How the next Xbox can win the cable TV war

If the next Xbox is a home-TV-integrated beast, HDMI-in may not be pretty...but it's probably the best short-term way to get to the future.

CNET - The battle for the future of television is just beginning, but it looks to be a long one. One of the key players is Microsoft, which has spent the past several years morphing its Xbox 360 from a straight-up gaming console into one of the best video-streaming boxes you can buy.

Of course, the current Xbox 360 is getting long in the tooth, and the next-generation model is expected to be announced soon, and to be available as early as the end of 2013. And TV services look to be just as central to the core of that device as gaming.

Last week, The Verge reported that Microsoft plans to enable live TV access on the upcoming console:

The functionality will work by taking a cable box signal and passing it through to the Xbox via HDMI, allowing Microsoft's console to overlay a UI [user interface] and features on top of an existing TV channel or set-top box.

That story would seem to confirm earlier rumors that the next Xbox would have support for live TV input, among other upgraded entertainment options, including Blu-ray.

So, the "Xbox 720" is taking a page from Google TV. But is that wise? Gigaom's Janko Roettgers asks, "Really, Microsoft? Your vision for the future of TV is...an HDMI cable?" He makes some solid points, ending his argument with "HDMI pass-through is the ultimate admission of defeat."

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Xbox to deliver cable TV

CNET - The new-look Xbox Live dashboard featuring Comcast programming. (Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft’s long-rumored plans to bring cable television content to its Xbox video game console will become reality over the holidays.

The software giant announced this morning that nearly 40 television content providers–including Comcast, Verizon, and HBO in the United States–will roll out programming over Xbox Live. The company also has deals lined up with providers in the U.K., Spain, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Italy.

“Today’s announcement is a major step toward realizing our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy,” Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, said in a statement.

Microsoft first discussed the possibility of bringing cable programming to the Xbox at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June. At the time, the company said it was working on deals to allow customers to use the console to watch movies and television shows, in addition to playing games.

That’s always been the promise of Xbox, since Microsoft first moved into the video game console business a decade ago. Gaming was always at the heart of the console. But the company’s vision for the Xbox was to be a strategic beachhead for its software in the living room. With video programming available through the Xbox, Microsoft gives customers one more reason for turning on the Xbox for all of their living room entertainment, not just gaming.

The new programming announced today won’t be free. Customers need also to be subscribers to HBO, for example, to be able to view its HBO GO programming.               More