Xbox Live Video offerings expanded to fill those 120GB hard drives

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 28th 2007 at 12:02AM }

Despite last week's high-profile launch of the AppleTV, Microsoft is still the "only online distributor of major feature films and television programming in high definition resolution." To ensure they keep their lead, and to offer potential 120GB HDD upgraders and Elite console buyers additional incentive to take the plunge, Microsoft is announcing several new content deals.

Paramount Pictures joins the high definition online fray, adding Braveheart, Team America: World Police, World Trade Center and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut to Microsoft's service. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment also commits, promising to release their direct-to-video films (in HD) on Xbox Live in tandem with the DVD editions. These include Sublime and Babylon 5: The Lost Tales.

Others adding to the growing store of digital content are:

A&E network -- providing Dog the Bounty Hunter, King of Cars, Driving Force, the disturbing Criss Angel Mindfreak and the even more disturbing Gene Simmons Family Jewels.
ADV Films -- catering to the anime fans.
National Geographic -- bringing much needed realism onto your console of digital silliness.
New Line Cinema -- giving us Snakes on a Plane, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, "plus top titles including Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Magnolia." Apparently, the first few movies are non-top in nature.
TotalVid -- packed with sports which are decidedly extreme.

Check after the break for the tricky, but unchanged, Xbox Live pricing scheme for digital content.

New releases

720p HD movies -- 480 MS Points ($6)
480p SD movies -- 320 MS Points ($4)

"Classic" feature film

720p HD movies -- 360 MS Points ($4.50)
480p SD movies -- 240 MS Points ($3)

Television purchase

720p HD television -- 240 MS Points ($3)
480p SD television -- 160 MS Points ($2)

Tags: Microsoft, MSFT, XBL, Xbox 360 Elite, Xbox Live, Xbox360Elite, XboxLive

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:09AM

Already own the Premium, not getting the Elite. Keeping both

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:10AM

I'm getting the Elite as well.

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:11AM

Great that MS is including HDMI now that 1.3 is the standard. 1.3 was finalized after the Xbox 360 launched.

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:13AM

What is the cost and when will it launch?

Diskoboy @ Mar 28th 2007 12:14AM

Not National Geographic..... Those disaster shows are like crack.

Frosty @ Mar 28th 2007 12:17AM

April 29th is when the Elite should be in stores.

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:18AM

New Line Cinema? Will we see Lord of the Rings Trilogy in HD?! Tenacious D and Blade would be great in HD too!

Brandon Johnson @ Mar 28th 2007 12:22AM

Actually some content that has me interested.

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:28AM

Hope it has the 65nm chip in it.

KrazyKoala @ Mar 28th 2007 12:39AM

Great, now bring Video Marketplace to Canada. Damn "laws"

Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Mar 28th 2007 12:39AM

Steve Ballmer said there would be Multiple SKUs with the Xbox 360 back @ E3 2K5. Read it and weep: http://www.xbox365.com/news.cgi?id=GGGHrrurNL05181254

Look past the gaming aspects of the console, how does the Xbox 360 serve as Microsoft’s beachhead into the living room. A 20GB hard drive isn’t a lot of space for storage, but since it does have this broadband connection, how is it going to integrated with IPTV, streaming video, and streaming audio?

Three things: Number one, who knows what configurations will be there by the time we’re done. I think that’s important to say. Number two, because you do have the network connectivity, whether you have a Media Center PC or not. You can put an awfully big hard disk on a regular PC and plug into this ecosystem, we have plenty of extensibility in terms of storage. And then number three, you take the IP TV work we’re doing, and that technology can run on a PC, on a set top box, it can run on an Xbox. So there will be, in conjunction with the work we do with the video delivery companies, particularly the telcos, who have tended to be our strongest customers for our IPTV stuff, there will be yet another way to acquire and use video content. So you have set tops, you have the set top experience, you have the Xbox, you’ve got a big hard disk, you’ve got networked to the PC in the home, so I think there will be a lot of ways to get that media onto the Xbox.

jitty @ Mar 28th 2007 12:52AM

That sucks, $6 bucks for a 720p new release? If you have a ps3 you can rent a 1080p blu-ray movie off BlockBuster for less than that : \

Mike @ Mar 28th 2007 1:03AM

SNAKES ON A PLANE, PEOPLE!

mccomber @ Mar 28th 2007 1:10AM

@12
But I'm assuming that as long as you want to keep it on your HD you have the movie as opposed to a rental, right? That's not bad for an HD download of a new release if that's the case.
I still prefer physical copies of media though, probably why I continue to buy CDs for most albums I want. As a slight aside, how long will it probably take to download an HD movie from live? I wouldn't even want to think about doing it on the current PSN, I could probably get it faster from netflix...

ill trooper @ Mar 28th 2007 1:14AM

More content, nice.. Nice new box... But I'll probably wait until my trusty white 360 gives up the ghost.

