Can't wait to understand what Netflix integration on the Xbox 360 will be like? Stop daydreaming and click on past the jump then, as Major Nelson takes you through the entire process on video. We could continue on explaining how easy it looks to navigate to one's Queue, press play and pop some popcorn, but we'd rather let the aforementioned expert handle that.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft just announced that it's partnering with Netflix to allow Xbox 360 owners to stream movies from their Netflix queues for no extra charge. Microsoft says the 360 will be the only game system that allows Netflix access for no additional cost -- which isn't entirely accurate, since it sounds like only Live Gold members will get access. Streaming movies can also be shared with your Live party, allowing you to watch content together. Users will have instant access to their Netflix instant access queues, but it's not clear what resolution the content will be streamed at -- we'd guess it's roughly the same DVD-quality res that Roku's Netflix streamer is getting for now, but hopefully that'll change when the service launches in the fall with the new dashboard.

Looks like Movie Gallery finally got something for the assortment of PBS bandwidth and spare parts remaining from the now-defunct MovieBeam service. The new owner is Indian conglomerate The Valuable Group, headed by Sanjay Gaikwad who apparently thinks serving up a remarkably limited assortment of heavily compressed HD and SD movies on demand is an idea that deserves to fail all over the world, instead of just in the U.S. Since $100 million burned up by Disney and others wasn't enough to make things work, he plans to invest a similar amount over the next two years to relaunch the service in North America, the U.K. and "other overseas markets". Variety notes The Valuable Group already delivers movies digitally to India and South Asian theaters via satellite so maybe they know something we don't about this business model, and with plans to roll out service in three markets with "new, cutting edge features" by year end we'll get to find out soon.

At All Things D today Mossberg and Amazon's Jeff Bezos had a little discussion about digital media, which had a couple of decent nuggets. Check it out:

• On Kindle 2: "There will be a second version, a third version, a tenth version. ... but a second version is not that near."
• According to Bezos, on a title-by-title basis of the 125,000 titles available both in print and on Kindle, Kindle's sales represent 6% of total sales. We have no idea how significant that actually is (or what that means in dollars), but Bezos seemed to be fairly impressed with that number. Still, "Books won't go away just as horses won't go away -- they're still around."
• Talking about whether the Kindle was built to work on non-CDMA networks (read: networks other than Sprint). Bezo said: "we're gonna -- we need to be thinking globally about the device, which we are." He almost slipped there and said "We're gonna launch internationally," but caught himself.
• Bezos also announced a new, for-pay, streaming video-on-demand service for Amazon, which will be released in the next couple of weeks. The video should start playing "instantly," but we don't have any further details (like number of titles, library, price, etc.).

Moving beyond day-and-date releases via internet and HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price -- that surveys say some of us are willing to pay -- but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of ICT redux, the movie studios haven't said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of AACS and BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn't a deterrent to the MPAA's push, so while ICT has gone unused on Blu-ray and HD DVD, we're still too fond of our component outs, switchers and homemade cables -- and too wary of a future change in policy -- to support any changes in the law.

Hi-def and DVRs go together like peanut butter and jelly, but even with all the great DVRs available today, none are perfect. TiVo offers the best overall user experience and features, but lacks a few fundamental features that most cable STBs have -- like VOD, for starters. Although this isn't TiVo's fault, when it comes down to figuring out what's right for your family, it really doesn't matter. During Tivo's earnings call yesterday, it was reaffirmed that TiVo is working one step closer to making the ultimate cable DVR by including two-way functionality using the latest CableLabs standard tru2way. For those who haven't been keeping track at home, tru2way has undergone an identity crisis, and if you go back long enough, you'll find that it was called CableCARD 2.0 -- by someone. The way this would work is that you'd have a way on a TiVo to access the cable company's UI, so good or bad, when you're accessing VOD content, you'd see the same thing as if you were using a Moto or SA Cisco box. What isn't known is if current HD TiVo owners, with the help of a tuning resolver and some software, would have access to the same features. We don't see why not, but this stuff is already way more complicated than it should be, and at this point we wouldn't put anything by CableLabs.

Dish Network's booth was certainly not destitute of propaganda, but it did provide an open look at its current line of DVRs and receivers as well as giving onlookers something else to look forward to. We'd hate to leave you hangin' like that, so follow the trail on over to EngadgetHD for the full skinny, alright?

Although we're not exactly sure how many of you are rushing to bust out your wallet over this, VUDU's movies-on-demand STB is now on sale to those interested. The box itself will run customers a stiff $399 up front, and while you will have "instant access to 5,000 movies from major studios," you'll be paying between $0.99 and $3.99 for one-time rentals and $4.99 to $19.99 for movie purchases, "depending on the age" of the title. Of course, there's no activation or subscription charges once you fork out that $400, and while an exhaustive list of flicks doesn't look to be available, a few notables are 300, Dreamgirls, The Queen, Music and Lyrics, The Descent, The Last Mimzy, and Breach. Well, now you know, and for those pulling the trigger, expect it to arrive sometime near the month's end.

