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user_8a3ed5
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Sunday, October 17th, 2021 8:30 AM

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Streaming Picture Quality (Awful) Compared to Other Online Streaming Services.

So I just signed up for XFinity streaming today--switching from HULU Live.  I am streaming both apps (Hulu and Xfinity) from an Amazon Firestick 4K HD Max.  I still have my HULU Live subscription and the picture quality of Hulu Live is considerably better than XFinity for both live shows and onDemand.  Watching the exact same show, the difference between HULU and XFinity is night-and-day.  The XFinity picture is pixelated/grainy and looks like I am watching a 480 upscale.  The TVGO channels are slightly better than the live channels on XFinity but still look awful compared HULU Live.  Any motion or camera panning is nearly impossible to watch.  I do not see anywhere in the setting to adjust the picture quality or tell the resolution of the XFinity feed.  Additionally, I do not see any information concerning the compression or the bit-rate of the Xfinity feed.  I have over a gigabit down on my internet connection, so I know it is not a bandwidth issue.  Further, I stream 4k video on Amazon, Netflix, and Disney Plus on the same connection with no issues.  A 1080p feed from XFinity should simply not look this bad.

I have changed the setting son the Firestick to lock the resolution vs. auto; I have tried enabling/disabling HDR; I have ensured the system is up-to-date.  Again, other apps (Prime, Netflix, HULU) display good pictures from the Firestick--it just seems to be the XFinity App that has poor picture quality.

Also, when watching live TV from the XFinity website via streaming to my PC, the picture quality is also really bad--Again, much worse than any streaming service.  This is with picture quality set to "High" on a supposed HD feed.

Does anyone have any suggestion(s) on how to evaluate the resolution of the incoming feed or how to increase the picture quality--or am I missing something?  I expected the same picture quality I receive from other streaming services (at 1080p).  If this service is just a 480 stream "upscaled" to 1080p to place an HD label, I will have to strongly consider cancelling the service.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.

Question

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3 years ago

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user_296136

Visitor

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3 Messages

3 years ago

typically it's been good and once in a while you'll see it the quality go down, but the past two days I noticed that everything streaming (from home on a wired connection) looks like I'm on my old AOL dialup...

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user_296136

Visitor

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3 Messages

3 years ago

i know if you're on the web version (in a browser) the TV-GO channels look a bit better. You can tell there's still some compression going on, but it's better.

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CCTyler1

Problem Solver

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409 Messages

3 years ago

Thank you for bringing this to our attention through our Communities page, and thank you for your patience, while awaiting our response. I understand that you have been experiencing resolution issues, while trying to use our Xfinity Streaming service, through a 4K Firestick, correct? I can imagine the inconvenience behind this, and I will be more than happy to help! Before we begin, I just have a couple questions, if that's okay? Have you tried this service outside of the Firestick, on your devices at home, to see if you are still receiving the poor resolution, when streaming our services, while connected through your in-home network? 

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user_8a3ed5

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3 Messages

@XfinityTyler Thank you for responding.  According to this other thread (with message from Christina posted 4 hours ago), it appears Xfinity is aware of a known issue with its streaming website [https://forums.xfinity.com/conversations/xfinity-stream-website/terrible-quality-xfinity-stream/615f99e0a6e13d4fb336e0d7].  In my experience this is affecting not only the website, but the app on Amazon products (Firestick and Firecube) as well.  

As noted in my original post  when running the app off the firestick on my TV, the stream quality is very poor.  As others have suggested, using a "TVGO" channel as opposed to a non-TVGO channel, makes a small difference in quality, but the quality is still very poor when compared to other streaming services like HULU, DirectTV streaming, individual channel streaming like HBOMax, Showtime, or streaming services like Netflix and PRIME.  I can have Hulu running at the same time as Xfinity with the same channel and switch back-and-forth between the apps and there is a significant difference in picture quality with XFinity having the poorer quality.

The same is true on the PC as well.  The quality is very poor despite adjusting the lone setting for quality.

All internet service in my home is run through XFinity internet--I am not running anything off my mobile carrier or an alternate ISP.  As noted by the numerous other apps working on my TV, Firestick, Gaming Systems, and PC, this is not a network or bandwidth issue--this appears to be an issue inside the XFinity app/software or how XFinity is handling the video streams (whether first party or third party) through its app/software.

