Comcast Looking to iPad Apps for Cable Set Top Box UI
Comcast is in the process of developing a new UI for their set top cable boxes. Known as Xcalibur, Comcast has been approaching the development of the UI with an eye to what consumers are becoming accustomed to on other devices. The goal is a UI that supports apps that tie into online services while displaying richer content information in a format that operates in a manner that feels similar to an iPad app. Presumably Comcast is also applying lessons they learned from developing their Xfinity apps for mobile devices. What would you like to see in the UI of your next set top box?
Comcast is now testing this new UI in one market, and plans to start rolling it out to a broader subscriber base some time in 2012. However, Blaine made clear that this would just be one step, with cloud services and meta-data offering many more possibilities.