Digital Home Thoughts: Engadget Sees Microsoft's MediaRoom 2.0 In Action

"Hearing about using an Xbox 360 as set top box for IPTV providers like AT&T's U-Verse is one thing, but seeing it in action is another. As you can see from the video after the jump, the experience is very fluid and isn't what we'd describe as laggy even in the slightest bit."

One of the announcements made at CES 2010 was that AT&T's IPTV product, U-Verse, would be available on the Xbox 360 allowing you to use the Xbox 360 as a set-top box instead. At the time there was no demo of the Xbox playing U-Verse content, just an announcement that it would be available later in the year. Engadget have managed to get a demonstration of U-Verse on the Xbox 360 via Mediaroom, and have published a short video of it in action. It looks quite smooth and there doesn't seem to be any lag, but I would expect that of a demonstration. For those that don't know about Microsoft Mediaroom, it is a software platform that Microsoft licences to TV and video service providers so they can deliver TV and video services along with other content to TVs, PCs and mobile devices anywhere. With other providers such as the BBC and Sky in the UK pushing their content via the Xbox and the Wii, then wecan expect to see consoles becoming more of an all-round entertainment device than just a gaming console.