Comcast Launches Fancast Xfinity Internet Video Service

Comcast has launched a nationwide beta program for Fancast Xfinity, the company’s new initiative to allow subscribers to watch TV on their computers. The beta is open to Comcast customers with a bundle that includes both high-speed Internet and television service.

Subscribers simply log in at fancast.com and can watch any content that they currently subscribe to via their television package. Content available now weighs in at about 2,000 hours from 30 networks, including HBO and the Discovery Channel.

Programs like these are really the future of the entertainment industry. Computer and television content will continue to merge, giving providers a wider catalog of services they can sell to a wider market. They are also great for consumers, as they open up new ways to enjoy the programming they are paying for.

A few years ago we were all watching standard-definition television on bulky CRT televisions on the strict schedule of the broadcasters. Now, we can enjoy HD programming on our own schedule on anything from a massive plasma TV in our home to a laptop in a coffee shop. Just imagine all the crazy ways the next generation will be able to watch content.

J.D. Power and Associates: Customer Satisfaction with High-speed Internet Service on the Rise

According to a recent study by J.D. Power and Associates, overall customer satisfaction with residential high-speed Internet service providers has increased from 2008. The study pointed to improvements in performance and reliability as a major factors.

The Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study^SM found overall satisfaction with residential high-speed Internet service is 639 on a 1,000-point scale-an increase of 22 index points compared to last year.

Among customers who bundle services from their Internet service provider, the most popular option is a combination of video and Internet services. The percentage of customers who bundle voice, video and data services has increased from 16 percent in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009.

High-speed Internet service providers were examined in four regions, with Verizon coming out tops in the East, Bright House Networks' Road Runner service in the South, WOW! in the North Central, and EarthLink in the West.

Not satisfied with your current high-speed Internet service provider? Find other options in your area!

WhiteFence on Facebook and Twitter

Social media. It's awesome. Which I'm guessing is why everyone and their mom (literally, in some cases) seem to have a Facebook or Twitter account these days.

I think the coolest thing about these sites is the spread of information in a viral, instantaneous way. It's actually affected the way people advertise and communicate information, particularly movie studios who can no longer bank on a big opening weekend for potential flops due to the "Twitter effect" and faster than ever word-of-mouth.

If you feel like joining us in the social media sphere, check out the WhiteFence Facebook and Twitter pages. We share some cool home services information, pictures from around the office, and cool stuff in general. Join the conversation!

AT&T Offers More Free TV Apps to U-verse Customers

AT&T recently announced the launch of two new TV apps for AT&T U-verse^SM customers: Offers On Demand, an app that lets you redeem a coupon code on-screen for discounts on movie rentals; and Caller ID on TV, an app that lets you view your U-verse Voice Caller ID and voicemail notifications on your U-verse TV screen. These new offerings bring the total TV apps available to 20.

With the Offers On Demand app, U-verse TV customers can redeem coupons from their TV for discounted movie rentals. After entering the coupon code on channel 199, you can redeem the coupon to select and watch a movie. The app will also save a list of your available coupons and their expiration dates if you want to return and watch the movie later. Coupon codes can be found on channel 200, at uconnect.att.com and in the monthly U-guide magazine. U-verse TV and AT&T wireless customers can also opt in for Offers On Demand coupon codes via U-verse Mobile Alerts by texting “On Demand” to 9696.

With Caller ID on TV, on demand customers can view their U-verse Voice caller ID and voicemail notifications on the U-verse TV screen. Without interrupting your program, a small message will appear on the TV screen for six seconds when a new call comes in or when you receive a voicemail message.

If you aren't a U-verse customer, find service in your area to get access to these new apps.

Viewing of Movies and TV Shows Online Doubled in 2009

According to Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services, the number of U.S. broadband households watching premium online content, including movies and TV shows via the Internet, doubled in the last year. They found that more 25 million U.S. broadband households regularly watch full-length TV shows online, while over 20 million watch movies online.

In their study Broadband, Communications, and Entertainment Bundles, the company found that the growing popularity of online portals such as Hulu.com shows rapid growth in the number of viewers who use the Internet to watch premium content. Parks concluded that this shift highlights the opportunity for Internet service providers to extend their current pay-TV and video-on-demand services to include online and mobile video features. In addition, they say that these providers will have to embrace online video services, including the ability to deliver content across multiple platforms, if they are to remain competitive and attract new subscribers.

Does your high-speed Internet service handle all the online content you want to experience? If not, it might be time to search for a new provider.

Image via Nielsen Wire

On Home Improvement

As new home owners, my wife and I have recently become a bit obsessed with anything related to home improvement. One of our favorite new shows is Holmes on Homes, which is all about the world of shady contractors and the people that have been burned by them. I'm a TV junkie, what can I say?

I think the most shocking thing for many homeowners (myself included) is just how hit or miss the process of choosing the right contractor can be. You never know if you're getting someone trustworthy, or someone that's going to cut corners as he works on your home. Luckily, that wasn't the case with us.

