Starting next year, Sony televisions will be adding the Xfinity TV Partner app to let Comcast Xfinity subscribers access their cable TV service directly through Sony’s Android TVs without the need of a separate set-top box.
Owners of the new TVs will be able to enjoy live and on demand programming, including local broadcast and public educational and governmental channels, as well as their cloud DVR recordings via the app. The app will also produce Xfinity’s X1 Guide with rich programming data.
Last year, Comcast launched the Xfinity TV Partner Program to expand the range of retail devices Xfinity TV customers can use to access the programming that is included with their subscription. In addition to Sony, Samsung and LG have been announced as Xfinity TV Parners, and Roku is currently in beta with the app, Comcast said.
Read more about Sony Android TVs getting the Xfinity Partner App after the jump:
The Xfinity TV Partner Program leverages open standard HTML5 technology, providing a common framework for smart TV, TV-connected and IP-enabled retail device manufacturers to develop an Xfinity TV Partner app for their devices. All content within the Xfinity TV Partner app is delivered over Comcast’s secure private managed network, enabling customers to access and enjoy their cable service on devices like Sony Android TVs, without the need to lease a traditional set-top box from Comcast.
Xfinity subscribers will find their full in-home cable experience, delivered over the “locally managed network” as IPTV signals instead of the traditional quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmissions. Content on the locally managed network will not count against Comcast data caps.
However, Xfinity video customers who want to use the Xfinity TV Partner app must have a Comcast-compatible IP gateway in their homes, the company said.
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“We remain focused on providing our customers with more choice and flexibility in how, when and where they access the content included with their Xfinity TV subscription,” stated Mike Gatzke, Vice President, Video Subscription Services, Comcast Cable. “Providing our customers with the highest quality entertainment experiences across devices remains a top priority, so we are thrilled to partner with Sony to give our customers access to the Xfinity TV app directly on Sony Smart TVs.”
In addition to rolling out the partner apps, Comcast continues to offer its acclaimed X1 cable boxes, The service also has a 4K-capable set-top box available in the market now. A spokesperson told HD Guru that, “We’ll have a box that supports both 4K Ultra HDTV and HDR next year,” however, she was not able to say which HDR format that box will be equipped to provide.
By Greg Tarr
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