Xbox 360 - HD TV Shows & Movie Downloads Start November 22nd

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CheapyD

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Just got a phone call from Wombat, reporting live on the scene from an Xbox 360 event in NYC.

Peter Moore just gave a speech in which he revealed November 22nd as the start date for HD TV shows and movie downloads. No prices have been revealed.

Wombat also said he had a 30 minute conversation with Peter Moore...looks like we've got a great CAGcast planned for you guys for Wednesday morning. He also met Mark Ecco, Amani Toomer, Jason Sudekis (SNL), and more.

He also got the following freebies:
Gears of War
Wireless Headset
Xbox Live Unplugged disc
"Achievement Whore" t-shirt.


Official Press Release:
Nov. 6, 2006​
Xbox 360 Teams With CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting, UFC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to Digitally Deliver TV Shows and Movies to Gamers

​
Xbox 360 will become first gaming console to offer downloads of over 1,000 hours of TV shows such as “CSI,” “Robot Chicken” and “South Park,” and movies such as “V for Vendetta” and “Nacho Libre.”​
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 6, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. today announced agreements with CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to bring an initial lineup of over 1,000 hours of hit TV shows and movies to Xbox 360™ gamers in the U.S. by the end of the year. Furthermore, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console to bring standard and high-definition TV shows and movies via digital distribution over the Internet directly to the consumer.
Beginning Nov. 22, on its first anniversary, Xbox 360 will be the first gaming console in history to provide high-definition TV shows and movies directly to gamers in their living rooms. Xbox 360 gamers will have access to the full-length TV shows as downloads to own and movies to rent via download from the Xbox Live® network, the worldwide leader in online distribution of high-definition gaming and entertainment content. This announcement also brings with it several additional “firsts”:

· For the first time, consumers will get an integrated gaming and entertainment experience on a gaming console that includes downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies. This new full-length content adds to the ever-expanding number of choices gamers have on their Xbox 360, whether they want to play games or play a movie on a disc or as a download in high definition or standard definition.

· For the first time CBS will deliver high-definition download-to-own TV shows including “CSI,” “Jericho,” “Numb3rs” and remastered “Star Trek” episodes; gamers can buy them and watch them repeatedly.

· For the first time on any platform, NASCAR.COM will deliver download-to-own condensed versions of select NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races from “Race Rewind.”

· For the first time, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will make 50 of its most intense fights available for download as well as select episodes from the original season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.

“This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it.”
The initial lineup of TV shows available for download to own and feature films available for download to rent will include a growing catalog of popular hits. Examples of content that will be available on the network by the end of year include the following:

· “Robot Chicken” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” from Adult Swim
· “CSI,” “Survivor” and “Star Trek” from CBS
· Emmy and Peabody award-winning “South Park” and “Chappelle’s Show” from COMEDY CENTRAL
· “The Real World” and “Pimp My Ride” from MTV
· “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and ”SpongeBob SquarePants” from Nickelodeon
· “Skyland” and “The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival” from Nicktoons Network
· “M:i:III,” “Nacho Libre” and “Jackass: The Movie” from Paramount Pictures
· “Carpocalypse” and “Raising the Roofs” from Spike TV
· “Race Rewind” provided by NASCAR.COM
· Select episodes of the original season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series and the “UFC: All Access” shows from the UFC
· “Breaking Bonaduce” and “Hogan Knows Best” from VH1
· “The Matrix,” “Superman Returns” and “Batman Forever” from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Xbox 360 gamers can access Xbox Live Marketplace with a free Xbox Live Silver membership and a broadband connection. More information about the content available on Xbox Live Marketplace can be found at http://www.xbox.com/marketplaceentertainment.
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More details on IGN

Television shows will be sold in much the same way that Live Arcade games are. After purchasing them with Microsoft points, owners will begin downloading them and will own the show. That means they can delete it off of their hard drive and download it at a later date without having to pay for it again. Movies will be output in a rental format. This is necessary in part due to the limited space on an Xbox 360 hard drive and the massive size of an HD movie. The standard definition movie we were shown clocked in at 1.2 GB while the HD version of the same movie was nearly four times as big at 4.7 GB. Once you download a movie, you'll have 14 days to begin watching it. After you start watching it, you'll have 24 hours before the rental expires and the movie is "returned."

These HD downloads can get huge and we all know how slow Xbox Live can be when we're trying to download the newest demo or trailer. To help solve that problem, Microsoft is launching a new service to handle the video marketplace that is outside of the one currently used for the old marketplace. Also, you'll be able to begin watching videos before they are fully downloaded, something you can't do right now with trailers on Xbox 360. Still, no guarantees were made about speed. We were told that downloading an HD movie would be more of an "overnight type of thing" or something to be done in the background while playing a game.
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This is great news for me, as DVD and theatrical releases are very slow to make it over here in Japan.
I'm hoping that they will have new releases and of course that the prices are reasonable.
 
Damn I was about to post about what this was:

1106061807ku6.jpg


Saw it on the dashboard when i signed in. Guess you answered my question CheapyD.
 
