[Mleeja]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

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.

[Carlsondm]

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.

[elle123]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

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?

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

[rsmurano]

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.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Mleeja

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

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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by rsmurano

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.

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

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Mleeja

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

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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by jrref

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.

[JoelJohnson]

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".

[HJBeck]

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.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by JoelJohnson

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".

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.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by HJBeck

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.

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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by jrref

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.

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.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by JoelJohnson

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".

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.