Comcast Announces iPad App

Comcast Corporation has unveiled its new Xfinity TV app, which will enable Xfinity TV digital customers to watch TV shows and movies directly on the iPad either at home or on-the-go in the coming weeks.

The Xfinity TV app is a TV guide and a mobile video player all in one. It enables customers to change TV channels from the iPad and helps them to search for top movies and premium cable shows – on TV, on demand, online or on the iPad.

Demonstrated at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco, the first version of the app will be available on the iTunes Store this week and is free to Comcast digital customers. With it, customers will be able to:

• ??Browse and discover video content from either TV listings or selections from the On Demand library in a rich user interface with colorful poster art and details.?
• Use it as a TV guide so users can find what to watch by reviewing their TV listings and change the channel in real time.?
• Program their DVRs to record TV shows, series and movies.
• Sort content based on different filters like networks and genres such as Movies, Kids, Sports, or by HD content.
• Search by keyword or by title A-Z in TV listings or on demand.
• Watch movies and TV shows directly on the iPad anytime, anywhere (coming in December).
• Personalize viewing with a “MyTV” feature to create a “Watchlist” of favorite TV shows and movies (coming soon).
• Access social networking sites to share what they’re watching with others (coming soon).

Initially, Comcast will offer hit shows and blockbuster movies from the top premium networks on the app. In the coming weeks and months, the app will continue to expand its content and functionality through a series of regular development updates. It will include thousands of additional entertainment choices, added remote control features, and enhanced search across platforms.

This week’s launch on the iTunes Store is the first in a series of scheduled app releases Comcast’s development team will deliver for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Comcast will launch 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 first offered its communications app on the iTunes Store for free to customers in 2009, which enables customers to view integrated email, voice mail, receive home voice mail alerts and manage calendars, among other features.