[quote name='anomynous']nice, except one MAJOR problem:

size of hardrive, they will need a bigger one ASAP, and some way to transfer everything on your current harddrive to a new, bigger one[/QUOTE]


Unless they uselike a h.264 compression maybe they could stream it? Although I would place money on 'leasing' HD content. Meaning putting a time limit on each download. Say 3 days. After which it would auto-delete from your hard drive.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Just got a phone call from Wombat, reporting live on the scene from an Xbox 360 event in NYC.

Peter Moore just gave a speech in which he revealed November 22nd as the start date for HD TV shows and movie downloads. No prices have been revealed.

Wombat also said he had a 30 minute conversation with Peter Moore...looks like we've got a great CAGcast planned for you guys for Wednesday morning.
[/QUOTE]

Holy shit !!

You guys are officially big time . Not that I don't already consider you two "celebrities" .
Not some some 2nd rate reality show celebrity , either .

This is cool , but I hate when you have to pay [maybe] for something that was free to begin with .
 
Added this to the OP:

Wombat got the following freebies from the event:

Gears of War
Wireless Headset
Xbox Live Unplugged disc
"Achievement Whore" t-shirt.


He's leaving the event now to go home and play GOW.
 
[quote name='Transformah']Stream to the Zune? Anyone?[/QUOTE]

EXACTLY what I was thinking. Otherwise I would just rather buy the DVD/HD DVD.
 
[quote name='Brak']Rather own something that can be placed on my shelf.[/quote]Isn't that always the case around here? "Forget playing/watching it, I wanna keep it in it's original packaging in this snazzy bookcase, so I can show all my friends!"
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Added this to the OP:

Wombat got the following freebies from the event:

Gears of War
Wireless Headset
Xbox Live Unplugged disc
"Achievement Whore" t-shirt.


He's leaving the event now to go home and play GOW.[/QUOTE]
I must see pics of that shirt.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']That's all nice, if it weren't for the fact that most of the videos I download stutter constantly.[/QUOTE]

Streamed from the PC or downloaded of the market place none of my videos have ever stuttered.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']Added this to the OP:

Wombat got the following freebies from the event:

Gears of War
Wireless Headset
Xbox Live Unplugged disc
"Achievement Whore" t-shirt.


He's leaving the event now to go home and play GOW.[/QUOTE]

I want an Achievement Whore t-shirt :(
 
I've never had a video stutter... ever. This is a horrible idea though, I'm not paying for this... I have cable TV, plus multiple DVD players, not to mention very limited space on my HDD.
 
booo video rentals, bad form, bad form. Spend twice as much and keep it for free in h.264 goodness with itunes. Do like the TV shows though, as long as they are keepers, no rental crap. Sex in the City complete seasons in my xbox360, delish.


Yes, IKIK, Family Guy FTW!!!!
 
Wow, no offense to him, but why did they invite Wombat to such a big event? That's some awesome free shit, and i look forward to the interview. Cool news.
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']I have cable TV, plus multiple DVD players, not to mention very limited space on my HDD.[/QUOTE]
I'm excited to see what is available in HD, since HD television is usually very limited and with shitty lineups.

From what they have there, it seems like a promising start. We'll see how it turns out. If the price is at the same or cheaper than PPV, than it's not a terrible service. Saves you a trip to and from Blockbuster.
 
Sweet I always wanted to take up my entire Harddrive with only 3 HD movies (and have little to no room for saved games or other downloads). Fun times...

Seriously unless they upgrade the HDD to at least 80gb (and for a reasonable price) I really don't see myself caring at all.

Edit: Anyone wanna take a guess at how much they'll peddle a bigger HDD for? My guess is about $150. If that's the case I'm definately out. If I'm gonna pay out the ass for somehting like this I may as well tack it onto the ever growing cable bill for less money.
 
I love the HD movie and TV show download concept. Their initial list of titles leaves a whole lot to be desired, though.
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell']Sweet I always wanted to take up my entire Harddrive with a single HD movie...

Seriously unless they upgrade the HDD to at least 80gb (and for a reasonable price) I really don't see myself caring at all.[/QUOTE]


You DON'T keep the movie which takes less then 4GBs of space, so after you watch it(depending on the alloted views) the content is erased.
 
[quote name='Michaellvortega']You DON'T keep the movie which takes less then 4GBs of space, so after you watch it(depending on the alloted views) the content is erased.[/QUOTE]

Yah, great, that's even better... (IGN article quoted an HD movie at 4.7 btw, that's greater than 4). I don't rent movies and this won't be any kind of competition for Netflix or even the local Blockbusters. It's trying to oust itunes and it probably won't work. Plus the size of the hardrive is still a factor.

I wish MS would put more effort into making Xbox Live a better gaming experience. It's still the best online gaming experience for consoles, but actions like this makes me think gamers are no longer the focus compared to pushing other products (Zune) and making it a "complete" media service.
 
