FARK.com: (7528771) Microsoft hires Slingbox founder to head its Xbox division, complete transition of Xbox from game console to do-it-all home entertainment center

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		Microsoft hires Slingbox founder to head its Xbox division, complete transition of Xbox from game console to do-it-all home entertainment center (reuters.com)		54
		More: Interesting, Slingbox, Xbox, Microsoft, Robert Krikorian, system console, transportation, Dish Network

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1366 clicks; posted to Geek » on 10 Jan 2013 at 4:58 PM | Favorite | share:

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BumpInTheNight		2013-01-10 02:23:08 PM

Do it all except play blurays or really any decent quality 1080p video files for that matter.

Magorn		2013-01-10 02:52:29 PM

It's pretty much there now. My kid and I PLAY x-box games a couple of times a week, but we USE the x-box every day thanks to Netflix and Hulu and etc. yes the hardware's getting a little dated but I personally don't see myself ditching it until the Steambox, or something like it from the big guys, hits the market in a couple years

serial_crusher		2013-01-10 03:57:45 PM

Do you still have to have an xBox Live Gold account in order to use the Netflix app? That was kind of a deal breaker for me. Gee, do I want to pay twice as much, instead of just paying $50 for a Roku?

costermonger		2013-01-10 04:25:14 PM

serial_crusher: Do you still have to have an xBox Live Gold account in order to use the Netflix app? That was kind of a deal breaker for me. Gee, do I want to pay twice as much, instead of just paying $50 for a Roku?

On top of that, the Neflix selection was limited on Xbox compared to regular PC when I tried it out a couple years ago.

serial_crusher		2013-01-10 04:31:25 PM

costermonger: serial_crusher: Do you still have to have an xBox Live Gold account in order to use the Netflix app? That was kind of a deal breaker for me. Gee, do I want to pay twice as much, instead of just paying $50 for a Roku?

On top of that, the Neflix selection was limited on Xbox compared to regular PC when I tried it out a couple years ago.

Wait, what? That sounds dubious, but also terrible.

costermonger		2013-01-10 04:39:23 PM

serial_crusher: costermonger: serial_crusher: Do you still have to have an xBox Live Gold account in order to use the Netflix app? That was kind of a deal breaker for me. Gee, do I want to pay twice as much, instead of just paying $50 for a Roku?

On top of that, the Neflix selection was limited on Xbox compared to regular PC when I tried it out a couple years ago.

Wait, what? That sounds dubious, but also terrible.

I discovered it by searching for something I had been watching on my laptop and not being able to find it on the Xbox. Maybe it's a function of being outside the US or something, but it was definitely a smaller library.

costermonger		2013-01-10 04:46:11 PM

A quick google indicates that many of the movies and TV shows on Netflix cannot be accessed by browsing on the Xbox, but can be viewed on the Xbox if you first find them on the PC version and then add them to your instant queue.

serial_crusher		2013-01-10 04:59:49 PM

costermonger: Maybe it's a function of being outside the US or something, but it was definitely a smaller library.

That might have been it. They have different content deals per country, and maybe you took advantage of some bug that allowed one device to look like it was in the US. But I've never heard of device specific libraries.

Hulu on the other hand. They're motherfarkers. "Oh, you can watch The Office and Community for free on your PC. But if you want to watch on your TV, you need to pay us $8 a month. OK, great, thanks for the 8 bucks. Enjoy your Office episode. [30 minutes later]. Whoa, whoa, I get that you're paying money and all, but you can't watch Community on your TV. You need to go to the PC for that..."

space1999		2013-01-10 05:00:03 PM

They've got a long way to go if they want to be a generic media player. 90% of media support is through paid services. I can stream an MP4, but it's limited to 4GB and it doesn't support surround-sound. MKVs are not supported.

OceanVortex		2013-01-10 05:03:00 PM

Former Slingbox ceo.... Does that mean we can expect a ridiculously overpriced iPhone app to play your xBox games?

Seriously... Slingbox iphone app is $29.99... crazy

alwaysjaded		2013-01-10 05:13:20 PM

Magorn: It's pretty much there now. My kid and I PLAY x-box games a couple of times a week, but we USE the x-box every day thanks to Netflix and Hulu and etc. yes the hardware's getting a little dated but I personally don't see myself ditching it until the Steambox, or something like it from the big guys, hits the market in a couple years

I will be getting a Steambox first day. PC gaming is great but uncomfortable for me since I've been a console gamer most of my life, but that thing is perfect.

