I have been calling for Sky to come to Windows Media Center but that has never happened but instead Sky is coming to Xbox Live in the UK. Sky and Microsoft have announced that Sky’s online TV service will be available on the Xbox, there will be premium content and a wide range of channels. From the press release it looks like you will be able to join Sky directly from the Xbox UI and I guess pay for content on a pay-per-view basis.
It pushes the Xbox 360 as a great home entertainment device and fill the role I always thought Media Center would play, so while its good news for the 360 a few years ago it would have been Media Center getting the addin
For a new customer joining Sky through their Xbox, Sky Player will offer a wide range of live channels and on-demand content via a number of different packages. These customers will also be able to access their favourite shows on a pay-per-view basis.
Existing Sky customers who already own an Xbox will benefit from another way to view their favourite shows, in addition to their Sky set-top box and PC or Mac
There will be a range of unique interactive services available to the Xbox LIVE / Sky Player offering. For Sky Sports, for example, this will mean that live coverage will be supported by range of applications to enhance the viewing experience further. As well as fans being able to communicate with one another in real time via their broadband connections, they will also be able to check news and access fixtures, league tables and other on-demand information. Interactive applications will also be developed across other programmes genres.
I’ve been waiting for years for Sky to officially support Media Center. By that I mean having their full channel line up supported natively without analogue capture cards.
This new Xbox Live integration sounds like it has some nice features. But it just kinda complements their main satellite service.
What I’d really love to see is full Media Center integration with their satellite service. Full quality including; SD, HD, 5.1 and Red Button support.
I’ve got Sky Multiroom and I don’t use Sky+ because Media Center provides a much better PVR solution.
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initial reaction … EXCELLENT , but lets see what transpires before getting too carried away
I’ve been waiting for years for Sky to officially support Media Center. By that I mean having their full channel line up supported natively without analogue capture cards.
This new Xbox Live integration sounds like it has some nice features. But it just kinda complements their main satellite service.
What I’d really love to see is full Media Center integration with their satellite service. Full quality including; SD, HD, 5.1 and Red Button support.
I’ve got Sky Multiroom and I don’t use Sky+ because Media Center provides a much better PVR solution.
Could this mean that you may be able to sync Sky stuff onto your ZuneHD????? HD Football on the go…. 🙂