Sky Player hits Xbox 360
No dish required
Broadcaster Sky has launched its long-awaited video-on-demand and streaming service for the Xbox 360.
Sky Player's 'Home' screen on Xbox Live
Called Sky Player, the service – the first of its kind for a games console, Sky claimed - works through Xbox Live and provides gamers with access to 24 live streaming channels and “thousands of hours of on-demand programmes”.
As previously reported, Avatar Party Mode (shown below) allows gamers to watch live TV, including football events, with their friends’ on-screen avatars. Once there, virtual chums can chat with one another in real time.
Sky Player doesn’t require Xbox owners to have a dish installed, but in order to access the service gamers must first hold a gold-level Live membership, currently £40 ($65/€44) per year.
Sky Player's Avatar Party Mode
You can then select from numerous Sky monthly subscription packages, each priced at between £15 and £50. Sky Sports packages are also available, but US sports channel ESPN can only be added as a £12 extra.
Gamers can’t pay to watch, say, an individual football match. Nor can they pay for Sky Player with Microsoft’s Xbox Live points currency.
All live content will be streamed in standard definition, while on-demand content will be sent over in "DVD quality", Sky said.
Access requires both gold-level Xbox Live membership and a Sky subscription
Sky has created a Sky Player retail bundle pack priced at £30. It includes a one-month Sky Player Subscription to the Sky Sports Pack, a media remote and a three-month gold-level Live membership.
For more information about Sky Player, consult your Xbox 360. ®
COMMENTS
Creak creak creak colapse
Still appears to be borked after turning it back on.
So, another Microsoft definition of a successful relaunch today then; you'd have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those damn meddling technical issues.
Coming to PS3 soon anyway..
http://www.digitalchoices.co.uk/sky-player-heading-for-ps3-28102009.html
It's also not going to need a premium console subscription to access either (only the Sky fees).
More? You want MORE Murdoch?
Murdoch actually thinks that we are going to subscribe and pay for something we have already paid for? Well me old cobber, you can stick that idea in your digereedoo and ram it up a kangaroos bottom.
If I want to watch TV / sport on my 360:
evtv.it - for the TV programes
Justin.tv - for the sport
Tversity - to get it from my PC to my 360
And guess what, it's all FREE ... although I have paid for a TVersity license as the software is that good and I have a Virgin Media contract which includes all the Sky channels. However, besides the Ross Kemp programmes, there is absoulutley NOTHING on Sky that I'd want to watch.
@ Mr Brush.....
"*Sits back with popcorn and awaits the arrival of MarkOne and the SDF clones to shout about how Sony can do it better and cheaper.*"
About 18 hours........good call Mr Brush :)
I'm not being screwed over, I bought a GAMES console.......to play GAMES. If I want to watch Sky I will buy a dish, I want to tw*t.......erm I mean twit all over the place I'll use a computer, you get the point.
GAMES console, whatever extras the manufacturers try to enchance it with the only thing I really care about is the purpose for which I bought it. If Audi decide to try to flog a pair of furry dice for £250 I'm only being ripped off if I actually buy them, regardless of whether BMW offer a pair of equally fuzzy cubes for free. The only way I can be ripped off is if the games suck, people are entitled to their own opinion regarding quality of games, but I have a wail of a time.
Sky can charge what they like, if it's too much they fail.
@15:59 GMT
"I am one of those odd balls that has no TV licence because
a) there is very little on that I want to watch as it is broadcast
b) the stuff I do want to watch is on iPlayer, ITV Player, 4od etc etc
c) I refuse to give the BBC any money on account of it being nothing more than a glorified tax
"
I don't think you're an odd-ball, the register has another name for you...
a) That's fine, you're not alone.
b) So you *do* watch BBC content, but without paying the BBC any money for it.
c) Then stop watching the output. Or buy it on one of the formats available to the public (DVD/Bluray/etc.)
OK, what you're doing is not technically illegal (at the moment), but you must realise the hypocrisy of your position, surely?
