
The Xbox 360, Now A True Cable Box Killer - speg
http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/04/the-xbox-360-now-a-true-cable-box-killer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
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ctdonath
_Live sports are the key for many people._

Of note: those of us who care little for sports save for the occasional
definitive headliner. I'm looking for a source of top-tier Olympics 2012
coverage without having to get cable TV installed (haven't had it for the 6+
years we've been in the house, don't want to open that can of ad-filled worms,
don't want to try closing that can afterwards). Any ideas/insights? An Apple
TV "app/channel" would be ideal, but per Apple's norm I assume we won't know
until near-too-late.

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mitchellhislop
Looks like NBC is going to stream it all: <http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/>

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yock
Which requires that you login to their system with your credentials to your
cable/satellite provider.

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mitchellhislop
Boo. Did not see that, mea culpa. I figured they were going the NCAA March
Madness route, which was basically awesome.

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throwaway1979
I'm very impressed by the XBox 360 top-level UI. It is now the primary channel
for me to consume Netflix. That honor belonged to my Mac Mini controlled via
iPad until recently. That said, there are some deep problems:

1) Charging for XBox live Gold is annoying from a customer's perspectively. I
only got XBOX live Gold recently because they were giving away 5 free games. I
doubt the better UX of netflix is sufficient to get me to pay for this
service.

2) Content pricing The cost of movies/tv shows on Xbox live is pretty steep.
I'd rather drive to my local redbox to get the latest movies. If they charged
2-3 dollars for 24 hour rental (a 100-200% higher cost than redbox, I'd use
them for sure).

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akanster
RE: point #2. To be fair you should also factor in the time, effort and gas it
takes to go to Redbox, wait in line to rent and return discs. All the while
hoping that new release is available and not scratched up. For most of us,
that extra $2 to get it from Xbox is money well spent.

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beersigns
It depends on how close you live to a Redbox or if you stumble across them
during the day. I only have to walk across the street to one & as as result
have started using it a lot more over premium streaming services. They tend to
have'm in grocery stores and other heavily trafficked areas as well. For
reference I'm in the mid-west....

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jawngee
Except for how loud it is. I prefer the Netflix UI on the xbox, but use it on
AppleTV anyways just because I don't want to have to crank the volume to cover
up the sound.

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kevingadd
How old is your XBox 360? The modern ones don't really have any noise issues,
and I've got an elite that's a few years old and isn't particularly noisy
either. Are you sure yours doesn't have ventilation issues?

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joejohnson
A true cable box killer? Maybe, but this poorly written article fails to
supply any supporting details to the stated argument in the title. How are "a
whole lot of new media apps" for the Xbox going to kill cable? I'd like to
believe this is true, but the article lacks all of the details.

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reginaldo
There's also the problem that, at least here in Brazil, cable companies are in
many instances the only choice when it comes to broadband internet connection.
The only way to get a decent connection at reasonable price is if you get an
internet/cable/phone bundle.

This means there's no way to cut the cord.

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martingordon
I wish the 360 had a sleep mode. I don't want to leave my console running all
day, but I hate how long it takes to get it booted up and Netflix launched.
OTOH, I don't mind leaving my Apple TV on all the time and time-to-video is
probably under a minute.

My other big gripe is a strange HDCP issue (at least I think it's HDCP) that
came with the latest Dashboard update. About 85% of the time, I'll launch a
Netflix video and my screen will go blank. Prior to the latest update, I could
work around it by turning my 2007 LG TV off and back on (at which point the
Xbox would tell me that the secure HDCP link was restored).

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arrakeen
my 360 slim has a sleep mode, so either this is a feature they've added in the
slim update, or your console is misconfigured

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_hiss
On a tangentially related note, why can't Turner Classic Movies (TCM) do a
proper app? They're the closest to an a la carte offering on cable. It
wouldn't even have to allow full Netflix-style access to an entire library -
I'd be happy to stream their curated schedule to a mobile or desktop device,
as my subscription is one of the few reasons I keep a cable television
account.

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clarky07
While I know everyone hates techcrunch and link-bait headlines, I've used my
xbox as a cable replacement for a long time, and the recent addition of Amazon
prime streaming and the other things mentioned here just make it that much
better.

If it could get rid of the cable reqs for ESPN and add NFL it would be perfect
for me. As is it is only a slight compromise for me.

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charlieflowers
Yaaaaawn.

I've heard the claim MS was going to take over the living room at least 5
times before. It's never even come close to happening yet. Is there really
anything meaty here that should make us think it will now?

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nitrogen
Look where they were the first time that claim was made -- the Xbox didn't
exist, and people were doubting they could possibly compete with Sony and
Nintendo. Look where they are now.

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macspoofing
>Ironically though, in order to receive the ESPN offering, a subscription to
cable is required, which sort of dimisses the appeal.

Get a car with the purchase of a horse and buggy.

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cooldeal
Typical Techcrunch knee jerk cookiecutter article written in great hurry to
capture Google News traffic with a grandiose title.

Many of the media apps like ESPN, HBO, etc. require a Cable TV subscription to
work. Microsoft is working with the Cable TV companies since getting access to
content otherwise is turning into a huge mess with fragmentation.

True, it can be a Cable Box killer to some extent and the new Metro update
last year was really great, even for the apps. But it's certainly not a Cable
Subscription killer just yet unless you can live on just Netlix, Amazon
Instant Video, VEVO, Youtube and a few others.

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krschultz
I think you nailed it with both of your first two points. This article is
crap, and getting anything live online seems to be difficult.

I can't navigate ESPN's apps/online offerings.

Some content requires a certain cable/satellite providers. Other content
requires a certain ISP.

I recently dropped my TV (DirecTV) and switched to a local ISP, and I
seemingly can't get anything from ESPN with this combination.

But if I switch to Comcast internet, I seemingly will be able to get much
more.

The best experience I've had so far was TNT's NBA website.

