Xbox: Now That’s Entertainment

This recent blog post from the official Microsoft blog is very interesting to me as a cord cutter.  When we switched off the satellite, I then realized what a great investment it was to buy the xbox 360.  Now I say its an ever better time to jump on any deals you see about the Xbox 360.

Xbox: Now That’s Entertainment

In the ongoing quest for a metaphor that illustrates slow versus rapid change, it’s hard to top the boiled frog. You know the one – drop a frog in hot water and out it leaps; place it in cold water and put it on the stove and the frog will sit there and cook. Atlantic writer and one-time Microsoft employee James Fallows has the most thorough debunking of the metaphor extant, but such is the power of the meme that it continues to show up, even in otherwise reputable publications.

For me, the above perfectly illustrates how hard it can be to recognize a transformation, especially when the transformation takes time (also known as slowly turning up the heat). Case in point: Xbox and entertainment. For the last 10 years at Microsoft, we’ve been turning up the heat on how we think about Xbox, and next week at E3 you will get a chance to see how far we’ve come.

Let’s look at the numbers and then take a look at what they mean and what the future holds. Just for starters, we’ve sold more than 53 million Xbox 360 consoles, and Xbox has been the top-selling console in the last year. There are more than 30 million Xbox LIVE members. And more than 10 million Kinects have sold to date. Those are pretty big numbers for a device that, until recently, had primarily been purchased by hardcore gamers. But something interesting has happened in the last few years. While people are still playing a ton of video games, 40 percent of all Xbox activity now is non-game. Put another way, we’re seeing an average of 30 hours of video consumption per month per Xbox, a number that is growing fast. And people are expecting more – more options, more games, more videos, more entertainment.

Here’s a personal example: my daughter talks to the Xbox while watching movies and just assumes it will do as she says. Through the magic of Kinect, she says it, Xbox does it. For her, and millions like her, Xbox is the gateway to games, music, movies and TV shows – in short, it is central to entertainment.

And this is true for Microsoft as well. Put simply, Xbox = entertainment and is core to our entertainment strategy. Around the world, the Xbox connects more people to online content and communities through the largest screen in the house than any other device. And as the console has evolved, it’s stayed true to its core while adding more and more experiences. Today, there is no better gaming experience in the world. Immersive games, sports games, games where you are the controller, games where you talk to your friends, games where you talk to the console, games that get you into shape, that make you laugh, that let you take a picture and share it with friends. Games that extend to your Windows 7 PC and your Windows Phone 7…and, of course, other devices to come…

The vision for Xbox is straightforward: All of the entertainment you want. With the people you care about. Made easy. That is why you’ve seen us invest in partnerships with ESPN, Netflix and Hulu. That is why we’ve baked social directly into the experience with Xbox LIVE – connecting gamers, friends and families across the globe. That is why you’ll see Xbox marketed more as an entertainment brand this year. And that is why we’re investing so much in Natural User Interface technologies (speech, touch, gestures) to make the entertainment experience that much easier—and more fun. With Kinect, we’ve made NUI real for millions of people, and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.

Next Monday at E3 in Los Angeles, the Xbox home entertainment pot will be boiling over during a 90-minute event that you can view live on Spike TV, Xbox.com or on the Microsoft News Center. We’re continuing to deliver mind-blowing gaming experiences, and we are turning up the heat on a whole new era of home entertainment.

Posted by Frank X. Shaw Corporate Vice President, Corporate Communications, Microsoft

Source:  MS Blog

Problem - Internet issues

Internet with streaming problems.

Over the past couple of days I've found it difficult to watch anything on Netflix streaming.  I'm associating these issus with the fact that school is out.

We currently have Mediacom cable as our internet service provider.  We're getting 3mbps + some basic tv channels, mainly just the local broadcast stuff.  The problem with cable internet is if the kid down the street decides he's going to download a movie or stream some music, bye bye bandwidth. 


Netflix says all you need is a 1.5mbps connection for streaming.  That's true, but if you want to watch those show in HD, forget it.  What we have for 3 mbps usually works pretty good.  Mediacom sales their internet at a pretty fair $42.95 for 3mbps. Then they jump up to 12mbps for $60 and finally go to 15mbps for way too much.  I was thinking of getting the 12mbps since we'll be streaming alot more, but $60 is a little steep.  I'll have to see how much streaming we're doing and see if that cost is justified.  Bumping our download speeds to 12mbps would also increase my upload speeds to somewhere around 2mbps.  Then again, its on cable so it could actually end up being around 10mbps down most of the time.


