Today, Comcast announced its plan to roll out live streaming to all of its customers courtesy of its new AnyPlay service. The new service is currently limited to Xfinity HD Triple Play customers in Denver and Nashville, and more markets will be added in the coming months. The AnyPlay service which is accessed through the Xfinity TV app is limited to the iPad, but will be joined in the future by the Motorola Xoom. Users will get thousands of hours of on demand movies and TV shows available for viewing both inside and outside of the home.
Here’s how it works…the AnyPlay device works the same as any other set top box in the home, but instead of delivering the incoming channel lineup to a television, AnyPlay delivers the lineup to the Wi-Fi router on the home network. The router then distributes the secure video signal to the iPad or Xoom over your home’s wireless network. So as long as your tablet is within range of the home wireless router, you can turn it into another television screen.
Streaming content on the go is fast becoming all the rage, especially with major television service providers like Comcast, Dish Network, and Direct TV offering its customers the ability to access their favorite shows and movies. This transition to mobile is necessary for those companies to grab the attention of straying customers who may be tempted to cut the cord.