360 to Deliver TV Shows and Movies [Archive]

Kefkataran

11-06-2006, 06:27 PM

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 6, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. today announced agreements with CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to bring an initial lineup of over 1,000 hours of hit TV shows and movies to Xbox 360™ gamers in the U.S. by the end of the year. Furthermore, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console to bring standard and high-definition TV shows and movies via digital distribution over the Internet directly to the consumer.

Beginning Nov. 22, on its first anniversary, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console in history to provide high-definition TV shows and movies directly to gamers in their living rooms. Xbox 360 gamers will have access to the full-length TV shows as downloads to own and movies to rent via download from the Xbox Live® network, the worldwide leader in online distribution of high-definition gaming and entertainment content. This announcement also brings with it several additional “firsts”:

· For the first time, consumers will get an integrated gaming and entertainment experience on a gaming console that includes downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies. This new full-length content adds to the ever-expanding number of choices gamers have on their Xbox 360, whether they want to play games or play a movie on a disc or as a download in high definition or standard definition.

· For the first time CBS will deliver high-definition download-to-own TV shows including “CSI,” “Jericho,” “Numb3rs” and remastered “Star Trek” episodes; gamers can buy them and watch them repeatedly.

· For the first time on any platform, NASCAR.COM will deliver download-to-own condensed versions of select NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races from “Race Rewind.”

· For the first time, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will make 50 of its most intense fights available for download as well as select episodes from the original season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.

“This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it.”

The initial lineup of TV shows available for download to own and feature films available for download to rent will include a growing catalog of popular hits. Examples of content that will be available on the network by the end of year include the following:

· “Robot Chicken” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” from Adult Swim

· “CSI,” “Survivor” and “Star Trek” from CBS

· Emmy and Peabody award-winning “South Park” and “Chappelle’s Show” from COMEDY CENTRAL

· “The Real World” and “Pimp My Ride” from MTV

· “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and ”SpongeBob SquarePants” from Nickelodeon

· “Skyland” and “The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival” from Nicktoons Network

· “M:i:III,” “Nacho Libre” and “Jackass: The Movie” from Paramount Pictures

· “Carpocalypse” and “Raising the Roofs” from Spike TV

· “Race Rewind” provided by NASCAR.COM

· Select episodes of the original season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series and the “UFC: All Access” shows from the UFC

· “Breaking Bonaduce” and “Hogan Knows Best” from VH1

· “The Matrix,” “Superman Returns” and “Batman Forever” from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Xbox 360 gamers can access Xbox Live Marketplace with a free Xbox Live Silver membership and a broadband connection. More information about the content available on Xbox Live Marketplace can be found at http://www.xbox.com/marketplaceentertainment.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming network and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 is expected to have a catalog of 160 high-definition games by the end of 2006 and to be available in nearly 40 countries by the end of 2007. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Xbox Live

Xbox Live is the first and only unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox Live connects millions of members across 25 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox Live Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, and movie trailers, as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

tiremfej

11-06-2006, 06:29 PM

Love it. Can't wait.

Deadend

11-06-2006, 06:30 PM

about goddamn time.

Sandman

11-06-2006, 06:31 PM

I'm all over remastered Star Trek in HD and The Matrix in HD. Some of the other stuff I can get elsewhere. This is definatly a good thing though.

Paranoia

11-06-2006, 06:34 PM

Do people still have to pay with MS points?

Kefkataran

11-06-2006, 06:35 PM

Do people still have to pay with MS points?

More than likely, unfortunately. Still way cool, though. And I agree with Deadend: about time.

Royal Fool

11-06-2006, 06:35 PM

Do people still have to pay with MS points?
I'm assuming that's how the transactions will work, yes. Maybe you can buy a season bundle or something...

The most interesting thing here is that this will be available to everyone, not just Gold users. That's certainly a plus.

IrishWhiskey

11-06-2006, 06:36 PM

Very awesome move indeed. Having predicted this a long time ago (not that it was hard), I am also calling that this will be tied into the marketplace for the Zune.

A TV or movie purchase (and you know they will do movie purchases) can be downloaded as HD, SD, or Zune size, all for one price. I mean, they said Zune will have video downloads based on Microsoft points, and that they will be announcing the Zune video download system soon as well.

Microsoft, you've already offered Battlestar Galactica episodes for download on Live, even if they were only teasers and summaries. Please, please, pleases, offer BSG in HD. Trust me, I'll buy them all.

Brady

11-06-2006, 06:37 PM

They better have the ability to transfer this content to your Zune right at the launch of the service.

Schnoogs

11-06-2006, 06:39 PM

Microsoft, you've already offered Battlestar Galactica episodes for download on Live, even if they were only teasers and summaries. Please, please, pleases, offer BSG in HD. Trust me, I'll buy them all.

That would rock...they've been showing them in HD on UHD and they look great

Deadend

11-06-2006, 06:41 PM

I really hope that the items are linked to my account in the same way things already are on Live. So I can sign on and reget my shows, delete them without worry of not being able to watch.

Maybe even once Live Anywhere gets going, watch these shows on my PC as well, or hook my Zune up to my 360 to put a version for Zune on there.

I could also see rentals being implemented easily using the 360.

