Comcast Customers,
Think about all the commercials you've seen lately about TV services: ATT has a box which is wireless, which means you can basically put your TV anywhere throughout your home even if there is no outlet. Dish has the Hopper which allows you to Sling your TV signal anywhere, record 6 shows at once, and automatically skip commercial. DirecTV has the genie which allows 5 shows to be recorded at once and only a central box is needed so you don't have to have boxes everywhere in your house. Most of these also have show recommendations based on what you watch and how often.
Now let's look at Comcast. They have the X1 in about 2% of their customer base and for most they limit it to new customers. Lets say everyone had the X1, LOL what a joke. Navigate to the Comcast page for the X1 and this is their big reveal, "Faster Search, Last 9 shows and channels, Xfinity OnDemand, Sports App, X1 remote (phone tablet control)". Just about everything in that list can be done on their normal DVR's. You have to view the FAQ to see it can only record two shows while watching a third. Welcome to the 90's anyone? I mean on the X1 you can't even go a day ahead in the guide normally? The X1's bugs are too numerous to count but why? You don't hear about device debilitating bugs on the the Hopper or Genie? The Comcast/Xfinity X1 (Xcalibur its IPTV project codename from 2008) has been in development for so long with such poor results! Comcast please fire the team and start over!
The news story about them being one of the top four worst companies in America is not wrong. There are numerous topics on this site and others of customers who call to complain or that have an issue, which are told basically, "Take it or leave it". Comcast has such a bad reputation that they changed their name! Comcast only made the change from the Comcast brand name to Xfinity as their brand was at an all-time low! Comcast has grown so large they no longer car if users leave, complain, or trash their reputation.
How does the largest cable provider in the US get away with screwing their customers daily? I could also add they are doing everything to stop their customers from getting what they pay for, from blocking HBO Go on Roku/Samsung devices, blocking Showtime Anywhere, not joining Netflix Open Connect (for free mind you with free hardware), removing HD and other premiums (HBO/Showtime/Starz) to force users to OnDemand (which doesn't have 1/10th of the content of the real channels), removing ClearQAM (so they can force box fees) and they only removed the internet bandwidth caps when they took heat for not counting data against the caps when using the Xfinity app over the Xbox 360. But the caps will return and we know why, to stop competing providers like Netflix, Amazon, Crackle and Redbox. I think the Watchathon and speed upgrades are Comcast trying to improve their brand name without tackling the real problems: lack of innovation, anti-competitive behavior, customer abuse and high prices with multiple yearly price hikes.
What is going on at Comcast? Their normal "non-X1" DVR's are circa 1999 and they're inferior to any competing product. But that's the thing isn't it, they aren't competing? In most areas customers have no choice but Comcast so why bother to innovate or push the limits? Don't take my word for it, compare for yourself:
Comcast/Xfinity X1: http://xfinity.comcast.net/x1/
Comcast/Xfinity Anyroom DVR: http://info.xfinity.com/Portal/content/Comcast/VideoMicrosites/onscreenguide2/anyroomdvr.aspx
Comcast/Xfinity "normal" DVR & Guide (circa 1999, lol): http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xfinity.com%2Fmeetyourguide&ei=ZsdhUZ-iAomg9QSCnYCgDQ&usg=AFQjCNGDOo4-kLdCBSUye72Z5gVEfwziFQ&sig2=r60u5J5V2NtJwrsGdZpo2w&bvm=bv.44770516,d.eWU&cad=rja
Dish Hopper: http://www.dish.com/technology/hopper/
DirecTV Genie: http://www.directv.com/technology/genie
AT&T U-verse Wireless Receiver: http://www.att.com/u-verse/explore/wireless-receiver.jsp
AT&T U-verse Total Home DVR: http://www.att.com/u-verse/explore/total-home-dvr.jsp
/RANT
5TH
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"The relationship between what we see and what we know is never settled..."
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