BBC iPlayer hits Xbox 360
Xbox 360 owners have something more to celebrate. From today the BBC iPlayer TV catch-up service will roll out to Xbox 360 consoles. The service will be free to all Xbox Live users. Even those without an Xbox Live Gold paid subscription, and feature Kinect voice control and HD streaming. More details this way…
BBC iPlayer on Xbox 360 will work in pretty much the same vein as it does on PS3, bar Microsoft Kinect integration, which will let users navigate menus with a swipe of the hand and voice commands.
Xbox 360 owners will be able to watch programmes from the following channels: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC HD, BBC News, CBBC, CBeebies and BBC Parliament.
It will be the first entertainment app on Xbox 360 accessible without an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Xbox 360 owners currently pay to access similar services such as Sky Player, accessible to Gold and existing Sky TV subscribers. “Xbox is hugely successful in the UK. Given the BBC’s goal to reach its entire audience, I’m particularly excited that the BBC will be bringing iPlayer to all Xbox users at no extra cost as part of Xbox LIVE’s free membership,” said programmes and on-demand general manager Daniel Danker.
HD streaming will also be supported, and like the desktop app, it’ll remember viewers search and viewing history, making it easier to predict what you choose to watch when searching for that missed episode or documentary.
As Microsoft continues to expand the services provided to Xbox 360 owners, rumours continue to persist that a new Xbox will be revealed this year. Microsoft continue to deny this.
New services such as BBC iPlayer could be further proof that Microsoft is not yet ready to abandon the Xbox 360 ship. What do you think?
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