As a suggestion, it would be great if there were a resource from Xfinity with a bit of documentation concerning its stream platform (resolution, bit rate, etc. of the streams for both the source if XFinity is just acting as a pass through and from XFinity itself.  A real time monitoring tool would be even better.  This would promote a level of transparency between XFinity and the customer and give reassurance that we as customers are receiving the service we pay for.  Additionally, it might help identify the problem quicker as it took approximately 2 weeks for XFinity to admit that a problem even exists with the streaming service.  As someone who currently pays exclusively for streaming service from XFinity, I find this time-frame is unacceptable.

Additionally, it would be great of when I logged into XFinity it would give me some type of notice (1) acknowledging there is a problem with the service, (2) that XFinity is working to remedy the issue, and (3) an estimated time of completion.  XFinity has no issue sending me billing notices when it wants payment from me--the same zealousness should be applied when XFinity is not providing the quality of service for which it is charging. 

As far as other devices outside of the Firestick and PC, I do not believe XFinity supports an app for my Sony TV or any of the gaming systems I own (XBox One, XBox Series X, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, or Switch).  I generally do not watch video on my phone, so I have no need to install the app on it; and I do not own a tablet.  Thus, I have not monitored the quality of streams outside Firestick or PC.  

3 years ago

mark_v

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

It is definitely an issue with the Amazon Firestick App and occasionally with the stream app for the PC.  I have been back and forth over the years between Amazon, PC, and Roku because of this very issue.  I have a Vizio 4k TV MQ7, Bose soundbar 700, and am currently using a Roku Ultra with no issues.  I have tried Amazon 4k Cube, Amazon Firestick 4k, and now the Amazon 4k MAX because there are some features that I enjoy that Amazon has over Roku, but the Xfinity app is definitely the deal breaker.  I fully agree that it would be key to not only know what resolution, refresh rate, and color depth Xfinity uses to be able to set it appropriately, but also to see what the programming differences are between the Roku, Amazon, and PC based Xfinity Stream app are to be able to adjust a customers expectations and experience.  I returned all my Amazon devices due to this streaming issue with Xfinity.  I guess what is important to remember is that Xfinity is acting as an aggregator of tv feeds, so you are always going to get better video and audio direct from the source instead of streaming from a streamer.  For example, if you are using the ABC app, you are going to get better quality because the feed is directly from them and it is optimized for streaming, instead of  using Xfinity, which is basically using an app to stream content from ABC that is sending it to a native cable provider and then they are streaming that content along.  I know this is probably not helpful, but thought I would share my experience/frustration.

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user_8a3ed5

Visitor

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3 Messages

@mark_v Thank you for the response.  I went with the Amazon hardware because as I read it, the Amazon app is the only one that offers the full live TV package.  I switched from HULU to XFinity solely because HULU does not carry the regional sports channel in my area--this has not been a problem in the past, but this is the first year of Kraken hockey and the regional sports channel has the exclusive rights to broadcast the games.  ESPN+ and Center ICE adhere to the blackout rules, so they are not an option without a VPN setup.  Unfortunately, the regional sports channel does not offer its own streaming app (or even streaming with payment to a provider), so that is not an option or workaround.  Alternative streaming options were generally double the price given that I already had XFinity internet service as they are the only decent broadband provider at my location.

That said, would you mind confirming that the ROKU app only has a subset of the Xfinity channels.  If my understanding is wrong or I have stale information, I will certainly give it a try.    Thanks again for the share, the information was helpful.

3 years ago

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mark_v

Visitor

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2 Messages

The Roku app of Xfinity stream is much more native to the Xfinity service through their cable box. The channel listings are exactly the same on Roku as the ones that you have in your package. The only issue I have found is that on occasion you may need to have Xfinity refresh your account in their system if you are trying to use your login credentials for stand alone apps like ESPN+ or other premium sports apps you might use and the NFL app does not allow logins from Xfinity, so you will need to watch any offered program through the NFL network on Xfinity.

3 years ago

volts

Contributor

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36 Messages

3 years ago

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Anon1334809

Contributor

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27 Messages

3 years ago

I wanted to add my observation. I am currently watching the Celtics Lakers game. I can directly compare the Xfinity stream with the ESPN app stream on my Roku TV. The Xfinity stream shows a blurry aura around each player. When I switch to the ESPN app there is no blurry aura. The quality of the ESPN stream is much better. I would like to get some feedback regarding this. 

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CCEthan

Official Employee

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1.4K Messages

Hi, @Anon1334809. Any larger issue needs tickets to get more attention and information about what accounts are experiencing it. Some are simply describing a compressed image which can be normal with Stream, but if it is actually blurry or obvious low quality we want to investigate.  It is normal for the ESPN app feed to be better quality, but it shouldn't be significant. Does it have the same quality on all platforms? Roku, computer or smart TV's? 

