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[Xbox-Scene]

More details about Xbox360 IPTV in USA Posted by XanTium | January 9 14:53 EST

From thunor.spaces.live.com: In talking to Microsoft today at their booth I discovered that the Podcasts speculation that this really won't be all that different from current cable TV is correct:     * The service will be offered in the US thorugh AT&T's lightspeed, which provides 35Mbps in bandwidth to the home. So AT&T would replace your local cable company and ISP.     * This bandwidth should be enough for 2 HD channels and 2 SD channels to be viewed simultaneously. The service will be comparable to existing cable offerings, only the provider will be AT&T.     * Availablity will be determined by AT&T's buildout of infratructure up to the last mile (The last mile will remain copper.).     * The service will be available with a regular set top box that is not an Xbox 360. However, with an Xbox 360 you get some nice features like the ability to access Xbox live (e.g. chat, accept game invitations) while wathing TV.     * For homes with an existing home network, your router will need to be replaced with a router that has special QOS (qulaity of service) features that enable the system to work well. Full Story: thunor.spaces.live.com

[sicknasty413]

Sounds like a hassle...with an expensive install.

I mean, in my house, we have DIRECTV and Adelphia high speed internet (which isn't very fast to say the least). We have Satellite receivers in 4 rooms (Master bedroom, my bedroom, family room, and the pool table room). Adelphia's modem (and linksys wireless router) is located in my room, along with our Vonage modem.

Having to reset up our like..whole house..would be a pain.

Would it be recommended? I'd have to look at pricing as well, since DIRECTV + Adelphia is pretty pricy...Plus I highly doubt it would be available in my area..

We'll see I guess..

[crobar]

yeah, this is ass I'm no longer interested...
i would want it if my xbox did all the work aside from a different router and set top box...
its like "hey you can have IP TV! but only if you already have....IPTV?"
 who cam up with this idea?
"well thew xbox enhances the interface and it runs better and you still have  access to xbox live!"
yeah like every HDTV has PIP so this isn't exactly an issue..

this whole deal is lame I'm disappointed might as well tell me i need media center too...

[sayguh]

Yeah i was excited and now it seems like it's crap.  I'm not all that smart when it comes to IPTV, but why would you have to get a new ISP through AT&T???  Why can't they just use your existing internet connection and stream TV channels kinda like youtube except higher quality of course?  Granted this would make it so that only people with very fast internet connections could watch at high qualities but that's the same way with xbox live, slower connection = more lag.

[vapidentity]

QUOTE(sayguh @ Jan 9 2007, 11:01 PM)

Yeah i was excited and now it seems like it's crap.  I'm not all that smart when it comes to IPTV, but why would you have to get a new ISP through AT&T???  Why can't they just use your existing internet connection and stream TV channels kinda like youtube except higher quality of course?  Granted this would make it so that only people with very fast internet connections could watch at high qualities but that's the same way with xbox live, slower connection = more lag.

Yeah but you are not understanding what kind of bandwidth you would need to use this new IPTV feature to it's potential.  Even if you had the fatest at home service available it wouldn't do what microsoft intends it to do. That is why. The only thing I could see feasible without that fast of a broadband connection is using your Media center PC as an IPTV host.

I don't know about any of you newsgroups users but I could sure go for a 30mbps connection. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

This post has been edited by vapidentity: Jan 10 2007, 12:13 AM

[moutie1]

ok,

with the caveat that IPTV will work like it's supposed to (and that's one big IF) what we really need to do here is think a little more forward and a little less "right now".

Sicknasty I agree with you that your current setup would be a pain to recreate and pricing is going to be HUGE.

IMHO the thing that will really make this a legit competitor in the TV world is the ability to deliver it wirelessly once it gets to your home. Think about it, you want a tv in the garage but no cable outlet? No problem. You want to bring a tv out onto the screened in porch during a summer night no problem. If this flies you'll never have to worry about finding a jack again and one less wire is something I think we all could agree is a good thing.

Also, we have got to believe that IPTV means we can get it on our pc's right? Well I've got 3 pcs at home and I think it would be convenient to get content on those as well (i'm certain M$ could develop a peice of software that would emulate a settop box so you wouldn't even need one for your pcs). The way I see it is I've essentially doubled the televisions in my home. If I want a tv in the garage but don't have one I'll just put my laptop out there (along with the set top box) and turn that sucker into a TV while I work.

