Team America
Microsoft has announced a new wave of content for its downloadable video offerings via Xbox Live. More than 1,500 hours of new content will be available. What would be the point of a shiny new 120Gb hard drive in the upcoming Elite without lots of stuff to put on it?
The content will come from six new contributors to the service, including Paramount and Warner Brothers.
The announcement comes following the appointment of Reed Hastings, CEO of online video distributor Netflix. While Microsoft has not confirmed that Hastings' appointment is directly tied to the new announcement, it seems a fair bet to assume the two events are related. SPOnG contacted Microsoft for confirmation but no comment was available at the time of press.
Paramount will be offering Braveheart, Team America: World Police, World Trade Center and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. will be releasing its direct-to-video movies in HD simultaneously with their release on DVD. It'll start with Sublime and later add Babylon 5: The Lost Tales.
Here's the skinny from Microsoft on the rest of the new content:
In addition to the content from new partners in the service, New Line Cinema will also be upping the number of movies it has available. The additional films will include Snakes on a Plane, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Magnolia.
It's no coincidence, of course, that this announcement comes on the same day as the *ahem* shock revelation of the Elite. The 120Gb hard drive will allow vast amounts of additional content storage while the HDMI output will provide up to 1080p HD output and multichannel surround-sound all through the same cable.
“Adding partners and content like this helps reinforce the console’s position as the center of connected entertainment in the living room,” said Microsoft's VP of interactive entertainment, Peter Moore. If nothing else, Microsoft's certainly revving its engines as it heads towards making IPTV available on the 360 later this year.
The content will come from six new contributors to the service, including Paramount and Warner Brothers.
The announcement comes following the appointment of Reed Hastings, CEO of online video distributor Netflix. While Microsoft has not confirmed that Hastings' appointment is directly tied to the new announcement, it seems a fair bet to assume the two events are related. SPOnG contacted Microsoft for confirmation but no comment was available at the time of press.
Paramount will be offering Braveheart, Team America: World Police, World Trade Center and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. will be releasing its direct-to-video movies in HD simultaneously with their release on DVD. It'll start with Sublime and later add Babylon 5: The Lost Tales.
Here's the skinny from Microsoft on the rest of the new content:
• A&E Network. “Dog the Bounty Hunter”, “King of Cars”, “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” “Driving Force” and “Criss Angel Mindfreak”
• ADV Films. Top offerings from the No. 1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) outside Japan
• National Geographic. The television series “Is It Real?” and “Taboo” as well as programs such as “21 Days to Baghdad” and “Air Force One”
• TotalVid.com. A broad action-sports offering including extreme skiing and snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, surfing and mountain biking
• ADV Films. Top offerings from the No. 1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) outside Japan
• National Geographic. The television series “Is It Real?” and “Taboo” as well as programs such as “21 Days to Baghdad” and “Air Force One”
• TotalVid.com. A broad action-sports offering including extreme skiing and snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, surfing and mountain biking
In addition to the content from new partners in the service, New Line Cinema will also be upping the number of movies it has available. The additional films will include Snakes on a Plane, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Magnolia.
It's no coincidence, of course, that this announcement comes on the same day as the *ahem* shock revelation of the Elite. The 120Gb hard drive will allow vast amounts of additional content storage while the HDMI output will provide up to 1080p HD output and multichannel surround-sound all through the same cable.
“Adding partners and content like this helps reinforce the console’s position as the center of connected entertainment in the living room,” said Microsoft's VP of interactive entertainment, Peter Moore. If nothing else, Microsoft's certainly revving its engines as it heads towards making IPTV available on the 360 later this year.
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