Tech Shout!

Microsoft has joined hands with telecom company BT to bring together the next-gen TV service BT Vision with the Xbox 360. The announcement was made during the keynote address by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft President Robbie Bach of the Entertainment & Devices Division at CES on Jan. 6th. BT Vision on Xbox is powered by the Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) Platform.

Thanks to this association, all BT broadband subscribers will be able to receive hi-def gaming, television and movies via the Xbox 360 console, in a robust, all-in-one entertainment experience. So all you people who own an Xbox 360 gaming will be able to access the BT Vision service and its wide library of on-demand content, making available hundreds of movies and thousands of hours of sporting events, television programming, music videos and other digital content, such as BT Vision Sport’s 242 “near-live” FA Premier League football matches.

In addition, BT Vision customers who own Microsoft’s Xbox 360 will have the choice of accessing BT Vision from either the Xbox 360 console or a set-top-box.

Dan Marks, CEO of BT Vision said, “We are pleased to partner with Microsoft to deliver a truly compelling connected entertainment experience to our customers.” Adding, “For the first time consumers in the U.K. will be able to experience the advantages of an advanced TV service together with the benefits of next-generation gaming. Our aim is to provide BT Vision on multiple platforms — giving customers greater convenience, control and flexibility over what they watch, when they watch and how they watch TV. It also means that we are able to potentially expand our BT Vision customer base by tapping into the popularity of Xbox 360.”

“This is an exciting moment in home entertainment,” maintained Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the Connected Television Division at Microsoft. “Last year at CES, we announced Xbox 360 on Microsoft Mediaroom as a powerful platform capable of enabling new entertainment experiences for consumers, and we are pleased to team with BT to bring this service to market. Together we are enabling BT Vision customers to be the first in the world to enjoy this next-generation TV and gaming entertainment experience.”

BT Vision is in the works of making the unique device and service offering available to customers in the middle of 2008.