Solving playback issues

[vjack10802]

About two weeks ago my xfinity cable/DVR box reset unexpectedly and caused the roku in my basement to actually shut off. Able the xfinity cable/DVR box was back up and working, the xfinity app could not be accessed for the next two hours. However, everything still seemed fine after that until I tried to watch a DVR recording through the xfinity app on my roku. The recordings would take longer to start, begin to drop connection on and off for a few minutes, and then lose connection altogether. Attempts to watch the recordings from On Demand would yield the same result unless the recording was erased from the DVR. This has been an ongoing problem since then. I have refreshed and reset the xfinity cable/DVR box, uninstalled and reinstalled the xfinity app on the roku with no success. There have been numerous other issues just with the xfinity app on roku such as the volume jumping up significantly and sometimes becoming fuzzy or dropping significantly. The emergency broadcast messages get stuck in a loop and run continuously. 

[atc98092]

I don't have Xfinity TV service, just their Internet and voice line. But comments over the years have always been negative about the Xfinity app for Roku devices. Unfortunately, only Comcast can fix their problems with the app. At least they don't label it as beta anymore. 

[vjack10802]

I thought that this would be the case. It is funny how the beta version of the Xfinity app actually works better than the final version. It is the only app that I experience issues with on Roku. I can run the Xfinity app on any other device and it runs without issues. I am considering a move from Xfinity to Verizon at the end of this month and using the YouTube TV streaming option.

[atc98092]

Just remember the Xfinity app on a different device is written in a completely different programming language for Roku devices. So how the app performs on one platform doesn't carry over to a different platform. They may look the same, but completely different programs under the hood. 🙂

[vjack10802]

That is a good point which I do understand. The problem is that the Roku is what I use as a primary means for watching cable TV. Since there is an issue with the Xfinity app on the Roku device, I feel like it is better to move to another service provider like Verizon. They offer an option to select either cable TV which I think cost to much or a reasonable option of YouTube TV for streaming TV channels. I plan to switch from Xfinity to Verizon by the end of the month.

[atc98092]

I'm fortunate that I have a great OTA signal for the major stations (and their sub-channels), and I simply have no interest in what are referred to as "cable" channels. They simply don't offer any content I care about. Besides OTA stations, I have MAX (included in my cell phone plan) and Prime Video. Those, along with my home media server which has all my purchased media stored, provides all the media entertainment we care about. 

You are correct that there are a multitude of online TV providers that can usually match or beat what a cable company offers. YouTube TV, Fubo TV, Sling TV are just three examples, and I believe there are others. 

[andyross]

I dropped my Comcast TV service a few months ago. For a few days, the Roku app still let me watch leftover recordings. Now, it only lets me watch some purchased movies. The Roku app is the one that looks very similar to the X1 interface.

On my FireTV and Google TV, the app looks like the Android app on a phone. And, it still works. I can access some of the Xumo free streaming channels. I can see some of the weekly free stuff Comcast offers, etc...