Microsoft has just made the next step in the war for the living room. Just add in Zune Marketplace with the Winter '07 update so I can do music from there and things will be amazing.

jeffool

11-06-2006, 06:42 PM

For the record, Jericho is just about as cool as one would hope for a post-apocalyptic show.

Wolfgang

11-06-2006, 06:43 PM

Cool.

I would like to be able to get these on my PC too and then strem them to my 360. I am curious if they will announce a new Hard drive soon too?

GunnyMo

11-06-2006, 06:43 PM

They better have the ability to transfer this content to your Zune right at the launch of the service.

That would be freaking awesome. Especially since I've already ordered two of them. :D

Even so, this content on the 360 is fantastic. I look forward to it. Of course, I'm going to need a new/bigger hard drive. D'oh!

Overbyte77

11-06-2006, 06:49 PM

Great, now how about a bigger HDD for sale plz.

mikeohara

11-06-2006, 06:51 PM

very good move by Microsoft offering this to all 360 users ... I applaud it. Now if my 360 would get here already ...

Yeti

11-06-2006, 06:53 PM

This is great news...if you're American :(

Zeal

11-06-2006, 06:57 PM

An external and proprietary harddrive was Microsoft's biggest mistake with the 360.

Not to mention it can only hold, like, one MP3's worth of data.

EternalGamer

11-06-2006, 06:58 PM

AgtFox

11-06-2006, 06:59 PM

I sure hope they open up the bandwidth on Xbox Live or it will take a long time to download this stuff probably. Takes a while to download a 1GB demo as it is now.

Jack B

11-06-2006, 06:59 PM

UFC! 50 fights! I like it! Quite a bit of good content.

In case you're wondering how long it might take you to download these movies/TV shows, her is something that might help.

I'm supposed to have 4-6 mbps download (thanks Comcast), but I had 1.5 mbps.
Click here to test your download speed. (http://www.abeltronica.com/velocimetro/pt/?idioma=uk&newlang=uk)

To figure out how long it might take to download the movie/TV program, use this download calculator. (http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/downloadcalculator.shtml) . It shows at 1.5 mbps it should take me 1 hour and 32 minutes to download a 1gb file.

It'll be interesting to see how big these files are. I expect to cue up 1 or 2 and download overnight or while at work. Works fine for me. Netflix takes about 3 days, counting the return of a movie and how long it takes the new one to arrive, so overnight is no big deal.

It's also nice, unlike Comcast On-Demand, they'll let you keep for longer than 24 hours. Depending on the price, this could be excellent. Now where is that bigger hard drive? :)

IrishWhiskey

11-06-2006, 07:02 PM

Posted by Zeal
An external and proprietary harddrive was Microsoft's biggest mistake with the 360.
Not to mention it can only hold, like, one MP3's worth of data.

Yeah it was an error, but not exactly their biggest one. You know they are coming out with an 80 or 100 Gig version, there are readily available network drive adapters for 40 dollars, and oh yeah, replacing your PS3s hard drive actually voids the warranty. Even though you are supposed to be able to do so. Go figure.

I usually have about 4 Gigs free on the 360, which means watching one HD movie or a few TV shows is no problem. But for users who want to use the 360 as a media hub, more storage is definately needed,

Yeti2005

11-06-2006, 07:02 PM

How long before we see these same downloads for the PC, Zune, etc? I think the small 360 HD is an issue but I'm willing to bet 1.) MS will release a new bigger HD and 2.) you'll soon be able to download movies to your PC and stream them to your 360.

I have to admit they picked some good shows and movies for their
"launch".

Kefkataran

11-06-2006, 07:02 PM

I knew this sort of thing was coming, and it will probably hit the PS3 too, but frankly, I don't like it. It is proof that both the 360 and the PS3 are just gateway devices they use to get into your home to sell you all sorts of crap, not just games.

I am well aware you don't have to buy any of it, but it basically turns your system into an advertising unit (and online store) everytime you turn it on and connect to Live. To me it is not as bad, but along the same lines as how they build in those speaker phones and satellite radio services with buttons into new cars. Those are like permenant pop up ads sittting in your vehicle.

I don't want have more stuff pimped to me through my game consoles. I increasingly have the feeling that I will be spending a lot more time with my Wii than the other two because of big obnoxious media convergence that the other two systems are becoming. Advertising in games, advertising and selling in the dashboard and on Live. Ugh. No thanks.

I don't really get this point of view. I mean does advertising actually affect you? I thought we were already long past the generation so unjaded that advertising couldn't just be ignored. And including movies/TV shows on the service doesn't necessairly mean any more advertising than there was before -- it just means now they'll be offering you more/different stuff. If you're not interested in getting TV shows/movies off of Xbox Live, that's cool, and you shouldn't. But having the option open for people who are interested... well, I don't see how that's a bad thing.

and oh yeah, replacing your PS3s hard drive actually voids the warranty. Even though you are supposed to be able to do so. Go figure.

I've still only seen this reported one place and without any sources to back it up, so I don't buy it yet.

Jack B

11-06-2006, 07:05 PM

That would be freaking awesome. Especially since I've already ordered two of them. :D

Even so, this content on the 360 is fantastic. I look forward to it. Of course, I'm going to need a new/bigger hard drive. D'oh!

