Xfinity X1

iahawkeye83

I know I’m one to keep switching (promotion hopping) every so often but I made the switch back to Xfinity X1 for TV. I would really like to get Dish but landlord does not allow satellite dishes. I priced Xfinity X1 on two TVs and there it’s a few dollars cheaper (internet and TV) than two separate services. Plus I like Xfinity because I can align the payment with my pay periods as opposed to dealing with another automatic payment. I can just send the payment from the bill pay on my online banking.

I ordered online for in-store pickup and wanted to get wireless boxes but the rep gave me one wireless box and an XG1v4 (which they had at the store). He said that you needed a “mother box”. I split off of my modem (which is next to the TV) and got it up and running. I’m going to set up the wireless box later tonight.

If I ever get fiber I might just go TV only with Comcast. I know the X1 boxes are severely crippled without the internet service.

One advantage of Comcast if you’re a fan of the Weather Channel is the local overlays.

terabitz

iahawkeye83 I would really like to get Dish but landlord does not allow satellite dishes.

That’s a violation of FCC 98-273. Landlords are not allowed to deny installation of a satellite dish on a rental property. What they can do though is tell the installer where it goes and how it can be cabled, but they cannot outright deny installation of a dish within a reasonable size.

Tshirt

terabitz That’s a violation of FCC 98-273
There are some exemptions to FCC 98-273 under some circumstances
(ie where outside the unit is considered common property under the control of HOA or preexisting deed restrictions)

https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/Orders/1998/fcc98273.pdf
some leases are written now so that tenants ONLY have control inside the dwelling, with the landlord having exclusive use and responsibility for ALL areas outside.

iahawkeye83 Xfinity X1 for TV.

Now that Data usage is unrestricted other streaming devices can bring in most channels. and include many sources not within comcast’s standard selections at very competitive (or) less pricing.

Andyross

Comcast’s new internet plans are now unlimited. You do need to change any current plan to the new ones. They also now include the gateway for free.

With that, you can try any of the other services like YouTube TV, DirecTV (they are more streaming than satellite now), Fubo, or others.

For The Weather Channel, you can directly subscribe at streamtwc.com and view it on Roku, Fire TV, and Google TV. It’s the same as cable, including the local overlay. It’s the exact same app you use if you link to a regular cable service. It is $3/month or $30 for a year.

hex0101

Andyross Is there any benefit to keeping X1 because of major sporting events? Streaming providers could get overwhelmed with traffic and not have enough resources/bandwidth to efficiently deliver content to everyone. Or peering partners becoming overwhelmed with traffic.
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Netflix stream was horrible. Back in November 2024, buffering issues for everyone on all ISP’s all over the world. Granted, because this was a live event, Netflix may not have been able to use the CDN to distribute the video, but still.

With X1, Comcast can receive one or a few video feeds, and then distribute it over their own network internally, which Comcast has full control over. No more having to worry about Internet congestion. Comcast already manages it’s own network to ensure that there is plenty of capacity everywhere.

Devious

hex0101 Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Netflix stream was horrible. Back in November 2024, buffering issues for everyone on all ISP’s all over the world.

I did not have any issues at all watching this on my Apple TV 4K.
Smooth as butter the entire fight.

iahawkeye83

hex0101 With X1, Comcast can receive one or a few video feeds, and then distribute it over their own network internally, which Comcast has full control over. No more having to worry about Internet congestion. Comcast already manages it’s own network to ensure that there is plenty of capacity everywhere.

That’s my beef with streaming. You have a gazillion “streams” clogging the internet (and cable TV facilities) or you have the cable/satellite providers receiving the video feeds and broadcasting them in bulk to their subscribers over their managed networks. That’s one of the few advantages of linear TV.

