The BBC iPlayer will be updated to the Xbox in 2012 as Microsoft tries to centre its console on entertainment rsther than than only games.
The large refurbish to encouragement this change will beginning attack Xbox 360 consoles around the world on 6 December.
Microsoft has sealed up 40 media firms to supply both live and on-demand film and TV services is to console.
The refurbish moreover lets people manage their TVs by discussing in to the Kinect motion-spotting gadgets.
The many evident change done by the refurbish will be to barter the Xbox's aware tabbed interface is to supposed Metro look that is formed around "tiles".
This uses block and form tiles that lay beneath not similar menu headings that pile together media and calm applicable to that category. For instance, tiles beneath the "social" menu give access to Twitter, Facebook and Kinect video calls.
The Metro interface is moreover approaching to be the default for Windows 8 when that debuts in late 2012.
Microsoft's Bing hunting engine is moreover being rolled out to the Xbox and it will be able to hunting for anything existing on any of the tiles. Kinect owners will be able to use their voice to make queries.
As good as live TV programmes, other on-demand services will be done existing around tiles beneath the "Apps" menu. Only Gold members of Xbox Live will be able to access them.
About 35 million of the 57 million Xbox consoles around the world are related to Xbox Live.
From 6 December in the UK, Amazon's film streaming service Lovefilm will be existing by the Xbox.
Later in the month it will be assimilated by other on-demand services inclusive 4OD, Blinkbox and Sony's Crackle. The iPlayer will be existing around an Xbox Live app from early 2012.
Sky TV services are already existing on the console. Microsoft does not speak of ITV in its press let go .
Gold Members of Xbox Live will moreover obtain access to a cloud-based service that mirrors their profile and logs that games they own. This means they will be able to use any Xbox 360 around their gamertag.
"This is right away the benchmark against that all other living room initiatives should be compared," mentioned James McQuivey of Forrester Research .
Mr McQuivey mentioned the Kinect should help Microsoft tell apart the Xbox from rivals such as line TV firms, Google, Apple and others who piped calm by set-top boxes.
Talking to a TV would erect a "new bridge" between people and what they longed for to watch, he said. It should make it simpler for people to obtain at novel calm and services in the future, he added.
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