XFinity Stream Problem
 

I am in the process of cutting the Cable cord. I have Xfinity Cable and have three TVs connected. Each TV is a different make. Samsung, LG and SONY.

One of the features I am trying to retain is commonality of remotes which will cease once I cut the cord. I have chosen to use firesticks to cure that.

I have successfully downloaded Xfinity Stream to all TVs and can successfully operate with the individual Firesticks. However, when I stream to Xfinity Stream, one TV (The LG) operates all the XFINITY Stream Channels with closed Captioning. That is the only APP that shows closed captioning on that TV. Even went to the LG control and insured that closed captioning was off.

Seems like a long telephone to Xfinity to resolve.

Just wondering if one of our senior experts has a simple solution?

Try this:

Open Xfinity Stream, click on live TV, click on the personal icon in the upper left corner, click on accessibility, and then closed caption options. But, are you sure you will still be able to use the Xfinity Stream app when you cancel the Xfinity cable TV?

I believe once he cancels Xfinity cable TV, Xfinity stream will be gone.

When cutting the cord, you really need to determine which channels you watch and see if Roku TV or other free streaming services have the channels you normally watch. If you can live with Roku TV and or some free apps to get your content vs going with YouTube TV or Hulu for example, then you can really cut your monthy costs.

I know many like Xfinity because of the voice remote but Roku has the same thing if you get the device with voice.

OP, if you want to continue watching the Xfinity channels, the most likely replacement would be to subscribe to YouTubeTV, which will cost you about $93 per month, including the taxes. You may want to use the YouTubeTV free introductory offer to see if you like it before cancelling Xfinity cable. You should be able to access the YouTubeTV app on your Firesticks. Note that, if you like the Lifetime channels, YouTubeTV does not offer those channels.

YouTubeTV definitely works on fire sticks - watched it last night.

HuluLive is another option for network channels.
EDIT: HuluLive may not work with some internet providers, particularly T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. Check for any reports of compatibility problems before going this route (a free trial period should also let you find out)

suppose.tv is a great site for selecting the channels you want to have and learning which streaming services need in order to get them.

I never got the whole Xfinity stream App thing. When we had Xfinity cable TV at our northern home I downloaded the App so we could watch TV through our Xfinity account via streaming at our Villages home, but it wouldn’t allow us to stream anywhere but our northern home. We already had cable hooked up on multiple TV’s at our northern home, so what good is an app that only lets us stream where we don’t need to?

We ended up cutting the cable with Xfinity (except for internet) and now subscribe to YouTube TV and use Roku devices on all TV’s and can stream at both locations. After carefully analyzing the pros and cons between HuLu and YouTube TV, it was a close call. We have been very happy with YouTube TV as their channel lineup fits our needs and the cloud based DVR is an excellent feature. Last winter we got locked out from streaming YouTube TV after three months at our Villages home and learned that you need to log in from your primary location every three months. A friend stopped by the house and logged in at our northern home and that reset the account so we could stream in the Villages again.
I

Xfinity Stream does have some limitations on channels, especially out-of-town. But, it is definitely better than having no app. For one thing, you only need one cable box in your house if you are OK with streaming on the other TVs. And, you can use it on any Internet device. Xfinity Stream is not intended to make Xfinity totally available everywhere.

I understand that if you cancel XFINITY you cannot use XFINITY Stream. I am limited by location to use XFinity for internet at a speed that allows streaming. That cost is around $90, I am currently around $195. If I go to Xfinity Stream, by dropping the 3 Cable Boxes at $12/ea, I am at about $161. I know that there are other options such as SLING, UTUBE TV etc. In time I might go further.

My current problem is with one TV having Closed captioning on Xfinity stream. The other TV's no problem. This is only a problem when I stream on Xfinity stream. I have entered XFINITY Stream and gone to settings / Accessability/ SAP Turned OFF and still get Closed Captioning. Perhaps I should reinstall the Xfinity APP on this TV.

That may work. Uninstall the app and then reinstall it.