Even mobile networks are starting to reach capacity because of FWA. Personally I think the FCC should issue a rule that would restrict FWA access to locations where fixed line broadband access is not available or is limited (such as DSL only and no cable options). Cellular networks are becoming overloaded, especially in urban areas.

iahawkeye83

Andyross Comcast now has their five year price lock guarantee on their internet. Kind of wish they had the five year price lock guarantee on their TV as well. They would probably price lock the package price but not the broadcast TV/regional sports fees or the set-top rentals. The set top boxes they gave me are ten year old technology. The XG1v4 was slow as heck during the setup process but came to life once it was online.

Xfinity should consider releasing a revised set-top box that hooks up to coax. Some of us still like TV the old school way. They could go all wireless as well but the rep said I needed a main box. It would have been nice to have gone all wireless. I had to dig up a splitter and a few jumpers to install it. I only have one live cable outlet. I disconnected the other two at the demarcation point. I have two outlets in the living room (one at each end) but the gateway is now plugged into the one behind the TV since I want to have the gateway at the front of the house (instead of the center) for better Wi-Fi reception at my Ring doorbell and I have the Storm-Ready Wi-Fi (purchased it when Comcast sold them outright) at the back of the house to reach the Ring Floodlight cam on the garage. Considering this house has aluminum siding outdoor Wi-Fi reception is a PITA.

hex0101

iahawkeye83 Xfinity should consider releasing a revised set-top box that hooks up to coax.

Unlikely, with the move to DOCSIS 4.0 FDX, Comcast only wants one piece of equipment hooked up to the demarc. Xi6 boxes are used for TV service. Customers can use Wi-Fi or Ethernet for TV box connectivity.

The goal is to eventually dump the QAM channels, and replace them with delicious creamy FDX channels on the plant. There will be more capacity for Internet service as a result.

Andyross

As generally noted, Comcast is moving away from the legacy QAM channels. More and more channels are actually IPTV, which is essentially streaming on a private network. Many of their newer boxes are IP only and have no QAM tuner. Plus, you can use the Xfinity Stream app, for free, on various streaming devices instead of having a cable box. Since now all recordings are cloud, you can also watch your recordings on them. Even with a physical DVR, there is a cloud copy, too.

telcodad

iahawkeye83 Comcast now has their five year price lock guarantee on their internet. Kind of wish they had the five year price lock guarantee on their TV as well. They would probably price lock the package price but not the broadcast TV/regional sports fees or the set-top rentals.

Yeah, Comcast has more control over the operational costs of their plant that carries their internet service..

On the other hand, they have to deal with the shifting and ever-increasing costs of providing programming for their TV service. Even continuing to have separate fees for broadcast TV and RSNs, they still have to periodically renegotiate retransmission/carriage agreements with the cable networks, making it unfeasible to provide a price lock for TV.

hex0101

telcodad They could dump equipment fees in this day and age. Just bill the customer if it is not returned after canceling service.

telcodad

hex0101 They could dump equipment fees in this day and age.

Well, Comcast’s new internet plans all now include a gateway at no extra charge, with the particular one that’s offered based on the speed tier that’s chosen: https://broadbandbulletin.com/d/3038-comcast-no-longer-charging-modem-rent

As far as TV, yes, those STB/DVR box rentals do add up.

The DTAs were originally provided at no charge, then with a small fee, which has gradually increased over the years to where it’s now $12/mo, the same as for a full STB. 🙁

iahawkeye83

hex0101 Unlikely, with the move to DOCSIS 4.0 FDX, Comcast only wants one piece of equipment hooked up to the demarc. Xi6 boxes are used for TV service. Customers can use Wi-Fi or Ethernet for TV box connectivity.

They gave me an XG1v4 and an Xi6 despite the fact I have a free XB8 in the house so I technically could just use two Xi6s.

I bet there are plenty of Motorola/GI DCT 2000s still out there. Most likely in the homes of senior citizens and probably hooked up to newer TVs (probably forced to upgrade the TV when the old one died) and they never bothered to swap the cable box for a newer one. They probably don’t have internet and the rotary phone (that’s been there since Ma’ Bell was still intact) is sitting on the end table next to the sofa. And they pay their bills by mailing a check every month.

lesmikesell

iahawkeye83 They gave me an XG1v4 and an Xi6 despite the fact I have a free XB8 in the house so I technically could just use two Xi6s.

