A couple of weeks ago I was invited to hang out with some other local bloggers to see what all Comcast XFINITY can really offer. Honestly, I'm one of those people that just tosses the mailers and assume they just want more money from me each month. We have gone many years without cable, but we have had it for the past year because it was cheaper to purchase as a Double Play deal than if we had internet alone.
Credit: Comcast Beltway
I sat through the XFINITY X1 presentation completely in awe of this new platform and the crazy ways I can control my TV. At the end of the presentations, I mentioned to someone that I don't have X1 yet, that I just have the basic old box. I was immediately hooked up with the new X1 box because it does not add anything extra to my monthly bill! I was so surprised by this. They said it's common because most people assume that it's going to cost them more money. I know we all hate spending more money!
Now, let me tell you a little about this awesome new X1! XFINITY X1 brings new things to your cable box with Smart Search, Share app, Kids Zone, Apps on your TV, XFINITY On Demand, Last 9, and more!
Of course, my favorite is Kids Zone, so that's primarily what I'm going to tell you about. Kids Zone is exactly what it sounds like. Kids love controlling the remote, but as parents, we need to be able to control what they see. With Kids Zone, the kids can safely browse age-appropriate content while catching up with their favorite characters in shows and movies. The easiest way to access Kids Zone is using the voice remote. You can also find it through On Demand under the Kids tab.
To change your Kids Zone settings, click on the gear icon at the top left of the Kids Zone guide. Use the arrows on your remote to highlight the settings you'd like to change. You can restrict content by age range, turn off recordings so the kids aren't filling up the DVR, choose whether episodes can play back to back on auto-play, and view Common Sense Media ratings and reviews.
Stream and share right to a tv! How perfect for grandparents to watch from afar! #XfinityMoms @ComcastBeltway pic.twitter.com/RmVXYrtnzA
— Christina Shirley (@MyMessyMiracles) June 1, 2016
The Share app is something that really turned me onto X1! Picture yourself stuck at home with a new baby while your older child has an important game or school event. With the share app, whoever is at the event can record it and I can live stream it straight to the TV! This would be absolutely awesome for sharing events with grandparents and other family that live too far to see all of the everyday moments.
Did I mention the voice remote yet? All you need to do is push the little microphone button tell it what you want to do! You can say “find a funny movie” and it will! You can say a character in a show, an actor, a TV channel, or even a quote from a movie. How cool is that? I have no idea what number some of my favorite channels are and now I have no need to bother learning them.
We also had a chance to check out XFINITY Home. We haven't really considered Home Security much because our kids are still really young and there's usually someone home. What I learned though, is that XFINITY Home is not just for home security, but a way to really make my home a smart home. Hear that? It's not just for the rich and famous these days!
With XFINITY Home, I can control when the lights come on, the thermostat, and even unlock the door. Some of the additional items you can set-up include a smoke alarm and a water sensor. If you have ever had a flooded basement, you know how helpful it would be to get an alert that there is water somewhere there shouldn't be!
As the boys get older, I can definitely see us taking advantage of everything XFINITY Home has to offer. You can set up alerts to let you know if someone has come through the front door and get a picture of the event. Or, you could even get an alert if they haven't walked through the door by a certain time. It's a way to know what's going on and keep your kids safe, even when you're not there.
With all of the cool new features we have access to with X1, we had a family movie night. While I could have watched a ton of free movies, I hit the microphone button on my crazy awesome new remote and said “Zootopia”. It brought up all of the info for me to view and I rented it. Of course, with the 72 hour rental, we watched it more than once.
And, because every movie night needs snacks, we made Movie Night Popcorn Balls! What are these, you ask? Popcorn and marshmallow balls loaded with our favorite candies!
These are a really fun treat to get the kids involved in, too! What kid wouldn't like squishing their hands in a sticky (and yummy) bowl?
- 10 cups popped popcorn
- 8 oz marshmallow creme
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup M&Ms
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- swedish fish (about 15 or so)
- Melt butter and marshmallow creme in saucepan over low, stirring until completely melted.
- Put popcorn in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour melted marshmallow mixture over popcorn.
- Stir gently to evenly coat.
- Add candies and chocolate chips.
- Stir to evenly distribute.
- Spray hands with cooking spray or grease with butter.
- Form balls of about 3 inches of popcorn mixture.
- Place balls onto greased wax paper covered tray.
- Allow to set at room temperature for at least an hour.
Easy to make and perfect for a rainy day inside with a movie over the summer! Snacks are covered and you know that your kids are watching something that meets your approval!
Disclosure: I was invited to attend an #XfinityMoms event to learn more about what's new. I received a gift bag that included a new tablet. No monetary compensation received. All opinions are my own.
[…] browser does not support iframes.We recently upgraded to Xfinity X1 after I attended an event in the Spring. Wow. We definitely love the voice remote and I can see how handy it will be for the Rio Summer […]