Xbox 360 service improvements put Apple TV to shame
Microsoft's new plans to enhance its Xbox 360 video game console's potential as a home entertainment hub may ultimately put pressure on Apple to improve the Apple TV, if revelations at this week's E3 conference in Los Angeles are any indication.
At a Monday press conference before the start of the gaming trade show that officially kicks off Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled a roster of new games, exclusives, and other details about the future of its Xbox 360 video game console. Some of those details involve the Xbox 360's ability to deliver video and audio entertainment to families, rather than just games.
People have often asked me why I don't have an Apple TV, and the simple answer is because I don't need one. I have an Xbox 360, and it can serve up digital photos, video, and audio from networked Macs using software like Connect360 from Nullriver Software or Rivet from Cynical Peak Software. (I use similar software to interface my Mac with my PlayStation 3, too.) If I had a Windows Media Center PC I could link that using built-in software on the Xbox. And Microsoft's Xbox Live online service offers video purchases and rentals, same as the Apple TV.
Microsoft VP John Schappert revealed his company's plans to extend those non-game capabilities at Monday's press conference. The video shop for purchasing and renting digital movies for the Xbox 360 will be rebranded "Zune Video," after the company's portable media player (and ostensible iPod competitor), and video content soon will be served is 1080 progressive (1080p) format.
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