Hehehe... I was just thinking the same thing. And you were getting beat up by a few people for believing in the Zune... :p

I'll be looking closely at what they do with the Zune. That might help my decision. It would be really great if you could watch on your 360 and your Zune and for the same price...

On a related topic, I think Live Anywhere has been underated by many. Live Anywhere connecting PC's and 360's and Zune's starts to become a compelling value proposition. The devil is in the details, but it's interesting.

I've said many times, I wouldn't want to be in a no limit poker match with Microsoft. Sony has their hands full.

agentgray

11-06-2006, 07:10 PM

I love it. They should all fit for sure on my 20GB HD with 8GB of space left.

(I call BS about size because I've got devices with much bigger drives that were much cheaper.)

Jack B

11-06-2006, 07:13 PM

I love it. They should all fit for sure on my 20GB HD with 8GB of space left.

(I call BS about size because I've got devices with much bigger drives that were much cheaper.)

I agree, they should have gone with drives on both the Core and Premium (or just not had a Core) and or a bigger drive. The Sony approach would have been excellent, with a 20 and 60gb, but I think they believed price point was a big issue. They may have been right. Hard to say for sure.

Remember though the 360 drive is a laptop drive, not a desktop drive. Quite a bit more expensive.

Paranoia

11-06-2006, 07:14 PM

I don't want have more stuff pimped to me through my game consoles. I increasingly have the feeling that I will be spending a lot more time with my Wii than the other two because of big obnoxious media convergence that the other two systems are becoming. Advertising in games, advertising and selling in the dashboard and on Live. It makes me look at my consoles and see them in a really creepy way. Ugh. No thanks.

Personally I think playing a console where your main AAA titles are variations of Marios & Zeldas to be more obnoxious than any advertising in games.

EternalGamer

11-06-2006, 07:16 PM

Kef, it just seems like greed taken to the extreme. You know that feeling when you go into Gamestop and you get tired of saying "no" because they constantly try to sell you extra stuff you don't want?

"Hey, you need the strategy guide to go with that?"

"No."

"Do you have a one of our Edge cards, it will save you an extra 10%!"

"No."

"This is a great game, but man, I can't wait for Gears of War. Do you have a copy preordered yet?"

"No."

"We can preorder it for you for just $5!"

"No."

I guess everyone has a different tolerance level for someone trying to milk them on stuff. But even if you think someone is being friendly and just trying to offer you additional services at first, somewhere down the line, you are going to get fed up with it. To me it just comes off as obnoxious and completely lacking in class. Of course it all depends on your persepctive, but what you call empowering people with an "option" I call shilling.

And I absolutely DO think it effects me, it effects everyone. I think it is impossible not to. It effects you just by your seeing it. It forces its way into your mind and into your subconscious. Advertising works. If it didn't work, Pepsi wouldnt' spend the millions of dollars a year on their products. It is not to let people know Pepsi exists, it is because research has shown them that they sell a lot more Pepsi when they advertise. If you think advertising doesn't effect your purchasing decisions, then, ironically, it has even more control over you than you know because you obviously are not even aware enough to consider how it is effecting you.

Jack B

11-06-2006, 07:18 PM

I sure hope they open up the bandwidth on Xbox Live or it will take a long time to download this stuff probably. Takes a while to download a 1GB demo as it is now.

Yeah, downloading on Live seems slower than it could be at times.

I've read where Microsoft believes their most dangerous competitor in the future will be Google, so they are buying massive quantities of servers to compete with Google's zero footprint web application strategy.

It would be nice to see them turn on some of those servers to support these downloads... :)

Jack B

11-06-2006, 07:20 PM

Kef, it just seems like greed taken to the extreme. You know that feeling when you go into Gamestop and you get tired of saying "no" because they constantly try to sell you extra stuff you don't want?

Think about it this way. As long as it doesn't effect the quality or quantity of games, why is offering people a service a bad idea?

I appreciate nice big easy to use stores. Amazon.com is a godsend to me. Comcast digital movie downloads and On-Demand in general. My guess is this will another blade, that you won't have to access if you don't want to...

I know it rubs you the wrong way, but I can't see more choice as being a bad thing.

Limech

11-06-2006, 07:29 PM

Personally, if they want me to buy a lot of that stuff, they better allow me to plug in any USB external drive to the 360 to save those. I don't care if they encrypt it but if I can only save this stuff in the 1GB I have left on my drive or if they think I'll pay $200 for a 100GB hard drive then they are kidding themselves.

Give me room to buy a lot of stuff and I will. Make me have to delete stuff I've paid for (and thus forcing me to re-download each time I want to see it) and I'll spend less and be more judicious with my purchases.

temmink

11-06-2006, 07:37 PM

I wonder if they will take a lumines approach and make you pay extra for the last 10 minutes of the show...

In all seriousness though, this is actually pretty cool, not that I have a 360.

antoniogaud

11-06-2006, 07:54 PM

Comcast is gonna be upset by this.... THIS IS WAR!!!

lpmiller

11-06-2006, 07:56 PM

the only downsides I see....and I don't know that they are downsides yet...are the 20gb harddrive (hd takes up space) and the ability to back that stuff up. Zune is one thing, but hopefully you can offload that stuff to a PC.

