Xbox Live Grows TV Options

REDMOND: Microsoft is releasing a software upgrade for the Xbox 360 that allows users to access new digital entertainment content, including video channels from the likes of YouTube, HBO and Epix, along with the enhanced features of voice-controlled and hand-gesture-based navigation and content search through Kinect.

Partnerships are in place with Comcast, Verizon and HBO, building on previous arrangements with Netflix and Hulu. Throughout the month, more programming sources will be added, including Epic, which will stream around 3,000 films. Additionally, rather than using a remote control to search for shows listed on a cable box program guide, Xbox Live users will be able to search with voice commands and hand gestures, if they also have a Kinect.

“A new era in entertainment begins where all your entertainment is together in one place—your games, movies, TV shows, music and sports,” said Don Mattrick, the president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. “With this update, Xbox 360 system owners will experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search, making your TV and entertainment experiences more social and personal than ever.”