You should have the Xfinity Stream app installed on the Firesticks. It sounds like you have 3 Firesticks? If so, try switching two of the Firesticks and see if that resolves the caption issue on the one TV. If it doesn't, the problem is not with the Firestick. Another thing you can try is to install the Xfinity Stream app onto the TV smart hub, assuming the TV is a smart TV. Still, another thing to try is to reset the TV by unplugging it and plugging it back in, and reset the Firesticks by unplugging the modem/router.

Good though swapping fire sticks to see if the problem moves.

Couple of things:

- In the post above the OP mentioned SAP being off. SAP has nothing to do with closed captioning. The OP should skip the SAP setting and look for "CC" or "captioning" or "English with subtitles" or maybe just "subtitles." The label seems to change by streaming service and I don't have the Xfinity service to check.

- It's at least possible that CC is active on the TV itself and not the firestick. If that is the case then no amount of messing with the firestick remote will fix the issue. The OP should look for a CC option using the TV remote and see if it is turned on.

Post No. 2 explains how to turn off the Closed Captioning option directly from the Xfinity Stream app.

$90 dollars is too much for internet only with adequate speed for streaming. Xfinity plays games, and makes you jump through hoops, to get a deal when they know you live in an area where they have a monopoly, but it can be done. They won’t give you a new customer rate for internet when you cut the cable cord with them, hoping to make you give up and keep your current service. When they pulled that with us, I told them I was moving and to cancel everything. A couple days later, we signed up for internet service only under my wife’s name and got the new customer rate at 1/3 the price they were offering me as an existing customer. Also, when your new customer rate period expires, you won’t get another new customer deal online, you need to make an appointment and go to the nearest Xfinity store in person and they will give you the deal. By making things more difficult for existing customers, the must get many folks to simply give up and pay their inflated rates. There are absolutely no rewards, but rather penalties in place, for being a loyal customer who pays their monthly bills promptly. Good luck dealing with them, takes patience.

“Seems like a long telephone to Xfinity to resolve.”

I wish you good luck with that.

One solution is to run all your TVs through a Firesticks or Roku boxes. Their remotes can control your TVs’ basic functions. To respond to some other comments, they are correct that with Xfinity Stream a cable account is required. However, Xfinity has a pure streaming service called Xfinity Now. I don’t know it’s cost or if it is available in our area.

It looks like the OP is already running everything through Firesticks, but he does have an Xfiniy cable service which allows him to use the Xfinity Stream app on the Firesticks. Also, it looks like Xfinity Now is an Internet service only, not a streaming service.

Here is the information page for Now.
https://www.xfinity.com/nowtv?CMP=KN...QaAmPmEALw_wcB
It is a streaming service.

We got tired of Xfinity games and dropped all services. Life is better. Their Robo caller harassed us for months. Get receipts when you turn in equipment an document the termination. We did and there were still “misunderstandings”.

We put in an antenna and get internet thru Verizon at $55/mo. We can watch utube tv if we wish.

I'd get a different internet provider and just pay for the Apps you want.

Each firestick can be programmed separately for captions on or off. If you are paying $90 for xfinity, you probably have 500-600Mb speeds which is way too much money, even if you have 1000Mb, it’s too much. I pay $40 for 1200Mb spectrum.

You are correct. But, for $20 per month, it looks like an add-on service for Xfinity Internet customers. As I understand it, Xfinity is trying to keep cord cutters as Internet customers by offering a low level type of streaming service. The free Flex box is another example.

How did you get a package like that and where can I sign up for it?

Xfinity Now is a really good service if you want the very basic (slowest) internet you can buy with a basic TV package. But the addition of Peacock is nice eventhough you can go and get the same subscription on your own. Xfinity Now is for people who want a simple, low cost, basic system that they can connect to without a lot of effort vs getting a streaming device and purchasing and loading apps.

If you go with this option, make sure Ahead of Time that you review the TV channels they provide to make sure it has all the channels you have to have. I haven't looked at the Now line-up but typically they advertise a huge number of channels but they may not be the most popular ones.

The Xfinity page reads like there are TWO packages: Xfinity NOW for internet connectivity at $30/month plus NOW TV for 125+ streaming channels at an additional $20/month.

$50/month for 100Mbps international, 125+ channels, and Peacock is not a bad deal but the very similar naming will likely confuse people.

