Oct. 14—Spectrum Cable customers have the option to ditch the cable box entirely and sign up for a Xumo streaming device, a move that Charter Spectrum executives said they hope will bring more unity to the streaming and traditional TV landscape.
Launched earlier this month, the Xumo device is a slim black box that connects to a TV via HDMI port and to the internet via WiFi or an Ethernet cable. It operates much like a smart TV, but comes with Spectrum service pre-established and preloaded with all major streaming options, like Netflix, Hulu and HBO's streaming service Max. Access to paid streaming services will still require a separate subscription
The TV and internet company recently reached an agreement with Disney to provide its streaming options to Spectrum customers included in their TV subscriptions, and those options are available on Xumo as well. The Disney streaming package will be made available in the near future, but has no set launch date yet.
In an interview, Charter Spectrum's senior vice president of video Robyn Tolva said the value in Xumo comes from the way it unifies access to all the streaming services and Spectrum's traditional TV lineup into one searchable format.
"The way I describe it is an integration of features that are familiar and modern, pulling together pay TV with top apps, breaking down the silos across entertainment and offering a relaxed, simplified experience for customers," she said.
The Xumo remote, which is relatively flat and features buttons to control every aspect of a TV setup, has a large blue microphone button in the top middle, above the directional control keys. Using this, or the Xumo's search feature with an on-screen keyboard, people can search for whatever entertainment, be it music, video, TV show or movie, and find it across whatever streaming or Spectrum cable options they have access to, like On Demand or premium channel airings.
People can also make specific viewing profiles on the Xumo, tracking their favorite media options across apps and Spectrum TV without having to navigate more than a single menu. Subscribers who have or want DVR recordings of Spectrum TV airings can access that with Spectrum's cloud DVR.
Tolva said she had installed a Xumo at her parents house when the device was released, who had been using traditional cable for 20 years. She said the thing that stood out to her parents was the voice search feature, which gave them the power to find whatever actor or content they wanted quickly.
"For our Spectrum video customers who have had a traditional setup, voice search is not something we've been able to offer," she said. "This search is industry-leading technology that Comcast has had out in the marketplace for years."