51|RandoM

11-06-2006, 08:08 PM

...and all this time I thought you guys just wanted a game console.

:p

SuperMonkeyFighter2

11-06-2006, 08:09 PM

This is pretty damn cool. Here's to hoping it works like cable on demand, allowing me to watch my purchased items without saving them to a HDD (thus requiring more hardware and disk management).

Major Dan

11-06-2006, 08:09 PM

You know, as much as I like my 360 and Live, this all seems to be too close to the PS3 launch. They should have done this during the spring. Oh well, don't get me wrong I am glad they are doing it, I just would have liked them to be a bit more proactive.

mkelehan

11-06-2006, 08:10 PM

I hear you'll be able to download movies, and they expire either 2 weeks from when you download them or 48 hours after you first watch them, whichever comes first.

So I guess they'll all have free trailers to download. Oh, and free downloadable pilot episodes for TV series, definitely. I'd rather download that proposed season 11 of Stargate on my 360 than iTunes.

KingGorilla

11-06-2006, 08:10 PM

...and all this time I thought you guys just wanted a game console.

:p
I think MS is throwing in that towel, they can only release the exact same game so many times after all.

Jack B

11-06-2006, 08:11 PM

...and all this time I thought you guys just wanted a game console.

:p

There you go thinking again... After a while you'd realize what kind of trouble that gets you into! ;)

Jack B

11-06-2006, 08:12 PM

I think MS is throwing in that towel, they can only release the exact same game so many times after all.

And to think you were "this" close to buying a 360 before this announcement. :D

KSmitty

11-06-2006, 08:13 PM

One would wonder if this is in response to Sony or Apple. That new iTV service is doing pretty much the same thing.

MS is just catering to their demographic with content and HD video quality. It's not really for me as I could care less about this type of shit, but its a good (read: money making) move for MS. As far as Zune goes...meh. Until MS gets the stick out of their ass and starts supporting avi or divx I won't be buying one. Is there anyone besides Archos that supports divx out of the box?

-K

KingGorilla

11-06-2006, 08:13 PM

I did have one, I am boycotting the economic model til they quit the BS. Strangely a 360 on Ebay turns into a kick-ass PC like magic.

Johan

11-06-2006, 08:19 PM

All I care about, ultimately, is that MS doesn't go so far overboard with making the 360 a jack of all trades that it becomes a master on none, particularly in the gaming arena.

Games are the number one reason I bought the system. I want MS to focus more on that. Screw the tv shows; get some more original (and larger-sized) titles on Arcade. Put out some first-party titles in genres the 360 is weak in currently. Get the GAMES going, MS.

The rest of the stuff should be gravy or icing, imo, NOT the main show. The library continues to be very anemic, after A YEAR! MS could have put a few nails into Sony with a better library, but they didn't make it happen.

Get on the GAMING ball, MS.

51|RandoM

11-06-2006, 08:30 PM

One would wonder if this is in response to Sony or Apple.

It wasn't in response, it was planned. Its the American approach to big business, if you're not growing, you're dying. Investors want earnings to go up, share prices to go up, indefinitely.

Microsoft's fight for the livingroom has been mostly covert until this year, now the gloves are off.

Why are they going whole hog into console gaming?
Why are they going back strong at windows gaming?
Why create Windows Media Center?
Why create the Zune?

Its called having the OS market locked up, with the parts of the application market you want fairly locked up too. That equals marginal revenue increases at best.

Answer? New markets. Obvious choice? Media of all shapes and sizes for your OS product line.

Johan

11-06-2006, 08:35 PM

Its called having the OS market locked up, with the parts of the application market you want fairly locked up too. That equals marginal revenue increases at best.

Answer? New markets. Obvious choice? Media of all shapes and sizes for your OS product line.

I believe you're exactly right...MS isn't in gaming primarly for gaming. They're in it to protect their OS and to grow products which connect to, and make indispensible, their OS.

They can afford to lose money in gaming for a looooong time, not only because of their cash hoard and their other profitable divisions, but because gaming protects and grows their OS as an indispensible product.

However, I STILL want them to focus on doing a better job with the games (which is my primary focus with MS), but that's not really their primary concern, ultimately.

J3DI

11-06-2006, 08:37 PM

Well, I guess I'd take this over episodes of Jimmy Neutron (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20371&page=1&pp=10) any day.

51|RandoM

11-06-2006, 08:43 PM

However, I STILL want them to focus on doing a better job with the games (which is my primary focus with MS), but that's not really their primary concern, ultimately.

I think they messed up the first round of 'serious' with Microsoft Games. They thought you could buy a studio, bring it in house and then have it magically produce content just as good as it did before with little effort.

Few studios can do that without the disruption of getting bought out, much less with it.

They're used to buying the building blocks and expecting them to fit, where I think game design/development is quite a bit more "fuzzy".

Watership

11-06-2006, 08:44 PM

For the record, Jericho is just about as cool as one would hope for a post-apocalyptic show.

Except everyone is so calm. The show has such promise, but then they're out trick or treating....

Watership

11-06-2006, 08:46 PM

This is great news...if you're American :(

Speaking about that. Canadians. Don't get too excited just yet. Xbox.ca (http://www.xbox.ca) doesn't have a WORD about this content. Looks like it's US only. I confirmed this over with guys at neogaf too. Sad.

