X1 Suggestion for enhancement of System

Question

HI all,Have had X1 for 1 week and wanted to make the following enhancement suggestions. 1) For DVR recordings change save system to allow for creation of folders for recording to be filed into  so recording are not in one big list all comingled and hard to get through.  Putting them in folders setup by enduser is a feature Dish and others have seems like a simple function to add for Comcast. 2) Develop a remote with a 30 sec forward skip button 3) 2 Key remote functions missing in todays day and age:  Button to change TV line input choice, Lighted remote buttons. 4) X1 remote badly needs a AUX button....the "All On" function works for the TV but does not allow for control to turn on our home theater receiver so the cutting edge tech now has us using 2 remotes when the old tech we used the one Comcast remote to control everything. Thanks!

Answer 1

It should be noted the Harmony 900 is discontinued and new units are expensive and getting very rare. I have a Harmony One and yesterday I ordered a refurbished 900. The new Harmony remotes are equally capable. In fact they offer smartphone and tablet control. However the new Harmony remotes are not designed as well as the 900. Having the 0-9 channel buttons on a touchscreen is a really bad idea. Personally I think the Harmony One and Harmony 900 have the best button layout and design of ANY universal remote. When Comcast was designing X1, one of their biggest motivations was removing buttons from the remote. I was told the TV input button on the silver remote was the one of the biggest sources of service calls. flguy2 is right. The only way to accomplish what you want is to get a good universal remote. However the old silver/Moto remote runs my Arris made X1 DVR just fine... flguy2 wrote:
Hi.  I have also had the X1 for about a week now.  Here are some additional comments regarding your ideas, plus a solution to your 30 skip ahead. 1) The folder idea is interesting, but I notice the X1 already "groups" saved shows.  So for example, all my American Idol recordings are rolled up into one and I just have to click it to expand.  Have you noticed this?  Maybe you are referring to folders as generic names you can make up, such as "Space" or "Documentaries" and manually move your shows in there?  Also, at the very top you can sort by date or A-Z.  The old Scientific Atlanta I had use to allow a third sort by channel, so that is the only thing missing in my opinion.  Also, you can search for content and it will pull up your saved recordings.  If you have the X1 remote control/voice app for your iPhone or tablet, you can just speak what you want and it will show up.  Very handy. 2) You can implement a 30 sec skip button using the instructions from this page: http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57606944-285/how-to-program-a-30-second-skip-button-for-xfinity-x1/  It worked flawlessly for me.  And by the way, this trick programs the skip-ahead inside the BOX not the remote.  I actually use a Harmony 900 for everything and once I implemented the skip ahead using the Xfinity remote, I didn't have to change anything on my Harmony, it just worked. 3) Buy a universal remote like the Harmony 900 for this.  The latest Harmonys use RF just like the Xfinity remote.  So for example, on my Harmony 900 there is an LCD screen at the top where I can program various functions for any one of my media devices (speakers, TV, etc).  The Harmony remote also has backlit keys, which light up when you move the remote around. 4) See #3.  The programmable universal remotes are great because there is SO much customization you can do.  The Harmony brand by Logitech comes with a USB and you program it via their web site or separately downloaded software.  If this sounds too complicated than you may not like it, but it will ultimately give you exactly what you want.  You can even control fans and lights with it, pretty much anything that has an IR or RF receiver built into it. Additional idea/improvement:  I miss the ability to skip ahead by DAY in the channel guide.  For example, if I am the Discovery Channel, I would like to see what is on at 8pm the following 4 nights.  There is no easy way to do this.  With the old non-X1 guide you could select your channel then the whole guide would become a vertical listing of the shows on that channel for upcoming times and you could page up/down by day.  I don't see a way to do that with the X1.