Microsoft have announced a stack of new products and services at CES, one of the biggest of which is IPTV for the Xbox 360:

In a move that will combine the power of Xbox 360 with Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, Bach provided an early look at a new service, IPTV on Xbox 360. The offering is expected to deliver world-class TV experiences such as digital video recording capabilities, with gaming, movie viewing, and even voice and video communications. Tapping into an expanded set of entertainment experiences, users will be able to watch their favorite sporting event live while chatting with their friends, for example, or participate in a match on Xbox Live(R) while they record a TV program in the background. IPTV on Xbox 360 is expected to be available to consumers by holiday season 2007 and will be offered by providers that are deploying TV services based on the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform.

Vista is also mentioned:

With its powerful graphics capabilities, advanced parental controls, and connectivity to the Live games and entertainment network, Windows Vista promises to capture the imagination of 200 million hardcore and casual PC gamers alike.

Does this mean I can dump Foxtel ?

good for MS, I doubt it will be of any use to australia though, with the s***ty state of broadband and caps etc.

I'd be guessing mid-late 08 it will appear here, as the TV/Movie Video marketplace hasn't even got a date set for here yet.

w00t..!

now if only decent broadband was affordable as in other countries where this has been the norm for some time

last edited by koopz at 20:27:49 09/Jan/07

i dont think broadband is that exspensive in australia, considering our standards of living.

In talking to Microsoft today at their booth I discovered that the Podcasts speculation that this really won't be all that different from current cable TV is correct:
* The service will be offered in the US thorugh AT&T's lightspeed, which provides 35Mbps in bandwidth to the home. So AT&T would replace your local cable company and ISP.
* This bandwidth should be enough for 2 HD channels and 2 SD channels to be viewed simultaneously. The service will be comparable to existing cable offerings, only the provider will be AT&T.
* Availablity will be determined by AT&T's buildout of infratructure up to the last mile (The last mile will remain copper.).
* The service will be available with a regular set top box that is not an Xbox 360. However, with an Xbox 360 you get some nice features like the ability to access Xbox live (e.g. chat, accept game invitations) while wathing TV.
* For homes with an existing home network, your router will need to be replaced with a router that has special QOS (qulaity of service) features that enable the system to work well.

I dunno if I like the idea of it replacing your ISP, I can already hear the cries now of "f***ing lag! Who's watching tv!"

I doubt 35Mbit is going to steal the 512k or so you need to play online games lol.