Yesterday at E3 Microsoft unveiled new features for the Xbox 360 as Microsoft continue to focus the 360 as Microsoft’s main push in to the home. The TV features come from Sky in the UK (which has been available for a while), Foxtel, and Canal+ with no details on US partners yet but the promise seem to be bringing live TV to the Xbox 360, whether that is at the expense of Windows Media Center in future versions of Windows we will see. I was hoping we would see BBC iPlayer coming to the Xbox but maybe that will come in the future.
Microsoft also announced that YouTube is coming to the Xbox so you will be able to watch YouTube videos directly from the Xbox 360 and searchable via voice using Bing Search. It’s impressive to see Microsoft continue to develop the Xbox 360 even if it may be at the expense of other Microsoft platforms
LOS ANGELES — June 6, 2011 — What if you could find your favorite games, music, movies and TV shows, just with the sound of your voice? What if you could ask your TV to find “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” and it did — instantly? What if you wanted to listen to Coldplay and all you had to do was tell your TV and it responded by playing the Coldplay songs you love? Only on Xbox 360 is your entertainment together in one place — and now you will be able to find it with your voice.
Microsoft Corp. today kicked off the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) by solving the challenge of finding the entertainment you want, quickly and easily. The solution: voice search with Bing on Xbox 360. Bing on Xbox searches Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN, as well as music, video and Xbox LIVE Marketplace to find exactly the entertainment you want to enjoy. With Bing on Xbox and Kinect for Xbox 360, you can effortlessly find the games, movies, TV shows, sports and music you want. You say it, Xbox finds it.
“This is an incredible time of growth and innovation for our business leveraging technologies that see us, hear us and connect us all together,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This year by bringing together the power of Kinect for Xbox 360 and the intelligence of Bing, we are transforming how people enjoy entertainment.”
Over the past two years, Microsoft has joined with some of the world’s largest TV operators to bring live television to Xbox LIVE in the United Kingdom with Sky TV, in France with Canal+ and in Australia with FOXTEL. Now, Microsoft has announced its commitment to expand access to live television programming on Xbox 360 to more providers in the United States and around the world during the upcoming year. Consumers will enjoy news, sports and their favorite local channels, all just a voice command away, on Xbox 360. Also this year, Microsoft is teaming up with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)* to bring the depth of the world’s best mixed martial arts programming to Xbox LIVE. Featuring live matches, classic fights, interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes looks into the lives of the world’s greatest fighters, access the octagon in an all-new interactive way only through Xbox 360.
As well as adding more entertainment with UFC, Microsoft is building on its expansive catalog of tens of thousands of movies and TV shows available on demand from Hulu Plus, Netflix and Zune by bringing YouTube** to Xbox 360. You will gain access to great “Web original” content from around the world — the latest videos, gaming tips and a universe of compelling content. And for the first time ever, you can control YouTube videos just by using your voice. A great way to experience YouTube is now on Xbox 360.
Did you miss “The Social Network” in the theater? You will be able to simply tell your television what you want to watch and choose from the multiple sources on Xbox 360 that may be offering it live or on demand. Want to play the latest viral videos from YouTube from the comfort of your couch? Xbox 360 and the magic of Kinect make it as easy as using your voice. Xbox 360 brings together the entertainment you want, whether it’s movies, TV shows, music, sports, or your favorite games, available instantly with the command of your voice through Bing on Xbox 360 and Kinect.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a premier home entertainment and video game system. Thanks to the addition of Kinect, Xbox 360 has also transformed social gaming and entertainment with a whole new way to play — no controller required. Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest games as well as the largest on-demand library of music, standard- and high-definition movies, TV shows and digital games, all in one place. The entertainment center of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content with a leading social entertainment network of nearly 35 million Xbox LIVE members to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information about Xbox 360 can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.
About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE is the online entertainment service for your Xbox 360, connecting you to an ever-expanding world of games, movies, TV, music, sports and social entertainment. Xbox LIVE lets you play the best games, enjoy the largest on-demand library on any console, listen to millions of songs and share the fun with friends around the world. Xbox LIVE is also the exclusive home of controller-free online entertainment through Kinect, making your Xbox 360 more intuitive and interactive than ever before. With an active community of nearly 35 million people across 35 countries, Xbox LIVE, together with Xbox 360, provides you with instant access to the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, wherever you are. More information about Xbox LIVE can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/live.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
3 thoughts on “Xbox 360 to get Live TV, YouTube and Voice Search”
It doesn’t look good for Media Center… First the Windows 8 interface now all the lights turned to Xbox and Sky cancelling sky player on media center… I hope I’m wrong. I don’t want to shout at xbox at night when I’m in bed… Let’s hope for the best…
No mention of Media Center at all, I didn’t even see the logo on any of the new Xbox dash screenshots.
It will probably end up in the ‘Apps Hub’.
I can see where MS is going with unifying the UI’s on WP7, Windows 8 and now Xbox 360. They are all using the clean Metro ‘Tiled’ interface. Which is not a bad thing. If it works as well as it does on Windows Phone 7 it will transform the way we interact with these devices.
MS, don’t let Media Center fall behind. IMHO it still remains the best whole house media storage and distribution method available. It shouldn’t be too much trouble to allow voice and gesture control of Media Center via Kinnect.
Sadly iPlayer is highly unlikely to ever hit Xbox due to neither side being able or willing to compromise. BBC is not allowed to charge for iPlayer, people have already paid the licence fee, and Microsoft only make features like that available to Xbox Live Gold members which requires a subscription. Stalemate unfortunately.
I also understand that Windows 8 will represent the start of a shift away from tuners towards IP based services but I still hope Windows Media Center exists although if the Extender support via Xbox is removed then that’ll be the end for WMC in our living room which would be a really sad day. Microsoft simply don’t seem to understand that the UK broadband network isn’t ready for IPTV (due to bandwidth and download limits) except where specific services co-exist (BT Vision for BT Broadband customers or Sky over IP for Sky Broadband customers).
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It doesn’t look good for Media Center… First the Windows 8 interface now all the lights turned to Xbox and Sky cancelling sky player on media center… I hope I’m wrong. I don’t want to shout at xbox at night when I’m in bed… Let’s hope for the best…
No mention of Media Center at all, I didn’t even see the logo on any of the new Xbox dash screenshots.
It will probably end up in the ‘Apps Hub’.
I can see where MS is going with unifying the UI’s on WP7, Windows 8 and now Xbox 360. They are all using the clean Metro ‘Tiled’ interface. Which is not a bad thing. If it works as well as it does on Windows Phone 7 it will transform the way we interact with these devices.
MS, don’t let Media Center fall behind. IMHO it still remains the best whole house media storage and distribution method available. It shouldn’t be too much trouble to allow voice and gesture control of Media Center via Kinnect.
Sadly iPlayer is highly unlikely to ever hit Xbox due to neither side being able or willing to compromise. BBC is not allowed to charge for iPlayer, people have already paid the licence fee, and Microsoft only make features like that available to Xbox Live Gold members which requires a subscription. Stalemate unfortunately.
I also understand that Windows 8 will represent the start of a shift away from tuners towards IP based services but I still hope Windows Media Center exists although if the Extender support via Xbox is removed then that’ll be the end for WMC in our living room which would be a really sad day. Microsoft simply don’t seem to understand that the UK broadband network isn’t ready for IPTV (due to bandwidth and download limits) except where specific services co-exist (BT Vision for BT Broadband customers or Sky over IP for Sky Broadband customers).