Not ready to pick sides in the upcoming HD format war? Maybe you don't have to just yet. On November 22nd, Microsoft is launching the video marketplace for Xbox Live. This new service will allow Xbox 360 owners with access to a high speed internet connection to download a variety of HD and standard definition video content to their consoles and view it on their television. That means all Xbox 360 owners with an HDTV will have access to HD movies, regardless of whether they own an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player. It doesn't end with movies, though. The video marketplace will also feature television shows, music videos and game videos to purchase with Microsoft points. The service will be available to both Xbox Live Silver and Gold members and promises over 1,000 hours of unique content by the end of the year, with at least 200 of that available in both standard and hi-definition. Sound interesting? Read on for the gritty details.
The big question on everybody's mind at this point is surely cost. Unfortunately, Microsoft wasn't very forthcoming with answers to this question saying only that the digitally distributed videos would be "competitively priced." However, a tutorial video put up on Xbox.com shows the HD movies priced at 480 Microsoft points ($6 USD) with the standard definition price of 320 points ($4 USD) while both versions of television shows clocked in at 240 Microsoft points ($3 USD) Television shows will be sold in much the same way that Live Arcade games are. After purchasing them with Microsoft points, owners will begin downloading them and will own the show. That means they can delete it off of their hard drive and download it at a later date without having to pay for it again. Movies will be output in a rental format. This is necessary in part due to the limited space on an Xbox 360 hard drive and the massive size of an HD movie. The standard definition movie we were shown clocked in at 1.2 GB while the HD version of the same movie was nearly four times as big at 4.7 GB. Once you download a movie, you'll have 14 days to begin watching it. After you start watching it, you'll have 24 hours before the rental expires and the movie is "returned."
These HD downloads can get huge and we all know how slow Xbox Live can be when we're trying to download the newest demo or trailer. To help solve that problem, Microsoft is launching a new service to handle the video marketplace that is outside of the one currently used for the old marketplace. Also, you'll be able to begin watching videos before they are fully downloaded, something you can't do right now with trailers on Xbox 360. Still, no guarantees were made about speed. We were told that downloading an HD movie would be more of an "overnight type of thing" or something to be done in the background while playing a game.
Master Shake is coming to Xbox 360.
Accessing the video marketplace and finding the content you want appears to be a simple enough task. The video marketplace will be accessible through the media blade on the Xbox 360 dashboard. When you click on it, you'll find categories for movies, tv shows, music videos, game videos, and clips. Each category is broken up into subgroups when you click on them. For example, the tv shows category expands to have sorting options for new arrivals, network, clips, genres, and all. From there you can customize the search even further with the ability to sort by title, episode number or download rank. You'll also notice a difference in the appearance when you access a particular show as Microsoft is providing networks the ability to customize their store's look. When customers go to a particular show's library, the background and colors will change to match it. Controlling what is watched will follow the same parental controls already present on Xbox 360. All video will be content rated and can be restricted according to those ratings through the dashboard.
Microsoft feels this service is a powerful one in that it provides choice. Rather than being forced into buying an entire season of a show, consumers will be able to pick which shows they want to purchase. Just to make sure you're not purchasing anything you don't want to, each video clip will have a preview button that will stream a small clip of the show on the right side of the screen. They're also providing choice in how you get your HD content. Those who want to go out and purchase the HD-DVD add-on are free to do so, but Xbox 360 owners can also get their HD movies and shows through a digital distribution format. Going further, they also presented the hypothetical, though currently just a thought, situation where content providers would like to make just a fraction of their show available for download at a very small cost. Perhaps NBC would want to put a single skit from SNL on the marketplace and charge a microtransaction fee. With this service they would be able to.
How inclusive will the service be? We already gave the figure of 1,000 hours of unique content by the end of the year, but exactly where that content is coming from is important.. Obviously, you won't be seeing any Sony Pictures movie releases on the video marketplace. The networks we were told would be providing content initially, with more to come, are CBS, Turner, Warner Brothers, Paramount, UFC, and MTV Networks (including VH1 and Cartoon Network). It's up to the content providers to determine which shows or movies will be up on the new-look Marketplace and what formats they will arrive. In general, if the content is available in widescreen or HD, then it will appear that way on the service alongside their standard definition cousin. Some shows we were demoed, such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force, are only available in standard definition by default so no HD versions will be available. Others, such as CSI, will be made available for the first time in a digital distribution HD format through the video marketplace. The availability of the content will be determined by the providers. Some television shows will be available the next day for download, while other videos, such as movies, will obviously take longer to reach the marketplace.
Here is a list of the examples of content available by the end of the year from the official press release:
Robot Chicken" and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" from Adult Swim.
"CSI," "Survivor" and "Star Trek" from CBS.
Emmy and Peabody award-winning "South Park." and "Chappelle's Show" from Comedy Central.
"The Real World" and "Pimp My Ride" from MTV.
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "SpongeBob SquarePants" from Nickelodeon.
"Skyland" and "The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival" from Nicktoons Network.
"M:i:III," Nacho Libre" and "Jackass: The Movie" from Paramount Pictures.
"Carpocalypse" and "Raising the Roofs" from Spike TV.
"Race Rewind" from by NASCAR.COM.
Select episodes of the original season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series and the "UFC: All Access" shows from the UFC.
