Like Chris Lanier, I’ve been disappointed in Microsoft’s apparent inability to deliver an IPTV solution onto the Xbox 360 platform… As announced during Bill Gates’ 2007 CES keynote. We’ve heard relatively little regarding the fate of Xbox IPTV since then, and I imagine the lack of deployment is related to both technological challenges and carrier deals. So I cornered a Mediaroom rep today on the show floor.
Before handing me off to the PR team, she confirmed this initiative is still alive and well with multiple carrier field trials in progress. When asked if anything was going on in the US, she suggested I question AT&T. Now, I can’t really speculate if she said that because AT&T is considering the platform, or because AT&T is their primary partner for television services here in the US (with U-verse).
The PR woman was at once both more forthcoming and more secretive. She indicated BT will be deploying Xbox 360 IPTV in the UK. While that’s isn’t entirely recent news and she didn’t give any details on timing, I’m left with the sense it’s definitely happening this year. And she had no comment on other partners or regions.
The photo up top is the Mediaroom interface running on a Motorola set-top box, though I was told the experience will be the same on the Xbox 360 upon entering the television area. Below is another screenshot of what that menu item looked like (in 2007) within the Xbox 360’s original interface. Which, of course, has since been replaced.
This is the reason why I hate talking to PR people. Their job is to try and prevent you from finding out the real story so you end up with a bunch of maybes, no comment and vague promises. IPTV on the Xbox may not be dead, but they can’t point to any real traction they’re getting either. I think that you would have been better off interviewing actual employees who haven’t been trained on how to filter info.
Oh, I agree. I’d always rather talk to a PM or engineer. But larger, publicly traded companies usually restrict who can say what and to whom. Similar story at the Audiovox booth – as soon as I asked a non-generic MediaFLO question, the woman said she can’t answer press questions and tried to deliver me to the PR/marketing team. At least Motorola and Samsung were allowing photos, unlike CTIA last spring.
A year or so ago my Bell Canada rep tried to convince me to move to Bell’s new ‘cable tv’ offering promising that IPTV on my Xbox was to be supported soon here in Toronto. As far as I know, Bell still hasn’t rolled that out anywhere in Canada.
The guide looks a lot like the new ntelos fiber optics TV guide.
The guide looks just like my AT&T U-verse.
Wow that guide looks real nice…makes my wonder why Veizon did’nt insist on a TRUE 16×9 HD guide like AT&T did on their moto boxes.
Tom, U-verse is powered by Microsoft Mediaroom. It’s also on several other systems here and abroad.
Juice, Verizon runs DVR software they’ve developed in-house.
I had no Idea that AT&T U-verse had anything to do with Microsoft. I have the service and while I like the interface I wish it had a remind feature so it could remind me to go to a certain channel at a certain time intead of just recording it to the DVR & I wish that AT&T wasn’t so cheap with their Bandwith.
I’ve not long had my xbox but i’ve been trying to find information on iptv services in the uk since I heard about it – this is the most information i’ve got after emailing and ringing both bt and microsoft uk.Touch wood it’ll be out this year then!