Ridiculous. A word carefully selected to express my reaction to
last week’s rumor that Microsoft was planning an HD video download service for Xbox Live. I came up with many reasons why the rumor could be nothing but wishful thinking, and I wanted to end my article with a word that summed it up simply.
Ridiculous. A word that describes how I felt when Microsoft officially announced that they have lined up 1,000 hours of standard and high definition video content to be delivered on the Xbox Live Marketplace starting November 22nd, 2006.
Maybe I am a permanent cynic, questioning the feasibility of rumors when they come across my desk. Maybe the idea of digital distribution of HD content has been so exciting to me I couldn’t believe my own eyes.
The fact is, Microsoft has succeeded in shocking me and thrilling gamers across the United States. Along with being a cynic, I have also been a vocal opponent of micro-transactions. When compared to physical media, downloads restrict you heavily and prevent you from transferring ownership of the content you paid good money for.
You might be stunned to find, I have a nearly opposite view when it comes to direct download television shows and movies. Compared to the way we are used to accessing TV content, digital distribution can be a huge improvement.
There are folks who use antennas for their “Will and Grace”, but high quality television content is something most of us are used to acquiring through a subscription service, like Cable or Satellite TV.
With either subscription service, you aren’t really paying to own the content, but for the right to watch it as it whizzes by. Although there are many methods for storing the content, most of us routinely spend $50 to $100 a month for the chance to watch Real World Bahrain once a week.
If you could choose a cable package that carried all Real World, all the time, you’d have a decent deal on your hands. Unfortunately, in many markets, cable providers manage subscriptions by using channel tiers. Want G4TV? (really?) You usually have to bump your basic cable package up another 20 bucks to the “jade” package. Also want History International? That’s another 20 bones a month for the “Alabaster” package. The $20 gets you access to another 20 or 30 channels, but rarely ones you would willingly upgrade for.
Now, if you can download your three favorite shows, for a price of $3 per episode, you actually have a chance of cobbling together your own programming, and it might cost you less than a bundled cable package. One could imagine getting away with no cable television at all; just a high speed internet subscription and pay-as-you-go content. You’d miss out on local news, but even that is starting to find its way onto the internet in the form of live streaming or vidcasts.
Sounds great so far, but always expect me to find the hairy underbelly of paradise. There are some potential pitfalls with digital distribution on the Xbox 360. Some of these pitfalls caused me to wax negative in the now infamous article denouncing the rumor. Some of them, though, are genuine threats to the longterm viability of the service.
Rented content seems to be no problem at all. The stock Xbox 360 hard drive size and usage restrictions don’t matter when you have no expectation of ownership. People who watch pay-per-view movies or still rent from Blockbuster should find this new option entirely free of flaws. It is, indeed, a happy day for you; the future is here. But, hold your horses.