"Breaking Bonaduce" and "Hogan Knows Best" from VH1.
"The Matrix," "Superman Returns" and "Batman Forever" from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
The issue of taking your videos off of the Xbox 360 might make the service a little less appealing to some. Although you can take your Live account to a friend's and watch the videos you have purchased, there won't be any way to move the videos from the Xbox 360 to another piece of equipment. We asked about any interconnectivity with the upcoming Zune and were told that there won't be any initially although there may be some in the future.
Another downside: The plans for adult content will likely fall in line with Microsoft's policy for games which is to not allow adult only games on to the system. It looks like downloading HD porn to your Xbox 360 isn't going to happen. Sad, we know.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/744/744355p1.html
Back in August, Microsoft announced it would distribute an extended episode of the sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica via Xbox Live. Today, Microsoft revealed it plans to further blur the line between the Xbox 360 as a gaming console and multimedia machine. Beginning November 22, the company will begin serving up on-demand movies and television programs from major studios for the console over Xbox Live.
Popcorn Time!
Initially available only in the United States, the service will be part of Xbox Live Marketplace and promises to have about 1,000 hours of unique content, 200 of which will be at 720p high-definition resolution, available by the end of the year.
Microsoft has signed with six content partners in the endeavor, including CBS, Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros., Paramount, MTV and its properties (Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, VH1, and more), and UFC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship league. The company would not go into details about the terms of the deals, nor would they say whether or not they had exclusive rights to the programming.
Video Marketplace The new Xbox Live Marketplace in action.
Watch | Download
"This really highlights the difference between us and Sony," Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios told GameSpot. "Sony has a very hardware-centric approach. You have to buy the Blu-ray drive whether you want it or not... The fact that we're a software company gives an enormous competitive advantage, because we can add capabilities like this. This is totally integrated seamlessly for our users. .... That's a big, big difference when you talk about future-proofing and flexibility. ... We're in a much better position to continue to add capabilities, that's the big difference between the hardware-centric and software-centric approaches."
Television shows and movies will be available in both high-definition (720p) and standard definition (480p). While TV programs will be buy-to-own and remain on the Xbox 360 hard drive until it is deleted by users, movies will be delivered on a rental basis. Downloaded movies remain on the hard drive for up to two weeks, but once a user begins watching the movie, it is deleted 24 hours later. For that period, however, the movie can be viewed as many times as the purchaser wants.
Batman Forever in HD!
Full-length high-definition movies push 5GB in size, which, as any gamer who has downloaded a demo from Marketplace knows, will take a while to download. Fortunately for those who want near-instant gratification, videos can be viewed while downloading once an ample buffer is established. Microsoft said that standard definition television programs were "ready to play within minutes" of the download beginning.
The addition of movies and television programs to Xbox Live Marketplace instantly raises the question of hard drive space. Currently, Microsoft has no specific plans to upgrade the external hard drive, but did acknowledge that it is an option in the future. Kim estimates that the current detachable 20GB hard drive that comes standard with the Xbox 360 Premium model can hold four to five hours of high-def content or about 15 hours of standard-definition video.
The new content will be accessible through a new branch of Xbox Live Marketplace appropriately titled Video Marketplace. From there, gamers can sort through a menu with the following tabs: Movies, TV Shows, Music Videos, Game Videos, and Clips, which will house bonus content such as DVD extras.
The new Video Marketplace.
As an example, Xbox Live group marketing manager Aaron Greenberg browsed through a page on Marketplace dedicated to Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The page, which he described as a "skinned store," featured an ATHF-themed background and more than a dozen episodes of the cartoon. Each episode could be previewed instantly on the same page, though it was unclear how long previews would last. Movies, on the other hand, will be previewed with their cinematic trailers.
While Microsoft was not ready to make announcements on what movies and shows would definitively be available on the service, samples included shows such as CSI, Robot Chicken, the original Star Trek, and Babylon 5. On the movie side, Microsoft showed off ATL, V for Vendetta, Poseidon, and older films such as Batman Forever and Lethal Weapon 4.
Each studio will set their own release dates, and Microsoft expects TV shows to be available on Xbox Live the day after they air on television, just as some networks do online. Pricing has not yet been determined, but will be competitive with other similar services, like on-demand cable or Apple's iTunes store. Video content will be available to both Silver and Gold Xbox Live members simultaneously.
[UPDATE] Microsoft has announced the list of programming that it expects to be available on Xbox Live Marketplace before the end of the year.
Adult Swim
Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
CBS
CSI, Survivor, Star Trek
Comedy Central
South Park, Chappelle's Show
MTV
The Real World, Pimp My Ride
Nickelodeon
Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob SquarePants
Nicktoons Network
Skyland, The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival
Paramount Pictures
Nacho Libre, Jackass: The Movie
Spike TV
Carpocalypse, Raising the Roofs
Nascar.com
Race Rewind
UFC
The Ultimate Fighter, UFC: All Access
VH1
Breaking Bonaduce, Hogan Knows Best
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
The Matrix, Superman Returns, Batman Forever
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161165.html
Microsoft Unveils the Video Marketplace 
Cant wait to watch sum HD 1080i AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE on my 57 inch, one question, WHERE THE HELL IS FAMILY GUY??
Linear Mode
