COMCAST BRINGING LIVE TV TO IPADS

Saying that its goal is to “reinvent how customers interact with their entertainment on TV, online and on mobile devices,” cable giant Comcast has announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it plans to offer live television programming and thousands of hours of video-on-demand content via Apple’s iPad and other tablet devices later this year. The live feature, which will become a component of Comcast’s Xfinity TV service will, at least initially, be available only for in-home viewing. However, Comcast — the nation’s largest cable-TV operator — said it plans to roll out a “play now” feature for its Xfinity TV iPad app, that will allow subscribers to select from 3,000 hours of on-demand content that can be watched outside of subscribers’ homes at any time. The same iPad app can also be used in conjunction with Comcast’s DVR box to allow subscribers to search for on-demand content, program their DVRs, or watch shows at once on their TV sets — essentially turning the iPad into an enhanced remote control.