John

@jjrudey - Saying someone thought of a camera interface a long time ago is like saying someone though of cold fusion a long time ago. The point is no one has actually implemented it so that it really works. If Natal pulls that off, it is serious innovation. Honestly, would inventing a working teleporter (ala Star Trek) be no big deal since people already thought of the idea?

Scary enough, the osborne 1 was in fact my fathers first laptop. And my first computer. Those things were NOT portable....

"the set-top boxes are basically dedicated WMC boxes..."

Not true. At all. Entirely different product, entirely different code base. Similarity in design perhaps, but no WMC code involved.

U-Verse is powered by Microsoft's Mediaroom technology, the winner in the "channel off". Apparently they can do tv fast but not operating systems...

Microsoft is the software "house" providing AT&T with U-Verse software (server and client), and from what I've heard Verizon is NOT using Microsoft. That makes it a conicidence.

Are the studios psychotic? Do they know how hard it is for parents of a young child to be able to get an entire movie watched in one sitting? Or anyone with a remotely busy schedule?

What exactly do they get from this ridiculous and now ubiquitous 24 hour limitation? What possible benefit are they deriving that they could not with a more reasonable 48 or even 30 hour limit?

How is it that a field with so much competition can be so highly regulated? Seriously, when you figure in all the legitimate sources of HD (cable, satellite, IPTV, OTA, various download sources, various physical media) AND all of the illegitimate downloading available this is a crowded and competitive field. Why can't the FCC simply let annoyed customers drop the service if it doesn't carry the channels they need?

Myabe a little too obscure, but the text adventure "Trinity" was one of the most haunting and interesting stories in the history of games.

Seriously, if any of these download services want to stand a chance, they have GOT to move beyond this 24 hour time limit.

Don't any of them have children? Do they have any idea how hard it can be to find the time to watch a 2-3 hour movie within 24 hours? And if you don't make it in time, too bad for you! What is the POINT of that?

In the meantime, I'm BD/HD-DVD (yes I've got both) all the way. Even a rental (through BBO or Netflix) you can keep and watch when you get a chance, not this "hurry up and watch!" nonsense.

Are you kidding? Fox would have cancelled it after the second episode!