Comcast Begins Rolling Out A28 i-Guide, New Interactive TV Applications

Comcast has begun rolling out the A28 i-Guide--an EPG that was developed by GuideWorks, its joint venture with Rovi (formerly Macrovision)--on Motorola set-top boxes, but has delayed plans to launch a "start over" service, according to a report Friday by Todd Spangler of the US cable industry trade publication, Multichannel News. According to Spangler, Comcast, which was originally slated to launch its start over service (allows viewers to "rewind" to the beginning a program that has already begun airing) as early as late 2008, stated that it will "continue to evaluate" the service, but provided no explanation of its decision to delay its launch.

New features offered by the A28 i-Guide include myDVR Manager, which allows users to remotely schedule recordings on one or more DVR's from the Web (a feature already offered by rivals DirecTV, Verizon and AT&T) via a dedicated Web page, comcast.net/mydvr; the ability to fast-forward recordings in five-minute increments; a prompt that lets viewers switch to an HD version (if available) of the SD channel they are currently watching; an on-screen keyboard; DVR folders that automatically group shows together; the ability to delete groups of recordings; and the ability to search and schedule recordings using actor's or director's name or keywords. "The enhancements bring customers more choice and convenience by allowing customers to easily skip forward or back during their favorite programs, watch their favorite programs in HD without having to scroll to a higher channel to see if it is available and search for programs by title, director, keyword and more," Comcast said in a statement.

A number of interactive TV applications are also being launched with the new EPG, including HSN's Shop by Remote app, RFI functionality for commercials, and the ability to schedule recordings or program reminders directly from promos. According to Spangler, Comcast will be launching the A28 i-Guide market-by-market, with the launch expected to be complete by early next year.