AT&T’s U-verse service looks like it might be about to do something quite interesting, something that might be a sign of great changes to come: it is going to integrate with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 home entertainment console. This news was released at the CES trade show during Microsoft’s keynote, but it ultimately builds on older promises made years ago when Microsoft first began publicly discussing its Mediaroom set-top technology. There are still a few questions about the upcoming support, not the least of which is the question that AT&T U-verse customers are probably asking already: when will U-Verse support be available?
A New Year’s Resolution or Christmas in July?
There is no official release date for AT&T U-verse support on the Xbox 360 platform at this time, though indications and comments would seem to indicate that support is due sometime this year. That could mean this summer, next holiday season, or even later, as release dates for technologies have a tendency to slip further into the future. The fact that Microsoft did see fit to include this news in their keynote does bode well for an earlier release date, however, as the company is often measured by how well it lives up to its biggest promises to the public. This particular promise bears special significance as it offers a promise of further media convergence, an important subject that affects many industries and countless millions of customers.
How Will it Work?
In theory, a properly configured Xbox 360 can be used as a set top box (STB) for AT&T’s U-verse service, but U-verse is no ordinary digital cable service. One of the things that makes U-verse so popular is its amazing ability to juggle shows between televisions without missing anything; children can watch cartoons on the big screen TV in the living room until dad gets home and wants to watch sports. At that time, the children just pause the show in one room and resume it in another, a feat made possible by the IPTV nature of AT&T’s U-verse service.
It would seem unusual for AT&T to offer support for a STB that lacked this signature capability, so it seems very likely that the Xbox 360 U-verse support will be complete in every sense of the word. After all, both Microsoft and AT&T are industry heavyweights by any measure, and both have a lot to prove in regards to their ability to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. In this regard, the two companies may have found a solution to a problem that many different industries have been asking.
The Multi-Billion Dollar Question
For years now there has been a major question hanging over a number of industries: what is the future of television? Obviously it will be delivered digitally, but will channels slowly fade away, or be augmented by premium download/on-demand services such as Netflix and iTunes? Will cable companies be able to provide markets for downloadable content to augment, or in lieu of, subscription based-plans? These questions may actually be answered in part by the Xbox 360, and some of the possibilities conjured up by AT&T U-Verse support.
Imagine a HD DVR STB that could also serve as a primary gaming system/media streaming device, and the possibilities that it would open up. Digital cable providers offer DVR STBs and HD DVR STBs, while the Xbox 360 and other gaming systems are already combining media purchasing/streaming capabilities with gaming functionality. While the Xbox 360 and other consoles stream and purchase media primarily from specialized services, could the future include purchasing directly from digital cable providers, or even from the property owners via stores organized and run by digital cable providers? The opportunities are mind blowing, and game changing to be sure, but the convenience of having ultra-fast broadband stream content to a single device that does everything is exceptionally appealing on many levels.
Will Windows 7 PC Follow?
The Mediaroom technology that enables the Xbox 360 to serve double duty as an advanced STB for AT&T U-verse customers is built directly into Windows 7. Whether or not this means that Windows 7-based HTPCs will one day be able to handle the set top box duties for AT&T U-Verse customers is anyone’s guess, but it is certainly an intriguing possibility. PCs are easily upgraded compared to STBs, and it is not outside the realm of probability that such a Windows 7 HTPC/STB fusion could result in incredible DVR capabilities that would make the DVR storage options on the market today look minuscule by comparison.
