Comcast inks deal with NW companies to stream video to the iPad and iPhone

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With Hulu reportedly for sale and Netflix taking heat over its price hike, Comcast is making a bigger push to deliver online video content to mobile devices. The cable giant today announced that it plans to begin using video processing technology from Portland-based Elemental Technologies and video management technology from Seattle-based thePlatform — a Comcast subsidiary… Read More…

Video: Meet the Seattle geek who just got banned from Comcast

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Andre Vrignaud, who just got banned from Comcast for a year for unknowingly exceeding a 250 gigabyte data cap, is taking his frustration to the airwaves. The 39-year-old video game consultant chats with GeekWire news partner KING 5, telling reporter Eric Wilkinson that the year-long ban is impacting his ability to earn a paycheck. Vrignaud, who… Read More…

Comcast shows next-gen Xfinity TV interface, gets help from your Facebook friends

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The rise of free online alternatives to traditional cable television means the big cable operators will need to roll out user-experience innovations to keep those users in the fold. Cable giant Comcast is showing where it’s headed — demonstrating a next-generation Xfinity TV interface that incorporates and tries to improve upon approaches from the traditional… Read More…

Comcast wins high-speed broadband contract for Seattle’s Pioneer Square

Mayor Mike McGinn chats with City of Seattle CTO Bill Schrier in Pioneer Square

Comcast has won a high-profile contract to provide high-speed Internet access to businesses and residences in Pioneer Square, an important development given the number of Internet and gaming companies located in Seattle’s historic district. “Comcast has actually wanted to serve this area for years, because of its reputation as a business incubator,” said Comcast’s Todd… Read More…

Your TV is ringing: Comcast to offer Skype video calls in HD

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Skype this afternoon announced a partnership with Comcast to bring video calls to more television sets — signaling that it isn’t standing still while it waits for its acquisition by Microsoft to be completed. Comcast says it will offer high-definition Skype calls as an extra service for its cable subscribers. It will work via an… Read More…

Comcast wants to serve Pioneer Square startups, bids on city broadband project

Mayor Mike McGinn discusses the Pioneer Square broadband project with City of Seattle CTO Bill Schrier

A few weeks ago, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn stood on First Avenue and asked Internet service providers to step up to help bring high-speed Internet to the Pioneer Square neighborhood. Now, one of the biggest providers in the state, wants to help deliver. Comcast said today that it has submitted an application to bring high-speed… Read More…

Broadband: Does the city of Seattle really need to step in?

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Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is pushing to bring high-speed fiber-optic connections to businesses in the city, starting in Pioneer Square. But how far should the city go into an area where private companies compete? The latest episode of the public affairs program City Inside/Out on the Seattle Channel does a nice job exploring the debate over… Read More…

Comcast Xfinity app expands video on-demand to iPhone, iPod … but only over WiFi for now

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Comcast has updated its Xfinity TV app to bring streaming on-demand programs to the iPhone and iPod touch, adding a capability that was introduced for the iPad in February. The feature gives Comcast subscribers a new way to watch programs, but for now they’ll still need to be within range of a WiFi connection. The… Read More…

Seattle non-profit Reel Grrls fights back against Comcast … and wins

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Call it a classic David vs. Goliath story. Comcast found itself in the middle of a PR quagmire this week after Seattle non-profit Reel Grrls disclosed that the cable giant had cut funding for its summer film camp program over a Tweet. And what did the tiny non-profit — whose mission is to empower young… Read More…

Comcast rolls out 105 Mbps ‘Extreme’ Internet service

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Do you really need download speeds of more than 100 megabits per second in your house? (Come on, really?) At any rate, if the answer is truly yes, Comcast has a solution for you, if you’re willing to add a sizable premium to your already sizable monthly bill. The company this morning announced the availability… Read More…