate the irony of a Comcast subsidiary breaking a Comcast leak.

The product isn't quite a direct competitor to Roku or Apple TV because it won't allow customers access to hundreds of apps, including streaming TV bundles like AT&T's DirecTV Now or Dish's Sling. Those services are direct competitors to Comcast's video bundle, and Comcast wouldn't be able to push its own video service to its broadband-only customers if it allowed them access to those bundled OTT services. Comcast hasn't decided the exact number of apps that will be accessible through the device, said the people. Rather, Comcast wants the device to be the hub to the connected home, they said. In addition to aggregating streaming apps, the device will also allow customers to control anything that's connected to the Internet, including thermostats and smart-locks. Comcast will be marketing the product to Internet-only customers, said the people.
 
Video bundles are big money, regardless of the infrastructure. IPTV or not, Comcast won't change.
 
Good luck with that.

Why do I see Comcast throttling Roku/Amazon Firestick traffic in the future?
 
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While it will surely suck because it's Comcast, you have to admit that this is a smart move on their part. They'll recapture some of the cord cutters by offering a solution to the "yet another streaming service" problem.
 
I'm missing something, their X1 platform already allows it to run apps like Netflix and Youtube (not Amazon though), and they really dragged their feet for a long time to get Netflix on their, the only difference is you don't put the apps on their Comcast decides which apps can be on there.
 
sfsuphysics said:
I'm missing something, their X1 platform already allows it to run apps like Netflix and Youtube (not Amazon though), and they really dragged their feet for a long time to get Netflix on their, the only difference is you don't put the apps on their Comcast decides which apps can be on there.
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x1 platform is designed for limited apps and only for people who subscribe to cable tv already. This target audience is cord cutters. I'll agree with Jumpy above, "Too little, too late"
 
DigitalGriffin said:
x1 platform is designed for limited apps and only for people who subscribe to cable tv already. This target audience is cord cutters. I'll agree with Jumpy above, "Too little, too late"
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ah ok, missed that part of it. And yeah, I got a Roku Ultra, the only reason why I'd want a Comcast version of that device (ok tricks on them, I wouldn't) is if we've gotten to a point where the Roku Ultra doesn't handle the current state of the art with TV, and considering it is capable of 4k streaming I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Watch Comcast charge a rental fee for the equipment too :D
 
sfsuphysics said:
ah ok, missed that part of it. And yeah, I got a Roku Ultra, the only reason why I'd want a Comcast version of that device (ok tricks on them, I wouldn't) is if we've gotten to a point where the Roku Ultra doesn't handle the current state of the art with TV, and considering it is capable of 4k streaming I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Watch Comcast charge a rental fee for the equipment too :D
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I have an ultra too. I'm waiting for the HDR/Dolby Vision format war to settle down. Dolby Vision is superior and native format for theaters and BluRay meta data. However Samsung is being @#$#@ about supporting it. Dolby Vision competes with HDR10 standard (which is inferior)
 
The damn streaming providers need to do what SiliconDust did with their HDHomerun Premium product -- allow any app access to the streams.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
Good luck with that.

Why do I see Comcast throttling Roku/Amazon Firestick traffic in the future?
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Comcast owns (large chunk) hulu and they can't keep their filtering hands away from my packets already... Gets more interesting on nights when nothing will work or open (freezes up) except beta xfinity stream from comcast directly.

tmobile bought layer3TV which uses a bit different technology, they just need to get the price down some.
 
and deep in the fine print of the ToS, which they can change at any time with informing you, there is a new clause stating that Comcast subscribers can only use their device and a gateway firmware update will block traffic from a Roku, Apple TV, etc. rendering them useless.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
Good luck with that.

Why do I see Comcast throttling Roku/Amazon Firestick traffic in the future?
Click to expand...

They will not do that. Comcast would not want Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and/or the rest of the streaming services to not do business with them.

If they are doing a streaming box, it would behove them to make sure none of the streaming services gets throttled.

That said,....I would simply do without any kind of television service before I would give them one penny.
 
My guess is it's a single UI that interconnects to other streaming services you have access to via their API's. That differs from the Shield/Roku where they have "apps" the user has to navigate in and out of.

So a single search location / profile and they get the added bonus of seeing what you watch across a multitude of platforms.

Oh, and I'm sure it'll allow them to inject their own ads. Search results --> Click watch --> Direct to Ad --> Send to Video.
 
I don't see how that's ironic. CNBC is a news agency. It doesn't matter what they report, it could be the worst news about their own company.
 
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Spidey329 said:
My guess is it's a single UI that interconnects to other streaming services you have access to via their API's. That differs from the Shield/Roku where they have "apps" the user has to navigate in and out of.

So a single search location / profile and they get the added bonus of seeing what you watch across a multitude of platforms.

Oh, and I'm sure it'll allow them to inject their own ads. Search results --> Click watch --> Direct to Ad --> Send to Video.
Click to expand...

You can do that now with Roku and Firestick. I can search by actors, directors, movie names, and channels by text or voice. The streaming device will then tell me what services provide what I am looking for and what the cost would be to me to watch it/own it.
 
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viper1152012 said:
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Wouldn't be the first time this has happened. The cable industry LOATHED supporting cable card and slowly crippled it any way they legally could. Just so they could push their own set top boxes.

Cable Card 2.0 took care of a lot of the issues of what cable card 1 didn't do including pay per view channels with bi directional communication. But the law didn't require support for cable card 2 like they did cable card 1. As most TV mfg's dropped cable card 1.0 a long time ago, it was still born.

As it is now if you want TV and internet you have to use their crap box. @#$@# that.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
Wouldn't be the first time this has happened. The cable industry LOATHED supporting cable card and slowly crippled it any way they legally could. Just so they could push their own set top boxes.

Cable Card 2.0 took care of a lot of the issues of what cable card 1 didn't do including pay per view channels with bi directional communication. But the law didn't require support for cable card 2 like they did cable card 1. As most TV mfg's dropped cable card 1.0 a long time ago, it was still born.

As it is now if you want TV and internet you have to use their crap box. @#$@# that.
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I have never used any of the cable company boxes, except for renting a cable modem back in the late 90's, since they cost $700 at the time. :eek:

I'm still using a cable card tuner with Windows 7 Media center. However, I'm dreading the day Microsoft stops providing the guide or DRM updates, or COX pulls support for cable cards.
That's when I'll drop cable TV, as I'll never pay the high prices for their DVR.

Used to just get the analog service (no cable box).
Then they started providing local channels in HD, which was nice since I have just bought a new HD TV.
I eventually switch to an cable card tuner, so I could get all the channels in HD.
Then they started scrambling all the channels, which meant that our old analog TV's no longer worked with cable (they would require a box). Instead we just stopped using the old TV's and eventually got ride of them.

Every change they make result in us watching less TV, it's almost as if they are trying to destroy their own business.
 
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