Xfinity TV Equipment

Trevor Wheelwright
Nov 16, 2021
Icon Time To Read3 min read

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Xfinity’s TV equipment has some cool futuristic tricks up its sleeve. With the X1 DVR, you can use voice search, check scores and stats, and build a library of shows that you can watch on-the-go.

If you have Xfinity TV cable service, you need a $7.50 per month set-top box, or you can upgrade for X1 Cloud DVR, which comes with a fee of $20 per month. By going with the X1 DVR, you also get the X1 voice remote.

Xfinity TV packages
Plan
TV channel count
Price
Details
Popular TV125+$50/mo.*
Ultimate TV185+$68.5/mo.*
* No term contract. Broadcast TV fee and regional sports fee extra; price subj to change. Taxes and equipment not included.
Xfinity DVR, X1 remote, and iPhone.
Save big: add Xfinity internet and mobile
Deals

These Xfinity deals should put a twinkle in your eye if you're searching for a new internet or cable TV plan:

  • Northeastern US: Get a $200 Visa prepaid card with the Gigabit plan—or pair your Blast! or Gigabit plan with Xfinity Mobile to save $30 a month.*
  • Central US: Save $30/mo. with the Superfast internet plan + Xfinity Mobile.**
  • Western US: Save $10/mo. on the Connect plan or $30/mo. on the Fast plan with Xfinity Mobile, plus get a $100 Visa prepaid card with your order.

Ready? See the Xfinity TV, internet, and mobile deals in your area.

Save on Xfinity TV + Mobile + Internet

Or, if you just want internet, you're in luck. Switch to Xfinity and get up to a $200 Visa® Prepaid Card!

Xfinity X1 DVR

The Xfinity X1 can record up to 60 HD (high definition) hours and 300 SD (standard definition) hours, but if you link two X1 Cloud DVRs together, you can bump those numbers up to 120 HD hours and 600 SD hours.

Xfinity X1 DVR

The X1 DVR has six tuners in it (except for one model, which has five), meaning you can record up to six programs simultaneously, or twelve if you’ve got two DVRs linked up.

With the Xfinity Stream app, you can also access your cloud recordings on a mobile device.

The Cloud DVR Lite is an included DVR option for some cable plans. You’ll get 20 hours of SD or HD recording storage, which isn’t a ton, but it’s better than nothing. We’ll focus on the X1 DVR.

How does Xfinity TV equipment compare to others?

A single X1’s storage capacity (60 HD cloud + 150 HD local) is similar to the 200 HD hours you’d get from a DIRECTV Genie, but weak compared to the 2,000 HD hours you can get from a DISH Hopper. But, the biggest difference is price. One X1 DVR tacks on an extra $20 every month—ouch.

DVR comparison
DVR name
DVR fee
Recording capacity
Max # of recordings
Details

Xfinity X1 Cloud DVR

$20/mo.

60 HD hours

6

DIRECTV Genie

Included

200 HD hours

8

DISH Hopper

$15/mo.

2,000 HD hours

16

To put it into perspective, all of Seinfeld is 66 hours, Adventure Time is 34 hours. and Game of Thrones is 70 hours. So with a 60-hour capacity, Xfinity could stand to add some time for more hardcore viewers looking to keep a library in their DVRs.

You could try switching to SD recording to get more hours, and maybe you don’t need all of that TV all at once . . . but maybe you do?

Xfinity X1 voice remote

Xfinity X1 Voice Remote

Xfinity X1 Voice Remote

Searching with your voice is a bit of a lifesaver for those of us who hate navigating all the virtual keyboards we encounter. (Seriously, it takes forever.)

Rather than searching for the right channel to catch an NBA game, you can hold down the button and say “Utah Jazz” and the right channel will pop up. And for sports fans, you can press the C button to see live sports scores and stats.

Xfinity TV equipment on the go

Most people bundle Xfinity TV service with internet, which also ties in your Netflix and makes Xfinity TV service available on all your smart devices. The Xfinity Stream app includes on-demand content and live TV shows (sports!) as well. Instant TV anywhere? Sounds good to us.

Your Cloud DVR works on the go too. You can catch up with Barry on the bus or watch cooking shows from your laptop or iPad.

Prime Video, Pandora, Netflix, and YouTube

TV, in general, is moving toward combining streaming services over traditional cable TV service, and we appreciate that Xfinity’s choosing to integrate these apps instead of forcing an “our service only” sort of search.

We love this feature because it reduces the amount of time we’re searching in each individual app. Plus, it displays your options side by side, so you can see the cheapest way to watch based on what subscriptions you have.

Xfinity includes Netflix on some higher-tier plans. But if you don’t have one of those, you’ll have to sign up for your own membership for the additional services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube (if you want your videos commercial-free).

Pro tip: Check your contract option
Light Bulb

Depending on your location, some plans have different contract options.

Sometimes these are the same price as a one- or two-year contract option, and sometimes it’s $10 more a month. We recommend this for renters so they can avoid early termination fees if they move out before their contract is up.

Self-install or professional installation

Depending on your plan, a self-install kit may be free. Otherwise, it’s a one-time fee of $14.99. If your house has existing connections, though, then you can easily save some extra cash when ordering Xfinity.

Just make sure to select priority shipping, which costs exactly zero dollars compared to $15 for standard shipping.

If you’re not comfortable doing an install yourself, professional installation costs $89.99. However, if you’re getting a more expensive offer (bundling together home security, phone, internet, and TV service), then your installation may be included. Tight.

Xfinity internet

You’ll probably want to get a TV and internet bundle to maximize your Cloud DVR’s features. You’ll be able to access your saved shows from your mobile devices, keep your software up-to-date, and access Netflix and other apps from your X1 voice remote.

Xfinity internet packages
Plan
Price
Download speed
Details
Connect$19.99/mo.Up to 75 Mbps
Connect More$30/mo.Up to 200 Mbps
Fast$50/mo.^Up to 400 Mbps
Superfast$60/mo.^Up to 800 Mbps
Gigabit$65/mo.^Up to 1000 Mbps
Gigabit Extra$70/mo.^Up to 1200 Mbps
For 12 months with 1-year term contract. Taxes and equpiment not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount. Prices may vary by location.
For 24 months. No term contract. Taxes not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount. Prices may vary by location.
^ For 24 months. No term contract. Taxes not included. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount. Not available in all areas. Prices may vary by location.

Xfinity’s internet has fast speeds, decent prices, and a pretty big data limit. You might be able to get by with a standalone TV service, but we like having access to Xfinity Stream and our DVR recordings on the go.

Now that you know, here are your next steps.
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Xfinity
3 out of 5 stars
3

Want to learn more? Read our Xfinity TV service review.

Trevor Wheelwright
Written by
Trevor Wheelwright
Trevor’s written about YMYL (your money, your life) topics for over six years across editorial publications and retail/eCommerce sites. His work’s been featured on Forbes, RealSimple, USA Today, MSN, BusinessInsider, Entrepreneur, PCMag, and CNN. When he’s not researching and writing, you can find him around Salt Lake City, Utah, snapping photos of mountains and architecture or seeking out some good tunes and friendly faces.

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