Adhering to a budget is the name of the game during tough economic times like these and many Americans are looking for ways to cut bills. One popular way has been eliminating ye olde cable bill from your life.

By pulling the plug on cable and satellite television, consumers may be saving more than $1,500 a year. There are many popular options out there such as plugging in your computer to the TV to watch Hulu, a Apple TV/Boxxee box or Roku, but for many, purchasing more equipment defeats the purpose of a budget. 

Streaming television on a video game system is becoming a popular method for those looking to save some cash and since many Americans already have a gaming device, it’s really just a natural progression. Though it’s possible to use a Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii for streaming TV, we’ll focus on Xbox 360 as there seems to be more content capabilities. 

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The Xbox 360 is winning the fight for consoles to become important cogs in the online video sector. And a set of new Netflix features rolled out on the Xbox 360 have coincided with a promise that Netflix will not be coming to PS3 or Wii any time soon.

Netflix On Xbox 360

Xbox 360 owners gained access to Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ video-on-demand streaming service last November with the roll-out of the long-awaited New Xbox Experience. This gave Xbox Live subscribers access to the 12,000-plus movies and television episodes Netflix gives away to its subscribers.

This was just the latest step in the evolution of video games consoles from being meant just for games to becoming true multimedia devices designed as living room entertainment hubs.

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Microsoft’s showing at E3 2009 was dominated by its new motion-sensing device. But the company also announced some innovation in the online video market, including the unveiling of a new Zune video marketplace capable of streaming 1080p full-HD quality content for the Xbox 360 console.

Games Consoles

I’ve been banging on for a while now about the importance of video games consoles in getting online video into the living room. That’s because I firmly believe these Internet-connected devices are key to getting quality streaming content onto people’s televisions rather than only on computers as it generally is at the moment.

We’ve already seen a fair few advances in this area. Both the Wii and PS3 are able to provide users with access to Web-based television services such as the BBC iPlayer, Joost, and Hulu. While the Xbox 360, which has no Web browser capability, has Netflix and now the Sky Player providing both downloadable and live streaming video.

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Sky Player is BSkyB’s foray onto the Web, enabling subscribers to access Sky programming on their computer. And now, thanks to a deal between Microsoft and BSkyB, their Xbox 360 as well.

Games consoles are ready-made set-top boxes just waiting for online video content to be added to them. All three of the current-gen home consoles, the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, can be hooked up to the Internet and that feature can easily be used for streaming video as well as the intended use of online gaming.

Console Content

Each of the three consoles has seen some movement of late on video content being added. The PS3 is probably in the best position because its built-in Web browser means the Sony console is able to access Hulu, the BBC iPlayer, Joost, and any other streaming video service available on the Web. Xbox 360 owners instead have to rely on applications being added to their console’s dashboard.

It has secured quite a lot of content though. Xbox 360 owners in the U.S. have access to Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ playlist, although they’re not alone. It’s rarer these days for a set-top box or Internet-enabled device NOT to have Netfix integration. Thus proving the company’s commitment to video on-demand.

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Bandwidth throttling is a problem usually brought to bear by overzealous ISPs protecting their bottom line. But could it be that the video streaming companies are throttling themselves now in order to give preferential treatment to some?

Netflix Overstretches

Netflix is making huge headway in making the idea of digital downloads and streaming mainstream. By making its ‘Watch Instantly’ service available on all manner of devices, it is getting into millions of homes in the U.S. But is it overstretching itself?

Netflix is now available not only on PC, but on a range of devices including the Xbox 360, the Roku box, a hybrid Blu-ray player, and even a new range of Internet-enabled televisions. But in order to serve these different devices, is it throttling some aspects of its streaming service?

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With the announcement of a collaboration between Microsoft and Universal which sees a new range of movies coming to the Xbox 360, can games consoles now be seen as an important driver in making online video a mainstream part of the living room?

Netflix U.S. Only

When the Xbox 360 recently got a makeover to the New Xbox Experience, Xbox Live users in the U.S. gained access to the full range of ‘Watch Now’ movies on Netflix. That’s over 12,000 titles that are now available to stream through the Xbox and onto your television.

Unfortunately, Netflix is a U.S. only operation, and so Xbox 360 users in Europe and elsewhere weren’t afforded such luxury. But now, those of us in the UK and Ireland are at last starting to get some titles filtering through. Paramount, Warner Bros., and MGM already offer titles through the system, and now another studio has climbed on board.

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Today saw the launch of the long-awaited New Xbox Experience on the Xbox 360. The Xbox Live service now includes the ability to stream content from Netflix.

The New Xbox Experience is an overhaul of the existing Xbox Live online service available to all Xbox 360 owners with an Internet connection. And Web video is now part of the deal.

Xbox 360 owners can now stream any of 12,000 movies and television episodes through their console direct to their TV. And it’s all free for existing Netflix subscribers and Xbox Live Gold members.

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