[skyguy79]

Does anyone have the XFINITY on the X1 Platform at Comcast installed? I'm going to be having it installed in about a week and a half and wondering if I'll be getting more than I bargained for. I'd appreciate any comments on likes or dislikes from those who already have it. Thanks in advance for any comments or opinions!

The X1 Platform

[Mikeod]

We had it for over a month now. There were some initial hiccups with it that were straightened out fairly quickly. One problem we had was that the main box did not save all the recordings that we made. When they switched it out, we lost everything that we had on it that did record. We really like the ability to record multiple shows and still watch the different show at the same time. We also like the ability to record a lot more shows then we could record with the old DVR system. The remote is much different from the old remote and the remote is tied to a particular TV, so you can't move the remote from one TV to another. Occasionally one of the boxes will stop working and we have to reset the box to get it back to where it was working before. Another change is that you cannot pause and back up live TV from the remote boxes, only from the main one. A work around for that is to simply start recording a show from the remote box and that allows you to pause and back up like you would with a regular DVR.

One benefit we got is that the system came with three remote boxes and that allowed us to trade in one of the little converter boxes to a new X1 box giving us more capability on the bedroom TV.

Overall we are quite happy with the system. There are a few tricks to using the system that are not obvious. Let me know if you have any questions after it is installed and I'll see if we have found a shortcut to do those things.

[Bonnevie]

does it cost extra?

[uujudy]

Can you easily turn the closed captions on and off?
We have the DVR box, and I can't turn off the captions. The instructions for doing this involve turning off the cable box entirely, holding down the button & hoping a menu with the CC settings pops up. Some times it does, and sometimes it doesn't. Turning off the cable box isn't something I want to do when we're having weather alerts but I can't read them because the CCs are in the way.

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by Bonnevie

does it cost extra?

I don't know. I called them intending to cancel service because they unilaterally shut down two of my three DVRs because they thought I wasn't paying for them. (Even though I was paying the bill in full every month!) No warning, no email, no phone call.

They sent me to the retention people who gave me a deal on the system for a year that cut my bill and gave me more service. So I took it.

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by uujudy

Can you easily turn the closed captions on and off?
We have the DVR box, and I can't turn off the captions. The instructions for doing this involve turning off the cable box entirely, holding down the button & hoping a menu with the CC settings pops up. Some times it does, and sometimes it doesn't. Turning off the cable box isn't something I want to do when we're having weather alerts but I can't read them because the CCs are in the way.

CC is easy. There is a button on the remote marked Xfinity that you use to access almost everything from recordings to On Demand to Guide. There is a little gear icon there that takes you to Settings. Among the choices is Device Settings which includes the ability to toggle CC on or off. That's also where you can restart the box without having to unplug it.

[skyguy79]

Thanks Mike!

Bonnevie, our particular fees are going from $228.66 to $231.79 per month (+$3.13 monthly increase) as an existing customer. But those figures will vary for new customers and depend on what premium options are picked up.

There's also a one time installation fee of $139.94 for our changeover, but I don't know if it's different for new installations. So our total bill at the end of this billing cycle will be adjusted from the $371.73 charge (installation included) to an amount based on what point during the billing month the installation's done!

No fees will be collected on the actual day of installation.

[Roccothepug]

I am wondering if anyone can give me feedback on xfinity X1. I currently have BrightHouse, but I would like to see if I can save some money switching. I like good and reliable HD images and a fast internet. Any feedback would be appreciate. The flyer I got says 89.99 for 2 years for Xfinity TV and Internet with downloads speeds up to 50Mbps on X1 DVR service. Of course it does not specify what channel lineup is included, I am assuming the lower one.
Thanks for any feedback.

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by Roccothepug

I am wondering if anyone can give me feedback on xfinity X1. I currently have BrightHouse, but I would like to see if I can save some money switching. I like good and reliable HD images and a fast internet. Any feedback would be appreciate. The flyer I got says 89.99 for 2 years for Xfinity TV and Internet with downloads speeds up to 50Mbps on X1 DVR service. Of course it does not specify what channel lineup is included, I am assuming the lower one.
Thanks for any feedback.

Hi! I'm very satisfied with the HD we get. As for the speed, when they say up to 50Mbps, they mean "UP TO." You're speed will depend on whither you operate on wi-fi or you're hard wired. Wi-fi significantly diminishes the speed, but I'm satisfied with what I receive. I usually get between 20 and 30 Mbps out of the 50 using wi-fi, depending on the location of the server I select for the test.

I also like that I can program my recordings using my laptop and like it better than doing it directly using the controller. The down side is that I can only setup one favorites group. There is a work around this, but it's not really worth what it would take.

You might be interested in checking out the X1 support and help forum at: X1 - Comcast Help and Support Forums. I've found helpful information at this site.

[Roccothepug]

Thanks for the feedback I appreciate. After all it dies not look like I will save any money switching, because once promo is up proving will be higher than I pay BrightHouse. Good to know I have options though.

[JCMSr]

After moving to TV a couple of months ago we signed up for Comcast after years of using satellite (Both Dish and DirecTV). During this period we have experienced two unexplained outages of several hours each time. The first system we had was their standard home house DVR which died after 5 weeks (hard drive crashed and sound board shorted out). We called Comcast and they sent a technician out to replace the defective unit and advised us that he would have to install an older outdated box since that was all they had available. I asked him about installing the X1 system since I had been told when we signed up for service we would be able to record 3 shows and watch 1 prerecorded show simultaneously which turned out to be untrue. He agreed to install the X1 system which initially looked like a great improvement. I was billed $39.95 for this service all which I decided to pay since they upgraded my system.

The first thing we discovered with the X1 system is that there is a programming glitch which will sometimes cut off the last of a recording if the show runs longer than the normal 60 minutes. I know you can manually setup a recording to add minutes to the end but this issue happens even though the guide show the program to run long per the network schedule. Comcast is aware of this problem (for how long they would not admit) and says they are working on a fix. In the meantime you need to check every recording unless you want to end up missing the last couple of minutes of your favorite shows.

Last week the newest cable box went out (HDMI connections no longer recognized) and we were again scheduled to have a technician come out to replace their defective box. Much to my surprise they informed me that I would again be required to pay $39.95 for the service call. This time I questioned the charge and was told I would need to talk with the service technician's dept to get the fee waived which was a waste of time. I was offered a maintenance contract for $3.95 a month which would cover the equipment and wiring in the future but they refused to waive the service fee. I even told them I would take the box to their local office and pick up a new one and install it myself to which they replied that the local offices do not "support the X1 systems".

Although I scheduled a time for the technician to come to our home the end of this week (their earliest available appointment) and swap out the defective box I was not happy with the service they have provided to date. For this reason I decided to drop Comcast completely and go back to satellite service which will be installed tomorrow (only 24 hours after signing up for service).

I tell this story in order to inform both new and existing customers that there are still some bugs in the X1 system that have not been resolved. Perhaps they will be corrected in the near future, however, based on what little information I could find online the problem has been known about by Comcast for at least 6 months to date. Good luck should you decide to sign up.

[Roccothepug]

Thanks that is very helpful