High-def TV shows, movies coming to Xbox 360

Cory Bergman November 6th, 2006

For Microsoft, the Xbox 360 has only been partially about gaming and much more about becoming an entertainment hub. Coming on November 22, Microsoft will begin selling TV and movie downloads to Xbox Live subscribers from CBS, MTV, Adult Swim, Comedy Central, Paramount and Warner Bros. And in a first, some downloads will be available in high-definition. But here are the caveats. First, an HD movie will take a good part of a day to download on an average broadband connection. Second, users will have a two week window to watch it. And once they begin to watch it, just 24 hours to finish it. (TV shows will have no such viewing windows.) Pricing is expected to range in the $4-6 range for movies and around $2 for TV shows. The one advantage over iTunes is that the 360 is already connected to the TV. But in a disadvantage, the downloads aren’t portable. As an active iTunes user (yes, I buy TV shows on it), I’ll have to get it a try and report back.