Xbox Live Fall 09 update

[derspiess]

I got in on the early release of the Xbox Live update-- got the message on my console last night to install the upgrade.  They don't call it an open beta but that's pretty much what it is.

Anyway, it adds some new features that have been promised for several months.  I tried each one out & here's my take for anyone interested:

Facebook
Seems like you can access Facebook just about everywhere now-- why not through your Xbox.  Through the Facebook app (not sure if that's the correct term) you can do almost anything you can do directly in the full website.  If you can get to Facebook on your phone or whatever, this is probably not as useful as it would be otherwise, but the interface is handy for doing Facebook photo slideshows on your TV and it can help you find Xbox gamer tags for all your Facebook friends (assuming they have an account in both places).  The one glaring omission is the Facebook chat function.


Twitter
You can do all the standard Twitter stuff.  The interface is nice, but again if you already have this on your phone or other mobile device it's not that big of a deal.  Sending Twitter messages (I refuse to call them 'tweets') is a bit clunky even if you have the Messenger QWERTY keyboard attachment to your controller.  But it's a new feature & it's free.


Zune
This is the video marketplace rebranded, with the addition of the "instant on 1080p" video streaming feature.  The video catalog has been beefed up a bit, and is, as the name suggests, unified with the movies & other videos you can access from the Zune Marketplace via your PC.  The benefit is if you decide to buy or rent a video to download to your Zune, you can also access it through the Xbox for no additional charge, and vice-versa.  I couldn't find any free 1080p movies to try out, so I don't know how well the instant 1080p thing works (I'm a bit skeptical of it).

One interesting thing I noticed is there is a "Zune Music" shortcut on the main menu, which only takes you to music videos for now but it makes me wonder if they're going to bring the Zune music marketplace to the Xbox, which would be huge IMO if you have the all-you-can-eat Zune Pass.

Still a long way to go to get the Zune-Xbox integration MS promised, but this was a nice step.  And it's the first time many Euros will see the Zune brand.


Last.fm
This is probably the coolest  new feature IMO.  I didn't have a Last.fm account, so I had to sign up for one, but the interface was slick, music quality was great for streaming music, and the band photo slideshow was a nice visual touch. 

It's a little surprising to me that they added this rather than integrate Zune music somehow, but it's a great feature. 


The Brits are getting Sky TV, for what that's worth.

[katmai]

Cool thanks for info derspicy.

[Grey Fox]

last.fm is awesome, especially if you live in the USA, UK or Germany.

Everywhere else, not so much.

[Josquius]

There's no regular interweb via xbox anyway?

[Liep]

last.fm is awesome, especially if you live in the USA, UK or Germany.

Everywhere else, not so much.

It's pretty great in Denmark too.

[derspiess]

There's no regular interweb via xbox anyway?

It doesn't have a web browser, no.  Xbox is very much a "closed garden", though there is a loophole that can be used to stream all sorts of web video. 

Speaking of which, the PlayOn server software is on sale for $29.99 thru Halloween if you use the coupon code OCT09.  It's $30 well-spent because you get access to Hulu, CBS, and practically all other streaming media available on the web.

Though if you're not in the US you might have problems accessing Hulu & CBS

[Jaron]

Can I update my ipod?

[Sophie Scholl]

What is this PlayOn server software you speak of and how do I gain access to it?

[FunkMonk]

What is this PlayOn server software you speak of and how do I gain access to it?

http://www.themediamall.com/playon/

If you have a PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Moxi HD DVR, NETGEAR EVA2000, HP MediaSmart TV, or other DLNA-compliant device, PlayOn lets you watch Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, CBS, YouTube, CNN, ESPN and more on your TV. And, if that isn't reason enough to check it out, PlayOn also enables you to enjoy your local PC media files with its newly released local media sharing feature (currently in beta). You can see all your digital photos, listen to your stored music, and watch videos stored on your PC through the same PlayOn Digital Media Server.

Works pretty well in my experience. 14-day trial if available if you're interested.