The Xbox 360 kicks off its movie download service this week and such a service is just around the corner for the PlayStation 3. Meanwhile TiVo is looking to expand its online offerings. They've all got a hard slog ahead competing with Apple's iTunes store, but healthy competition should benefit punters sitting in their lounge rooms.
Xbox movies: what you get
The Xbox 360's local service will initially offer around 100 titles ranging from $4 to $7. What's interesting is that they'll be available in Blu-ray-esque 1080p resolutions - requiring a 4+ Mbps connection and chewing through 7 GB per movie. Movies will also be available at 720p, requiring a 3+ Mbps connection. Xbox Live Australia claims standard-def versions will stream over a 700 Kbps connection.
Picture quality
I can't say I have high hopes for picture quality over a 700 Kbps connection, it's unlikely to look as good as a standard 576p DVD. I am however interested to see how good the Xbox 360's 1080p content looks. I suspect anyone with an eye for detail will find it falls short of what you'd get from an actual Blu-ray player, but the proof will be in the viewing.
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| The Dark Knight: One of the blockbuster titles that has been used by Microsoft to promote movie downloads to the Xbox overseas. |
Download limits
The truth is that most people don't have an eye for detail, just look at the terrible el cheapo televisions they buy from their local bulk discount store. What people do have an eye for is their download limit and I doubt many Aussies are prepared to blow 7 GB on one movie. Anyone with that much data to spare is probably sucking down all their entertainment from Bit Torrent.
This is where unmetered content deals become crucial in bandwidth-starved countries like Australia. Different ISPs have unmetered agreements with different Video on Demand services, meaning movies you download don't count towards your monthly limit.Apple and TiVo have struck unmetered content agreements with several key Australian ISPs, while Bigpond content is unmetered for Telstra customers.
Xbox users are waiting for unmetered movie downloads
Microsoft doesn't have any unmetered content deals in place at the moment for the Xbox 360 movie download service, although I'm told agreements are under negotiation.
For now, this puts the Xbox 360 seriously behind the eight ball. Microsoft had better cut some unmetered content deals pretty fast if it wants to compete with the big boys.
Also in this series, Picking the Perfect Home Entertainment Box:
Part 12: Apple TV 3.0, why it's triple the meh
Part 11: Not all universal remotes are created equal
Part 10: Hulu blocks international access via Witopia
Part 9: What does Windows 7 offer in the lounge room?
Part 8: forget scratched DVDs, build a video jukebox instead
Part 7: Is Foxtel Download worth getting excited about?
Part 6: Is interference destroying your digital lounge room?
Part 5: Do you need a Freeview sticker?
Part 4: What's the best way to record your favourite shows?
Part 3: Networking your TV, PVR, console, set top box
Part 2: Creating a P2P season pass
Part 1: Internet video on the PS3
Buying a TV? Also see our series How to Pick a Great Flat Screen TV, And Not Get Sucked In By Marketing Hype