They are designed so the Xi6 pulls the QAM-delivered live TV and recordings from your local DVR box when possible to reduce internet bandwidth usage. Probably not essential anymore but still a benefit.

hex0101

lesmikesell Does the XG1v4 work via Ethernet like the Xi6? I noticed it has an Ethernet port, but I think my old XG with the clock on the front did as well.

Probably not a supported setup right now due to the coax needing to be connected in order for the QAM tuners to work. But when QAM goes 100% away, then IPTV will be the primary delivery.

Is Comcast using multi-cast? Or will each IPTV Xi6 box stream it’s own feed? On the network side, could they do multi-cast to the RPD and then deliver the video stream to each home that is tuned in/recording? When no one on the node is tuned into a particular channel, the RPD can then drop it. AT&T U-Verse TV used a multi-cast structure.

lesmikesell

hex0101

hex0101 Does the XG1v4 work via Ethernet like the Xi6? I noticed it has an Ethernet port, but I think my old XG with the clock on the front did as well.

No, they have never activated the ethernet port on the XG1V4. In theory it probably could be, but the way it works is with IP over MoCA to the gateway and the gateway bridging to WiFi. The coax-connected X1 secondary boxes work directly over MoCA. I don’t think Comcast uses multicast anywhere on the customer side so when the Xi6 gets its content from Xfinity servers rather than your in-home DVR it is a separate stream - likewise when you use the xfinity app which is all IP.

computerman2

Been using a Comcast Xfinity X1 Wifi Box since 2019, and when the XG1V4 is offline, then the Wifi box up here is also offline

Additonally i noticed on my Xi5 wifi Box, when i watch a DVR’d Recording it shows a cloud symbol in the lower left corner, as much as we record on the DVR, i was like im surprisingly we got Cloud DVR space left lol.

Previously when Catch Comedy was working–had family members bunch of DVR’d shows, MeTV dvr’d shows, and House Hunters, Local News, and then my shows Chicago Med, Fire and Med, Law & Order SVU, Law & Order, Fire Country & a lot of Hallmark Christmas Movies that account holder usually keeps for as long as possible

In the NEW Tv season, our DVR is used a ton, maybe more than should be, but is way Account holder likes to do it.

cypherstream

iahawkeye83 Are you sure video with Comcast is cheaper? I priced it out myself and it was more than my SECV Internet + DirecTV combination. Now I only have one DirecTV DVR and use their app on other TV’s so I do not have equipment fees. I also do not have an RSN fee in my zip code, nor do they have broadcast fees. I got my DirecTV bill around $60/m from threatening to leave and in fact my last bill was $37 due to prorating the discounts they laid on me.

Even SECV’s cable has broadcast and RSN fees, but it is entirely IPTV. They do not issue QAM boxes anymore. Everything is Evolution Digital wifi/ethernet Tivo Stream. Recordings are stored on the server for up to 2 years. I hate that theres a time limit. I have stuff on my DirecTV Hard drive from years ago (2016). I know Hard drives don’t last forever but hey thats way longer than 2 years “in the cloud”.

My ISP is doing that because Comcast built into our area in 2022 with HFC, so SECV is retaliating and installing FTTH, so no QAM overlay. The same Tivo stream will work on the docsis or pon network. My neighborhood is all ripped up this week as they are installing conduits and replacing the pedestals with double sized ones that can fit both the coax RF plant alongside of the PON plant.

So DOCSIS 4.0 FDX is “like” Comcasts FTTH strategy. I think end goal would eventually be no QAM at all, so just like SECV or any PON network for example, all video should be just IPTV. I would think all X1 STB’s could be instructed (or “hit” as they called it) to tune into everything via IPTV when ready.

Edit: My all in price
DirecTV Select with discounts: 52.67
SECV 1000/100 mbps Internet: 71.96
All in: $124.63. App is installed in 4 rooms, DirecTV DVR in 1.
SECV or Comcast double play couldn’t touch it.