Now assuming pricing and the cost of a new router are feasible lets consider what we know:

1. We can download content (hd and sd) already via marketplace and while it's not huge selection now it is continually expanding.
2. With Microsofts partnership with Vongo we will be able to download / stream movies to our 360's which obviously increases the amount of content available (I'll bet my house that the set top IPTV box will have the ability to receive streaming content from Vongo as well).
3. The 360 will act as a dvr (with IPTV)
4. The 360 is a very good next generation gaming console.
5. With the add on HDDVD drive the 360 can display movies in full HD.
6. XBOXLive already allows voice communications without gaming.

So what we have is a 360 with an HDDVD add on for $600 that does the job of a dvd player, hd/blu ray player,set top box /DVR. WOW!!!! I've reduced my overhead significantly, haven't lost any functionality and have actually gained the ability to view tons of on demand content (pics, music, video).

I'm a huge sports nut and have friends all over the country and the ability to communicate with them while watching the same sporting event over xbl is pretty freakin cool. Come March for College Basketball or Saturdays and Sundays during the fall the ability to watch multiple games at once is huge as well.

I spend a good bit of time reading posts all over the net about what technology can and should do and what I amazes me is that 99% of the posters never comment on the marketing aspect of this whole thing. I'm fairly certain M$ has given an emmence amount of thought to taking over the living room / bed room etc. They know, as we all do, that the living room is as big or bigger than owning the desktop and they are coming closer and closer to total convergence.

Since the 360 came out M$ has thrown out bits and peices regarding it's expanding role in the living room. Now I realize M$ hasn't always come through when it comes to new technology but I'm not sure anyone can deny the 360 has been a HUGE success and offers just about everything a consumer in the living room could want and with IPTV it seems that this could be the cherry on top of the sunday.

[psychoace]

So we are talking Fiber then here I would assume. Is this just another way of AT&T announcing they are finally going to do a Fiber Optic rollout throughout the nation? Verizon can't be the only one's doing it right? I hope that is what this means then having a t3 in my house would be pretty sweet.

[nojok3]

If I would be able to catch out of area sports games I would definitely think about changing providers. Currently, Time Warner Cable that just took over Adelphia in my area is the only option other than DSL from Verizon.

[mTweaked]

I would love to have a fat pipe like that but there are some drawbacks

- It won't be cheap, especialy for the early adopters
- I bet that after 3 years it still won't be avalible to over half of users
- What about local channels?
- Be nice if it had a Tivo app
- It will never do all that you want it to, even though you know it's possible
   (It could be possible to transfer TV shows I purchased now on Live to a PC but M$ won't let me...Control freaks)

If they could price it under $80 a month I might be willing to drop my DirectTV and DSL line to try it. Otherwise I will continue to download shows and movies to my Pc and stream them to the 360

I did think of another application with the camera. Videophone, but you gotta be able to turn it off if you want- I look like hell sunday morning after staying up till 3am gaming  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Neoistheone2000]

OK boys and girl is this really worth giving up my brand new Linksys WRT54G Ver.6 router WITH QOS?
35 megs lol yeah right the fastest connection in West Virginia is 3 megs I use to work for a company that was contracted to clean the local cable company and they are only able to push out 8 meg!!! thats it!!! and they will only be able to give us 5 megs this summer!!! DSL is OK, when it works in this state 2.5 ~ 3 megs...
and a new router my ass I am the most pickeyest person when it comes to my network deviceses in 1 month i went through 3 routers first the Belkin that forgot that it had an internet connection then the Dlink that slowed the internet down dramatically now the linksys im useing is wonderfull...
i was actually looking forward to this but never mind now!!!

QUOTE(mTweaked @ Jan 10 2007, 12:31 AM)

I would love to have a fat pipe like that but there are some drawbacks

- It won't be cheap, especialy for the early adopters
- I bet that after 3 years it still won't be avalible to over half of users
- What about local channels?
- Be nice if it had a Tivo app
- It will never do all that you want it to, even though you know it's possible
   (It could be possible to transfer TV shows I purchased now on Live to a PC but M$ won't let me...Control freaks)

If they could price it under $80 a month I might be willing to drop my DirectTV and DSL line to try it. Otherwise I will continue to download shows and movies to my Pc and stream them to the 360

I did think of another application with the camera. Videophone, but you gotta be able to turn it off if you want- I look like hell sunday morning after staying up till 3am gaming  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

lol i have a modded TiVo and i transfer my shows from it to my computer and back to the 360 a few weeks later with no commercials

QUOTE(psychoace @ Jan 9 2007, 06:28 PM)

So we are talking Fiber then here I would assume. Is this just another way of AT&T announcing they are finally going to do a Fiber Optic rollout throughout the nation? Verizon can't be the only one's doing it right? I hope that is what this means then having a t3 in my house would be pretty sweet.

