What to know about the Xumo Stream Box, Spectrum's new television device

George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal
·2 min read
Spectrum TV customers can now purchase the Xumo Stream Box, which will become Spectrum's primary video device.
Spectrum TV customers can now purchase the Xumo Stream Box, which will become Spectrum's primary video device.

Spectrum and its parent company Charter Communications, along with Comcast, are actually doing something consumer friendly.

Call it seeing the writing on the wall when it comes to viewers and live television. It’s really no secret that cable and satellite companies have been losing eyes in droves because of cord cutting.

According to a study from media research firm Leichtman Research Group, 64% of American households currently have a live television service. That’s down from an all-time high of 87% in 2008. In the second quarter of this year, 1.73 million subscribers abandoned live TV services.

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Viewers are going to antennas, FAST (free ad-supported television) channels and streaming services such as Disney+, Netflix and Max, among others. The advantage of most of those? They can be had within a smart TV or courtesy of a streaming device such as Roku, Apple TV 4K or Chromecast with Google TV – inexpensive boxes that start anywhere from $30 to $180. All the television programming anyone could want at a reasonable price and the device belongs to the owner.

The companies mentioned above finally realized one disadvantage to subscribing to cable packages – noxious equipment rental fees. They recently released the Xumo Stream Box, a proprietary streaming device that eliminates the need for cable boxes. It’s inexpensive (own for $60, rent for $5 per month) and compact and it combines Spectrum’s live TV service with access to streaming platforms.

The Xumo Stream Box includes a voice-controlled remote and customers can purchase up to four devices per transaction.
The Xumo Stream Box includes a voice-controlled remote and customers can purchase up to four devices per transaction.

Which streaming apps are on the Xumo Stream Box?

Spectrum’s recent deal with the Walt Disney Co. was forward-thinking in that it provided access to the ad-supported version of Disney+. The box is a hybrid given that it also provides access to almost every major streaming service including Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Peacock and Prime Video, among others.

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Does the Xumo Stream Box include FAST channels?

FAST channels continue to grow exponentially across the television spectrum and the Xumo Stream Box will provide access to Xumo Play, Pluto TV and Pluto TV among others.

What else does the Xumo Stream Box provide?

A popular feature of most streaming boxes: voice search. There’s no need to key in channel numbers when you can ask the device to just go to where you want it. Additionally, it can be connected via Wi-Fi (not my first choice) or via ethernet (hard wired is always preferred for streaming).

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What to know about the Xumo Stream Box, Spectrum's new TV device