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Movies & TV via Xbox starting Nov. 22

The Seattle Times reported the new agreements with several networks (including CBS, TBS and MTV), Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers “to bring an initial lineup of more than 1,000 hours of hit television shows and movies to Xbox 360 consoles” starting November 22nd, with to bring standard and HD TV content via the Internet.



“It announced plans to offer movie rentals and full purchases of television shows, joining Apple Computer, Amazon.com and other rivals in vying for the “what do you want to watch tonight?” entertainment dollar.


“By year-end, the service is to have at least 1,000 hours of television programs and movies from partners that include the CBS and MTV networks, Turner Broadcasting System, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.”


It’s the HD CBS content and remastered Star Trek episodes that put this as a top reason to add an Xbox 360 beyond the family room, in addition to Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob SquarePants. For the kids, of course. When you consider that the Hollywood Reporter notes that there are “4 million Xbox Live members worldwide that have downloaded more than 70 million pieces of gaming and such shortform entertainment content as music videos and movie trailers during the 11 months Marketplace has been available,” that’s an incredible installed base, a comparison that is hard to match in other traditional DVR and entertainment distribution services.


For others, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races from Race Rewind, “50 of its most intense fights” from the Ultimate Fighting Championship and more.


As ABC News reports, Xbox will add the Video Marketplace to the Xbox Live experience, using Microsoft Points as used in Xbox Live Arcade, Marketplace and Zune all use. As noted in Variety, “Microsoft hasn’t revealed its pricing plans, but Xbox Live is expected to be competitive with other VOD sites, ranging from 99ยข for some TV shows up to $4.99 for the newest pics. High-def pics may cost $1 or $2 more to rent.”


My main concern: the current 20GB hard drive on the Xbox 360 is too small in traditional terms of digital video recorders compared with the current crop of DVRs available today. For the casual viewer, maybe, but not if you’re looking to download a couple of HD TV shows and a movie or two. In our home, 30 to 40GB of space is the minimum.


Troy Wolverton of the Mercury News said that “given that the Xbox 360’s hard drive holds just 20 gigabytes of data, customers will be able to store only about five hours of high-definition or 15 to 17 hours of standard-definition video, far less than a typical digital video recorder.”


So some analysts predict that there will be a new larger HDD come January:



“Richard Doherty, an industry pundit with the Seaford, N.Y., firm Envisioneering, … predicted Microsoft will soon announce larger hard drives for the console, perhaps at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.”


More details are available on the Xbox.com site.

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“Ride the Magic Bus” — the Xbox 360 bus, that is

Look for the Family Safety bus in a city near you.From the news: “Parents everywhere are concerned with children’s access to inappropriate media content. Microsoft, along with our friends at Best Buy and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is leading an education campaign to provide parents with tools to help them make the right entertainment choices for their families. These tools can help parents keep their children away from video games that they consider inappropriate and from unwanted online encounters.


“Microsoft recently launched the ‘Safety is no game. Is your family set?’ Xbox Citizenship campaign. This campaign is designed for parents who want to learn more about the Family Settings Feature available in the Xbox 360 console and about other resources to help protect children, like the ESRB’s video game ratings and content descriptors.”


There’s a 20-city bus tour, traveling the States to help families enjoy appropriate games and online content. The big green bus is decked out with Xbox 360 game consoles and the latest laptop PCs. This tour kicked off today, starting at the Hartford Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill in Hartford, CT. On Thursday, October 26, the bus will be at the Chelsea Clubhouse at 30 Willow Street in Boston, and then on to Miami on Wednesday, November 8, at the Hank Kline Unit of Miami BGCA (2805 SW 32nd Ave., Miami).


For more and a list of stops on the bus tour, visit the Family Safety Bus Tour page on Xbox.com.


More info from the site:



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Old news: luggable Xbox 360 laptop

Thanks to Reeve’s blog, I found this lovely item which has absolutely nothing to do with customer satisfaction, save the fact that when my son sees this luggable Xbox 360 laptop, he’ll be quite satisfied in adding this item to his Christmas list…


xbox360laptop.jpg


If you have more time on your hands than you know what to do with and you’re looking for a fun way to take your Xbox 360 with you, take a look at this laptop modded Xbox 360. A complete Xbox 360 in a laptop form factor, a 17-inch LCD, custom laser-etched keyboard, DVD drive, WiFi and video ouputs.


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it wears kids out: Lego Star Wars 2 for Xbox 360

BTW, a word of praise: we just purchased a copy of the latest installment of Lego Star Wars 2 for Xbox 360 has our boys glued to the controllers, and (thankfully) burning energy by acting out scenes in the living room and outside.


More on Wired at “Blockheads Take Up Lightsabers.” 

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My guess on Apple’s next “showtime”? Front Row with DVR

News.com reports that Apple Computer has invited the press for a “Special Event” next week in San Francisco. News and most reports following Amazon’s Amazon.com’s Unbox Internet movies and TV show service guess that…



“The early bet seems to be a new movie section for the iTunes store, perhaps accompanied by that “true video” iPod that has been in the rumor mill for several months.”


My guess is that Jobs will have ‘one more thing’ in addition to the obvious: a subscription service for ABC shows delivered over a new AppleTV (video over IP) adapter. That, and a new iMac and possibly Mac mini that include a TV tuner (the later with a USB 2.0 adapter) with a new version of Front Row that extends the media experience to digital video recording… and shares the files with other Macs in the home. Just like Microsoft has with Windows Media Center 2005,  Windows Media Connect 2.0 and the Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender. 


People have tried it before. (here, too )


Then again, maybe not.


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