Xbox 360 IPTV interface gallery

We got a bunch of pics of the new IPTV interface for the Xbox 360, and we like what we see. We kind of thought that Microsoft would be the content provider out of the gate but it looks like they might be partnering with established content delivery companies to supply your 360 with media. There are still a huge amount of unanswered questions we have regarding how it works, who's providing content, what kind of content we can expect (and at what quality / resolution), how much it will cost, etc. Yeah, basically we know nothing. Nothing except the fact that yet again we can't wait for the next generation of content consumption that will maybe finally allow us to ditch our horrid, unusable Motorola high def DVR.

Xbox 360 IPTV interface gallery

[ShaolinDolemite @ Jan 8th 2007 12:17AM]

This combined with the HP server will change a lot. Can't wait for this.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Jan 8th 2007 12:28AM]

I don't even think the HP server comes into play with this - it's IPTV. There might be an option to download to a server in the house and then play on the 360, but why not just download it directly to your 360 and watch it, then delete it? If you want to save it to a server instead then, yes, there might be a way to work the HP server in there...

However, I will admit... this sort of functionality will have me seriously looking at a 360 over a PS3 - if only the HD-DVD drive was inside the 360!

[xVariable @ Jan 8th 2007 12:30AM]

Too bad it'll likely require the new HDMI 360 to get 1080i/p. Otherwise it'll be downsampled to 720p, per the HDCP guidelines for unprotected content.

Oh well, it's not meant for those of us that bought the first 10-12 million 360s (that's how many will likely have been sold before the HDMI 360 is released).

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Jan 8th 2007 12:31AM]

Oh, and Ryan: We will never be able to ditch those Moto DVRs. I think they're an albatross-like curse from the devil or something - once you have one, it never goes away.

[Fabrice @ Jan 8th 2007 12:33AM]

Back in my country (France) IPTV is old news, many satellite channels are now broadcasted over the Internet using a special box (interestingly, Orange is part of the Microsoft presentation). In my old town, DSL speed is very low (MUCH lower than what you can get in Paris which is usually around 18-20 sometime even higher mbps). At 'low' speed, (2mbps) TV is very choppy. I suspect that in a country like the US, only large cities capable of getting very high speed internet will be able to get IPTV. And even so, the phone companies will have to upgrade their system to a much higher speed than it is right now. So far, IPTV make sense only in dense populated area where download speed are significant...
For the price, it will also be interesting to check this out. 20 mbps download cost 30 euros in some case in France. for 30 Euro ... Cox communication offers only 3 mbps...

[ShaolinDolemite @ Jan 8th 2007 12:35AM]

Geoffrey, my main point is that the HP server would be great for a place to store your recorded shows- the biggest gripe people have with the 360 is the size of the hard drive. The HP server would make that a moot point (plus give you a lot of other cool things you could do with it).

[John @ Jan 8th 2007 8:57AM]

I recall reading somewhere that the higher capacity hard drives, while useful, would not be a requirement because MS would let the user store all of their purchases on XBOX Live and download on demand.

[Mike Jenkins @ Jan 8th 2007 12:44AM]

So if the TV icon replaces teh video marketplace icon, how wil lwe get to the video marketplace? Or will it be a part of the IPTV interface? It looks a lot like the Vista Media Center interface so I'm sure movie and tv downloads could be a tab in that interface.

[Richard C. @ Jan 8th 2007 1:03AM]

Paul Thurrott reported that the new 360 is much more than a HDMI port or a larger HD, that the motherboard is retooled in more significant ways for this IPTV thing....it's not about the little port everyone has been complaining about. But he could be wrong.

[Shmoe @ Jan 8th 2007 2:03AM]

The wife's defintely not going to go for this. It's WAY too confusing. MS needs to clarify some things soon. There's a Media Center tab, which one would expect to be the source for media. However, there are now two possible places to select TV from. So you can get TV via Media Center extender streamed from your Vista computer in the office to the 360 in the living room. This IPTV thing should work through that instead of being a seperate place on the Xbox dashboard to select TV. It's the old KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID principle here. The Xbox dashboard interface does not pass the all important wife test.