I've had Xfinity for many years, using the Firestick. Recently I was getting a lot of buffering. I have an app on my phone called "WiFi Analyzer". I saw what channel my WiFi was using and it showed that a better channel would do better. I went into the Router settings and changed each of the two WiFi (2.4 and 5) settings to the suggestions and my TV experience is better. It's not "rocket surgery".

YouTube TV will give all the channels you desire on regular tv. If your tv’s are smart, all the streaming companies (Netflix, Amazon prime, ….) will be accessible via the tv. I cut the cord in 2020 and used fire stick then Roku and had intermittent problems. Switched to googles stick and all the problems went away when using YouTube tv.

Great information but I just want to note that although your problem was WiFi related if you are on a cable system, since it's shared with everyone in you area, at peak times you could get some buffering. The cable companies are not upgrading the cable infrastructure so as more people stream, buffering is more of a concern. That said, if you can get fiber internet, that will solve the buffering problem because it's a dedicated system.

I think as time goes on, people moving here to the Villages are of a different generation who are already streaming and have no idea about cable TV boxes, etc.. As you cut the cord in 2020, many others have done so as well and with new Villagers just needing internet, the cable companies see the "hand writing" on the wall which is why they are trying to offer "streaming like" services. This is why companies such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T are buying up as much fiber and wireless spectrum as they can because at some point people will just need internet. Because cable TV will eventually go the way of the landline telephone, all these companies are trying to re-invent the services they offer. FireTV, Roku, Apple TV, Google Chrome have all gotten very capable and relatively cheap and as some have mentioned, smart TVs these days may be all you need. Just FYI, if you rely on a Smart TV system, just remember, generally, TV manufacturers will only update the "Smart" functionality for about 5 years whereas streaming devices, generally are supported for about 10 years with updates. Amazon FireTV just announced they won't support their first generation device any longer with Netflix. The hardware is too old and won't support the newer features. Just something to keep in mind. I find Villagers with multiple TVs want the same interface on all their TVs so they purchase steaming devices to accomplish that.

Do you have any numbers for the buffering on cable systems you keep referring to? Mathematically possible, yes, but has it actually become noticeable to the user?

Also, at some point fiber systems are also shared. Yes, that point may be farther from your house and the shared bandwidth might be a larger number but it is still shared.

It would be interesting to see the provisioned rates versus the experienced rates for both cable and fiber in a typical suburban area.

As you are aware, for the past four years here in the Villages I have been helping my friends, neighbors and any referrals I get cut the cord and switch to Quantum Fiber if they can get it. I don't have a business, just helping people who need it. That said, I don't have hard numbers but I've been keeping track of Villagers telling me they have buffering problems and then verifying if when switching to fiber, if they go away. In all the cases that I've been involved in, the buffering stopped when doing nothing but switching to fiber. This is for Quantum and Centric fiber. With fiber you have a dedicated connection with dedicated bi-directional bandwidth from your home to the swiching office where you are connected to the internet with common equipment as you mentioned. With cable, you have a shared connection with "X" amount of your neighbors until it gets to their switching office. The problem is, as more people stream, more data is being used over the existing cable infrastructure sometimes using all the bandwith at peak times. This is why your speed will also vary. The cable companies are supposed to monitor traffic and manage it, potentially adding capacity as needed but that costs money and is not being done much these days. I'm not saying everyone on cable will have buffering problems, just that I've been hearing this more and more as I interact with people here in the Villages. And it's totally dependent on where you live.

It may not be "rocket surgery" but depending on the router you are using it also may not be possible. The interface I have access to on my T-Mobile router does not provide that level of configuration. Even if the router supports manually changing channels and you have access to the administrative functions to do that, not everyone will be comfortable making changes as a simple mistake could be difficult to recover from.

I don't know enough about the physical layout of fiber systems or where the switching centers are. I find it difficult to believe that Quantum installed several thousand strands of fiber from the Villages to wherever their switches are so there is likely some physical consolidation going on somewhere closer.

"the buffering stopped when doing nothing but switching to fiber". But is it true that nothing was done but switching to fiber? Just switching from Xfinity to Quantum means switching data centers and internet onramps. Certainly, the modem needed to be changed to accommodate a fiber input rather than a cable input. Unless the installation had separate modem and router boxes then changing the router also changed the modem. Then, you also advocate locating the router in different locations and using the wifi pods for better coverage.

