Xbox 360 Update

by Rodney Williams 

Recently Microsoft’s Xbox 360 had a major software update called “Metro”. The update changed the user interface, made the buttons bigger, and added a category menu at the top. This update also integrates the optional Kinect by adding support for hand gestures and voice commands into almost every aspect of the Xbox experience. There are also several new “Apps” available to bring more web content to the Xbox. Unfortunately, most of these Apps require a Xbox Live subscription. All the new apps have the same uniform interface style and have Kinect integration. Here’s a rundown of some of the new features.

Kinect Integration

Support for the Kinect is the biggest update to Xbox, which hand gestures and voice commands. I've found that hand gestures are difficult to use. Since I usually watch TV in the dark about 9 feet away from my Kinect, the hand gesture feature is not easily executed. Although there's an improvement when the lights are turned on, it’s still not perfect. To get the best experience with hand gestures I needed to stand. This could be because I’m too far from the Kinect. Microsoft added outstanding support for voice recognition. It is "hands down" amazing. Almost everything can be controlled by voice. Until this update was implemented, only a handful of voice commands were supported. It was fun fast-forwarding videos in Hulu and Netflix using only my voice. I was blown away at how sensitive it was. I spoke just above a whisper and it picked up my voice. The Kinect only hiccuped when my wife and daughter were talking in the next room while I was talking. Although voice commands and hand gestures are fun, using the Xbox controller is faster and more accurate; however, it’s not as cool.

Netflix

The biggest update to Netflix is Dolby Digital Plus surround sound, and man does it sound good. Unfortunately the resolution was not upgraded and remains at 720p, but I'm glad to see subtitles have been added. They also removed the party feature, so now you won’t be able to watch movies with online Xbox friends. Some people are complaining about the new Netflix layout because images are bigger to support Kinect hand gestures and voice commands. This larger layout means less movie selections are visible on the screen than before the update. It takes a few more button pushes, but all the same content still remains.

Hulu 

Not much has changed for Hulu.  The interface has been updated but it still streams at 720p and lacks 5.1 surround.

FIOS

If you’re a Verzion FIOS customer you can stream 26 live channels on the Xbox. This might come in handy for a room without a cable box.

EPIX

EPIX is a joint venture between Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate and offers premium films for streaming. If your cable or satellite provider carries EPIX, you can stream over 3,000 titles and high-definition quality. If they don't carry it, you'll have to fork over some cash for a subscription.

iHeartRadio

At first I had no interest in this App. Then, I tried it out and realized how genius it was to listen to live radio on the Xbox though my home theater system. I usually don’t listen to the radio inside the house because I don’t have good reception. Those days are over with iHeartRadio. I’m also able listen to stations thousands of miles away, and my wife can torture the kids with Talk AM radio stations.

Other New Apps

Microsoft also added several other Apps which include YouTube, Syfy Channel, TMZ, The Today Show, and MSNBC. All of these apps have Kinect support and have similar interfaces. Their content is us usually whatever is available on their websites. Which means Syfy does not stream full episodes and neither does The Today Show, TMZ, or MSNBC. You can only view various clips of the shows. When streaming, all of these Apps start off extremely fuzzy and sharpen as the video loads. However, they never seem to even reach the levels of DVD quality. I wasn’t very impressed by these Apps. I must admit that it might change my internet browsing experiences since it’s easier to share videos with the family on a big TV than a small computer screen. Lots of other Apps are scheduled to be added in the near future. Some of them are UFC, HBO, Bravo, Crackle, and Vevo. Most of the Apps listed are only supported in the United States. Xbox has also added a few more Apps such as blinkbox (UK), MSN Video (Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico and UK), MUZU.TV (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and UK), Rogers On Demand (Canada), SBS ON DEMAND (Australia), and RTVE (Spain) for other countries.

Overall, I like where Microsoft is taking the Xbox but, part of me is worried that everything is designed with the Kinect in mind. Those big buttons take up a lot of screen real-estate. I like the voice commands, and the new Apps, but I wish they updated the interface and codec support for the Xbox media center. I stream lots HD content from my home network to the Xbox, and it only support 5.1 audio, if it's a WMV or DVIX file with a max resolution of 720p. If Xbox wants to take over my home theater, they need to support more formats, and their Apps need to stream more HD content. Xbox is still my choice when it comes to playing games.