[Dave @ Jan 8th 2007 2:26AM]

IPTV offered from the phone company over DSL looks like crap here as well. The DSL maxes out around 4 mbit/s. The cable company however is offering down stream speeds of up to 25 mbit/s. I think the cable company and maybe Digital satellite providers are the only ones with enough bandwidth to deliver HD grade signals.

[Longman @ Jan 8th 2007 2:58PM]

Here's a video of it in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iafwrw-9BVM
While the provider is the usual MS mockup, it would appear the software is actually running and is more developed than a simple mockup.

[exchguy @ Jan 8th 2007 3:35PM]

Note the bit mentioned in the video. The IPTV would need to come from a service provider that could guarantee QoS. This isn't something that you can hook up to any standard cable modem service or DSL and expect quality of streaming full HD quality video. I see these boxes as something a Verizon FIOS or Comcast, etc rents to you and "for a fee" allows you to stream the IPTV. Then, how much is this service worth when you are already paying for with your cable service or dish?

[bjoeg @ Jan 8th 2007 4:59AM]

Is this yet another local US-only feature, or are we going global?

[Michael May @ Jan 8th 2007 6:11AM]

Don't be silly, all of us outside the US are second class citizens, remember...

[DannyB @ Jan 8th 2007 5:01AM]

What will come next will be on demand games/rentals....now that will be the day! Give it a year or two.

[TV @ Jan 8th 2007 3:02PM]

This would horrible as it would KILL the used game market. I buy all of my games used (I don't need to be the first one with it (anymore)).

It's not like I can sell you my 'rights' to the game for a lower price or even trade/swap it with my friends.

Just saying (I'm sure it's coming though)

[Steve @ Jan 8th 2007 6:53AM]

"Is this yet another local US-only feature, or are we going global?"

They mentioned quite a few providers in the presentation. BT in the UK already have a Microsoft IPTV box out, so it wouldn't be too much to expect them to offer the exact same service with BT as the provider.

[KineticOnline @ Jan 8th 2007 7:33AM]

n order to get BT Vision, you will need BT Total Broadband. on top of that http://www.btvision.bt.com/how_it_works.html
States that "if you can’t receive ANY Freeview channels in your home, you won’t be able to use BT Vision’s recording function or pause/rewind Freeview TV. But the good news is you will still have access to BT Vision's great on demand entertainment."

Which basically means that IPTV on the 360 is going to be massivly over expensive and useless for most TV (as you will need to change to a IP thats overly expensive and still limits bandwidth).
Take a look at their website for youself, if it doesnt put you off then you need a slap (look at everything)
http://www.btvision.bt.com/

[MattS @ Jan 8th 2007 2:53PM]

Please, please, please work with Verizon FIOS!

[gig @ Jan 8th 2007 12:29PM]

I wish MS would add a freakin browser to the 360, it would complete me. :D

[Mattso @ Jan 8th 2007 2:50PM]

Let me preface this by saying that there are several reasons why I couldn't imagine this Xbox IPTV being viable for me, as well as most people, anytime in the next 2-3 years (if not even longer than that) and I'm sure most of you know understand the more obvious ones, so I won't go into all of them.

What I will say is that this makes me want to return the 360 I just bought even more, because there's no way I could imagine running my 360 all the time to watch tv. If the V2 360 runs quieter and cooler, and is less power-hungry, this IPTV business is a major reason to feel like the V1 isn't up to standard. I haven't been one of those people screaming that Microsoft is screwing early adopters over with the V2 release, but the fact remains that the current (and probably even the V2) 360 is starting to look more and more like a jack of all trades, but master of none (with games being the most probable exception in most people's minds).

I like the fact that the 360 and Xbox Live have all this potential do so so many different things, but Microsoft should have thought more about all of those things from the beginning. I just don't view the machine I have sitting underneath my tv right now to be one that I run constantly for all of my media needs. It's too loud, hot, and power hungry, and it doesn't give me 100% confidence that it would even make it through a year of such constant use.

[benz200x @ Jan 8th 2007 8:06PM]

Wait 1 sec.Are they releasing a new 360 or just adding a feature?