GrinR

11-06-2006, 08:49 PM

The 12-15 gigs of free space on the 360 HD isn't even close to being enough for any kind of serious content delivery platform. It's almost laughable. With your average demo clocking almost a gig, you're more realistically playing with around 5-10 gigs of available space.

My media drive is 500 gigs - that's 50 to 100 times more space - and it's packed. Good luck with making do with the 360 drive for HD content.

Watership

11-06-2006, 08:51 PM

One would wonder if this is in response to Sony or Apple. That new iTV service is doing pretty much the same thing.

-K

This sort of deal probably was in the planning way before Apple or Sony even had a glimmer of thought. These deals probably took many months to work on, probably before the 360 even launched. The back end technology was being perfected for the 360s game content and now its being rolled out.

LilAbner

11-06-2006, 08:52 PM

Comcast is gonna be upset by this.... THIS IS WAR!!!

Clearly. I'd much rather pay for the TV shows I watch for free On Demand. :p

OrangePulp

11-06-2006, 08:56 PM

/spelling and grammar nazi on

Remember, kids, effect is an adjective or noun, affect is a verb.

/spelling and grammar nazi off

Anyone else wonder if this is the direction that all "TV" will go, in the future? People are already using Tivo to cut out commercials, and watch stuff whenever they want. As that phenomenon gets bigger and bigger, I wouldn't be surprised to see at least some shows move to download-only, so that they're sure to make profit off anyone who watches it (aside from the pirates, haha).

Jack B

11-06-2006, 09:02 PM

Speaking about that. Canadians. Don't get too excited just yet. Xbox.ca (http://www.xbox.ca) doesn't have a WORD about this content. Looks like it's US only. I confirmed this over with guys at neogaf too. Sad.

I moved from Canada when I was 5. There is still time... :)

Loganrapp

11-06-2006, 09:17 PM

Hopefully if the networks are in on it, the major cable channels - HBO, Showtime, FX, etc. - will fall in line.

Sleeper Cell on HD? I'm a little wet.

Loganrapp

11-06-2006, 09:18 PM

Clearly. I'd much rather pay for the TV shows I watch for free On Demand. :p

But it's not really free if you pay for it, is it? =P

t3g

11-06-2006, 09:21 PM

Ha more and more that 20 GB hard drive seems useless. I am down to 2.0 GB and I only have game saves and demos!

oldjadedgamer

11-06-2006, 09:31 PM

I thought they would announce something about the DirecTV thing. I'm a DirecTV subscriber and I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

Sl1pstream

11-06-2006, 09:35 PM

Hmm, I wonder if I can link my credit card to my US account.

51|RandoM

11-06-2006, 09:50 PM

Look on the bright side, I'm sure Microsoft is planning a 300GB drive and they'll only charge you $400 for it.

Come on guys, this glass is half full, not half empty.

Schnoogs

11-06-2006, 09:51 PM

Look on the bright side, I'm sure Microsoft is planning a 300GB drive and they'll only charge you $400 for it.

Come on guys, this glass is half full, not half empty.

That 300gig drive is called a PC and the 360 can stream from it using Windows Media Edition

Khash

11-06-2006, 10:07 PM

I wonder where Microsoft expects everyone to store all these movies.

Schnoogs

11-06-2006, 10:09 PM

I wonder where Microsoft expects everyone to store all these movies.

http://www.mattwalsh.com/twiki/pub/Main/ImageRotater/r2d2.jpg

Jack B

11-06-2006, 10:11 PM

That 300gig drive is called a PC and the 360 can stream from it using Windows Media Edition

I wonder how Vista will fit into the equation. I've been wondering if the reason they haven't come out with a bigger drive is they are waiting to announce, that you'll be able to move saves back and forth from your PC with Vista and a 360... And/or just let you save it to your Vista equipped PC and stream it without moving it back to the 360. You may be able to watch these movies etc, on your PC and Zune. Nice.

They don't make much money on hard drives, they do on OS's like say, Vista for instance... ;)

51|RandoM

11-06-2006, 10:22 PM

That 300gig drive is called a PC and the 360 can stream from it using Windows Media Edition

yeah, there's a great idea. Lets power three pieces of equipment, plus network hardware to stream a movie. I don't think you're really trying man, why don't you route it across a microwave bridge or something while you're at it.

That does lead into something I think about now and then, network-addressable displays. Make my monitor smart enough so that you can stream to it without any other device. Get rid of DVI, get rid of Composite, just make my monitor another node on a TCP/IP Network.

51|RandoM

11-06-2006, 10:24 PM

I wonder where Microsoft expects everyone to store all these movies.

...they don't, quite simply. Looks like expiration on the downloads, its just an extended pay per view at which point it'll get erased from the hard drive.

It is content on demand, not content to replace purchasing your own physical copy.

Schnoogs

11-06-2006, 10:26 PM

yeah, there's a great idea. Lets power three pieces of equipment, plus network hardware to stream a movie. I don't think you're really trying man, why don't you route it across a microwave bridge or something while you're at it..

Lots of people use WME as a media server...the 360 integrates with it pretty easily.