/ hope it's not another 3DO

Superjew		2013-01-10 05:19:30 PM

Then they'll release a games-only console and call it "revolutionary".

mongbiohazard		2013-01-10 05:28:48 PM

Is there a way for me to play my files I have stored on my LAN with the Xbox? I have about 7 TB of media stored on my home fileserver that I'd love to watch on the livingroom TV through my Xbox like a HTPC. Hmmnn... I run Plex, is there a Plex app?

gingerjet		2013-01-10 05:39:47 PM

gingerjet		2013-01-10 05:41:10 PM

gingerjet: mongbiohazard: Is there a way for me to play my files I have stored on my LAN with the Xbox? I have about 7 TB of media stored on my home fileserver that I'd love to watch on the livingroom TV through my Xbox like a HTPC. Hmmnn... I run Plex, is there a Plex app?

Google "PS3 Media Center"

Oops ... wrong platform. Have no idea on the XBox - its just there to play Halo and collect dust.

moothemagiccow		2013-01-10 05:46:22 PM

im beginning to wonder what advantage game consoles and roku have over me just bringing the desktop downstairs and plugging it right into the tv. file formats, subscriptions, poor controls and too many damn updates just dont seem worth it

moothemagiccow		2013-01-10 05:47:18 PM

Practical_Draconian		2013-01-10 05:57:06 PM

How about getting all the Xbox 1 games to work on the new farking system?

/miss playing Capcom vs. SNK 2

HeartBurnKid		2013-01-10 05:57:47 PM

mongbiohazard: Is there a way for me to play my files I have stored on my LAN with the Xbox? I have about 7 TB of media stored on my home fileserver that I'd love to watch on the livingroom TV through my Xbox like a HTPC. Hmmnn... I run Plex, is there a Plex app?

I don't think there's a Plex app, but the more recent versions of Plex support UPnP, and so does the 360, so you should be able to do it that way.

Here's a tutorial. You've probably done most of it already.

quiotu		2013-01-10 06:29:35 PM

This is rich... apparently Microsoft saw the mistake Sony made with calling the PS3 an 'entertainment center' and went 'huh... we can make that mistake too'. And as a bonus, the 720 is set to use Windows 8... an OS I haven't heard called anything other than canned ass with a logo.

I'm excited to see how this turns out.

NeoCortex42		2013-01-10 06:34:43 PM

MadSkillz		2013-01-10 06:51:35 PM

NeoCortex42: quiotu: This is rich... apparently Microsoft saw the mistake Sony made with calling the PS3 an 'entertainment center' and went 'huh... we can make that mistake too'. And as a bonus, the 720 is set to use Windows 8... an OS I haven't heard called anything other than canned ass with a logo.

I'm excited to see how this turns out.

Windows 8 is a solid OS. The main mistake Microsoft made was having it default to the touch interface, even on desktops.

Makin you do several things to shut it off, also.

And having partial controls on the touch interface while the rest is lazy old control panel.

Also, you had start menu icons in Windows 7. Upgraded. Now try to add them to your desk top. Can't do it. Have to use that terrible, mono coloured start screen.

red5ish		2013-01-10 06:58:04 PM

NeoCortex42: Windows 8 is a solid OS

I keep hearing that here on Fark, but nobody ever says when Microsoft is going to fix the UI, which I keep hearing sucks like a $3 whore. And I hear that EVERYWHERE.

RoxtarRyan		2013-01-10 07:16:27 PM

With Netflix, Amazon Prime instant video, and my HD tuner card on my PC, my Xbox pretty much is the multimedia center in my house. Don't need a cable box since WMC runs on the 360 as an "extender" so I can watch TV through that (and set up to 4 different channels to record in HD at once), and it does a pretty good job of streaming all my videos I have as they are.

Was using a different program to stream movies and music, but after setting up the media center thing, never bothered with it again.

HeartBurnKid		2013-01-10 07:24:13 PM

NeoCortex42: quiotu: This is rich... apparently Microsoft saw the mistake Sony made with calling the PS3 an 'entertainment center' and went 'huh... we can make that mistake too'. And as a bonus, the 720 is set to use Windows 8... an OS I haven't heard called anything other than canned ass with a logo.

I'm excited to see how this turns out.

Windows 8 is a solid OS. The main mistake Microsoft made was having it default to the touch interface, even on desktops.

That, and the touch interface itself is kind of half-baked. It's passable, but still kind of rough around the edges, on a tablet. It's terrible on a mouse-and-keyboard.

HeartBurnKid		2013-01-10 07:25:30 PM

red5ish: NeoCortex42: Windows 8 is a solid OS

I keep hearing that here on Fark, but nobody ever says when Microsoft is going to fix the UI, which I keep hearing sucks like a $3 whore. And I hear that EVERYWHERE.

The answer is, they're not. They got caught up in that "touch is the WAY OF THE FUTURE-re-re" thing everybody's been pushing. The good news is that you can use a program such as Classic Start or Start8 to get a functional interface back.