When we moved in, we actually had a pleasant experience with a contractor who did some fairly extensive electrical work on our house, as well as a few interior and exterior touch-ups. Our current plans are to use the same people for some master bathroom upgrades we'd like to make in the future. You know, whenever we've got the spare money lying around. On second thought, that might be awhile.

What has your experience been with contractors? What home improvements have you made to your house? Answer with our survey!

Also, did you know that you can find home improvement services near you with WhiteFence? Check it out!

Warner Bros. Offers Blu-ray DVD Upgrades

If you are trying to decide whether to upgrade to a Blu-ray player this holiday season, perhaps the opportunity to upgrade movies you already own will help you make the decision to switch! Warner Bros. recently launched DVD2Blu.com, a site that allows you to upgrade the movies you already own on DVD to Blu-Ray Disc. Currently, more than 50 of Warner Home Video's titles are available to upgrade including Body of Lies, A Christmas Story and Michael Clayton.

Movies can be upgraded for $7.95 to $9.95 plus shipping, with free shipping for orders over $25. Just select the titles you want to upgrade, mail in your standard DVDs with pre-paid postage and get the same film on Blu-ray Disc in four-to-five weeks.

Check out DVD2Blu.com to see all the titles currently available.

Verizon FiOS Internet Named Reader's Choice by PCMag.com

For the fourth consecutive year, PCMag.com readers gave high praise to Verizon FiOS Internet service, earning the online magazine's Readers' Choice award. It's also the third consecutive year that FiOS has finished at the top of the Web site's annual Internet Service Provider (ISP) Service and Reliability Survey.

The survey, conducted between June 15 and July 17, asked PCMag readers to rate their ISPs in 11 categories ranging from speed and reliability to initial setup and overall satisfaction.

FiOS Internet scored 8.7 out of 10 in its overall rating and led all competitors in scores for initial setup, speed, reliability, e-mail, technical support, repairs and likelihood to recommend. It topped all cable companies when it came to needing the fewest repairs.

See if Verizon FiOS Internet service is available in your area

Color Changing Roof Tiles Could Save Hundreds in Cooling Costs

It’s a concept we all learn in grade school science—dark things absorb heat while light things reflect it. Because of that principle, black roof tiles are terrific at absorbing heat during the winter, but reduce energy efficiency and make it harder to keep your house cool in summer.

To address this problem, experts such as US Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu recommend that homeowners in warm climates paint their roofs white. While that may be a clever move for some (providing their homeowners’ association approves), it doesn’t fully address the problem. In a perfect world, we would all have black roofs during cold times and white ones when it’s hot. Enter a team of recent MIT graduates and Thermeleon, their new green roofing concept.

Thermeleon is a roof tile filled with a “phase-change polymer gel” that changes color based on temperature. On hot days, the tile appears white and reflects roughly 80 percent of sunlight. But on warmer days, the tile turns black and reflects only 30 percent of sunlight. All of that translates into a roughly 20 percent reduction on cooling costs, which could translate into hundreds of dollars in lower utility bills per year.

The team is currently working on translating the method Thermeleon uses to change its color into a spray that can be applied to existing roofs, which makes it much more practical. No specific plans have been made to commercialize the concept yet, but the team does plan on working to bring the concept to reality. Here’s hoping it all works out.

Image via MIT

Powering Up with Microsoft Hohm

We've written a few times in the past about the myriad of energy tracking tools available on the Web for consumers looking to beef up on their energy efficiency.There's Google PowerMeter of course, as well as EnergyCircle, a tool that helps parents show their kids about conservation. One of the newer entries into the bunch happens to be from software giant Microsoft.

Microsoft Hohm is a service that allows you to monitor your energy usage for the purpose of saving money.As someone that's interested in that, I thought I'd sign up and give it a whirl.

I think one of the more interesting features of Hohm is just how thorough it is when evaluating your home energy situation. It asks for information about your house, including the year it was built, the structure, what kind of insulation you have, the surface area of the windows, etc. The information is organized in a way that's easy to use and surprisingly fun to fill out.

Once you're done with that, you move on to your heating/cooling and lighting, where you input the amount of light fixtures in your house and the kinds of bulbs you use. It's actually kind of eye opening to think about each room and where you could be saving money by just swapping a few bulbs or by leaving the lights off more.

After all of that, there is even a field for you to share your electricity info, including the amount of kWh you use per month, and the rate you're paying. With all of this information, Hohm constructs a chart of your average utility costs, and what you can do immediately to make your home more energy efficient and save money.

All in all, I would definitely recommend checking out Hohm if you have been thinking about ways to lower your utility costs or how to upgrade your home. It's in beta right now, and you'll need a Windows Live ID but I'd say it's worth it to give Hohm a trial run.

Do you have any energy monitors that you use for your home? Which ones are your favorites?