UPDATED 16:03 EDT / DECEMBER 12 2011

NEWS

Microsoft Forces Its Way To Your Living Rooms with Xbox Live TV

After series of setbacks following Bill Gates’ departure in 2009, Microsoft is looking to wake up from the dead by reinventing the usual television experience—something that has become a staple element of the society and favorite pastime of just every person in the world. However, with this change in direction, something got to give. Gaming might just have to take a backseat for now as Microsoft tweaks Xbox 360 into an entertainment-oriented ensemble to hit the living room pretty soon. The recent update on Xbox Live TV dashboard is just the beginning of the many transformations that the gaming console will undergo.

General Manager of Xbox Live, Ross Honey is confident of this redirection, but wants to take one step at a time. He said, “As with any new technology that comes with the entertainment industry, it takes time. What we have here is a start.”

Microsoft is a software magnate, and television could be a segment that they are not holistically versed. In this light, reports have mentioned about the organization looking to hire a TV exec that will be oversee the project and perhaps provide them with a unique advantage over Google and Apple. Furthermore, this person will be taking the lead in developing shows for Xbox Live service.

Aside from getting the right people for the job, Microsoft is also identifying technologies that can be integrated with Xbox Live. Towards the latter part of November, the company acquired a popular video search engine, VideoSurf. The deal closed at $100 million. The technology of VideoSurf will allow users to seep through a pool of video, movies, TV shows and other online content.

The aggressiveness that Microsoft has been showing makes them a great contender for the throne of the revolutionized television living room delights. A CNN report says that Apple might not be able to catch up with Microsoft in this race for reasons that include Xbox having a solid content and avoiding the fundamental mistake of drawing close analogy between smartphones and smart televisions.

Some of the stations that will be streaming live with Xbox TV platform are EPIX, ESPN, Hulu Plus, Today, and Netflix. Microsoft is also looking at Sony Pictures’ Crackle station, iHeartRadio, MSNBC.com, Youtube, TMZ, and UFC on Xbox Live to be released before the year ends. Early 2012, Xbox 360 Live will welcome CinemaNow, HBO GO and Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand. According to TIME’s Techland, the interface will be available for download to Xbox users connected to the Internet via a download tomorrow, December 13th.

Xbox has reportedly sold 57 million units worldwide. Last month, Microsoft boasted the biggest sales in Xbox history: a nearly 1 million units sold within 24 hours in the US alone. Its broad users coverage is already a golden opportunity for the television platform.

Microsoft has yet to realize a marvellous invention since their founder stepped down to concentrate on charity works. Steve Ballmer and his team have injected various upgrades that just didn’t work at all. With the entrée of Microsoft TV in the market, the company should now focus on levelling hardware and unit sales to that of the steady revenues that their software arm has been generating for the longest time.


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