I no longer work for Comcast.

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

3 years ago

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ttudrums

Contributor

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39 Messages

You say this, then 2 days ago your colleague says this on a similar thread:

XfinityJosephB
Official Employee• 226 Messages
@ user_7493aa, we are very aware of the concerns with the Streaming platform, and we are working to try and fix that as soon as we can. If you would like me to do some troubleshooting with you just in case, can you please make a new post and I can reach out to you there? 

I know we have interacted on here before @XfinityEthan and the fact that you are still replying and contradicting other employees in this way is laughable and downright irresponsible. You know its an issue, but you will obviously do nothing to fix it. Meawhile, your service has the lowest quality of any browser based streaming service on the internet. I'm sure I could watch a pirated backdoor stream with better quality.

It's not compressed, it's intentionally downscaled. Quit lying to your customers and tell the truth. If the service is now maxed at 480p, say it, because it is marked as HD in the guide, and 2 months ago it used to be HD, but now it isn't, and you know that. Unacceptable.

3 years ago

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user_c80177

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

I have this issue too.  Adding myself the the mountain of complaints related to this topic 

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user_dd8eb9

Visitor

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2 Messages

3 years ago

I have the same issue. I can stream 4k video via Amazon prime app on my TV and the picture is flawless. When I use the xfinity stream app(beta) the picture goes from perfectly clear to grainy constantly. Fix your service!! When will the app be production ready? It has been beta for over 2 years?? 

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XfinityTony

Official Employee

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1K Messages

Thank you so much for adding to this thread. I would like to work with you to submit a report through your account. Can you use the Direct Messaging icon in the upper-right (next to the bell) to compose a new message to "Xfinity Support" with your name and address? Thank you! 

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

3 years ago

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user_f32ad1

Visitor

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1 Message

3 years ago

CBS NBC and ABC are in watchable. Most other channels are great. Come on Xfinity

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ShaggyRS6

New Poster

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3 Messages

3 years ago

I have the issue too and pay $250 a month for the privilege Unacceptable. 

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XfinityRyanE

Official Employee

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1.1K Messages

Hello @ShaggyRS6, thanks for reaching out and letting us know that you are also having these issues. We will be happy to get a ticket filled out for this and help get things back to normal. To get started, please use the chat icon in the upper right to enter Direct Messaging. From there, go ahead and compose a new message to "Xfinity Support" and send us a message with your name and address. 

 

Here are the detailed steps to direct message us:

• Click "Sign In" if necessary

• Click the "direct messaging" icon (upper right corner of this page)

• Click the "New message" (pencil and paper) icon

• Type "Xfinity Support" in the to line and select "Xfinity Support" from the drop-down list

• Type your message in the text area near the bottom of the window

• Press Enter to send your message

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or run into any problems. 

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

3 years ago

0

user_c8a56e

Visitor

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1 Message

3 years ago

I recently switched from HULU to Xfinity streaming because that's what my son wanted.  There is absolutely no comparison in the picture quality.  Xfinity is blurry, freezes and is not even close to the quality of the HULU picture.  I am seriously regretting all the trouble I had to go to to deal with Xfinity customer service in order to make this decision and complete the process.  It was finally recommended by the Acct. Mgr. that I go to streaming Xfinity based on our wireless/router speed etc.  There was no mention of issues with the picture quality, of course.  Each time I spoke to someone from customer service, I was told a completely different explanation of the best option for us.  It took over 3 hrs. of bouncing back and forth and being dropped or transferred to the wrong dept. or getting lost in the automated system whose prompts didn't address my issue at all.  When I tried chat a couple times, and finally spoke to an agent, I was continually given incorrect "links" to go to, so I could address my issues.  Not one of the links given had anything to do with the issues.  Then, to make matters worse, I paid my previous bill when due and agreed to auto payments to get the best price.  Then 3 days later, Xfinity deducted $48.55 from my acct. with no explanation of what the payment was for and when I tried to find out, there was nothing detailed about it on my Xfinity account and could not reach customer service or chat.   I originally switched to HULU because of all the ongoing issues with Xfinity price increases and terrible customer service I had already experienced in the past.  Soooo regretting this decision... AGAIN! :/ 

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CCTambrey

Gold Problem Solver

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3.4K Messages

3 years ago

This is an old, thread that we will be closing at this time. If you are having trouble and need support, please create a new topic of your own on the most appropriate board detailing your issue so that the community and our support representatives can assist.

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