Microsoft To Allow Movie and TV shows Downloading On The Xbox 360

[roma_turok]

Ross Honey, senior director of Microsoft's media, content and partner strategy group,
uses an Xbox video game controller to navigate the options for viewing television and movies.

Microsoft Corp.'s message: It's not the media. The software giant will let owners of its Xbox 360 video game console watch high-definition movies and TV shows — no discs required.

When the service goes live on Nov. 22, Microsoft will have more than a thousand hours of video available for fans to watch

The videos are stored as Windows Media Player version 9 content on the hard disk. A 22-minute “South Park” episode takes up about 300 megabytes of space. But Henson says that the good thing is that consumers can use Xbox Live itself for storage, rather than their own machines. Hence, if someone buys the entire library of South Park shows, they could download them at any time to the hard drive. If someone erases a show and then wants to view it again later, Xbox Live will allow them to do so.

Microsoft did not announce pricing, although people familiar with the service, which begins Nov. 22, said movies will rent for $3.99 for new releases and $2.99 for older titles. Television shows are expected to sell for $1.99.

Microsoft has lined up a lot of partners: MTV, CBS, Warner Bros., Paramount, Turner and UFC. Companies such as CBS, which is releasing 400 hours of video for Xbox Live, are seeking out elusive gamers who are no longer watching much television, Henson said. The TV shows can be bought, while the movies are for rental only. On a 3-megabit-per-second Internet connection, someone could download a “South Park” episode in about 13 minutes. At some point, the viewer would be able to watch some of the episode as the rest is downloading.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4315244.html
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/11/microsoft_to_al.html

[Xylob the Destroyer]

That sounds pretty sweet.
Think $ony will try the same thing with PS3? Their initial vision of the PS2 was a device that would be the 'hub' of your home theatre and they tried to expand on that with the ill-fated Japan only PSX.

[Joe The Dude]

South Park.
In HD.
$1.99 per episode.
Downloadable to the XBOX 360.
Can start watching it within 13 minutes.
Huh?


Methinks I'll just stick with my multi-tuner HTPC...