Say goodbye to the cable and hello to Xfinity Instant TV

television on your tablet

This post is sponsored by Xfinity. All opinions expressed are my own.

When Xfinity first introduced their X1 system to the world, I fell in love with the user interface. It was easy to use and it perfectly blended live television with your recorded shows and Xfinity’s massive on-demand library. What I didn’t know at the time was exactly how brilliant this new interface was.

I say that because the interface looks exactly the same on your television as it does on your tablet and on your phone. In other words, no matter where or how you watch your Xfinity programming, you are having the same interface experience each time.

Fast forward to today where Xfinity is now offering a cable box-free service called Xfinity Instant TV. Instant TV allows you to get many of the same Xfinity channels you can get over cable, but rather than the programming coming across your cable wire, it instead comes across an Internet connection (what we techies call digital streaming).

How to get started with Instant TV

Instant TV is a real cost saver, too. In fact, you can start with the basic Instant TV package for an affordable price which gives you your local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and PBS) along with the option to add on other channels.

If you want more channels, you can add them to your Instant TV service at any time through what Xfinity calls channel packs. There are channel packs for Kids & Family, Entertainment and Sports & News. You can also add in premium channel packs like HBO, STARZ or STREAMPIX.

Take it on the go

Instant TV doesn’t require any additional equipment (i.e., say goodbye to the “box”). But don’t mistake this as thinking you won’t be able to record your favorite shows. Instant TV allows you to record and store up to 20 hours of your favorite shows in your cloud DVR storage. Since your shows are stored in the cloud, you can watch them anywhere you have access to the internet via Xfinity’s free Xfinity Stream app.

This means you can watch live television, your recorded shows or any of Xfinity’s on-demand content on your computer, on your tablet or on your phone. Roku users can find the Xfinity Stream app in the Roku Channel Store as well.

Prepaid Instant TV

For people interested in flexible payment option, Xfinity offers Prepaid Instant TV. This is a quick and easy way to pay-as-you-go with both Internet and Instant TV with no annual contract, no credit check and no monthly bills.

Recommendation

Instant TV is perfect for people who want to stream a basic selection of channels, with the option to add on popular cable channels, to any internet-enabled device with no additional equipment. It’s also ideal for people who like to time-shift their programming and like to watch their recorded shows and on-demand movies and television shows at more locations than just their home living room.