It's been a long time comin', but it looks like DirecTV's bonafide video-on-demand service is nearly ready for primetime. Judging by a descriptive thread over at DBSTalk, the service -- dubbed DirecTV on Demand -- has been rolled out in beta form to at least some users, so here's a quick look at what you can expect. First off, DoD will reportedly "be available for internet connected HR20's that are running on a compatible version of software," and requires that a user request a program via the 'net or through their HR20, after which the DVR "downloads that content via the internet, and stores the downloaded content just like any other recorded program." Feel free to hit the read link for all the nitty-gritty details, but for those into abridged versions, click on through for a few key points...

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We're not sayin' we'd put one of these bad boys in our living room or anything, but adorning the board room table with a four-line VoIP phone that sports a built-in 3.5-inch LCD, webcam, and Zach Morris-style handset wouldn't be a half bad use of resources. The SysMaster Tornado M20 uber-phone does a lot more than hold down IP calls, as it also manages to handle video conferencing, IPTV, video- / audio-on-demand, internet radio, voicemail, email / chat / news, and local weather information. This conglomerate even touts a dual-core processor, 32MB of RAM, and 32MB of flash memory, and the integrated Ethernet jack, WiFi, RCA audio outs, and Linux-powered UI are all welcome additions. Of course, we've no idea if you can rig up Tetris on this thing and use the 4, 8, and 6 keys to control your pieces, but it'll only cost you $260 and a tick of your time to find out.

Fiber to the premises (FTTP), has the potential to deliver the most advanced HD services today, and although it isn't available in most of the country, Verizon (and others) are bleeding money digging up neighborhoods all over the US to install the magical stuff. Just because you have fiber to your home doesn't mean life is perfect though, there are still plenty of things that can get in the way of your viewing pleasure -- like franchise agreements. Verizon recently announced that they were testing HD VOD in their labs and have an internal time line for launching the service -- that they aren't ready to share. But with their competition already offering this service in some areas they can't wait forever.

The constant battle between impatient television viewers and disgruntled providers got a shot of adrenaline today, as Walt Disney's two biggest channels have inked a deal with Cox Communications that is sure to simultaneously appease marketers and enrage customers. Reportedly, Cox will now begin to "disable the fast-forward feature that allows viewers to skip ads" in both ABC and ESPN video-on-demand, meaning that users who choose to view older programming via Cox's VOD channels can smash the FF button 'til their heart's content and get nowhere. Of course, users who actually set their DVR to record said content at its normal airing time are still free (for the moment, at least) to blaze right on through those annoying blips commercials, which means that you should probably become a lot more disciplined in your DVR scheduling if you belong to Cox. The worst (or best, depending on perspective) part is the precedent that this sets, as now the door is gaped wide open for more and more providers to grab the reigns of our DVRs and dictate just how far we push the notion of timeshifting. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Via TechMeMe]

Ubicod has thrown together the UMS200, a standard definition set top box which does a whole lot of interesting stuff with your video. The most interesting feature for us is the network capability made possible by two Ethernet ports. If you hook up a PC to the box you can watch live TV pretty much anywhere: it also goes the other way and lets you stream MP3s, pictures, and unnamed video file formats to your TV. Taking a little step back, the UMS200 also features a PVR function with time shifting for those of you that don't fancy watching TV on your laptop screen. Specs wise the UMS200 has a 200MHz processor for decoding MPEG-1, -2, and -4 video, as well as streaming MPEG-4 over a network at bitrates from 300kbps to around 6Mbps. Unsurprisingly for a standard definition device, it only features analog RCA outputs, so you'll have to look elsewhere if you like your definition nice and high. Other less interesting features include online flash game support, and an Electronic Program Guide so that you can plan your life around what shows happen to be on. We'd love to tell you when and for how much the UMS200 will ship, but unfortunately Ubicod's product site won't cough up the details.

[Via MaxGizmo]

With all the zany competition going on in the television world, it's not too surprising to see DISH Network hopping on the (quickly growing) movie download bandwagon. Apparently, the satellite provider is readying an IPTV service to offer "SD and HD quality movies, music, adult programs, entertainment news, and other services such as CinemaNow." While some of the content would presumably be free, other things like download-to-keep films would demand a one-time charge, and while the on-demand offerings could be accessed whenever you desire, "certain programs such as international channels and music services will be streamed in real time." Of course, the eventual success (or failure) of the program will likely depend on how zany (or reasonable) the pricing structure ends up being, and if all goes as planned, the service will reportedly go live on February 15th, 2007.

[Via PVRWire]

Hot the heels of Comcast's testing of TiVo comes an announcement sure to please couch-dwellers everywhere, as the firm unveils plans to release films on demand the very same day they're released on DVD. While it's no surprise to see Comcast digging deeper into the VOD closet, this plan (initially hitting Pittsburgh and Denver) hopes to seize a potential opportunity that's currently being wasted as movies hit the on-demand scenes approximately "30 to 45 days" after rolling out on DVD. Moreover, it seems that movie studios are more than willing to lend their support, as sagging DVD sales are reportedly being (at least somewhat) attributed to the skyrocketing popularity in not moving a single inch utilizing VOD. Of course, this newfangled approach could potentially hurt firms like Blockbuster, but representatives have purportedly said that studios would be "extra cautious" not to cannibalize sales in the rental and retail industries. It wouldn't be too shocking to see VOD purchases head north if flicks are released soon after their departure from theaters, but we're sure the DVD aficionados will keep piling up those collections no matter what.

[Via Digg]