Xbox Live released their video download service last Wednesday and is off to a rip roaring start. Now you can get HD movie rentals over your fat Internet pipe for a mere 6 bucks (or 480 MS points). Standard definition movies go for $3 as well as HD TV shows and SD shows are $2. Keep in mind these are all rentals meaning they will evaporate after a certain time, but what a cool way to introduce users to IPTV. And there are a few small glitches with the launch since Microsoft apparently doesn't have enough bandwidth to back up the HD downloads, so expect things to be a little pokey. I don't have an Xbox 360 nor do I plan on getting one but this will be good competition for Apple once they drop their iTV product sometime early next year. Xbox Live Video is um.. Live
Xbox Live released their video download service last Wednesday and is off to a rip roaring start. Now you can get HD movie rentals over your fat Internet pipe for a mere 6 bucks (or 480 MS points). Standard definition movies go for $3 as well as HD TV shows and SD shows are $2. Keep in mind these are all rentals meaning they will evaporate after a certain time, but what a cool way to introduce users to IPTV. And there are a few small glitches with the launch since Microsoft apparently doesn't have enough bandwidth to back up the HD downloads, so expect things to be a little pokey. I don't have an Xbox 360 nor do I plan on getting one but this will be good competition for Apple once they drop their iTV product sometime early next year. Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. For what it's worth, individual TV episodes don't expire... they're purchases. You can even delete and re-download them, which is handy considering that 360 owners are still stuck with a 20GB hard drive.
Posted at 12:10PM on Nov 29th 2006 by Roger Benningfield
1. Excellent. I will be in the market for an XBox 360 very soon. Not that I am much of a gamer but I will be purchasing XBox 360, and PS3 to embrace new developments in these brand new media centers. I believe they will change the way we interact with content from our homes...plus Gears of War looks amazing.
Posted at 3:14AM on Nov 28th 2006 by cDilla