Comcast Rolls Out AnyRoom DVR, New EPG in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Comcast said Tuesday that it has launched its multiroom DVR service, Anyroom DVR, in most of Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. It also said that it has launched its A28 i-Guide--an EPG that was developed by GuideWorks, which was originally a joint venture with Rovi (formerly Macrovision)--in those regions (note: the guide is designed for Motorola systems; earlier this year, Comcast announced plans to roll out the Cisco/Scientific-Atlanta version of the i-Guide, designated as "S25"--see the article published on itvt.com, May 19th).

According to Comcast, AnyRoom DVR allows customers to view DVR recordings on any networked set-top box in the home, and to start watching a recording in one room and finish watching it in another. The service employs a 500GB HD DVR as the primary outlet and up to three additional HD set-tops that can play back content recorded on the HD DVR. All DVR recording functions--scheduling, deleting, recording settings, pause-live-TV, etc.--are controlled via the primary box; while the networked set-tops can be used to view, sort, play, fast-forward, rewind, pause, skip ahead and skip back. The 20 or so regions in which Comcast has previously launched AnyRoom DVR--which is powered by technologies from Entropic and Broadcom--include Oregon, southwest Washington, Chattanooga and Knoxville, TN; Augusta, GA; Little Rock, AR; Mobile, AL; western Massachusetts; southern Florida; and the San Francisco Bay Area (see the article published on itvt.com, July 5th).

New features offered by the A28 i-Guide include:

• myDVR Manager, which allows customers to remotely schedule and manage recordings on one or more DVR's from the Web via a dedicated Web page, comcast.net/tv. Customers can log on to the Web page to add programs to their recording list, manage their scheduled DVR recordings, and change the priority of recorded series. In addition, Comcast says, customers with an iPhone or iPod touch can remotely schedule their DVR recordings using the Comcast Mobile app.
• On Demand and DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back, which allows customers to fast-forward or rewind on-demand programs and DVR recordings in five-minute increments by using the "page up" and "page down" buttons on the remote.
• A "Watch in HD" button, which lets customers switch to an HD version (if available) of the SD channel they are currently watching.
• DVR Search & Record, which allows customers to search for a program by actor, director, title or keyword. "For example," Comcast explains in its press materials, "if a customer searches for 'Clint Eastwood,' all programs Clint Eastwood acted in or directed that are in the TV Listings would appear. If the customer saves the Clint Eastwood search, the DVR would automatically search for new matches and schedule recordings anytime a Clint Eastwood program aired on any channel."
• DVR History, which displays information on already recorded, watched and deleted programs.
• DVR Clean Up, which allows users to manage their DVR by deleting programs in bulk.
• DVR Folders, which automatically creates a storage folder when a customer records more than one episode of a series.
• An on-screen keyboard.

Concurrently with its national roll-out of the A28 i-Guide (which began last summer--see the article published on itvt.com, September 7th), Comcast has been rolling out a number of interactive TV applications, including HSN's Shop by Remote app, RFI functionality for commercials, and the ability to schedule recordings or program reminders directly from promos.