In the quest to make all this newfangled technology more consumer-friendly, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) announced earlier this month that its X1 Voice Remote is now capable of automatic setup.
This means that right out of the box, X1 will detect the model of TV set the customer is using and program the remote to be able to control TV power, volume and input. The auto-setup technology is from Universal Electronics (NASDAQ:UEIC), which also supplies the remotes themselves.
The release was done in a staged approach, said Jonathan Palmatier, Comcast VP of product development and consumer devices. Originally, customers had to find their TV manufacturer on a sheet of paper with codes printed in 8-point font. They then had to figure out how to enter the code using the remote.
The second assisted flow phase had the set-top box querying the TV to find out the brand and then reaching up into the cloud to find the right code. The user would be prompted to enter this code manually via the remote.
In this most recent iteration, the code is automatically pushed from the set-top box to the remote.
"We knew that setting up the remote was a pain point," Palmatier said. "We wanted a better customer experience. Part of our mantra and end goal is to improve the customer experience end to end. As we look at the set-up experience through the lens of the customer, we are constantly looking at areas to improve."
The phased approach is part of Comcast's dev ops model of moving incrementally toward new features. It also provides an opportunity to test and tinker if necessary along the way.
"It is technically straightforward to query over an HDMI link, grab a code and present it, as opposed to the last step, which is … having the remote control receive and replace the codes on the device," Palmatier said.
Plus there needed to be a graceful failure plan. If the auto option found an obscure TV, the assisted flow kicks in and the consumer is offered a suggested code, Palmatier said.
Comcast says it has more than 10 million X1 voice remotes in residences. Each month, they process 200 million voice commands, and more than 1 billion have been processed since the voice remote launched last year, Palmatier said.
The cloud architecture allows for easy changes to make improvements. For example, Comcast found that there was a problem with users pressing and releasing the button instead of holding it when they talk. There now is a prompt that appears on the screen giving instructions. As for recognition, extraneous words like "please" were making commands undecipherable. Comcast accounted for this on the back end so that these words are dropped.
In addition, Comcast is working on more optimizations for the voice remote. The auto-detect feature currently works for new X1 installations or if a customer adds a new remote to an existing X1. Comcast wants to extend the use case so that the system automatically detects if a new TV is added to an existing X1 account.
"There are (also) better ways to take care of more complex installations," Palmatier said.
For example, being able to control the volume of a home theater system with the remote.
"Our goal is … to enable customers to find entertainment faster and easier. We look at every barrier between the customer and content and try to knock it down," Palmatier said.