AdamK		2013-01-10 07:31:43 PM

quiotu: This is rich... apparently Microsoft saw the mistake Sony made with calling the PS3 an 'entertainment center' and went 'huh... we can make that mistake too'. And as a bonus, the 720 is set to use Windows 8... an OS I haven't heard called anything other than canned ass with a logo.

I'm excited to see how this turns out.

all the people who dreamt up the xbox and xbox 360 left microsoft before they started messing up the interface with the "new xbox experience" and kinect

basically in layman's terms, steve ballmer and the other microsoft execs panicked and hijacked the xbox 360 from the forward-thinking gaming platform into cumbersome-dinosaur territory all because they wanted to tap into whatever flash-in-the-pan magic nintendo or apple was producing at the time

given the paradigm shift, it's pretty obvious the next xbox won't be forward-thinking in games but more forward-thinking in entertainment... which has always been a flash-in-the-pan to be frank (think 3d)

Boomerang		2013-01-10 07:34:35 PM

I cut my cable 5 years ago and have had 3 "regular PC's" for a television since then.

first a Mac Mini, then a Dell Optiplex SFF, and now a custom built HTPC.

All ran the regular OS they shipped with. Though I experimented with XBMC and other solutions, I have found a regular OS is the most intuitive for visitors, and still allows me to hit all of the media I have in varied forms both on my home network and the internet.

No need for a console. The computer does it all, exactly as I would expect with the most options and the least trouble.

I play games, watch netflix, read fark, show the kids wiki articles on dinosaurs and never ever see commercials. perfect.

Unoriginal_Username		2013-01-10 07:40:33 PM

Will this allow me to play my xbox games remotely when I'm on the road?
That would be awesome.

/found a few options, but not sure if they work well. If anyone has insight, info would be nice.

spamdog		2013-01-10 07:57:48 PM

Does it still not allow me to play .avi's or .mkv's over a LAN, with no media center farkery?
Is xbox live still a rip-off in Australia despite the AUD having similar value to the USD?

Then fark MS.

Mike_LowELL		2013-01-10 07:58:55 PM

The video game console is in decline. The next generation provides no novelty to the casual shiat consumer. The "novelty" from the next "game device" will be "it is designed from day one to provide all of your media needs". Ideally, Microsoft and Sony will then use the money generate by the device's services to maintain "games you can't find anywhere else" as an identity. In conclusion, Microsoft should pay Activision 200 million bucks a year to make the Call of Duty series console-exclusive and kill Sony, assuming the PlayStation hardware brand isn't dead in ten years, anyway. The end.

assjuice		2013-01-10 08:14:07 PM

WhippingBoy		2013-01-10 08:44:07 PM

neongoats		2013-01-10 08:56:20 PM

moothemagiccow: im beginning to wonder what advantage game consoles and roku have over me just bringing the desktop downstairs and plugging it right into the tv. file formats, subscriptions, poor controls and too many damn updates just dont seem worth it

I have a mediocre laptop i just had laying around set up to run with the lid closed with my 2tb usb3 drive sitting on it, and a Bluetooth mouse. Luxury. No bs, no farking around, no feeling like a useless Xbox chotch. Everything works(thanks to media player classic). Old unused PC.. Still saving the day.

jonny_q		2013-01-10 09:02:45 PM

mongbiohazard: Is there a way for me to play my files I have stored on my LAN with the Xbox? I have about 7 TB of media stored on my home fileserver that I'd love to watch on the livingroom TV through my Xbox like a HTPC. Hmmnn... I run Plex, is there a Plex app?

Turn on DLNA in Plex Server and it should be browsable on XBox. It's not as good as a native Plex app, but it's usable.

Tumunga		2013-01-10 09:18:45 PM

costermonger: A quick google indicates that many of the movies and TV shows on Netflix cannot be accessed by browsing on the Xbox, but can be viewed on the Xbox if you first find them on the PC version and then add them to your instant queue.

That's sad. I can search for Netflix titles on my PS3.

drjekel_mrhyde		2013-01-10 09:20:38 PM

red5ish: NeoCortex42: Windows 8 is a solid OS

I keep hearing that here on Fark, but nobody ever says when Microsoft is going to fix the UI, which I keep hearing sucks like a $3 whore. And I hear that EVERYWHERE.

My friend was biatching about no Flash for in IE 10, then turn around and ask for me to find her a cheap iPad(no Flash) on ebay
/BTW IE 10 on Win8 has flash already installed you just have to enable it.

MisterTweak		2013-01-10 10:02:33 PM

OceanVortex: Former Slingbox ceo.... Does that mean we can expect a ridiculously overpriced iPhone app to play your xBox games?

