I recently got accepted to the XBOX Live update preview program. This update is to be made available in Norway in November. The update contains Twitter and Facebook support as well as Zune video store. Last.fm and news are not available in Norway (atleast not in this beta).
Facebook I don’t use so this was not tested. Twitter I can’t really see the value of, not even on a PC and far less on the xbox. But I started the app and tweeted (is it called that) a small message.
The interesting stuff however is the Zune video market place. Movies are offered in standard resultion and HD resolution at a bit higher price.
On the dashboard itself on the Zune menu I am offered the most popular movies. This menu was in english and the prices was lower than the Norwegian menu offers then I enter the actual Zune market place (which is an application). Probably has something to do with the value of the dollar vs. norwegian krone, and I’m sure they will remove the lower prices items in the finished product.
The english menu offers the Matrix at 210 points at standard definition and 290 points for high definition.
When entering the actual store the Norwegian menu offers standard definition at 350 points and high definition at 470 points. This is just yet another sample of how companies screw us over here in Norway.
At present 1000 points costs NOK 82. That translats into about NOK 30 for renting a standard definition movie and NOK 40 for high definition. Since I don’t have a HD TV (in fact I have an old 32″ CRT) I have not tested HD video. But on my setup standard definition videos are looking good and start playing after just a couple of seconds (I have a 10 MBit internet connection).
You can pause and rewind just as a normal video. The movies available in the store as of now does not come with different sound tracks or sub titles, but the menus suggest that this is something that will come. There are not that many movies in the store as of now, but I can only imagine it will grow quicky.
In my limited testing I give the service a thumbs up. This is looking promising. As with the games on demand I feel the prices are a bit high. 30 NOK for renting Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban for 24 hours is a bit high when I can buy the DVD at cdon.com for NOK 59,-
If you are to compete with “free” movies from pirate bay etc. there are two criterias you need to fulfil:
1. It has to be easier to buy than to pirate (I think Zune market place has this one covered).
2. It has to be resonably priced so that the extra work of pirating is not worth the effort.
I’m not sure that the prices are low enough to cover pt. 2. Also I feel that users that already pay to subscribe to xbox live gold should get lower prices.
Zune video looks very promising. As for the prices for renting a movie, low is always better. But I think the price point is OK. It’s cheaper to rent a movie online on Xbox than from CDon and SF Anytime, and since the Xbox is always connected to my TV, it’s very easy to rent.
I watch Three Kings in HD (on a 12 Mbit connection) and it look very good.
You can read my review of the Xbox Live preview update on http://blogg.frankeivind.net/2009/10/25/en-liten-test-av-twitter-facebook-og-zune-video-store-pa-xbox-360/
I also subscribed to the preview program. The Zune video store is very interesting…
One problem for me is that (in case of the Netherlands) the rentals in zune are too expensive. It’s legal to download movies here and this will save us loads of money. I think a price of 1 euro per HD movie (100 MS-points or something like that) would be nice. For this kind of money I won’t climb behind my PC anymore to download a movie and willing to give my money to the movie-market. Maybe it’s a good idea for the actors to drive smaller cars / live in smaller houses so 1 euro is enough…