comcast

Comcast announced a new subscription video-on-demand service today that will provide "out of home" access via the Web.

Comcast has named the new service Xfinity Streampix. The cable company's strategy to compete against Netflix, the Web's No. 1 video rental service, has obviously been influenced by HBO.

Streampix is designed to enhance Comcast's existing service, Xfinity, by offering users a broader selection of movies and TV shows. Variety, the Hollywood trade magazine, first reported the story.

HBO Go, the Internet service that enables HBO subscribers to access every episode of the company's past and … Read more

Comcast is ramping up its Internet Essentials program to cover more low-income families and students eager to get online.

Launched last September, the program provides cheap Internet access, low-cost computers, and literacy training to poor families and their school-age children.

Families who have at least one child getting a free lunch through the government's National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have been able to receive 1.5-megabit-per-second broadband Internet for only $9.95 a month, compared with the $41 that Comcast typically charges.

Detailing the program in a blog post this week, Comcast noted several accomplishments, such as promoting the … Read more

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the sponsor of a controversial Hollywood-backed copyright bill, has bowed to public pressure and will yank the most controversial sections from the legislation.

The Vermont Democrat, a longtime ally of large copyright holders, said today he would delete portions of his Protect IP Act that mandate Domain Name System (DNS) blocking and redirecting.

"I'm going to set aside these domain name provisions," Leahy told Vermont Public Radio. "That we'll hold back on, because I've listened to some of the concerns on those. I think there [are] easy answers to it, but … Read more

Comcast has just launched a new, free service for subscribers who want to watch live TV on their iPads.

Dubbed AnyPlay, the service is currently available only to customers in Nashville and Denver and only for iPad users. But Comcast is promising to add more markets in the coming months and kick in support for the Motorola Xoom.

Latching onto the Xfinity TV app for the iPad, AnyPlay will let Comcast subscribers to both its TV and Internet services watch any channel or program already available through their regular TV lineup. The service will also allow a customer to watch … Read more

Sometimes I wonder what lives inside my Comcast cable box. Just occasionally, it will behave erratically, twitching nervously at the sight of "Top Chef."

A story that has emerged from Aurora, Ill., suggests an emergent solution: creepy-crawly creatures.

I am grateful to the Chicago Sun-Times for describing the dilemma of one Comcast customer, Antonio Munez, who claims that after the company installed a cable box, cockroaches crawled out of it.

It is unclear whether the roaches were protesting Munoz refusal to watch cooking shows. However, Munoz says he suspects the equipment was old and adds that no one … Read more

Verizon Wireless' deal with cable providers is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department.

That's according to a report today from Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source. The report said the Justice Department would look at whether Verizon would control too much spectrum, and whether the cross-selling component of the deal would violate antitrust laws.

Verizon earlier this month shored up its spectrum needs by acquiring a swath owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks for $3.6 billion. As part of the deal, Verizon agreed to resell cable service in its national chain of stores, while the … Read more

Sprint Nextel has sued several cable providers over what it claims is the illegal use of its digital phone technology, further fraying an already strained relationship between the carrier and the cable industry.

In separate lawsuits filed yesterday, Sprint alleged that Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, and the Washington Post's Cable One all infringed on 12 patents related to digital phone technology it secured in the '90s.

The lawsuits represent just the latest development in an increasingly rocky relationship. Sprint and the cable providers were once strong allies, partnering up to buy spectrum and resell wireless service, and … Read more

Verizon Communications considered buying Hulu when the streaming-video site was shopping itself around to potential acquirers earlier this year.

Hulu was just one of the online video options Verizon looked at, CEO Lowell McAdam said at a UBS investor conference today in New York.

"We continue to look at alternatives," he said during a one-on-one discussion onstage, which was Webcast.

Verizon was among many potential suitors looking at Hulu when it was seeking a buyer this summer. Hulu ultimately did not find a partner.

That Verizon looked at Hulu, which streams television shows and movies, underscores the growing … Read more

Microsoft will push out an update to Xbox consoles Tuesday, designed to get consumers to turn on the device every time they flip on their televisions, not just when they want to play games.

Though most gamers will notice a dramatically different interface, and some will take advantage of more advanced voice-recognition controls, the real significance of the update is how boldly the software giant is putting itself at the core of the TV entertainment experience. Microsoft is partnering with 40 content providers from around the globe to significantly increase the amount of live and on-demand content available on Xbox. … Read more