At the Web 2.0 summit in San Francisco, Comcast (CMCSA) Monday night demoed its new free Xfinity TV app for iPad from Apple (AAPL) which acts as a TV guide and mobile video player with compatible Comcast set-top boxes.
The new app enables Comcast customers to change channels from their iPads.
The app is free to Comcast digital customers and will be available in the iTunes App Store this week. Starting next month, users will be able to watch movies and TV shows directly on the iPad.
“This Xfinity TV app is part of a much larger effort to reinvent the way consumers interact with their televisions by transforming the way they search, navigate, discover and share entertainment,” Neil Smit, president of Comcast Cable, said in a statement. “The remote control hasn’t changed in years and this app will enable millions of consumers to instantly search thousands of live TV and On Demand choices and also watch the best content whenever and wherever they want.”
Comcast said the launch will be the first in a series of scheduled app releases their development team will deliver for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Comcast plans several Android apps this year and also plans to offer apps with similar functionality on as many different devices as possible including BlackBerry and other smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs.
Comcast lists the following features with the Xfinity app:
—Browse and discover video content from either TV listings or selections from the On Demand library in a user interface with poster art and details.
—Use it as a TV guide. Users make a few finger taps to review TV listings and change the channel in real time.
—Program DVRs to record TV shows, series and movies.
—Look for listings based on filters Movies, Kids, Sports, or by HD content.
—Search by keyword or by title A-Z in TV listings or On Demand.
Comcast said that soon viewers will be able to access social networking sites to share what they’re watching with their friends. They also will be able to create and watch lists of TV shows and movie favorites.
Mashable reviewed the Xfinity demo favorably, giving the Comcast team high marks. “What we really appreciate is that you can restrict your channel listings to only stations in HD or only stations of a certain type. You can even create favorite channels,” the blog reports.
