BT Group first to roll out Xbox 360 as IPTV set-top box

Just in case you weren't reading along to our liveblog of Bill Gate's twelfth and final CES keynote – in which case, what were you doing? – we wanted to share some Xbox 360 IPTV news. Last year, Microsoft was talking up their IPTV initiative but when Fall '07 rolled around, there weren't any set-top Xboxen to be found. During last night 's keynote Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, announced that British telecom giant BT Group would be the first "to provide that capability." But when will they provide it and in what markets? As always, answers as we get 'em, but in the meantime read the rest of the Microsoft keynote by clicking the read link.

[fLUx @ Jan 7th 2008 4:11AM]

OK, so I presume it being "British" telecom, this is in the UK? Anyone know if this means we will be able to get American TV shows as they are broadcast in the US?

Because I see it being the same as we have now on iTunes, Xbox Live Videos, and so on - we get everything months after the US, and pay way over the top for it.

[ryan10ad @ Jan 7th 2008 4:27AM]

Ok first BT has a hybrid Freeview (Digital) and IPTV box called BT Vision. This is also a PVR. BT's High-Speed internet service is branded BT Total Broadband. This provides a maximum of 8MB on most BT owned lines (Most of UK as BT owns the telephone exchanges). Also to get BT vision, users would have to install the standard BT Home Hub modem and run ethernet to the BT Vision box. Here from what I can guess, BT would just swap out the BT Vision Box and replace with a Xbox 360. And the markets should be a UK areas with a BT Exchange (all of UK apart from Hull, I think) and on BT Total broadband, simple.

[schwuk @ Jan 7th 2008 7:43AM]

You're spot on. The relevant quote from BT's press release is:

"BT Vision customers with an Xbox 360 will gain the option of accessing BT Vision from either the Xbox 360 or a set-top-box. The service will be available to existing and future Xbox 360 owners."

Not sure if I'm sad or glad that I don't use BT for broadband...

[ryan10ad @ Jan 7th 2008 8:34AM]

Well unless you live in London, this is the UK's first full step to iptv. OK I hate Microsoft (I am tri-platform) it's good to have more of a choice in digital TV.

[Bertil @ Jan 7th 2008 4:35AM]

The Xbox in its current hw design is not fit to serve as a set-up box. It is like a helicopter is trying to take-off and my curtains wave by the wind coming from the device - not to mention the heat it generates. I use it as a MCE extender to Vista which works reasonably well but a serene silence comes over the living when I turn it off to swich back to my DTV set-up box.

[srw985 @ Jan 7th 2008 4:59AM]

When the DVD drives not spinning, it makes just as much noise as a Sky HD box

[Russ @ Jan 7th 2008 9:34AM]

@srw985

I'd look into getting your SkyHD STB replaced then as mines not anywhere near that noisy.

[ScooterDe @ Jan 9th 2008 4:49PM]

right on. With the DVD silent, the rest of the box is so noisy I sit well away from the TV and lose the impact of the big screen and HD resolution. All in, the 360 is a failed first attempt at media centric computing. Roll on its successor.

[coolant8 @ Jan 7th 2008 5:17AM]

I'm sorry, but the idea of a 360 as a set-top box is fundenmentally wrong, i mean, turn it on, its so loud that you don't expect to hear yourself screaming.

[super @ Jan 7th 2008 5:32AM]

Do you have an xbox? Didnt think so...
The only thing that makes it loud is the DVD drive. And thats only loud when playing games(watching a movie isnt a problem), but you dont even notice the noise when your playing games.

[Josef @ Jan 7th 2008 7:25AM]

Wow. Hyperbole much?

[Brian @ Jan 7th 2008 7:30AM]

@Super

Have you got a 360.... mine sounds like two helicopters even with nothing in the DVD drive.....

[Josef @ Jan 7th 2008 8:21AM]

@Brian:

I've been in a (relatively) small room with 4 360s hooked together. No complaints. Maybe you just have a bad unit.

[Jeremy @ Jan 7th 2008 10:22AM]

My 360 makes almost no noise after bootup when there's no disc in the drive. Seems like we have quite a mixed bag here.

[ScareyJ @ Jan 7th 2008 11:36AM]

My Xbox360 is also pretty quiet without a disc ... I moved the MCE PC out of the room and use the 360 as an extender 24/7 because it was quieter. Insert a game disc and it definitely gets louder but I expect that to a degree.

For our family, the 360 has become the perfect media hub. The only time we switch away is to allow the kids to play their Nintendo.

[sp1derman @ Jan 7th 2008 6:14AM]

You can check out BT Group press release at http://www.btplc.com/News/index.cfm

titled: BT and Microsoft Announce Partnership to Deliver Powerful, First-of-its-Kind Entertainment Experience to Consumers through Xbox 360

[flipper @ Jan 7th 2008 6:22AM]

My 360 is appallingly noisy with or without the DVD or HD-DVD drive running. It has to be addressed before the 360 can be a media hub (either that or you must have no neighbours and a very loud speaker setup)

[JustinAndrew @ Jan 7th 2008 6:55AM]

What happened to the PS3 IPTV box that's already been announced?

[Raymond @ Jan 7th 2008 7:51AM]

Press release at:-

http://www.btplc.com/news/articles/showarticle.cfm?articleid=%7b1a60978c-f95d-4163-b6e7-426807733ffd%7d

Answers some questions.

[CB @ Jan 7th 2008 8:32AM]

Funnily enough our office (BT) is full of people who have BT Vision because they get it for free and everyone has a different story about the noisy fan in that set top box. Mine is silent, the guy opposite me says he puts a box over it to stifle the noise....strange

[Russ @ Jan 7th 2008 9:38AM]

Are they the only BT Vision customers too? :-P

[Jeremy @ Jan 7th 2008 10:25AM]

My guess is that adding the box probably causes it to not ventilate properly thus requiring the fan to run faster and louder. Perhaps many of the people with noisy STB's and/or Xbox's should make sure there systems are actually getting good ventilation.

[CosterMonger @ Jan 7th 2008 11:01AM]

I don't know why every one is complaining about the X360's noise, it is a feature -sarcasm

Why don't they just mod the damn thing with 2x 20" fans {and in the process void the warranty}
or get everyone into wireless headphones w/ noise cancellation. -more sarcasm