JJ @ Mar 28th 2007 1:46AM

MCcomber i was always under the impression that 24hrs after you hit play a movie erases itself from your harddrive, now TV shows stay forever until deletion but movies are Time sensitive, similar to On Demand movies...(which is why i dont use my XBL..saves me from having to buy points, i just order something on on demand and boom it just automatically deducts it from my account)

Tom @ Mar 28th 2007 2:12AM

@jitty

You're paying for the convenience of not having to go to the video store or waiting a couple days for Netflix. Personally, a lot of the items I'm interested in are TV shows, which are $4 (or sometimes free, as in the case of 1 sarah silverman episode and 1 south park episode) and you get to keep those. Up until now I haven't been downloading anything because I don't have that much room on my 20GB, but I might get the 120GB to go with my otherwise-perfect 360 Premium.

jimjo @ Mar 28th 2007 2:53AM

@16

on demand isnt high def

JJ @ Mar 28th 2007 3:15AM

SOME of on demand isnt, but my cable service providers does have a lot of High def offerings, mostly movies, but some discovery HD, and so on

Nathan Bachus @ Mar 28th 2007 3:26AM

they said this would not be part of the 65nm chip exports

ShaleX @ Mar 28th 2007 5:12AM

Blockbuster does not rent out HD discs anyway. I looked. Netflix is the only company who does.

Travis @ Mar 28th 2007 5:50AM

@ 21 ShaleX

actually Blockbuster does carry HD Movies.........Follow the link

http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/collections/brDvdPackage

btw look harder next time

John @ Mar 28th 2007 9:11AM

All the bullshit I cried but I just realized something

This is our black sports Dreamcast.

Dreamcast 360 bitches

sheppy @ Mar 28th 2007 9:23AM

Balck and Chrome, huh? Just kidding.... wonder how good those red lights will look... JUST KIDDING!

Anywho, I'm intrigued by some of the shows added, I just need a larger hard drive at a reasonable price. And no, $180 is not a reasonable price (not when I got my 160GB for PS3 for $110). But yeah, the movies are overpriced. And classic movies for $3? Hell, at That's Rentertainment, on their most expensive days, classics are a $1 rental. I know, I know, you're paying for the convenience but it takes me the same amount of time to drive to a rental store as it does to download one film. And yes, Netflix takes care of all my HD movie needs.

baby sea tuna @ Mar 28th 2007 9:30AM

Alright! We almost made it to 25 posts without some dope making a red-light joke (not that that picture didn't help plant the seed) At this rate, we might make it to 50 before someone brings up Hitler! Ah, the Internet.

Well, better luck next time gang...

Evan @ Mar 28th 2007 9:33AM

Only in the U.S.!

Microsoft has yet to offer any downloadable movies or tv shows to Canada, Europe, or Australia. 50% of 360 owners have no need for a 120GB hard drive. If Microsoft expects to sell "Elite" 360s outside the U.S, they need to offer up some content!

sheppy @ Mar 28th 2007 9:38AM

What can I say? I'm an asshole.

LongshotX @ Mar 28th 2007 9:38AM

The Dreamcast is alive again within the Xbox 360!

jaysins @ Mar 28th 2007 10:12AM

@ Sheppy
Since the netflix CEO is not on MS's board there is a chance they could bring a similar service to the 360. I'd love to pay a monthly fee to download as many movies as I want a month. But that is being very optimistic and maybe (probably) I'm getting ahead of myself.

@mccomber
The 360 downloads are going to be faster. I can get a movie in probably around 12+ hours but I'm limited by internet connection in my comlex as I live in college housing and you get what they give you and what they give us is 100MB/sec maximum dowload speed.

joemama @ Mar 28th 2007 11:44AM

Oh, but wait, I thought the 360 was all about GAMING?

Or perhaps that was just the obvious desperate argument to use against the PS3 for offering far more functionality than the 360. Gee, MS and its supporters wouldn't be trying to have it both ways, now would they?

Good luck finding people willing to take hours to download HD video to their 360, and paying handsomely for the privilege. I'll stick with HD Cable, and Blu-ray via Netflix, thank you very much.

mccomber @ Mar 28th 2007 12:17PM

OK, found the solution to my rental confusion, which is that it is a timed rental... that does seem a bit steep to me when I already have netflix, and I rarely have to wait more than 2 days between sending one back and receiving the next in my queue. Still cheaper than my cable providers on-demand HD though, and probably has a better interface as well.

xGeneral DEATHx @ Mar 28th 2007 12:51PM

@ jaysins:

Please tell me that you mean they split that 100 Mbps download bandwidth between all the residents. Otherwise I'll be insanely jealous. I only get 3 Mbps download maximum with my current service provider, which is the only service provider where I live. Oh well, guess that's what I get for living in the Bible Belt.