Comcast introduces new X2 set-top box operating system

A sign stands in front of a Comcast customer service center on August 3, 2011 in Oakland, California.(Photo: Justin Sullivan Getty Images)

Story Highlights

• It contains more personalization features, including show recommendations and Facebook
• Menu items are shown in more intuitive tile format
• Voice command in remote control allows verbal search

WASHINGTON - Comcast introduced Tuesday its new set-top box operating system, due out late this fall, that will contain more personalization features that the company hopes will discourage customers from wandering over to other streaming services.

Introduced at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association's Cable Show 2013 conference, the X2 is an upgrade over Comcast's current X1 platform and focuses on TV recommendations based on viewing habits, online content from Comcast's partners and personal social media accounts.

"It allows that whole interactivity that we've never seen before," said Comcast CEO Brian Roberts at his presentation on Tuesday.

Its main dashboard - laid out in a tile format - will allow direct access to recorded and bookmarked shows, as well as Facebook, Pandora and other online media.

Information screens for movies will include reviews by Rotten Tomatoes. A partnership with Zeebox, a social media site for TV viewers, will show a live feed of the Twitter buzz about television shows. Common Sense Media, an advocacy organization that studies technology's effect on children, will provide age recommendations for shows in X2's "Kids" section.

The system also includes a voice command function on the remote control that allows users to verbally search for shows, movies and Web videos based on title, topic or actors.

The system is meant to work across devices so users also can watch on a tablet or smartphone.

Roberts also said XI3, the new set-top box hardware that comes with X2, is four times faster than the current model and uses less energy than other cable boxes.