Is XBox live the new AT&T ???

12 minutes ago, Bass wrote

Roku lets you watch Netflix... Xbox 360 can't do any of this

?

http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/Live/Partners/Home

If you want to do all that stuff, it requires an extra "addon" that you have pay for forever. 

You have to pay for Netflix on any platform. Netflix isn't a charity.

10 minutes ago, Bass wrote

Roku lets you watch Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc. Stream from PCs as well. Your point?

*snip*

PaoloM said AppleTV doesn't do Hulu Plus not Roku. I've also read that Roku doesn't allow streaming from a PC. You have to put the files on a USB thumbdrive.

http://roksbox.com

3 minutes ago, Bass wrote

http://roksbox.com

So you're essentially setting up your own web server to stream the media to your Roku. LOL

@evildictaitor:

Yeah I can pay $8/mo for Netflix, that's fine. But adding another 62.5% fee to a troll bridge operator for the explicit purpose of allowing me to access Netflix from a device that I own? F**k that. This is a pure scam, no matter how you look at it.

I'm glad PCs haven't turned into consoles yet, that would be scary. Oh you want to go to Google.com? Pay Microsoft 20 cents please per search.

@cbae:

Big whoop. It's not rocket science. If you can figure out how to [illegally] rip DVDs and CDs to your hard disk, I'm sure you can figure out how to set up Roksbox or the 5 other Roku apps that enable this functionality.

Roku media center functionality is extensible. Xbox 360 is not. Another red mark for Xbox 360. And don't act like you guys don't care about that, I've seen like over 9000 threads here about people wanting to develop apps for Xbox.

Sorry, but keeping it a closed ecosystem is seems to be just too lucrative for Microsoft. They need to continue to figure out ways to nickel and dime people for basic functionality PCs and $60 devices can do better, and they can't do that if you'll be writing apps for the device.

43 minutes ago, Bass wrote

Roku lets you watch Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc. Stream from PCs as well. Your point?

It does not. Trust me, I have one in my bedroom.

Xbox 360 can't do any of this!

Yes it does. And I use it all the time.

If I go and buy and Xbox 360 I can't do anything useful with it out of the box pretty much except watch DVDs and play CDs. What kind of garbage set-top box is this?

If you want to do Netflix and all that stuff, it requires an extra "addon" that you have pay for forever. And if Microsoft wants to start charging everyone $15/mo? Well you'll have to continue paying if you want to actually be able to use your Xbox 360. What a scam.

Oh you don't want to pay? You could have saved us a bunch of time and effort by just saying that you want everything for free.

Got that.

I don't care if you think this is FUD.

I don't think it is. I *know* it is. Maybe you don't have a 360 S, but then you shouldn't really comment on things of what you have no experience...

 It's annoying as hell and Microsoft needs to stop being greedy with features a $60 device can do for free.

Still you have to show me this "$60 device" that does what a 360 does. All of it (well, except games, in this case let's limit it to media consumption)

If you want to know where Microsoft hate comes from, it comes from bright ideas like these.

And all these years I thought it was just gas...

2 minutes ago, PaoloM wrote

*snip*

It does not. Trust me, I have one in my bedroom.

 You are wrong.

21 minutes ago, Bass wrote

*snip*

 You are wrong.

So yeah, it doesn't.

It streams from a web server (that you have to install), not from a file share. Still the Roku (don't get me wrong, I love the little guy) doesn't do what the 360 does.

And I am still waiting...

@PaoloM:

You can stream from your PCs, end of story. Roku can stream from many more sources in general than the Xbox 360. It's just a much better device, and you don't have to pay for a pointless subscription to use it.

@Bass: Sure. You win. Have a cookie.

On the other hand, I don't pay for the subscription, as I get it for free, so no, you don't "have to pay for a pointless subscription to use it".

@PaoloM:

Well that explains it. Not everyone gets Microsoft stuff for free, believe it or not. I actually had to buy my Xbox 360. From Walmart. And the games, which are crazy expensive. I'm too used to PC games costing $20 or less these days from Steam.


<wh0re> Can you hook me up? I promise to stop insulting Xbox 360 if I get a free Xbox Live GOLD subscription. </wh0re> j/k, well not really.

I'm just going to end up buying a Roku with my next TV. I think I'm going to have two TVs, one for the Xbox 360 (gaming TV), and one for multimedia. Unfortunately my new house doesn't have a basement, so it killed my plans for a gaming room. Hmmm. First world problems.

You know this has to be the next move in the global strategy after the American living poor with the $99 Xbox:

Bill Gates foundation no money down malaria nets, with a no-hassel contract of 24 easy installments of 10 coconuts a month(monetized as convertible debt). Spokesman Steve-O will be appointed by Gates to lead the initiative in the same fashion as Hulk Hogan with Rent-a-center.

If you break the contract, you have to pay a contract severance penalty of death by ingestion.

I'm confused. Do you or don't you have to pay a monthly fee to watch Netflix on the 360? If you do, why? My TV hooks right up to the internet and works just fine, for no additional monthly fee. What am I missing?

-Josh

15 minutes ago, JoshRoss wrote

I'm confused. Do you or don't you have to pay a monthly fee to watch Netflix on the 360? If you do, why? My TV hooks right up to the internet and works just fine, for no additional monthly fee. What am I missing?

-Josh

You have to pay the Netflix monthly fee (obviously) and XBL gold membership which you can get for about $48 annual fee if you buy from Amazon.

The $15 monthly fee that we're talking about is for the subsidized 360 + Kinect bundle for $99. 

@JoshRoss:

I do think Nextflix on X360 shouldn't require Gold. It doesn't matter for me because I like to waste my money on Gold and rarely play online, but, still, I think it is more reasonable to make it avaliable on Silver accounts.

Also my TV doesn't have app. Like many people keep telling me that a TV should last at least 10 years, so yes, my TV is indeed a lot older than app gen TVs and I am not planning to upgrade. If I really want to go on the route as buying iTV that comes with cool iOS for every 2 years, I will, but, I am keeping my Pioneer right now. 

Also isn't it contradict the concept of selling X360 to media center users? Because they don't play online and they are required to pay 2 years of MONTHLY fee. For me, it simply doesn't add up.

Anyway, I am not sure how I can buy this as a Xmas gift. Or maybe I do that and not paying the monthly fee since I am giving it away as gift?

@JoshRoss: Josh, I have a PS3, I got it the day it came out back in fall of 2006 and I still use it every day.

You don't pay any extra fees to watch Vudu, Amazon VOD, Hulu or Netflix on a PS3, an iPad or pretty much any other device. You only pay to use to whatever individual app you're using. The only device that charges a subscription fee is XBox. Most people don't complain too much because it's $40 a year if you buy it using Google Shopping or whatever online.

The point of this thread is that they are overcharging for the telco service in order to make the buyer pay for the device in monthly installments, just like AT&T (check the thread title).

They have a few clustered game servers and now they are declaring themselves a telecom using the telco model.

Somebody at Microsoft is high on crack.

@1001001:

Well maybe they are trying to price themselves in Apple TV / Roku space, and hoping some fools will fall for it.