Three pieces of equipment? theres nothing preventing you from using the very PC you're typing your post with to also share media files for your 360.

Kind of funny you complain about that in a forum that 99% of us are posting in via a PC that could easily run WME and is most likely on 24/7. :rolleyes:

Bitch and moan all you want about getting an upgrade drive for your 360...I've got hundreds of gigs just waiting to be used in my PC. :rolleyes:

Mason

11-06-2006, 10:34 PM

I don't really get this point of view. I mean does advertising actually affect you? I thought we were already long past the generation so unjaded that advertising couldn't just be ignored. And including movies/TV shows on the service doesn't necessairly mean any more advertising than there was before -- it just means now they'll be offering you more/different stuff. If you're not interested in getting TV shows/movies off of Xbox Live, that's cool, and you shouldn't. But having the option open for people who are interested... well, I don't see how that's a bad thing.
A broadcast show has advertising as its sole source of revenue. If the end-user is directly paying for the content, why is the presence of advertising reasonable?

The issue with these digital distribution schemes is the lack of healthy competition. One set-top device talks to one service, and the services will seek to obtain exclusive access to shows and films. None of this is consumer-friendly (or at least, its consumer-friendliness would be a result of corporate benevolence). If the 360 or the PS3 has a crappy media player, is chock full of advertising, has ridiculous media prices, terrible download speeds, &c, no competitor will really be able to offer a superior alternative. Only one device/service will show certain shows, and a device/service without access to the content you like is of no worth to a consumer.

If the studios refuse to grant exclusive distribution to a particular service, then things might improve in time. But if devices are married to services (which in turn are wed to content libraries), this could be the bad sort of winner-takes-all.

TrackZero

11-06-2006, 10:35 PM

This is great news...if you're American :(

If this is anything like what they're doing so far, there's no reason you can't set up a dummy American account if need be on Live and use it to download from. I do this for Japan, Europe and the States right now (as my main account is in Canada).

DarkDaY

11-06-2006, 10:36 PM

Kef, it just seems like greed taken to the extreme. You know that feeling when you go into Gamestop and you get tired of saying "no" because they constantly try to sell you extra stuff you don't want?

I guess everyone has a different tolerance level for someone trying to milk them on stuff. But even if you think someone is being friendly and just trying to offer you additional services at first, somewhere down the line, you are going to get fed up with it. To me it just comes off as obnoxious and completely lacking in class. Of course it all depends on your persepctive, but what you call empowering people with an "option" I call shilling.

And I absolutely DO think it effects me, it effects everyone. I think it is impossible not to. It effects you just by your seeing it. It forces its way into your mind and into your subconscious. Advertising works. If it didn't work, Pepsi wouldnt' spend the millions of dollars a year on their products. It is not to let people know Pepsi exists, it is because research has shown them that they sell a lot more Pepsi when they advertise. If you think advertising doesn't effect your purchasing decisions, then, ironically, it has even more control over you than you know because you obviously are not even aware enough to consider how it is effecting you.

it absolutly dosent affect me, but thanks for speaking for me, and the millions of others, wrong or not, we all need crusaders.

it dosent get into my brain, well, not enough for me to be washed by it, i do want it, or the option, and you would have to be a pretty habitual and weak minded person to fall prey to the adverts.
they are just options,.

once again, thankyou for speaking for us weak minded individuals.
one day i hope to be aware...(are you?) looking under others beds takes one to be under their own.

TrackZero

11-06-2006, 10:39 PM

...they don't, quite simply. Looks like expiration on the downloads, its just an extended pay per view at which point it'll get erased from the hard drive.

It is content on demand, not content to replace purchasing your own physical copy.

That's why they said you can watch it as many times as you want?

IrishWhiskey

11-06-2006, 11:40 PM

First, yes there is a larger drive coming. Gizmodo has the story
http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/microsoft/xbox-360-hard-drive-leaked-at-70-gigs-212862.php
But even if that turns out to be fake, its been announced before that one's coming.

Seriously, what is with all the whiners in this thread. Waah, waah, waah. If you don't think the service will measure up, thats fine. But the 360 is certainly no worse for having this option.

It doesn't cost anything to have the service, and smug comments about how much you prefer your PC or on-demand service are fine, except that some of us like to have the option of turning the 360 we already paid for into a media hub that streams video, music and pictures from the PC, as well as HD downloads of Movies and TV shows. Some people would pay the full 400 for something with HD media center features. We got this for free without expecting it. That you can add an optional HD-DVD for $200 is also a bonus. We get the system we wanted, and tons of other features if we so choose.

Norse

11-07-2006, 12:05 AM

Sorry if this has been posted before, but there are some pictures of how the video section will look here (http://news.com.com/2300-1043_3-6133032-4.html?tag=ne.gall.pg).

I guess it was just a question of time before this happened, but I wish MS and Sony would do everthing they could to improve the gaming experience before they did all this media bullshit.

Evil Avnovice

11-07-2006, 12:07 AM

I was reading the same thing over at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/744/744355p1.html).

Hopefully they'll provide some interesting shows down the line.

