Xbox Live users to get live TV streaming

[Neil]

Today Microsoft held an event in London and the details are still scarce (likely under non-disclosure agreement until midnight) but it looks like the rumours were true. Microsoft has partnered with Sky to offer Xbox Live subscribers access to live TV via their console and the internet.

Microsoft and Sky Television have signed a deal that will allow users to watch the Satelite TV company's output via their Xbox 360.

Sky Player will be launched on Xbox 360 in the UK and Ireland in the autumn and will feature live and on-demand channels.

The actual list of available channels will be released at a later date though one expects that Premiership football and blockbuster movies will feature.

Xbox 360 owners will be offered a variety of different channel packages all accessed via their console. Meanwhile, existing Sky satellite subscribers will be able to make use of the service as a perk on top of their regular subscription - though not confirmed it would make sense if this was free for current Sky customers.

http://xbox.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.p hp?id=17993

Sky already offers a Sky player service on its website. The channels available there are limited.

[TwistedArachnid]

Wonder if this will be heading to the US anytime soon.

[Ash_735]

Again, this is like PlayTV I consider this pointless, if you have a Sky Subscription, you're gonna have a Sky box already, if you have a Sky+HD Subscription, you're gonna already have a SKY+HD Box. Plus Sky boxes are cheap as right now, you can pick up a normal reciever without a subscription for around £70.

[Holster]

Yeah exactly tbh it is pointless, everyone will have a TV and channels, why need it coming from your console when it's gonna be such a high price? Like PlayTV's £70, why not buy a Freeview box for £15?

[TwistedArachnid]

Actually now that I think about it, it's kind of like the Netflix view on your 360 thing. Why would I waste space dling hardware when I could just watch it on my PC? It only really serves a point if you have people over and want to watch it...

Although, if they came out with a service with a few channels that you don't have to already be subscribed to and pay like 10 bucks a month, it might work. I mean you could drop cable and watch! But that'd never happen.

[Neil]

Here are the screenshots:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/ 05/sky-playersky_epgxbox-360.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/ 05/sky-playersky_sportsxbox-360.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/ 05/sky-playersky_homexbox-360.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/ 05/sky-playersky_livetvxbox-360.jpg

[Ash_735]

It looks like a glorified Sky Box with the New EPG merged with the NXE (on that front the design went well) but i still regard it as somewhat pointless, the Sky player for your internet is so you can watch Sky selected programs away from home, etc. I doubt that's the reason for this on Xbox, I mean, why would any serious Football Fan choose to watch a game in a smaller screen just so they can control their Avatar and do funny emotions when they could be watching it in HD on a normal TV?

[Havok_Jro]

Here are the screenshots:
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/ 05/sky-playersky_sportsxbox-360.jpg


Off Topic: That was a bloody good game :D


On Topic: And i've just bought a sky+ box in my room :facepalm:

[Thomas B.]

Will this be coming to America anytime soon, maybe with a different TV Network. We don't get BSkyB here in the U.S.

[The Shy Child.]

Why not just buy a Sky box. It would be a lot cheaper than buying an Xbox. You would also get way more channels, and what if your internet is fucked for a while. You wouldn't even be able to watch sky. If your Xbox RRoDs and you send it in for repairs and you don't have a free-view to use. You won't have any TV what so ever.

[Ash_735]

I don't think this version will, as already mentioned, US have NetFlix and the US Live has a lot more TV content by default, the EU/UK Xbox Live only has trailers and previews and nothing to do with TV. Also the design of these menus is made to match that of SKY's latest software EPG which is being sent out to all HD Boxes over the coming months.

[Fry]

Yeah exactly tbh it is pointless, everyone will have a TV and channels, why need it coming from your console when it's gonna be such a high price? Like PlayTV's £70, why not buy a Freeview box for £15?
Well PlayTV has recording onto the HDD so that's the benifit of PlayTV over buying a cheap freeview box, so aslong as this allows you to store TV shows on your HDD then it woud be worth it for alot of people.

but i would never use anything like this on the 360 because if you use it for hours on end the 360 would more then likely get the RRoD while your watching something.

[~Schwab]

I could always just switch video modes to watch television.

[Ash_735]

Well PlayTV has recording onto the HDD so that's the benifit of PlayTV over buying a cheap freeview box, so aslong as this allows you to store TV shows on your HDD then it woud be worth it for alot of people.

You can buy Freeview boxes that have Hard Drives for the exact same thing and it they're around £70-80 new. Using Consoles for watching TV is just Fail, PlayTV is utter fail because it doesn't support broadcast standards that the UK is switching to in a mere few years and doesn't support HD broadcasts and this, this Sky and 360 deal, just doesn't seem worth it. The only thing they have over the actual Normal Set Recievers is that they have a nicer looking dancy EPG, but that's worth shit if it doesn't perform as well as the Original Boxes.

[Lynk]

Awesome, glad it's in Ireland aswell and not only UK exclusive

[Sam B.]

Me too, something thats exclusive to UK and EIRE, never thought I'd see the day when america was left out of something.

[~Schwab]

Why would we watch television with friends on Xbox when we can watch television on television while talking to friends? As I said, switch video modes.