If you have your Xbox 360 hooked up to the Internet, and why wouldn’t you, quite frankly, then it will update itself tomorrow to the latest version of the Xbox Live dashboard. And this upgrade brings television and movies galore to the games console.

Xbox Live Upgrade

We have known this large and rather impressive Xbox Live upgrade was coming since the beginning of October, and it’s finally set to land on the Xbox 360 consoles of gamers tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011).

Everything is pretty much as expected, with a host of broadcasters and content providers partnering with Microsoft to have their movies and television shows available to watch directly through the online service. Bravo, ESPN, HBO, Syfy, BBC, Canal+, FOXTEL, MediaSet, and ZDF are just a few of the names launching on Xbox Live, with many in the U.S., others in countries around the world.

They’re not all free: an Xbox Live Gold subscription is a must, while many of the individual companies have their own subscription packages. But that doesn’t take away from the joy of having all these services available on the one set-top box. One which has 35 million users.

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In the U.S., and probably elsewhere in the world in the territories where gaming is popular, games consoles are the primary platform for viewing online video content on a television set. Who needs games when you have a world of digital content at your fingertips?

A Prediction Proved

If you watch online video on your TV then the chances are you do so using a games console. At least according to new data from a market research firm. Which really should come as no surprise as it was a trend we foresaw happening way back in February 2009.

It was then I wrote an article primarily about more content coming to the Xbox 360 but also suggesting that games consoles were becoming “important drivers of online video” and helping make the sector “mainstream and accessible to all.” Both predictions have been proven correct in the two years since that article appeared here on WebTVWire.

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Microsoft wants the Xbox 360 to be the only set-top box you need to have sat next to your TV. And it’s going a long way down the path to achieving that with its latest line-up of TV services coming to an Xbox 360 near you soon.

Games Consoles Plus

This generation of home games consoles are more than just for playing games on. All three current models – the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii – can be hooked up to the Internet and turned into entertainment hubs in your living room, delivering digital media down the tubes and on to your television.

This has been going on for several years now, with Microsoft and Sony continually upping the ante in terms of the number of partners, and quality and range of content. And Microsoft is taking things to a whole new level with its latest effort on the Xbox 360.

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Microsoft could be about to announce a new IPTV service specifically for Xbox 360 owners. Named Xbox LIVE Diamond it sounds like being one step up from Xbox LIVE Gold.

Xbox LIVE Diamond

Microsoft is being heavily tipped to unveil a new Xbox LIVE television service at the E3 Expo next week. Named Xbox LIVE Diamond (codename Orapa), the TV service would add even more video content to the bestselling games console which is already bulging with video content.

According to WinRumors, Microsoft is busy getting the final partners in place before making the big announcement. Orapa would be a monthly subscription service which would cost money on top of what Xbox 360 owners are already paying for the privilege of going online using their consoles.

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The long-rumored premium Hulu subscription service ‘Hulu Plus’ could make its debut in the next two weeks. Surprisingly, it could be coming to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 games console first, with an announcement rumored to be coming at E3 2010.

Hulu Premium

It was a full year ago when talk first began of a subscription-based Hulu. The announcement and subsequent release of the Apple iPad tablet brought new rumors.

The latest, emerging in April, being that the service is called ‘Hulu Plus’, costs $9.95-per-month, and is coming to iPad and smartphones via dedicated apps.

But what would Hulu Plus buy you exactly? The most recent five episodes limit would be lifted so that full seasons of popular shows could potentially become available. And adverts could, but not necessarily, disappear. Is that worth $9.95? I’m not convinced.

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Microsoft is considering launching a TV channel on its Xbox Live service exclusively for owners of the Xbox 360 games console. But would gamers be willing to pay for the service, or would an advertising-supported option prove to be wiser?

Video Games Consoles

Games consoles are increasingly becoming a central hub for entertainment, way beyond gaming. Thanks to all three current-gen home consoles, the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PS3 from Sony, and the Wii from Nintendo, being able to connect to the Internet, a whole new world has opened up.

The three consoles offer different online TV services. All of them now carry Netflix, with the Wii being the most recent device to join the party. The Wii and PS3 also carry BBC iPlayer in the U.K., and the PS3 has VidZone, a free, ad-supported music video player.

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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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