When Comcast said earlier this week that it was increasing to 35 the number of channels available for out-of-home streaming for its subscribers, available on iOS and Android mobile devices (in addition to computers), it was another powerful sign of how TV is moving beyond the traditional confines of the living room and set-top box.

But as I thought about how robust this new out-of-home offering will be, it got me wondering, again, about the risk of subscribers sharing their passwords with non-subscribers. "Do no harm" is a key mantra among all media companies these days who must take care not to have new services or features undermine traditional value propositions. Until now this hasn't been a big issue for Comcast with its out-of-home streaming feature, as it included only on-demand content and a limited number of live channels which were solely viewable on computers. It was interesting package, but not super-compelling.

By enabling a Sling-like experience in the newly renamed Xfinity TV Go app, including top channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, CNN, Disney Channel and others, and extending viewing to massively-adopted mobile devices, Comcast's out-of-home streaming value proposition is now far more appealing. And as a result, in my mind, it will get a segment of its subscribers thinking about what's to stop them from sharing their passwords and allowing non-subscribers to mooch "free" viewing.

I caught up with Comcast PR folks on the issue, who explained that with all new services and features they're constantly trying to balance security and content protection with a strong user experience. To do so, they've implemented controls like allowing a maximum of 5 devices to be authenticated, and 3 with simultaneous viewing. Behind the scenes, they're also looking for usage patterns and could suggest abuse. And they work closely with their content partners to ensure DRM and other security measures are in place.

Still, there's an acknowledgement that some password sharing exists; trying to eliminate all of it would mean tightening things up so much that it would constrain legitimate usage and detract from the user experience. One example we discussed is when a parent shares access with a child who's away at college. This type of usage would be unlikely to cause alarms. However if the student then shared the password with friends, it would hit the radar.

Still, monitoring out-of-home streaming and implementing and enforcing consistent policies seems a bit blurry, at least for now. That's primarily because it's all so new. In the good old days, a pay-TV operator controlled a set-top box and could implement conditional access. But in a world of connected and mobile devices, with video streams flying around off-network, doing so is much more complicated. As out-of-home streaming is more widely offered by other operators, finding the right balance between security and user experience is going to be a continuing challenge.

For those interested in a humorous take on password sharing, College Humor's spoof on HBO Go remains a classic: