No More Fighting Over the TV, I Win

Let’s be honest, since kids have come into your life, it seems as if they take a lot from you. I’m talking about your time, your energy, your sleep, your money, your TV time and your gadgets. I remember when I purchased my tablet, it was ALL MINE!! I had tons of apps I loved, it was filled with emails and magazine subscriptions. Now, you’ll find only the best kids’ apps, kids’ games and family movies (I still have my music on there. Don’t worry, they never push the music app). So, what do we do about this? Make the best of the situation by finding multiple ways of sharing the love!

Recently I attended an XFINITY event to take a peek at some of the latest products and services offered on the new X1 Entertainment Platform. I was super excited since I’ve been a customer for a number years and wondered what they hadn’t offered me. You know what I’m talking about. We see these cool new offerings on TV and then we think, why didn’t I get an email, phone call or a piece of mail about this since I’ve only been with you for 5 years! Anyway, I’m always interested in learning about the latest and the greatest in tech. And just as I thought, they did not disappoint. From voice activated remotes, on-screen TV show and movie ratings, and advanced parental controls, I found myself thoroughly impressed.  I noticed many of the attendees nodding their heads and some kept saying, “Wow!”

We actually have the new platform but it was here that I found out that we were only using about 60% of the available features. I immediately thought, “I think I have the solution for TV sharing.” Now, I now there are many households like mine where the TV is STUCK on kid programing. Yep, it’s like your family only watches 10 out of the 700 channels offered! This ends now! I fell back in love with TV a little with some of the features that will help us to end the “Kid Takeover.” 

• Apps and TV on the Go – Let me start by saying that we are not big fans of being on our devices every minute of the day. However, I do like having the option of watching missed episodes or having the ability to tune into shows with a quick connect to wifi. With literally millions of XFINITY hotspots through the country, I won’t miss a beat. We will be watching adult shows on our tablets or computer and the kids can have the TV (see, I can share). 
• Common Sense Media Ratings – I think we do a pretty good job when it comes to choosing the shows our kids watch but Grandparents aren’t always up to date. Common Sense Media Ratings lets you know exactly what each show/movie is about, the appropriate age for watching and star ratings. We all know that just because it looks like a cartoon, it doesn’t mean it’s something for the kiddies. Grandparents and Sitters won’t be fooled or conned by the kids. Although they are still young, it never fails that they’ll try to pull a fast one. No, they cannot watch Archer!!!
• Kids Zone and Parental Controls – Finally, a world exists where I don’t have to be bogged down to parental controls that prevent me from doing what I want. The Kids Zone is its own separate universe in a sense. In the Kids Zone you can set parameters for age range, TV watch times, and even set their favorite shows to automatically go to the episode. But the greatest part of all is that I can hand them over the remote and let them have free rein to programing that I have chosen. 
• Voice Activated Remote – The one thing my family was missing!!! Hold the microphone button, say a show title, actor name, ask about the weather or even say a famous movie quote and BAM, your wish is it’s desire! After we opened up this bad boy, my daughter immediately began to sing “Let it Go” into the remote and the first thing to pop up is Frozen. Okay, now that I think about it, I’m not sure if this is going to be a pro or con in our house…

I know that I’ve been talking about the TV and Internet stuff but I cannot neglect to say a few thing about the Home Security System. Nowadays, no home can go without a robust security system. Besides, that’s all we want to know what the baby sitter is doing when we leave the house or who really broke the glass vase. With the camera upgrade, you can record what’s happening in out or outside your doors 24 hours a day. Need to go back and take a look at footage from the other day? No problem, the recordings are stored for about 10 days. 

With all of my new-found knowledge, I can take back my home life and get a little bit of tube time during the week. Or, I’ll act like I’m going grocery shopping and hide out near a Wawa (they have hot spots) to sneak in some extra time. LOL

Learn more about XFINITY’s X1 Platform here.

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend #ComcastConnects Lunch & Learn and had a great time. I was given a gift bag full of goodies for my attendance but all thoughts and opinions are my own.