Comcast Unveils $5-a-Month Streaming Service Xfinity Flex (cnet.com) 59
Comcast announced a $5-a-month streaming video service Thursday called Xfinity Flex, an offering that aggregates on-demand video from your subscriptions like Netflix Amazon Prime Video and HBO, as well as offering free ad-supported shows to watch and options to rent and buy programming. From a report: It essentially replicates some of the features of a cable service but delivers over the internet rather than... well, cable. But it won't have live channels or DVR, and it won't let you watch a live-TV streaming service like YouTube TV or Sling TV, keeping Flex squarely in the realm of on-demand viewing that's less threatening to Comcast's traditional -- and lucrative -- cable TV packages. Instead, Flex will have built-in ways to upgrade to live TV from Comcast. Xfinity Flex comes with a 4K and HDR-ready wireless set-top box with an X1 voice remote, Engadget adds. It's scheduled to launch March 26th, and will be available to customers who have Comcast internet.
It's not "$5 a month". (Score:4, Insightful)
$5/mo to RENT a streaming box + remote (Score:4, Insightful)
$5/mo to RENT a streaming box + remote how long before it's $7-$10/mo and if you don't return the box you will be billed $250.
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$5 to "Aggregate" my other 3rd party services? LOL (Score:2, Insightful)
Hahaha Uhm no. $5 to "aggregate" my streaming services? LOL. I "aggregated" them by putting all those apps into the same folder on my iPad. There, saved $5/mo. Wow, Idiots.
Re:$5 to "Aggregate" my other 3rd party services? (Score:4, Informative)
Roku does this for free anyway (well, free monthly, once you get one of their inexpensive streaming boxes)
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Hahaha Uhm no. $5 to "aggregate" my streaming services? LOL. I "aggregated" them by putting all those apps into the same folder on my iPad. There, saved $5/mo. Wow, Idiots.
Yeah, but if you don't pay it they'll throttle your streaming services so they are unusable. Maybe not at first...but soon.
Yeah fuck that (Score:1)
Fuck Comcast.
Re:Yeah fuck that (Score:4, Informative)
Fuck Comcast.
That's an extra $10/month.
Probably not just $5. (Score:3)
I'd bet they charge $8/month for that streaming box, and that you can only rent it, not buy it.
Still -- maybe? I have Comcast for internet only. It might work for me.
What value does it really have though (Score:2)
I have Comcast for internet only. It might work for me.
The idea of a streaming service aggregator is a little mystifying to me, since I just run separate streaming apps and that works really well.
Maybe if the aggregator UI was better than the stream apps UI? I can't see that being true for Netflix though (maybe for Prime which has a terrible UI).
For searching, I can already search for content across multiple streaming apps on an AppleTV so it doesn't help any there...
Maybe the Comcast specific aggregator w
Your'e talking about comcast (Score:1)
Their software is the worst flash based crap anyone has ever seen.
It's surprising anti virus software doesn't try and remove it.
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*Likely an exaggeration, but the field needs to be culled a bit, and their content redistributed to the survivors. Although, unfortunately the sole survivor is likely to be Disney.
Bundle? (Score:2)
Still, I could see services like this having a place. One of the things that can be frustrating and limiting about these various streaming services is the content customers want is often spread out among multiple services and we have really gotten used to the idea of going to one source for each type of product.
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I wonder how they convince Amazon, Netflix, and HBO to allow them to stream their content rather than having customers go to their individual apps/sites/boxes/whatever.
This part isn't new. They already have most of the various streaming apps available under the "apps" menu on the xfinity cable tv box. They also integrate most subscribed services (Amazon, Netflix, HBO, Showtime, etc) into the "on demand" (filter : "Free to Me") heading as a single alphabetical listing of shows/movies to watch. If the movie is available from more than one source, it will give you the choice of which source you want to watch from.
It works surprisingly well as an integrated source.
In my ar
I actually like the idea (Score:3)
I wouldn't pay an extra $5 for it though. I thought this was initially what the xbox one guide was supposed to be but it never seemed to happen. Would love it if this was enough to push them to finally implement it.
Also known as Chromecast or Roku (Score:2)
Basically, Comcast will rent you a Roku box? Brilliant...
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Basically, Comcast will rent you a Roku box? Brilliant...
It *is* brilliant. Because some people *will* fall for it.
I prefer the old classic (Score:3)
'torrenting...still free
(/h or /s, you decide)
So this is why.... (Score:2)
They recently jumped up my internet connection costs %5 without telling me anything,,, but no set-top box.
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Good point, and a REALLY good reason not to have internet from Comcast.
Anti-trust? (Score:2)
Anti-net neutrality laws opened the door for that sort of abuse so it might not even be anti-trust.
nursing homes are a gold mine for cable lockin (Score:2)
nursing homes are a gold mine for cable locking and they can use this to lock out others in them.
Better to run a VPN server (Score:3)
Back when I had service from Comcast (before switching to AT&T Fiber and DirecTV Now), customers were allowed to stream channels to a mobile device within your home network, but not outside of it.
I quickly solved that problem by installing a VPN server on my home network and using that to watch TV while on the road. No doubt many others did the same. This $5 / month fee is effectively a surcharge by Comcast for the computer illiterate.
Free? (Score:2)
So they have included "free ad-supported shows" for $5/month? Hmmmm.....
$5 a month for the privilege of a Roku-type device (Score:2)
A never ending $5 a month for the privilege of leasing the equivalent of a Roku or Apple TV. This, when Rokus are $30-$40 to own. LOL, nope.
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A feature limited (from TFA) Roku or Apple TV.
Yay! Streaming services for my streaming services! (Score:2)
It's a trap! (Score:2)
As usual, Comcast wants you to rent something you could buy cheap. For a low, low introductory price which will inevitably increase as time goes on. In a year you will have spent enough to buy the hardware at least twice.
The hardware is intentionally feature-limited to avoid competing with Comcast legacy services.
As a bonus, you get to call Comcast technical support if there's a problem.
And, if at some later time you come to your senses, you'll discover just how difficult it is to return the hardware and
Don't need the set-top box (Score:2)