Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Comcast Xfinity Stream App Gains AirPlay Support
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I turned in four Xfinity boxes last year and started using the app. I already had a few Apple TVs around and when Xfinity released its app it was a no-brianer. No quite as convenient to use but I'm saving about $35/mo in box rentals.
Does the Xfinity app behave similarly to a DVR box when recording shows?
Yes it's done in the cloud now so you don't need the DVR box anymore. But there is a catch, anything done over internet goes against data cap. The only thing not Internet is the TV signals using cable modem w/set top box. I wish they get rid of the data cap so this wasn't even a variable to worry about. The video quality of the streaming app is better than the filter in-line set-top-box.
Last edited:
It's Comcast clinging to every shred of control they can muster. Data caps are an example, but why do we even need "DVR-like" functionality anymore. All we're doing by "recording" a show is marking it as "available" to our STB's to view later. All the programming is already there. We should be able to scan through the entire library of what they have recorded to stream to us - which is probably just about everything. But... gotta charge for extra "storage space."
Comcast just added airplay while Netflix disabled it. Seems like Comcast is moving in the right direction and Netflix just keeps reminding me why I canceled my subscription.They are not comparable. Want to compare Peacock also?
Who needs airplay for Netflix anyway, if you got it by app or browser on most devices? This addition of finally supporting it by Xfinity streaming app could be looked at as not as important anymore also IMHO. tvOS for example has the Xfinity streaming app.
^ I rather take a laptop and use the HDMI out with a HDMI cable to drive a friends or hotel TV then use airplay. You could make use of digital downloads local to the Mac Laptop.
One thing I noticed missing is the automatic recording of last 45 min of viewing whatever channel you have on if you wanted to go back. BTW no data cap imposed in my region "yet". If Xfinity starts that I might have to go back to the boxes again if cheaper that data cap $.
Other companies were able to work with AirPlay. Roku has been doing it for a while. You sure this is Apple's fault?
It is, as far as I understood. Third party had to be allowed to use it and it was heavily restricted long enough for a competitor service to be released.
Not the first time it happens, Apple has its own pretty good protocol, keeps it closed and its customers have an exclusive feature, then the rest of the tech world catches up and… iPhones users turn up to pay more for something that objectively works in fewer scenarios.
Hoping that we'll soon see this from Sky in the UK, given that their products and services seem to be aligning more with Comcast's since acquisition. Right now Sky's focus is on renting you extra STBs for each additional room so there's deliberately no Apple TV app or AirPlay from their iPhone/iPad apps - but it sounds like that was also the case with Comcast until recently?
I don't think this was anything to do with Apple, given that other streaming apps have long worked with AirPlay. I think the issue here was a service provider trying to protect their revenue stream by forcing you to rent/buy extra STBs to use their service on additional TVs rather than just streaming through an Apple TV.
I still don't understand why Apple never made a stand alone TV set with the AppleTV software built in. What hotelier wouldn't immediately rip out every crappy TV in every room they own to put in an Apple TV Set? If Apple could manage to make $300 bucks profit on each Set, that would be 5 billion in profit - JUST TO HOTELS.
What hotel would spend $1000 per room on a TV set when they only needed to spend perhaps $300?
They are not comparable. Want to compare Peacock also?
Serious question, what streaming service these days has a user interface that is not hostile? Even Plex really wants to push their channels and has de-emphasized your own content a little. At least their player experience is still excellent. Plex is the only one that has an experience based on what users actually do and want.
Apple’s was the last one, and then they succumbed to the siren call as well.
You have to rent a cable box each month. By using an Apple TV you can ditch those extra fees.
Everyone else is moving away from DVR though, the idea being that you don't need to record anything as it's available to stream. I'm not saying that's necessarily the best way to go and there are certainly downsides, but the writing is on the wall for local recording.
This may be a dumb question... I have a older TV (not a Smart TV with app functionality built in) with a Firestick attached. I dumped the Comcast STB a while ago and use the XFINITY Stream app to control everythingnusing Firestick remote. With this announcement can I now control everything thru my iPhone's XFINITY app?
I just dumped Xfinity cable. Traditional cable packaging is dead. Streaming covers it all and I can pick what I like for much MUCH less.
Comcast today added AirPlay support to its Xfinity Stream app, allowing Comcast cable subscribers to use AirPlay to stream content from an iPhone or iPad to an Apple TV or another AirPlay-enabled speaker or set-top box.
Comcast says that Xfinity customers can stream live news and sports, on demand movies and shows, DVR recordings, and more, providing "new ways" for customers to enjoy programming both when at home and at other locations.
The Xfinity Stream app has been available on the Apple TV since mid-2022, but AirPlay support will give Xfinity subscribers a more convenient option for viewing their content on devices they do not own, such as when visiting a friend or staying in a hotel that has an Apple TV or other AirPlay-enabled device.
As TechCrunch points out, this is functionality that the Xfinity app has long been lacking. Comcast competitor Charter has offered AirPlay support in its Spectrum app for several years.
Article Link: Comcast Xfinity Stream App Gains AirPlay Support
You still need a ISP, so if all you got in your area is slow twisted pair DSL from the telecom, and Comcast Cable you are still stuck with them. These companies (5G, cable, fiber) all like to claim they provide services in your area until you check their installation availability map that shows most residences are not possible. Feel fortunate if you have more options than the majority of people here in the states.
Last edited:
Cox cable restricts Airplay in their streaming app. You can watch all the cable channels on a mobile device but can’t send to Airplay. Found this out when my STB failed on a weekend and had to wait till Monday to replace. Thought I could just Airplay cable to the main TV as a temporary workaround but wouldn’t allow.
I can’t even begin to say how many times I have begged to be able to take my HomePods along to other Wi-Fi networks when traveling. Years and years and I waited, so now it appears many other people were waiting for other similar things to happen for their products too, perhaps because of delays imposed by big fruit.