nitink 279 Report post Posted December 6, 2011 Xbox update turns console into TV box offering dozens of channels and film rentals - all controlled by voice Update launches as free download today Video-on-demand service such as LoveFilm and NetFlix to offer huge libraries of films on demand Channels such as MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and Hulu to launch in US Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 in the UK - BBC iPlayer to follow next year Subcribers pay just £35 a year 'This will have a devastating effect' - analyst A new, free software update for Xbox 360 today puts the console into direct competition with cable and satellite companies - offering an internet-TV service with a huge number of free channels backed with films on demand. The update happens automatically for all Xbox 360 owners who have their consoles connected to the internet. The TV service is £35 a year. All the channels are delivered via the internet. Xbox 360 will also offer 'web TV' services such as YouTube - and could revolutionise television in the home. There are already 57 million Xbox 360s in homes worldwide. Few are 'live' on launch day in any territory, but will be added to the dashboard in the form of 'apps' - also automatic downloads. To use the channels, you'll need an Xbox Live Gold Membership - around £35 per year.The console already plays DVDs. The TV channels will all be searchable from the Xbox's new dashboard, using Bing internet search - and customers with the Kinect motion-sensor and microphone will be able to search, say, for a TV show, simply by saying the name of the show. Both Sony's rival PS3 and Nintendo's Wii offer more limited television services - and Xbox has offered downloadable films for years - but analysts have hailed the move as 'revolutionary.' 'Microsoft has just built and delivered it: A single box that ties together all the content you want, made easily accessible through a universal, natural, voice-directed search. This is now the benchmark against which all other living room initiatives should be compared,” said James McQuivey of Forrester Research in 'Microsoft has not only built the right experience, it has ensured that it will spread quickly and with devastating effect.' he Kinect 'voice control' could be equally revolutionary. It beats Apple's rumoured 'Apple TV' - a new, voice-controlled technology expected to hit stores by December 2012. Microsoft's technology lets you simply 'talk' to your set, with a sensor using a combination of gesture control and voice control to let you access its functions. As with voice-control systems such as the 'Siri' system used in iPhone 4S, Microsoft's new system doesn't force you to learn 'commands' - it works more like an internet search. And it looks likely that other companies will race to beat Apple's 'iTV' - a technology that Steve Jobs had worked on extensively before he died. 'He very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players and phones: make them simple and elegant,' wrote Walter Isaacson in his official biography. Sony's Howard Stringer has said, 'I spent the last five years building a platform so I can compete against Steve Jobs. It’s finished, and it’s launching now.' Sony's new televisions already offer 'smart TV' functions, which deliver entertainment via the internet. 'A new era in entertainment begins where all your entertainment is together in one place—your games, movies, TV shows, music and sports,' said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. 'With this update, Xbox 360 system owners will experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search, making your TV and entertainment experiences more social and personal than ever.' Leaks from Asian sources hint that Apple's TV will come in three sizes. It will be powered by a new, fast processor found in next year's iPad 3, and will use similar voice-control software to the 'Siri' voice assistant found in iPhone 4S. Analyst Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray predicted that the sets would debut in Christmas 2012 - and would be fully built inside television sets. The only thing Apple can't provide, Munster says, is full TV access - so even with an Apple TV, customers should still expect to pay for subscription TV services. source http://www.dailymail...ie-rentals.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
