PL_ Veteran Posted November 26, 2006 Veteran Share Posted November 26, 2006 http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/1794/Xbo...Marketplace/p1/ Xbox Live Video MarketplaceBy: Will Tuttle - "KingTut" November 23rd, 2006 When Microsoft announced that they'd be bringing downloadable television shows and movies to our Xbox 360's, we couldn't help but scoff a little bit. After all, we've all dealt with having to wait for hours on end as we tried to download a demo or grab a trailer. How would we be able to deal with waiting just as long to check out a movie or a TV show? Once we saw the impressive list of available content, however, we began to become curious. Could we really get whole seasons of some of our favorite shows? Would the streaming system actually work? What would the price point be? Would we, uh, have access to any, um, "adult content"? OK, maybe I was the only one asking that last question, but you get the idea. As soon as the Xbox Live Video Marketplace debuted earlier this morning, the first thing I did was go through each and every one of the lists to see what was available. The selection of TV shows is very strong, especially if you're a fan of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim or Comedy Central. You'll find five complete seasons of "South Park" in the Comedy Central section, as well as a ton of C.S.I. episodes on the CBS channel. There are also plenty of first run shows (CBS's "Jericho" or ABC's "The Nine" , for instance), and it will be interesting to see how long it takes a show to make it onto Video Marketplace after it airs for the first time. Video!!! While there were plenty of solid offerings in the TV section, it was the impressive selection of movies that really surprised us. Although there are more than a few head-scratchers in the mix (come on, does anyone really want to see "Congo" or "Tequila Sunrise" again?), the majority of the films could be considered classics. I mean, how could you pass up watching "Unforgiven" in HD or a seminal film like "Chinatown"? There are even a number of cult classics available, including "Superfly" and "Clash of the Titans". Finally, there are a lot of new movies, with "V for Vendetta" and "ATL" topping the list. Hopefully there will be more and more movies added every day. So, how does the system work? Well, you've got to pay for everything with your Microsoft Points, and we were happy to see that the prices were pretty reasonable. For TV shows, you'll be able to get standard definition shows for 160 points, while HD offerings will be available for 240 points (interestingly, the price is the same no matter how long the show itself is). Best of all, any show you buy is yours to keep forever, and it'll be available to play once you've downloaded enough to act as a buffer. We were able to start watching an episode of "The Venture Bros." after only 10 minutes of downloading. From what we've seen, this looks like a good way to grab an episode of two of your favorite shows. However, if you want to grab a whole season, you're definitely better off just buying the DVD set. Although the TV shows you download are yours to keep, getting a movie is more akin to a Netflix rental (though there are some strings attached). Once you successfully download a flick, you'll be able to keep it for up to two weeks. That is, until you start watching it. As soon as you hit the play button, you'll have 24 hours to finish the film, though you can watch it as many times as you want over that period. Alas, since most of the film downloads weigh in at well over 1 GB, we haven't been able to completely get one as this story goes to print (err, uploads to server?). You can be sure that we'll let you know about any issues that pop up. So, what's the final grade on the Video Marketplace? Right now, we're going to go out on a limb and give it an Incomplete. It's just too early to tell if the system will be worth the download times or the money, although it definitely looks promising when it comes to the TV shows. I mean, if you can start watching a show just 10 minutes after you start grabbing it, that's a pretty good sign. The real test will come with the movies. The word on the proverbial street is that it'll take about 8 or 9 hours to download a full film, but it currently looks like it'll be a bit longer that. If Microsoft can speed up the download times, Video Marketplace may turn into one of Xbox Live's greatest features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusuf M. Veteran Posted November 26, 2006 Veteran Share Posted November 26, 2006 I had a feeling there would be an issue with the download speeds. I'll use the service once I'm satisfied that I can download it at full speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huleboeren Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 I had a feeling there would be an issue with the download speeds. I'll use the service once I'm satisfied that I can download it at full speed. My thoughts exactly - oh well, they have alot of time to improve before its released where i live :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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