I rarely give anything 5 stars, especially with Microsoft, but the Xbox is definately a winner. Set-up was effortless. All I had to do was put in my hotmail username/password and wait about 20 minutes for the box to update the software. So far it’s totally been worth the money.
This box is actually a huge multimedia streaming device that just happens to play cool video games. With a Gold membership, I have access to my Amazon library, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Internet Explorer. That’s not considering that it can stream my music and ripped DVD collection from my desktop.
For cable subscribers, with a$100 cablecard device, you can have the cable guy hook-up your desktop to Winows Media Center. This gives DVR functionality to your computer. The Xbox will interface with your computer and stream your live TV and recorded programs in HD. Did you know that Microsoft developed the software that Cable/satellite companies use for total Home DVR? It’s called XBMC( sound familiar?)and it’s already built into the Xbox and Windows. With a second Xbox in another room, you can use the same interface to access live TV and recorded programs from your desktop depending on how many tuners your cablecard device has. Total Home DVR usually costs$50-$60 a month extra on your cable bill. Microsoft offers it as a free service. Of course, that requires a lot of bandwidth, so you may want to consider upgrading your router or internet speed if it’s not very fast.