Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Comcast Working on iPad TV Streaming Service Called AnyPlay

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,122
38,885



Comcast, the United States' largest cable and internet provider, is working on a television streaming solution for iPads, to compete with Cablevision and Time Warner. The streaming product was announced earlier this year, but details haven't been released until now.

The product, called AnyPlay, allows Comcast subscribers to view live television on their iPad as long as it's connected to their home network; users must have a special Motorola box which, apparently, takes the live cable stream and sends it directly to the Xfinity TV iPad app over a local wireless network. The service won't work over Wi-Fi from other locations, or via 3G.




Other solutions, like Time Warner's, stream live video over an internet connection. Comcast's AnyPlay appears to be a cable box that sends video to the iPad rather than to a television. Users can watch "most" channels included with their Xfinity TV service. Users can register up to 10 tablets, but only watch live TV on one tablet at a time.

Currently, Xfinity customers can use the Xfinity TV app to watch On Demand programming, search TV listings, and schedule DVR recordings.

There is no indication of release dates or availability, but AnyPlay will be available in limited markets at first, and spreading to all Comcast customers eventually.

Comcast previously used the "AnyPlay" name on an announced but never released product with Panasonic in 2008.

Article Link: Comcast Working on iPad TV Streaming Service Called AnyPlay
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/23/comcast-working-on-ipad-tv-streaming-service-called-anyplay/
This is stupid. I don't want to watch TV on my iPad at Home, I'd turn on my television for that. And I'm definitely not replacing my Time Capsule with some craptastic Motorola Wi-Fi device.
 
guru_ck said:
This is stupid. I don't want to watch TV on my iPad at Home, I'd turn on my television for that. And I'm definitely not replacing my Time Capsule with some craptastic Motorola Wi-Fi device.
Click to expand...
I believe it's a box that plugs into your existing Wi-Fi network.
 
Was excited when I saw the headline since I'm a Comcast subscriber and feel like the service is missing a lot of things (esp. considering the cost!)

But when I saw what it actually is...

I have no interest.
I don't want to watch live TV on my iPad (or Mac for that matter).
Geeze, I've got a couple of half decent TVs... why not watch on one of them, like I already can?

(not that there are not uses for this... there are... but it's a niche thing. I have higher hopes.
 
guru_ck said:
This is stupid. I don't want to watch TV on my iPad at Home, I'd turn on my television for that. And I'm definitely not replacing my Time Capsule with some craptastic Motorola Wi-Fi device.
Click to expand...

why is it stupid? i have 1 TV, and share it with wife and lil kids.

or, how about the college kids who don't have a tv and share an apartment.

it doesnt say you have to replace anything.
 
Um, how does this compete with Cablevision and Time Warner? None of them compete in the same areas.

As for Cablevision's app, it is awesome.
 
iSee said:
Was excited when I saw the headline since I'm a Comcast subscriber and feel like the service is missing a lot of things (esp. considering the cost!)

But when I saw what it actually is...

I have no interest.
I don't want to watch live TV on my iPad (or Mac for that matter).
Geeze, I've got a couple of half decent TVs... why not watch on one of them, like I already can?

(not that there are not uses for this... there are... but it's a niche thing. I have higher hopes.
Click to expand...

slingbox
 
I used to love the TW app for the iPad. You could watch your favorite shows anywhere(ie bathroom lol) in your home. Nice to see other cable companies doing the same thing.
 
Might come in handle if the tv's in your house are all being used and you want to watch something different. Or if your in the bathroom. Maybe you want to cook breakfast and watch the news. It has some uses if you think about it.
 
OnlyPlay...

Poor choice of branding and a nearly useless service. Spend the money I send you monthly on developing a decent, flexable service that I can use when I'm away from home. THAT would add value.

The "AnyPlay" brand might be appropriate if we were able to play from "Anywhere" on "Anything" at "Anytime" but not on only one iPad at a time and only from home.

What they're apparently offering is really "OnlyPlay."

Cheers!

---RASTER
 
Assuming it's similar to the Motorola box I tried (and returned) with CenturyLink's Prism service...good luck with that. :rolleyes:
 
You can pretty much already do exactly this with Elgato's EyeTV, though I assume Comcast's solution would work with encrypted channels.
 
guru_ck said:
This is stupid. I don't want to watch TV on my iPad at Home, I'd turn on my television for that. And I'm definitely not replacing my Time Capsule with some craptastic Motorola Wi-Fi device.
Click to expand...

It's not a separate WiFi device. It's a new Cable box that has WiFi in it.

This would be great if person A is watching a show in one room and person B wants to watch a different program in room B and use Airplay to send it to their TV set.
It basically removes the cost of a second set-top box but I'm sure Comcast will charge for it.
 
Bravo Comcast......by requiring a box to do this, you've guaranteed yourself another source of revenue.

No thanks.

-Kevin
 
I think the box they are talking about would be an upgraded version of your existing HD box. This, going off of the fact that I have a motorola box at home as my set top.

They'll add the functionality, charge an extra $2 to rent it a month and call it a day.

kbmb said:
Bravo Comcast......by requiring a box to do this, you've guaranteed yourself another source of revenue.

No thanks.

-Kevin
Click to expand...
 
Oh, so its like a slingbox,only worse. I wonder if anyone will even bother hacking it...kudos to Comcast for thinking ahead though. It will probably fail and they won't understand why.

nigo33 said:
why is it stupid? i have 1 TV, and share it with wife and lil kids.

or, how about the college kids who don't have a tv and share an apartment.

it doesnt say you have to replace anything.
Click to expand...

Wells, its aimed at people who already have cable and TV. If you dont have a TV, why would you buy this?

If you can afford cable, you can probably afford a TV. You can get a small LCD for a couple hundred dollars. A 60inch tv is now $600..still a hefty sum, but a few years ago a TV that size was a luxury for the very wealthy. You can get an old, giant,CRT or projection for cheap since people don't even want to move them.

And any college kid knows you are better off getting a 600 dollar 60 inchTV (~6 months of cable cost) and then hooking up your computer to it and watching hulu, youtube, netflix, torrented movies for a fraction of the cost. The only thing youd be missing is live sports.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back