Switching to At&t is out of the question now, unless its to UVerse.  DSL and UVerse internet are now capped as to how much you can use.  It's much lower on DSL.  If we were to get UVerse internet it could only be done if we got TV service too. Getting the TV service would give us free installation. But then again getting the TV service would defeat the whole purpose of cutting the cord. 


Hopefully we can think about getting the 12mbps and not suffering with anymore issues.



By the way, if you're on any cable internet service, buy your own cable modem.  Modems cost about $60 and would keep you from paying that $5.00 rental fee.  Plus if you get the modem, no one has to come out to install your internet (if you're already getting service).

Here’s How You Might Be Able To Watch Live TV, For Free, On Your iPad

Here's How You Might Be Able To Watch Live TV, For Free, On Your iPad

An interesting article from the folks at Allthingsd.com

Your iPad can do lots of things, but live TV generally isn't one of them. With a few exceptions, the TV networks don't want their programming going out live anywhere but your big screen, under their supervision.

Here's a start-up that wants to change that: Bamboom says it will let you watch live broadcast TV anywhere you can get a Web connection, on whatever device you want.

We've seen versions of this before. FilmOn and Iviboth offered something similar last year, and both tried to argue that they had the same right to distribute broadcast TV signals that cable companies did. And both have been slapped down by the courts.

But Bamboom has a Rube Goldberg-like approach that might hold up to the inevitable legal challenge: The company will assign a tiny broadcast antenna to each customer, and will move the TV signal from the antenna to the cloud, where it can move it to any device with a browser. One customer, one stream.

That seems laborious and expensive, but it's the same legal construction that Cablevision has used to provide a remote DVR service for its customers, and the Supreme Court has signed off on that idea. (Not coincidentally, that one customer/one use idea is the same one Amazon and Google are using to provide cloud-based music lockers without sign-off from the big labels.)

The company hasn't discussed pricing yet, but BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield (registration required) thinks it may try a freemium model, where the company offers the broadcast stream for free but charges for a DVR option.

So what does that mean if this works? For Bamboom's users, depending on the cost, the service could be a nice way to catch live sports and programs like "American Idol" on the go. Nice to have, but not crucial.
But as Greenfield points out, if Bamboom takes off, it could cause big problems for the established TV business.

That's in part because the service could encourage cord-cutting, though I think that risk is rather minimal–Bamboom's system can only deliver broadcast TV signals, so dropping your cable subscription still means you won't be able watch anything on cable TV.

The bigger issue is that over the past few years broadcasters like CBS have been able to get cable providers like Comcast to shell out a lot of money for the right to carry their programming. But if Bamboom is doing the same thing without paying a penny, that's going to destroy their leverage. Which is why the start-up, which has raised $4.5 million from FirstMark Capital, First Round and others, says they're saving much of that money for legal fees.

Get an Xbox 360 with a new PC

Get an Xbox 360 with the purchase new PC $699 and up.

This is a great deal if you're a cord cutter.  I personally use the xbox 360 as a media center with my pc.  Xbox 360 has access also to Hulu plus, Netflix and the awesome Zune Marketplace.  (Look out for an article on that coming soon)

Now HP and Amazon have joined the promotion.

From http://windowsteamblog.com/

HP and Amazon Join With Other Retailers to Offer A Windows 7 PC with Xbox

We’ve seen a lot of excitement and interest from students for the Windows PC and XBox offer over the last few days and  we have more good news. Both HP.com and Amazon.com have now come online to join with the other retailers who are participating in the “Buy a PC, Get an Xbox” offer including the Microsoft Store (online and in-person), Best Buy and Dell.com. The PCs that are available vary by retailer so make sure to consult various stores before making your purchase.

Here are some pretty cool advertisments coming to promote the deal.

*Get a free Xbox 360 4GB console with the purchase of select Windows 7 PCs $699 or more, at participating retailers in the US from 5/23-9/3 or while supplies last. Verification of student status required. See participating retailers for full details. 

