Groton - Comcast has gone interactive with its new Xfinity Store in the Groton Square Shopping Center.

The 4,500-square-foot store, which opened this month, offers a homey atmosphere where customers can learn how to take full advantage of the communications company's wide range of services. It is the sixth Xfinity Store in Connecticut and the only one to serve the southeastern part of the state.

"This is a new concept for Comcast," said Kristen L. Roberts, vice president of public relations and community investment for Comcast's western New England region. "It's more interactive for our customers, and it's a better experience."

At the front of the store, visitors can enter their names as they await help, allowing service representatives to access customer information so they can be walked through the various apps and products available to them.

While previous incarnations of the cable powerhouse's stores were known as service centers - largely serving as a place where customers dropped off and picked up cable boxes - the new store is clean and spacious, similar in appearance to an Apple store.

To one side, customers can access an express bill pay machine, while the middle is largely made up of iPhone docking stations where customers are shown the latest Comcast apps that can be downloaded - including one that turns a cell phone into a television remote control.

On a far wall, a wide-screen TV shows off some of Comcast's latest features, including what the company says is the industry's first interface allowing the visually impaired to hear information normally provided only visually in program guides, including program names, time slots and even movie reviews. The so-called X1 platform feature first became available to Connecticut customers on Thursday.

"The talking guide feature will enable all of our customers to experience the X1 platform in a new way, and give our blind and visually impaired customers the freedom to independently explore and navigate thousands of shows and movies," said Brian Roberts, chief executive of Philadelphia-based Comcast, in a statement.

Right now, the guide is accessible only through remote control, but company officials said new software eventually will allow the blind - and others - to take charge of their televisions through voice commands.

According to Comcast, 8.1 million U.S. residents have a visual disability, and 19 million households have at least one member with a disability. Two years ago, the company named a blind man, Tom Wlodkowski, as vice president of audience and directed him to focus on helping to improve access for people with disabilities.

"For people like me who are blind, this new interface opens up a whole new world of options for watching TV," Wlodowsky said in a statement.

Another new feature Comcast just unveiled this week is the concept of live in-home streaming on the X1 system, allowing customers to access certain television channels on their phones, tablets and other devices. The feature also lets people use these devices to access recorded and on-demand programs through a cloud-based system.

"Customers can come in here and see firsthand our products and services - we can give a walkthrough of all our products," Kristen Robert said. "We're an innovative company, and I think it shows."

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow