C21media: UK telecoms company BT will become the first of Microsoft’s IPTV customers to offer consumers Xbox 360 games consoles fitted with technology that turns them into a set-top box.
The firm launched its BT Vision IPTV service using Microsoft’s Mediaroom platform in December 2006, a month before Bill Gates announced at last year’s CES that Mediaroom would be integrated within the Xbox.
While some have speculated that the plan had stalled, the president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, Robbie Bach, announced on Tuesday the first deployment of Mediaroom IPTV-enabled Xboxes via BT.
“You’ll be able to buy an Xbox 360 through BT, use it as a gaming console as well as a set-top box on your TV,” said Bach.
BT will start offering the console to consumers from the middle of this year. The move means those that choose to take up the offer will have access to digital terrestrial channels, plus BT’s array of on-demand content through the Xbox.
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