Verification usually means needs to have a .edu email address.

Article for those confused about getting TV on your computer.

TV on your computer: Understanding TV signals and TV tuners

With Windows Media Center—a feature included in the Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate—you can watch and record live TV on your computer. All you need is a TV tuner and a TV signal.

The following sections describe the kinds of tuners and signals that are available, and what you'll need to connect a TV signal properly. For information about how to set up your TV signal to work with Media Center, see Set up a TV signal in Windows Media Center.

About TV tuners

A TV tuner is a device you can use to connect an analog or digital TV signal to your computer. Without a TV tuner, you can't watch and record live TV in Media Center. TV tuners come in two basic model types: external TV tuners, which usually plug into a USB port on your computer, and internal TV tuner cards, which you must install inside your computer.

A typical external TV tuner

A typical TV tuner card

Most computers do not include a TV tuner, but in many cases, it's possible to add one. For information about compatible TV tuners, see What should I know before adding TV tuners to use with Windows Media Center?

About TV signals

Windows Media Center supports a wide range of TV signal types, including antenna, cable TV, and satellite TV signals. The type of signal you can set up is determined by the following:

• The area where you live
• The cable or satellite television provider you subscribe to
• The type of TV tuner you have installed on your computer

For a list of supported signal types, see TV signals that are supported by Windows Media Center.

Top of page

Making the connection

Before you can watch and record TV in Media Center for the first time, you'll need to physically connect a TV signal to the TV tuner on your computer. This typically involves connecting one end of a coaxial cable to your tuner and the other end to your TV signal source (for example, an over-the-air antenna, a cable TV jack in the wall, a cable TV set-top box, or a satellite TV set-top box).

Windows Media Center supports both standard-definition TV signals and high-definition television (HDTV) signals. Use the following table to find your scenario and determine what equipment you'll need to get your TV signal up and running.

If your TV signal comes from	And you receive these types of channels	You need this type of tuner
A cable TV jack in the wall (no set-top box)	Local and basic cable channels (no premium channels)	An HDTV-ready tuner. For information about high-definition signal types, see TV signals that are supported by Windows Media Center.
A cable TV jack in the wall (no set-top box)	Premium cable channels	Digital Cable Tuner (a special kind of digital TV tuner built-in to a Digital Cable Ready computer). You'll also need a TV or monitor that supports High-Definition Copy Protection (HDCP) over DVI or HDMI, and a CableCARD from your cable provider.
A cable or satellite set-top box	Any	A TV tuner with video input jacks and infrared (IR) support. (Most TV tuners today have this functionality.)
An over-the-air antenna	Any	It depends on what signal types that your region supports. For example: in the United States, only digital over-the-air is supported, so you'll need an HDTV-ready TV tuner that supports the ATSC signal type.

Services continued

Netflix - Best service ever!

Netflix has got to be the best service around.  Mainly because of how its not specific to any kind of device.  You can access Netflix on Windows Phones, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, PC's, game consoles, and set top boxes including bluray players.  It's very flexible.  The only drawback at the moment is it only supported on a few Android devices. 


The service started out as a "No late fee" DVD rental service by mail.  I first subscribed back in 2004 with the 3 DVD's at a time plan.  It is fantastic. When I first got the service I was able to catch up on a lot of movies that I hadn't seen yet.  Using their website, you're able to search for a movie and add it to your "queue" so that when you mail the movie back, your next movie will come.  Usually it will happen in about 1 business day. 

I have found a couple of hacks that are great things to remember when using Netflix.  If you drop your envelope in a postal service mail box it will be delivered to the Netflix sorting center that next morning.  Depending on where your sorting center is of course.  We have one located in Mobile, AL.  So after we watch the movie and it's time to send it back, I drop the envelope in the mail box at work.  That next morning I get an email that says Netflix got the movie, and then that afternoon they send out the next one.  Then a day will pass, and the movie will be in my mail box.

Another hack I have discovered is that if you put a movie in your queue way before it is available, you'll be able to get first dibs on it.  Usually when a movie is released there is a waiting game you play as to when you'll be able to get it.  If there is a movie that is out, that I know I'll be waiting for the video, I'll put it on my queue, even if it's not in the theater yet.  I always get it once, it’s available to Netflix and its next on my queue.  If not there where be a status of "short wait."

