Comcast said it has added a feature that enables its voice remotes for the X1 service to automatically pair with televisions without requiring customers to input codes manually.
Comcast said it has received calls over the years from customers asking for help with setting up their remotes, and said this new automated feature will eliminate the step of having to fumble for remote control codes. However, devices must be connected by HDMI in order for the feature to work.
“For new X1 customers – or existing customers who may have just received one of our X1 Voice Remotes – X1 will now immediately detect the model of the television they are using and program the remote to control things like TV power, volume and input,” Jonathan Palmatier, VP, product development and consumer devices at Comcast, explained in this blog post. “Within seconds, X1 will display an on-screen message that the remote is ready to go.
Universal Electronics said its QuickSet Cloud software is enabling the auto-connect feature for X1. Universal Electronics, which has a warrants agreement with Comcast based on purchase milestones, said QuickSet is widely deployed in more than 250 million devices, including set-tops, televisions, game consoles, smartphones, and tablets.
Comcast is adding the feature as it expands the deployment of X1 and the voice remote. Comcast expects about half of its video sub base to be on X1 by year-end, and has deployed more than 10 million X1 voice remotes. The operator said X1 subs are speaking more than 200 million commands into the voice remote every month, and that it has processed north of 1 billion voice commands since launching the device last year.
