For years the cable industry and in particular Comcast has served as a punching bag for installers. Installer complaints range from the quality of the hardware to the level of customer support these corporations provide.
Taking on the challenge of not only the maturing field of custom installation, but also the increasing competition of top-level consumer electronics companies, is Comcast. The world’s biggest media company is finally embracing the burgeoning custom electronics installation industry.
Comcast is aggressively entering the market with a new hardware solution, technology updates and a dealer friendly support program at CEDIA 2016.
Starting with what could be the glitziest of the company’s moves into the custom installation market, Comcast is bringing Dolby Atmos compatibility to its X1 platform. Comcast says that through its support of the Atmos format, dealers can provide their clientele with Dolby’s object-based surround sound format.
“All X1 boxes are Dolby Digital Plus capable. This is how we send Atmos through our cable plants to the X1 boxes,” says Neal Roberts, special operations, Comcast. “ We worked with Dolby to ensure the boxes were capable of passing the Atmos metadata to A/V receivers.”
Roberts says that another aspect of Comcast’s Atmos support is the process of disseminating Dolby Atmos content. Explaining that content is provided to the service company from various sources, Roberts states that once Comcast receives the content it modifies its “ingest processes to support the additional Atmos metadata that is part of the eAC3 encode, mixed with the video, and [it is] sent through our system to set-top boxes (STBs).”
At that point homeowners’ systems can receive, decode and playback that content in their home theater systems.
Currently Comcast offers four pieces of Atmos content as part of its On-Demand services. Roberts says there are two demo clips from the Dolby Atmos disc, as well as the first episode of the Starz series “Black Sails,” and the opening ceremony of Rio Olympics. Comcast plans to add more content in the near future.
Roberts recommends that anyone looking for Atmos content should use the voice command option found with the company’s XR11 remote control.
Using the voice command option he says all users need to do is say “Atmos.”
The voice command will show all Atmos content that is available on the user interface. Another method, he says, is that users can employs is to type 2,8,6,6,7 into their remotes to spell Atmos to get the same results.
On the hardware side of its market offerings Comcast has developed a rack-mount version of its X1 STB that includes options such as HDMI, digital optical and analog RCA outputs. The 1U product like the Dolby Atmos upgrades is available for no additional fee, and the rack-mount product also incorporates IP control provisions and the ability to reproduce Dolby Atmos.
Comcast states the rack-mount STB is a 16-inch deep Arris XG1 DVR with an integrated power supply, and it functions in the same manner as traditional Comcast STBs.
The final piece of Comcast’s custom installation portfolio is its Custom Xfinity Integration (CXI) program. Comcast explains this intuitive as a collaboration with the industry’s top remote control manufacturers and top dealers.
According to Comcast, the purpose of the program is to provide manufacturers and integrators with all the tools necessary to ensure a smooth Xfinity integration into clients’ homes.
Prior to the CXI program, integrators’ ability to work with the company were limited. With the launch of the CXI program, however, integrators are empowered to work “on behalf of the customer to set up installs, upgrades, trouble calls, etc.”
The CXIcentral.com portal host files for integrator education, and it provides a means for installers to request upgrades and other support measures. The program also provides an 800 number, along with an ID to enable installers to utilize the support line for services such as troubleshooting, equipment activation and other activities.
Participation in the CXI program, adds Roberts, is simple.
“A dealer will simply sign up for the CXI program at CXICentral.com and they will be able to read documentation on the IP Control program there,” says Roberts. “Also, we will do all the leg work for the dealers by working directly with third-party control manufacturers to ensure they’ve included the X1 IP control drivers/profiles in the code sets. The CXI team is always available via the CXICentral.com portal or through our 800 number during normal operating hours. We can answer questions and take comments through those channels. If a training is requested we will certainly assist.”