Seriously... Slingbox iphone app is $29.99... crazy

I was very annoyed to discover I had to re-purchase slingplayer app for android for another twenty bucks or whatever. I still did it, since slingbox is the coolest thing since tivo, but I was annoyed no less.

Marine1		2013-01-10 10:33:09 PM

red5ish: NeoCortex42: Windows 8 is a solid OS

I keep hearing that here on Fark, but nobody ever says when Microsoft is going to fix the UI, which I keep hearing sucks like a $3 whore. And I hear that EVERYWHERE.

So do you hear it everywhere or do you actually use it? There's still a desktop, and I'm on it right now.

It's not really that different.

CmndrFish		2013-01-10 11:16:59 PM

mongbiohazard: Is there a way for me to play my files I have stored on my LAN with the Xbox? I have about 7 TB of media stored on my home fileserver that I'd love to watch on the livingroom TV through my Xbox like a HTPC. Hmmnn... I run Plex, is there a Plex app?

Extremely possible. Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player, and the Zune software can all do this. This article will help: Xbox.com.

Be prepared to be extremely frustrated, though. The number of formats the 360 is capable of playing, especially for video, is stupid small.

drjekel_mrhyde		2013-01-10 11:37:48 PM

Marine1: red5ish: NeoCortex42: Windows 8 is a solid OS

I keep hearing that here on Fark, but nobody ever says when Microsoft is going to fix the UI, which I keep hearing sucks like a $3 whore. And I hear that EVERYWHERE.

So do you hear it everywhere or do you actually use it? There's still a desktop, and I'm on it right now.

It's not really that different.

Pros for me about Windows 8
Live tiles(metro) with all my contacts, emails, facebook messages,ebay, and news feeds all updating themselves live without singing in all the time in my browser.
Faster than seven
$40 for a legit copy
Putting Windows seven back on someones box to stubborn to even learn Windows 8 and charging them for that while keeping their Windows 8 key to sell later

Cons
The 20 minutes it took to learn Windows 8 without ever using the beta versions
p.s the start menu(metro) is just a glorified start menu

JonZoidberg		2013-01-11 12:47:14 AM

mongbiohazard: Is there a way for me to play my files I have stored on my LAN with the Xbox? I have about 7 TB of media stored on my home fileserver that I'd love to watch on the livingroom TV through my Xbox like a HTPC. Hmmnn... I run Plex, is there a Plex app?

Up until this year, I was using an old original Xbox that had been software modded to run XBMC and it plays great, you can even use the Xbox DVD remote and I even added a mod to make the remote turn it on. It's easy to do, just google for it. XBMC is short for "XBox Media Center" but it's been adapted to run on a lot of hardware and support for the original Xbox has ceased, but it still plays TV great. Even though I don't use my old Xbox for TV anymore, it has NES, SNES, and Sega Master system emulators on it and there are more out there.

If a lot of your content is HD, get a Raspberry Pi and set it up with XBMC. If you're not that computer proficient, you can get a gen1 Apple TV and mod it with a thumbdrive. Google "CrystalBuntu" for that- but adding an HD decoder card to the Apple TV1 helps. Or you can pray that the Ouya comes out in April and get one of those- it's almost guaranteed to get a quick port of XBMC.

almandot		2013-01-11 12:57:14 AM

Currently buying the parts to build a media server so I'm getting a kick out of..

Never owned an XBOX but I've used ps3 media server for my ps3 to play things off of my computer. Not gonna buy a roku or apple tv..so figuring out what i want to use to either serve files to my ps3 via upnp/dlna or just leave the server hooked up to the tv and have some gui media app running. tv doesn't support allshare sadly.

Spanky_McFarksalot		2013-01-11 01:16:46 AM

I might use xbox for more than jut games if they didn't want me to pay each month to use their network when I already have internet access.

seems like double dipping for the same thing.

kayanlau		2013-01-11 02:19:58 AM

... and after how many years behind the PlayStation?!

StoPPeRmobile		2013-01-11 03:15:42 AM

The last update farked up speech.

StoPPeRmobile		2013-01-11 03:18:30 AM

Moooooo K		2013-01-11 01:50:07 PM

I use WMC and Divx with the Shark007 codex. I can play .MKV files with no problem. It was the easiest route of all the methods I looked into.

Electrify		2013-01-11 06:04:01 PM

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY 6-7 YEAR OLD GAMING HARDWARE STILL COSTS $250-300?!?

/not including the 4GB Xbox 360, which should cost under $100 now - if even exist at all
//feel especially bad for Europeans, since they can buy a 12GB PS3 for $240 USD, but have to spend $15 on a HDD mounting bracket and $70 for a real hard disk - and at $325 it STILL works out to be cheaper than a PS3 with a hard disk for $370 USD?!?