Wombat can offically stop asking for free stuff for atleast a month, anyways I'm guessing he can't post on the forums because he's too busy w/GoW? Anyways, it'd be nice to see a pic of the acheivement whore shirt.
 
Ill post a pic of the shirt when the new show goes up and to sj41, I wasn't invited, Cheapy was but I live in NY and they were not going to pay to fly him in. I have lots to talk about for the show that much is for sure.
 
Damn it don't I get props for having a thread on it first. I thought I was being a good sloothing cag reporting on this shit on marketplace even before major nelson. Where is my star!

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113688

Waaaaa! I want attention! :bomb:

Edit: I've said it a hundred times already, but one more won't hurt: The only HD tv show we need is Battlestar Galactica. We all have to suffer through the best show on tv (by miles) in standard def until it comes out on dvd a year later. Sucks bison balls.
 
Hmmm. Let's think about this.

1) I can pay microsoft to buy TV shows that are offered for free* via my On Demand cable service, not to mention that I will probably only watch them once. On Demand FTW.

2) I can pay microsoft to RENT a movie that I can only watch once within a 24 hour period for the same amount of money a subscription to Netflix costs. Netflix FTW.

3) And I can do all of this on my tiny assed 20GB hard drive.
XBL FTL.
 
[quote name='zewone'][/QUOTE]

Keen eye my CAG brother. Yet, what you didn't know (through no fault of your own) is that I intentionally placed that complaint as #3 for a reason. You see, it is painfully obvious to everyone with even the slightest interest in video gaming that upgrades will be coming. That being said, a larger hard drive still doesn't quantify this new content as being worthwhile from a consumer's point of view. As I outlined in my previous post, there are better and more economical ways to obtain the content being provided.

I stand by my points and debunk this latest content announcement as all hype and no substance.
 
I'm with daphatty.

Paying for TV shows I can record with my HD DVR. No thanks.

The movie thing would be cool except it appears digital distribution isn't making anything cheaper.

My gaming console will remain just that.
 
[quote name='TC']I'm with daphatty.

Paying for TV shows I can record with my HD DVR. No thanks.

The movie thing would be cool except it appears digital distribution isn't making anything cheaper.

My gaming console will remain just that.[/QUOTE]

The whole point of the product is to appeal to the people that buy seasons of shows and albums off Itunes and the likes. With Apple doing Itunes and Sony running PS3(a unnamed online "experience") both of which are trying to sell content of TV shows,movies and Music. Microsoft HAS too offer what they just showed to stay current with the comapetion or they will get left behind.

Alot of people don't have cable or satellite, look at all the people who picked up a 360 and don't even have a HDTV.

I'd say in my region 60-70% do not know how to use their "On demand" services.

Some people might find a PS3/Xbox 360 easier to use then their cable box (maybe)

MS and Sony are obviously adding focus to young professionals and people with disposable income IE:the people that buy season 1,2,3,4 of Lost on Itunes for more when they could have gotten a far better deal at Costco and Sams Club/
 
[quote name='TC']I'm with daphatty.

Paying for TV shows I can record with my HD DVR. No thanks.

The movie thing would be cool except it appears digital distribution isn't making anything cheaper.

My gaming console will remain just that.[/QUOTE]

You guys seem to forget that the major 4 networks are really the only channels that air HD. Many other shows all over the cable spectrum are filmed in HD, but not broadcast in HD for various reasons (for example, everything on sci-fi channel) . If Xbox Live ends up being the only place to get HD versions of these shows without waiting a year for the disk press, then that's worth it alone

There is no show broadcast on a major network in HD that I really want anyway, except MAYBE heroes. The rest of my TV watching is on Cable, where it's rarely broadcast in HD.
 
I'd rather go rent/buy a movie instead of paying to "Download" it and watch it once. When I want to watch or see I movie I'll go get it. With this you have to wait wait wait wait for the download to finish. Could take a long time.
 
[quote name='pimpinc333']I'd rather go rent/buy a movie instead of paying to "Download" it and watch it once. When I want to watch or see I movie I'll go get it. With this you have to wait wait wait wait for the download to finish. Could take a long time.[/QUOTE]

Your local rental store is renting out high def movies?

From what I understand, you don't have to wait for the whole download to watch it. It uses some streaming. In other words, just buffer for a few minutes and start watching.
 
[quote name='daphatty']

I stand by my points and debunk this latest content announcement as all hype and no substance.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't blame MS on the lack of content. The (movie) industry has been against digital distribution for some time. I am actually shocked that they have as many studios on board as they do.

HD Tivo is expensive and your only other choice is to get HD DVD or BluRay players for HD movie rentals (or Comcast in a select markets). This is a good option for us that just can't get enough HD content but don't want to pay up the ass for more equipment that has an iffy future. They just announced the lineup for 2006. If it is a hit look out for a flood in HD content for the 360 in the coming years.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']Your local rental store is renting out high def movies?

From what I understand, you don't have to wait for the whole download to watch it. It uses some streaming. In other words, just buffer for a few minutes and start watching.[/QUOTE]

High Def Movies make no difference on a standard TV in my case ;)
 
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