Norse

11-07-2006, 12:11 AM

"However, a tutorial video put up on Xbox.com shows the HD movies priced at 480 Microsoft points ($6 USD) with the standard definition price of 320 points ($4 USD) while both versions of television shows clocked in at 240 Microsoft points ($3 USD) Television shows will be sold in much the same way that Live Arcade games are. After purchasing them with Microsoft points, owners will begin downloading them and will own the show. That means they can delete it off of their hard drive and download it at a later date without having to pay for it again."

Is this an ok price? Compared to Norwegian rental prices they are really cheap, but how are they compared to your American prices?

jeffool

11-07-2006, 01:02 AM

Except everyone is so calm. The show has such promise, but then they're out trick or treating....But that's the beauty of it! Everyone doesn't fall apart overnight. I've been without power for a week before (Hurricane, I was in Florida.) and aside from warm nights nothing was different. Granted on the show they've only been without for just over two weeks, but give it time.

As soon as the food starts to dry up, it all falls apart. And with that one food shipment, I expect that to happen later this season.

soco

11-07-2006, 01:33 AM

An external and proprietary harddrive was Microsoft's biggest mistake with the 360.

no way, the memory card was the biggest mistake, because within a few months we're going to be stuck playing 3d arcade games with textures that are more compressed and hideously deformed than the worst JPEGs on some fansite created by a 13 year old.

anyway, i'm all excited. just bring on the bigger harddrive (not that it matters since i can download them again for free, but i'd prefer not to have to do that).

Kefkataran

11-07-2006, 02:02 AM

Kef, it just seems like greed taken to the extreme. You know that feeling when you go into Gamestop and you get tired of saying "no" because they constantly try to sell you extra stuff you don't want?

It's nothing like that, though. It's a small banner sitting at the bottom of the screen for the 10 seconds you're on the 360 dashboard, not a bunch of pop-ups you need to click through and scream "LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE" at.

And I absolutely DO think it effects me, it effects everyone. I think it is impossible not to. It effects you just by your seeing it. It forces its way into your mind and into your subconscious. Advertising works. If it didn't work, Pepsi wouldnt' spend the millions of dollars a year on their products. It is not to let people know Pepsi exists, it is because research has shown them that they sell a lot more Pepsi when they advertise. If you think advertising doesn't effect your purchasing decisions, then, ironically, it has even more control over you than you know because you obviously are not even aware enough to consider how it is effecting you.

I'm rather offended by that. Either way, 360's going to advertise the content they have, whether it's games, movies, TV shows, music, or whatever. All this means is more options for people to get the type of entertainment content they want, which was obviously what Microsoft was aiming at from the start (and they didn't hide it at all). I don't get why you're against people having these options, but I think it's a good thing. Seeing a damned banner isn't going to mindwipe you into buying shit you don't want.

A broadcast show has advertising as its sole source of revenue. If the end-user is directly paying for the content, why is the presence of advertising reasonable?

? Presumably there wouldn't be commercials in these downloadable TV shows. I'd be shocked if there was. The advertising EternalGamer mentioned was the little ads for Xbox Live content that appear on the 360 dashboard.

The issue with these digital distribution schemes is the lack of healthy competition. One set-top device talks to one service, and the services will seek to obtain exclusive access to shows and films. None of this is consumer-friendly (or at least, its consumer-friendliness would be a result of corporate benevolence). If the 360 or the PS3 has a crappy media player, is chock full of advertising, has ridiculous media prices, terrible download speeds, &c, no competitor will really be able to offer a superior alternative. Only one device/service will show certain shows, and a device/service without access to the content you like is of no worth to a consumer.

This is potentially a problem, yes, but I think if any of these services have all the problems you named (or even just a few) they're going to fail. There IS competition for media distribution. Microsoft and Sony are going up against iTunes, even if they're not computer focused. And there's a bunch of other movie download services popping up online as well.

Zeal

11-07-2006, 02:05 AM

Digital distribution if the future of everything electronic, like it or not.

Once consumer optical connections start rolling out in affordable monthly rates...boom...it's over.

Kefkataran

11-07-2006, 02:08 AM

I completely agree with Zeal here. And that may or may not be the first sign that I'm completely wrong. Either way.

soco

11-07-2006, 02:42 AM

Is this an ok price? Compared to Norwegian rental prices they are really cheap, but how are they compared to your American prices?

it seems as if those may not be the final prices as Microsoft has pulled down the video where those were seen and Major Nelson says this.

Video gone...people were getting confused by the prices in some of the screen shots.

bapenguin

11-07-2006, 04:13 AM

You guys are forgetting something huge here...something MS announced at E3. Live Anywhere. Now imagine you can get these shows, movies whatever not only on your 360, but you can download and watch them on your PC and your Zune. It was explicitly stated, but you can bet your balls it's coming.

I'll be posting a video of the whole new marketplace in action as soon as I can get past YouTubes 100MB limit. Also note, the TV shows you buy you own for life, the movies are the only rentals.

jeffool

11-07-2006, 04:15 AM

I completely agree with Zeal here. And that may or may not be the first sign that I'm completely wrong. Either way.I'm betting if Zeal had a dollar every time that was said, he'd buy Microsoft. Hell, I'd owe him a few bucks. :D

soco

11-07-2006, 04:38 AM

I'll be posting a video of the whole new marketplace in action as soon as I can get past YouTubes 100MB limit. Also note, the TV shows you buy you own for life, the movies are the only rentals.

there's gametrailers (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/7329), but it's kinda long-winded...

there are some other sites other than youtube, like that microsoft one, an of course gametrailers.