Didn't President Bush and/or the United States Government at one point want to make the web free and T1 to all houses?

QUOTE(vapidentity @ Jan 9 2007, 05:26 PM)

Yeah but you are not understanding what kind of bandwidth you would need to use this new IPTV feature to it's potential.  Even if you had the fatest at home service available it wouldn't do what microsoft intends it to do. That is why. The only thing I could see feasible without that fast of a broadband connection is using your Media center PC as an IPTV host.

I don't know about any of you newsgroups users but I could sure go for a 30mbps connection. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

lol what are you talking about i could go for an OC192 connection (9.6 gigabytes per second) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[0794]

Sure this is very early as the project was just announced officially this week, but forcing consumers to have AT&T for both cable and TV in order for this service to work just plain sucks.  I really don't see many of the benefits to watching TV through the 360, esp if recorded content is protected.  I do like the possibility as one poster mentioned of wireless TV throughout the home and also using this same interface on your PCs.  And I haven't even mentioned the cost - which will be huge no doubt.

[Helliano]

Lame!

I thought this would be like a World Wide project for broadband users.
But nana you need to be connected to a special network...
This blows atm, why couldnt they just made it some bigbadass servers which got speed connection and streaming live tv and lagg/qual is upon your speed.
Even if they need to place some servers in each country it may be worth it if they uses this concept.

[moutie1]

I agree to a degree,  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

the biggest issues M$ are dealing with are cost and bandwidth and those issues are enormous but come on people don't you think M$ have already discussed this? I mean really, do you think they're just now sitting down to a table and saying "well here we are with IPTV a year away, what do you think we should charge?"... "oh and will it actually work?".... and "oh what about reliable bandwidth issues?".

Of course they've thought of these things and I think M$ is smart enough to know that they won't be able to charge an arm and a leg for the service because no one would leave their current tv /isp providers (Charter, Cox, Directv, etc.).  

M$ has said they will be piggybacking on AT&T's UVerse which is currently available in a very few markets (Dallas, San Antonio, Indianapolis, et. al). Go to www.uverse.att.com and look at the pricing now. $75 for basic channels and high speed internet is competitive and $113 for all the channels they offer and 3mbps download speeds is worth it in my opinion as well (this also includes 3 receivers). I can't imagine M$ charging much more than that so it sounds like cost may already be competitive. Not to mention the fact that AT&T is providing the wireless router and set tops at no additional cost (installation is $50 if you so choose).

Now one poster mentioned local channels and the UVerse site doesn't mention those so that doesn't sound good and could be a huge barrier to any success.

So what about functionality, can they get it to work? Well M$ is letting AT&T do the heavy lifting. UVerse has been in the wild since November and M$ must like what they've seen so far. My guess is they're giving AT&T a year + to iron out the major kinks and they'll jump in when the waters a little calmer.

We also have to remember this is not necessarily about us (the geeks, nerds, techies) I think it's more  about the general consumer. The one that doesn't want to spend thousands of dollars for their kids gaming system, cable, a dvd, a dvr, inernet access, etc.  and M$ believes the secret to owning the living room is Convergence!!! Everything you need on one platform and if M$ delivers IPTV successfully they will have done exactly that with the 360!!!

[koolkid1935]

QUOTE(moutie1 @ Jan 10 2007, 04:08 PM)

So what about functionality, can they get it to work? Well M$ is letting AT&T do the heavy lifting. UVerse has been in the wild since November and M$ must like what they've seen so far. My guess is they're giving AT&T a year + to iron out the major kinks and they'll jump in when the waters a little calmer.

This won't be hard to implement into the 360, as Microsoft provides the software that runs on the U-verse boxes, in fact, the OS on the set tops is Windows CE 5.  AT&T may provide the framework, but Microsoft provides the actual IPTV interface.  I currently have AT&T U-verse (have had it since Feb 22), and I like it, just can't wait to use my 360 as a set top!