Cox announced a series of enhancements to its digital video package, calling it the ‘Plus Package.’ New features include whole home DVR, additional DVR storage, additional HD channels, and a new interactive program guide, Trio.
“Plus Package gives customers everything they’ve been asking for – more great HD content; easier, more intuitive discovery of programming; the ability to personalize their TV viewing; and, with whole home DVR, anytime/any room access to what they want to watch,” commented Steve Necessary, vice president of video strategy and product management for Cox.
Cox is quite excited about the new program guide called Trio, which they hope creates some competitive advantage for their premium video package. The Trio guide steps away from the traditional grid format of interactive program guides and offers a three-panel (a la Trio) format which lists channel availability, program listings for selected channels, and a program description, all on one screen.
Trio also provides advanced search and sort functionality as well as enhanced VOD listings. Up to eight customers within any given home can customize Trio to their own liking. The guide is a tru2way powered tool, developed by Cox, in partnership with Frog Design and NDS.
“We are no longer serving the household in simple broadcast fashion. Instead, we are serving each individual in the household. Users will be able to access the programming they personally care about rapidly and will more easily find content of interest that they may not know is available. This is just the start of how we will make our video service more relevant for each member of the family,” said Lisa Pickelsimer, Cox executive director of video product development.
DVR enhancements with the Plus package allow up to three simultaneous different recordings to be viewed on different televisions throughout the home. Additionally, DVR storage is bumped up to 500GB. This new DVR functionality is delivered over a tru2way-based Cisco 8642 HD/DVR and 1642 HD receivers.
Customers can add the Plus Package to any level of a Cox Advanced TV package for a monthly fee that has not been revealed yet.