Bugsplatter

11-07-2006, 04:55 AM

bapenguin

11-07-2006, 05:12 AM

there's gametrailers (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/7329), but it's kinda long-winded...

there are some other sites other than youtube, like that microsoft one, an of course gametrailers.

I just re-encoded it first and then uploaded. Quicktime is so bloated it's not even funny. 112MB quicktime down to a 21MB WMV with similar quality.

EternalGamer

11-07-2006, 05:39 AM

Sorry, I offended you Kef, you'll note I didn't leave myself out of that discussion, I was not trying to be above anyone, I think everybody is effected. And that doesn't necessarily mean in the way that it brainwashes you to buy that particular product. That is not my main concern. I have a different beef with advertising and that is that it creates a notion of a world of endless hyper stylized appeal, one that never matches the reality we live in. I think our preferences, our sense of tastes, even our since of what is sexually attractive, is all effected by advertising, sometimes only in small ways but I suspect often more than we even know. It not only adds to a culture of instant gratification, it is responsible for its very creation. It can also have, as you pointed out, the somewhat opposite effect of making you overly cynical about everything and everyone in the world around you. And who can blame you? When you spend so much time listening to people trying to sell you something, you are bound to carry that out into the rest of the world with you. It becomes a natural reaction.

I believe advertising effects us because I think everything you encounter effects you, ever person you spend time with. And sadly, most of us probably spend more time with ads than we do with any one person in our lives. And this bothers me because of all the aformentioned qualities I think advertising (by its very nature) creates.

But when we can spend every waking moment of our lives surrounded by the ability to buy things, through our bathroom mirror, through the flatpanel video card in our wallets, in our car, on our phone, on every street corner, when our entire world becomes a shopping mall and we spend more time observing ads than we do talking to real people who aren't trying to sell us stuff, then maybe we can finally just forget about reality altogether and overdose in consumer escapism. Or maybe that is the point where we realize that we can't actually escape at all. And we begin to long for a time when I world wasn't saturated with people trying to sell us stuff in absolutely everything we do.

Norse

11-07-2006, 05:41 AM

Sony Slams Microsoft TV Deal (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4154&Itemid=2)

Sony has issued a statement criticizing its rival Microsoft's TV and movies announcement, arguing that it cuts out Core system users, who will not be able to store the content, thereby splitting the user-base.

Oh my

Mr.Green

11-07-2006, 06:40 AM

Our fucking useless CRTC (http://www.crtc.gc.ca) is probably blocking that deal. Oh well, I already have a japanese account, might as well create an american one already.

Roc Ingersol

11-07-2006, 07:19 AM

Sony has issued a statement criticizing its rival Microsoft's TV and movies announcement, arguing that it cuts out Core system users, who will not be able to store the content, thereby splitting the user-base.
splitting the userbase into people who want to pay for expanded capability and people who don't want to spend extra cash if they just want to play games?

That's kinda the recurring theme from Redmond this go-round, isn't it?

51|RandoM

11-07-2006, 08:30 AM

That's why they said you can watch it as many times as you want?

They always say that, that is the sell to make it more than watching a tv show, or a single showing pay per view.

What they're saying, though, is that you can watch it over and over and over again until it expires.

TrackZero

11-07-2006, 08:48 AM

They always say that, that is the sell to make it more than watching a tv show, or a single showing pay per view.

What they're saying, though, is that you can watch it over and over and over again until it expires.

And from bapenguin's posted review just now:

"There are also TV shows available to download, and these can be kept indefinitely. "

So, neayh. They do stay on your box. ;) Quit being so jaded.

Kefkataran

11-07-2006, 09:27 AM

I believe advertising effects us because I think everything you encounter effects you, ever person you spend time with. And sadly, most of us probably spend more time with ads than we do with any one person in our lives. And this bothers me because of all the aformentioned qualities I think advertising (by its very nature) creates.

Affect. You mean affect.

Now that my English major moment is done, I'm willing to agree that everything we come in contact with affects us, but I don't think advertising is so powerful (nor even so overwhelmingly negative) as you make it out to be. And the idea of being able to buy stuff through Xbox Live is nothing new. Remember what they call it? XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE. This was announced at least a year before the 360's release. They've never hidden their intentions. And again, they don't even really have COMMERCIALS. They have a small unobtrusive banner at the bottom of the screen when you sign on. Nothing worse than Evil Avatar even and it's going to be there (and has been) whether or not we get movies/TV. So I still don't see what your problem is with this.

Also, the 10 seconds I spend on the Xbox Live dashboard and the 30 seconds per TV episode that I spend skipping through commericals on DVR doesn't compare to how much time I spend with people. If anything is a culprit there, it's the internet.

Or maybe that is the point where we realize that we can't actually escape at all. And we begin to long for a time when I world wasn't saturated with people trying to sell us stuff in absolutely everything we do.

I respect your ideas here, but there is little I hate more than the complete lies of a "remember how much better it was when..." attitude. 99% of a time that appealing to the past is complete junk.