Comcast starts testing, deployment of "Start Over" service

Comcast has a timetable for its already-mentioned "Start Over" service, with plans to have it in place in select markets by the end of 2008. The service will allow customers who come late to an already-started program to restart viewing from the beginning of the content. Comcast is in talks with Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) for licensing rights to the name "Start Over." But whatever the name ends up being, Comcast plans to start testing the service by the middle of 2008 and deploying to customers by January 1, 2009.

[brokenmonkey Posted Jan 11th 2008 5:29PM]

I have Bright House and I like using Start Over, the only down side is that you can't fast-forward, so you can't skip commercials which means that you can't get caught up to the live show so you'll miss the beginning of the next show you watch. If that show doesn't have Start Over, you're SOL.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 11th 2008 6:36PM]

Wait... Bright house has start over or are you talking about the dvr? Do you live in Florida?

[brokenmonkey Posted Jan 11th 2008 8:42PM]

Yes Bright House has Start Over, I have it on a Scientific Atlanta digital cable box. They've been advertising it recently, the first time I noticed it was when I was home over Thanksgiving. I live in the Tampa Bay area.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 11th 2008 6:45PM]

This may be useful for a new show that you don't have scheduled in the DVR that is, most likely, part of the set top box you'll use for this service. Wow, that was a sweet run-on...

[peter0328 Posted Jan 11th 2008 7:59PM]

I don't really understand what this is doing. Can someone enlighten me as to what technology this uses and what exactly it does?

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 12th 2008 9:55PM]

Well it seems obvious what it's doing... It lets you restart a program at the beginning that you have started watching late.. Sort of like how if you have a cablebox with a DVR and you have a given channel on, it is perpetually recording so you are able to rewind to the beginning of the show if you happen to start watching late. However, how I understand it, is that this must be a non-local service that is streaming from the cable company, because you are able to restart *ANY* show without having had to be on the channel when it began. anyone want to comment? I am right?

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 11th 2008 11:21PM]

Interesting development, this seems to be a cross between On Demand, and Cablevision's "virtual" DVR service that the studios "stopped" from coming out.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 12th 2008 3:29PM]

As mentioned earlier, Brighthouse Networks has had this for a month or two now (at least here in SW Florida)

http://tampabay.mybrighthouse.com/products_and_pricing/digital_cable/start_over.aspx