Comcast has rolled out another wave of updates for its IP-capable X1 platform, including a “simplified” menu for movies and TV shows for sale or for rent that focuses on the high-definition version of those titles.

“We’ve heard from our customers that when it comes to renting or purchasing movies, they prefer watching in HD, so we’ve updated entity pages to display HD Rent and Buy prices first,” Peter Nush, VP, product management for Comcast Cable, explained last week in this blog post.

While those rent and buy options will default to HD, customers can still select the standard-definition version, which typically costs less than its hi-def counterpart. 

X1 has also made some updates to pages for TV show seasons designed to make episode pricing more understandable, as "Buy" and "Purchased" season descriptions have been added to the episode guide to more clearly show which seasons are free, available to buy, or already purchased. Seasons that include all episodes for free are now marked as "On Demand."

Comcast has also added scrolling text for all program titles offered via the X1’s mini guide and mini search features, giving viewers a way to read the full program title via those options.

Among other additions, Comcast has also enabled its recently launched “talking guide” for the blind and visually impaired to include support for new areas such as the X1’s Mini Guide, Channel Info and Channel Collections areas.

In the X1’s “Comcast Labs” section, which gives users early access to some features and apps that are still in development, the MSO has added a layer of personalization via a “recent searches” element. X1 subs can try it out by accessing it via the Comcast Labs “Settings” page.

“With this feature activated, whenever you select a search result, that result will be remembered, so you can quickly find it again without having to search all over again,” Nush noted. “We are evaluating this feature to determine how useful it is, and may make it a default feature in the future based on your feedback.” 

Boomtown, a startup accelerator based in Boulder, Colo., has teamed up with Comcast Labs to build what is being billed as one of the world’s first Internet of Things (IoT) labs.

The lab will serve entrepreneurs, Boomtown startups and other companies and corporations that are developing IoT-facing products and services.  

Comcast Labs, the advanced technology arm of Comcast, is partnering with Boomtown in anticipation of an emerging market that will bring connectivity to a wide range of devices, including everything from locks, thermostats, and wearable computers.

“The IoT Lab will build relationships with other labs locally and around the world to leverage expertise and resources,” said Toby Krout, Boomtown founder and managing director. “We believe this facility can be an important addition to Boulder’s already thriving development culture.”

 “Comcast Labs, like many other companies, sees the tremendous potential of the IoT, and we’re very pleased to partner with BOOMTOWN to underwrite the development and launch of the lab,” added Joshua Seiden, executive director of Comcast Labs.

The cable industry, already a top provider of broadband connectivity and one that has also developed a range of home security and automation services, is expected to have a primary seat at the IoT table.

But one big challenge ahead is establishing open platforms amid the emergence of groups that are developing their own standards, including the AllSeen Alliance, the Open Interconnect Consortium and Thread Group. CableLabs, for one, is trying to get out ahead of this through work underway that aims to fill those gaps and establish a bridge between these multiple IoT standards and protocols.

According to Boomtown’s FAQ, it invests $20,000 per team under its 12-week accelerator program, with the goal to give participants the ability to work on startups without worrying about paying for general living expenses. In return, Boomtown gets 6% ownership in each company.

Startups in Boomtown's current portfolio include KickFurther, a crowdfunding initiative, College Press Club, a developer of a system that makes it easy to buy ads in college newspapers, and Derive Insight, a firm that helps IoT and sensor companies generate “meaningful Insight” in to data collected from connected devices. 

Comcast confirmed that it added a section on its X1 interface that gives customers a way to try out apps and features under development at its Comcast Labs division.

Comcast said it rolled out the feature to all X1 customers last week, and that it intends to provide access to new apps-in-the-making every month.

GigaOm first shed light on the the new X1 app test environment on Monday, reporting that Comcast will use it to receive feedback and data on them before the team decides which ones will be launch commercially on the cloud-based, IP-capable platform.

Comcast has since posted a blog about the effort, noting that the new Comcast Labs subsection is offered on X1 under "Settings/Preferences" and that it will serve as a "sandbox" where cusotmers can beta test new features before they go live.

Early on, Comcast is allowing X1 subs to experiment with the following four apps, which are all available on an opt-in basis:

-Next Episode Suggestions (pictured above): Offering a tool that encourages binge-viewing, this feature tees up the next episode in a series after a customer finishes watching the previous episode, telling the customer if it’s offered via video-on-demand, is stored on the DVR, or is offered for purchase.

-Shuffle Play: Automatically plans a set of episodes from a kids TV series or music videos from a specific artist, as long as there are two or more on-demand selections to watch. The playlist will begin playing in random order when a customer selections the “Shuffle” option.

-Last Watched: Comcast is testing a way to expand the functionality of its existing “Last” button to include additional rows such as “Last Channels,” and “Continue Watching,” enabling users to find and resume shows being viewed via VOD or the DVR, as well as “Recent Applications.”

-Childproof Remote: This test feature temporarily locks the remote by pressing the Up Arrow button three times followed by L-O-C-K (5-6-2-5). Subsequently entering this code will unlock the remote.

Comcast offers X1 in all of its markets, but has not said how many of its 22.6 million video subs are on the platform. However, it has begun to offer X1 in double-play packages (video plus broadband), complementing its original rollout strategy that largely centered on new triple-play subscribers. Comcast said it’s currently installing X1 at a rate of nearly 20,000 customers per day.

The ability to tee up and switch out experimental apps and features on a rapid speaks to the agility of Comcast’s new cloud-based platform. That’s in stark contrast to how long it takes for operators to spool up new features and apps for resident set-top platforms, which can require months of regression testing.