Comcast this week stated that the company plans to begin shipping a new set top box in July that supports HDR, or high dynamic range. HDR helps display a greater range of brightness and luminosity, creating video content with richer colors, brighter whites, and darker blacks. According to Comcast this new "Xi5" set top box will begin shipping on July 4, and the company is considering selling the device at third-party retailers. Curiously the Xi5 supports HDR, but doesn't support 4K.
For that, Comcast says it's working on the Xi6, which will launch sometime down the road.
While Netflix and DirecTV have embraced 4K, most cable operators have lagged in that area due to the high-bandwidth demands of ultra-high definition content. Netflix in particular has repeatedly stated that 4K and HDR content is one way it hopes to beat cable at its own game over the next several years.
According to Comcast, the Xi5 is being tested in Comcast employee homes now, and is set for wider deployment just as Comcast and NBC Universal begin broadcasting some of the Rio Summer Olympics in 4K and HDR in a few months.
Given that the set top won't support 4K, much of Comcast/NBC's coverage won't be in 4K or HDR, and many customers' home audio and televisions won't support either 4K or HDR -- this may wind up being a bit of a stunted, somewhat confusing initial foray into ultra high definition technologies for the cable giant.
And full 4K and HDR support at Comcast still seems some time away. Comcast EVP and chief technology officer Tony Werner says the Xi6 — again, capable of both 4K and HDR — should roll out within one year of the Xi5's launch. That said, companies like Comcast have some time to burn, since 4K/UHD set tops are only expected to see around a 23% overall market share this year.
Those early adopters are increasingly however being forced to find 4K/HDR content to watch on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video, using set top hardware like the Roku 4 -- or smart TV internals -- to watch it.