It could very well be that an overloaded fiber infrastructure was causing buffering. It could also be a particularly active street, a faulty cable, a faulty cable connection, or a malfunctioning concentrator box. Without more investigation and numbers there is no way to prove just what it was. Switching to fiber solved the buffering but, there is a lot more than "nothing" involved when switching from cable to fiber.

Good advice. Our Arris modem/router broadcasts in both 2.4 and 5.0. Neither is better, just different. The 5.0 is faster but has shorter range and won’t travel well through walls. I have the TV next to the router tuned to 5.0 and all other devices running at 2.4. Any Mobil devices should definitely be at 2.4 so you have better range regardless of location.

Cutting the cable means dumping Xfinity not keeping it and live streaming it. They charge way too much ! Most households can get away with T Mobile or Verizon 5G wireless internet and a YouTube live TV subscription. Works great and you can get your bill down to about $140 per month. Mine is less than that since T-Mobile never will raise your price. So our internet is locked at $30 per month from signing up a few years ago. Works great!

Well I do know how Quantum's fiber infrastructure is layed out since I worked in this area at Verizon and with speaking to the tech's at Quantum it's very similar. So the way it works is each customer does have a unique glass fiber from their home to a nearby hub. From that Hub each customer has a unique multiplexed connection via lighwave to the central office. The central office could have connections to the internet gateway or it could be routed to a main gateway hub in Lumen's network. In doing trace routes from my home, we are connected to one of the main Lumen hubs where the gateways are located. With cable, the back-end systems and gateways are similar to Quantum's as you alluded to. They have fiber infrastructure as well. The difference is the cable connection from your home to their fiber infrastructure is copper and is using shared bandwidth of that copper cable which is limited compared to fiber and thus once of the possible causes of the bottleneck. Many cable companies have expanded their fiber network to get it closer to the subscriber but the last mile as they call it is copper with all the physical limitations of that technology.

With fiber in some areas of the Villages, whether you need it or not, you can get up to 8GBs internet service vs a max of 1Gbs from cable. Just different technologies.

You are correct in assuming the change out of the WiFi equipment could also make a difference and it would but in all cases I evaluated the cable WiFi placement and equipment and it was fine.

All this said, my findings are not scientific since I don't have enough cases to reference. The purpose of my comment was just to point out what I have been seeing in the switch-overs to fiber that I've been involved in. In all cases, the Villager I was helping relayed the before and after performance to me and was very satisified with the better performance of fiber.

Hope this helps.

This is a good subject.
Everyone will find that their needs can be met several ways.
Ours was price.
So we went to the Xfinity store and they gave us a great deal to switch to their streaming service. That can only be used if you subscribe.
We opted to buy Xumo boxes (around $60 each at the time) Like the OP we have a mix of Samsung and Sony TV’s. The Xumo remote is programmed to operate any of the boxes. There is an advanced option to change a remotes transmission channel if required.
We have just reached the end of our stream contract and Xfinity wanted to jack the price by $50. So I looked at Quantum and Direct TV. I took the findings to the Xfinity store and within minutes my Stream cost fell below what it had previously been before by a few dollars.
Xfinity know they now have competition and therefore need to compete. But and it’s a big but, they rely on customer inertia. If only a small percentage of customers challenge them they are more than happy to give those that challenge a good deal.
The Xumo box works well, once installed and you have loaded your favourite channels and signed in to you apps. Other options are similarly easy to load and operate.

We use T-Mobile Home internet and HuluLive. No issues.

Thanks. Good to hear the issues have been resolved and Live is now an option.

Internet providers in the Lake Sumter Landing area are limited.

Success. I found the solution to my closed caption problem. Even though I have many APPS , only Live TV programs on Xfinity Stream were displaying closed caption.

In my attempt to delete the Xfinity Stream APP in order to reinstall, I was directed to go to the LG Remote. As I passed through various options I came across a closed Caption check off page which showed CC on. Turned it off and went back to Xfinity Stream and my problem is gone.

Thanks for all suggestions.

You may have close captioning turned on in your Firestick. Just search how to turn off on a Firestick. Might be the issue??