Netflix jumped on the bluray bandwagon pretty early and it’s great that they did.  Bluray movies were once extremely expensive compared to DVD's.  So it was nice to be able to rent them and not have to pay that extra cost.  Although, you do pay an extra $3 for the Bluray access.  Which means they send you a bluray automatically if that movie as one available.

One drawback that has come about because of people not buying the movies anymore is a waiting period of 30days to before its available on Netflix.  There are a couple of movie companies (WB) that will wait to make a movie available, for 30 days after its release on video, for Netflix.  So you have to wait on some titles.

Streaming:

This is the greatest feature of Netflix, and it’s also where you'll see the service moving towards more in the future.  You can access a huge library of movies that will stream over your internet connection.  Using a variety of different devices, you can play a movie that has already played its course on the movie channels.  Starz is teamed up with Netflix to share its on demand video section.  If it's playing on Starz it’s on Netflix, and another reason not to pay for that service.  There are also other pay channels that put their original content on Netflix as well.

Its a great way to catch up on old shows.  I love running across an old show I watched as kid.  Most of the movies and shows are available in HD, and just requires a 1 mbps connection or more.  I have a 3mbps with Mediacom cable and it will switch between HD and SD during some movies. 

Your data connection is an important factor is streaming content.  Mediacom works fine, but I would like to have a faster speed, so it would stop switching from HD to SD.  If you have any AT&T service, watch out for your new data caps.  At&t has recently put caps in place to limit your usuage.  So they give you 150 GB a month and if you go over they send you a letter, and then charge you per 10gb. Not too bad, but why do we need to think about it. 

Netflix has a streaming only plan, but if you subscribe to any unlimited rental plans, you get unlimited streaming.

It’s a great service, and a great alternative to paying the cable and satellite company.

How to Turn Your Roku Into a DVR

From gigaom.com

Roku’s media player is a great device to watch content from Netflix and Hulu Plus on, but it lacks access to live TV — that is, unless you use a neat little hack to turn your Roku into a DVR that is capable of serving up live and archived broadcast content. Check it out:

• The Nowhere DVR is a private Roku channel, which can be installed through a link on this page.
• Check out our previous episode featuring Roku tips and tricks if you need more help installing private channels.
• The EyeTV One HD TV tuner retails for about $100 retail. We showed some of the other things you can do with it in a previous episode.
• The folks on the Roku forum have found a bunch of tricks to improve the video quality of the Nowhere DVR streams.

From Another Cord Cutters site

I'll be talking about the Roku box once I get to talking about the great devices out there, but this hack doesn't seem worth the trouble.  The new Roku should be able to play video that you're recording on your PC if you've already gotten a tuner card or stick.  Still, shows you that that Roku box is a great investment.

Services

Hulu.com  - "Finally, TV on your terms. Watch your favorite videos right from your browser, anytime for free through Hulu.com. And with our Hulu Plus ad-supported subscription service, you can stream full current seasons and a deep library of back seasons of hit TV shows from ABC, FOX, NBCUniversal and more in HD to computers, internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, mobile phones and tablets, all for $7.99 per month. With full episodes of TV shows both current and classic, full-length movies, exclusives and clips of just about everything, Hulu is the place to watch and enjoy premium videos from the biggest names in entertainment."    



Now for my two cents -
Hulu is ok.  Online it's great if you don't have a DVR.  If you missed a show, then you might be  able to catch it on hulu.com.  I say might because not all TV is on hulu.  They recently introduced hulu plus.  Now this is where things could be great.  But sadly they fall short.  If you search online you'll find certain shows, that you'd like to watch.  If you're paying for hulu then you just assume those shows would be available on your Hulu plus device, wrong.  Hulu plus only allows the shows to be streamed that they have the rights to.  Which is bizzare. 

What would make this great is to have more channels providing content to hulu plus.  Most people out there, don't want to connect their computers to their TV's.  The way that most of the cord cutters out there will access Hulu is by subscribing to the service and watch on their connected device. IE their xbox 360, playstation 3, iPad, or iPod/iPhone.  The more devices that become able to use Hulu plus I would hope would bring about more shows to watch.

