The $350 Premium model has a 20-gigabyte hard drive and the $450 Elite ups that 120-gigabytes. Xbox 360 prices range from $280 to $450, but the cheapest model does not include the hard drive you’ll need to store the videos. Microsoft also says it picks movies that appeal to its core audience of young males, which explains the preponderance of teen comedies and horror movies. The selection is more limited than other services partly because not all studios have struck deals to put their content on the service, though Microsoft says it’s hopeful that will change soon.
Including TV shows, Microsoft says it has more than 4,000 hours of content. Microsoft offers more than 300 movies for rent, about half of which can be viewed in hi-def. In late 2006, Microsoft beefed up its Xbox Live service - previously simply an online hangout for gamers - with movies and TV shows for download. If you’re one of the nearly 10 million people in the United States who have bought Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game console, you have a video-on-demand service right at your thumbtips. Sluggish sales led to Apple founder Steve Jobs taking the wraps off “Take Two” in January. If you’re someone who sees Apple as a lifestyle, you’re probably aware of Apple TV, the latest multimedia product from the folks who brought you the iPod and iPhone.Īpple TV went on sale a year ago, but it only acted as a bridge for video and music to cross the gap between your computer and television. “There are lots of merits but the question is how much content can we get on these devices?” “Now there is sort of this battle for what the next generation of device is going to look like, and for some people that device is not really based on optical disks but is optimized for downloads,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research. The services require you to shell out several hundred dollars for special hardware first they also demand a bit of set-up, and rely on a fast Internet connection. These virtual video stores promise near-instant delivery of hundreds of movies, including many in glorious high-definition, all ordered up from the comfort of your couch.
An Apple TV device is seen in an undated image.
0 kommentar(er)
