AT&T has announced today that their popular IPTV service U-Verse has been expanded to the Xbox 360 gaming console.
Starting on October 15th, gamers can access the service through their consoles, eliminating the need to purchase a new receiver for their home.
With the launch, AT&T is the first TV provider in the states to offer live TV via the console.
Additionally, the company has announced the launch of “U-Verse Mobile” for upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices.
Starting next month, the Mobile app will be preloaded on AT&T WP7 devices.
“Now you can get our award-winning U-verse services on your big screen TV, online, on your mobile phone, and integrated with your Xbox 360,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Our IPTV strategy is putting AT&T at the forefront by delivering U-verse content where you want it. And now we’re extending the U-verse experience to more AT&T smartphone customers with the upcoming launch of U-verse Mobile on Windows Phone 7 devices.”
For the 360, subscribers will need to purchase a $99 Xbox Kit which is installed for free by a U-Verse technician. Having a 360, however, eliminates the need for an additional receiver taking up space in the house.
The company says “using your Xbox 360 as a U-verse receiver, you can receive chat and game invitations from friends through Xbox Live while watching live TV and switch seamlessly from game to TV mode without switching video inputs on your TV screen. You will enjoy virtually the same U-verse TV experience and features available today, including the ability to watch live TV, manage and play back DVR recordings and access interactive apps, your program guide, the On Demand library and more.”
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Microsoft has updated their Xbox 360 services today, adding the long hyped Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune Video apps.
“It’s the community that drives us forward, and it’s the community that allows us to pioneer new ways of connecting people through the entertainment they love,” says Neil Thompson, senior director of Microsoft’s Entertainment Division in UK & Ireland. “Tonight we’re celebrating the transformation of the TV as tomorrow everyone will be able to enjoy some truly exciting interactive entertainment experiences which continues to deliver on our vision of connected entertainment for everyone.”
Users will need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to access the services and the full features are as follows (via GI.biz):
Facebook: Update your status to share the movie, game or entertainment you’re enjoying, connect with friends and view their Facebook stream, status updates and photos on the big screen - as well as compare your Xbox Live and Facebook friends lists.
Twitter: Discover, post, and reply to Tweets on your Xbox 360. You can view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search Twitter content.
Last.fm: Set up personalised radio stations with Last.fm on Xbox 360. Skip, ‘ban’ or ‘love’ songs to create your perfect mix, with built-in “Gamer Stations” featuring music selected specifically for the gaming community (available in the US and UK).
Zune: A premium high fidelity video experience with instant-on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound for Xbox Live, with no waiting for downloads or buffering. The experience can also be shared with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen.
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At IFA in Berlin, Samsung is currently showing off a 7-inch touchscreen remote control that can browse through other TV channels than the one showing on your TV screen. The concept remote needs a second tuner and WiFi link between the two devices for it to work correctly. A user can browser through TV listings on the remote control and watch alternative channels on the 7-inch screen itself.
“The advantage is that if you have a family, your wife [can be] watching one channel, and you can browse on your small device some other channel or zap there without annoying anybody else,” said Michael Zöller, a marketing director at Samsung Electronics Europe.
In order to switch the channels being viewed on both, the user can hold down the channel icon on the remote control and then sweep the icon toward the top of the screen, which will send the channel showing on the 7-inch screen, to the big screen main TV set. Since it is just a concept remote control, it has no planned release at the moment.