Right now I would take advantage of the free month they're offering, and see what you like.  But for me, I'm giving it a shot and I see alot of faults.  Mainly the lack on content.  When compared to Netflix, they've got alot of catching up to do.

Check out this link to see if you have a device to use Hulu plus. http://www.hulu.com/plus/devices?from=ie9

Cutting the Cord: Will Online Video Kill the Cable Companies?

   While the demise of the cable industry is often exaggerated, a panel at the Streaming Media East conference was in agreement that changes in strategy are necessary. In some cases, they're already occurring.   By Jose Castillo

  One of the hot topics at Streaming Media East was cord-cutting, and a first day panel titled "Cutting the Cord on TV" examined the trend. While the demise of the cable industry is often exaggerated, the panel was in agreement that changes in strategy are necessary and in some cases already occurring. Traditional cable providers are offering bundled broadband and ultimately will serve video content in whatever method consumers want. Another hot topic discussed was piracy. As Peter Kafka from All Things Digital joked, "We don't have anyone on the panel representing piracy." Tom Gorke from MTV pointed out that piracy went down when high quality content was offered for legal download soon after it aired. In a final discussion Marc DeBevoise from Starz was pushed to comment on his company's relationship with Netflix. "It's very, very tough to say if we will be on Netflix in a year," he relented.

  From Hulu to Netflix, streaming video is having a powerful impact on the traditional television industry. But are consumers really cutting the cord and bypassing cable operators in favor of online video? With the broadcast networks facing some of the same threats as the newspaper industry, will services like TV Everywhere and over-the-top (OTT) content be the industry's savior? These topics and more will be addressed by this panel of content heavyweights.

Recording some shows.

Products to get the media.

   With cutting out the provider's DVR there are some alternate means to record broadcast TV shows that you're now watching.  You could get a Tivo.  A Tivo is a smart DVR that looks at what you're watching and recommends shows like it and records them automatically.  The latest version allows you to use services like Netflix or Amazon Video On demand.  We'll talk about those other services later.  There is a monthly fee or a liftetime fee with the Tivo.

     Another product for recording is a good old computer.  With Windows 7 there is a free service built in called Windows Media Center that turns your computer into a full fledged media player for what's called the 10-foot interface.  I really is a means to connect your PC to a flat screen and use a remote instead of a keyboard.  I personally use this one, and an another piece of hardware called a Media Center Extender.

                                     The extender allows you to hook this box to your TV instead of the whole PC.  The computer contains the TV tuner cards and holds all the recordings.  The extender connects over your network and streams that interface to your TV.  I have paired this up with a homemade Windows Home server, and it houses all my TV recordings and DVD back ups for a quick and easy access.

      Currently on the market, the best and affordable media center extender is the Xbox 360.  I have both the linksys set top box and a X-Box 360.  I can personally say that the XBox 360 is the best media center extender. Its also the cheapest. 
                                    Search Amazon.com for xbox 360

   Later on in this blog I plan to give all the options that are available using the XBox 360.  Using all the different services are differently a money saver than going with the satellite or cable provider. 

Cord Cutters Unite!

Cord cutting has been getting more and more popular all the time.  I think with how the economy is going it just make sense to cut out unnecessary expenses and paying the satellite and cable company for TV is one of them. 

We made the decision to drop satellite after the 2 years was up to save some money for the new baby coming in few months.  We also were frequently disappointed with the low amount of quality TV shows that were on our channel line up.  Dish network was a great service.  I was happy when something good was on, because it would be in HD.  It had to be dropped when we found that we watched the shows that were on broadcast channels more often than the other pay channels.

It doesn't make alot of sense now a days to pay $14 for a channel that plays movies you don't like and when you catch one you do, it's right in the middle of it.

What I plan to do starting now is research and find other providers of entertainment.  I will show you how I set it up and how well it works.  I will also provide a rating system I call "the wife factor" to rate how well she likes it.

After trying out all the new services and products, I can make a more informed decision about how to be entertained.

My purpose is to show you a cheaper alternative to paying alot for a particular service. Starting with TV and moving on from there.

Stay tuned. There's more to come

First Post

This is the begining. 

We have cut the satellite out and now entertain by other means.  This blog will step you through the process of what choices are available and the details on what I've learned along the way.

Hopefully it will not be a documentation of my descent into madness.