Over on On10.net Tina Wood has posted a 9 minute video that spills the beans on the IPTV solution coming to the Xbox 360. Code named “Carbon” (No relation to Need For Speed), the new Xbox 360 feature will indeed bring live television watching to the 360 without the use of a media center PC.

As seen in the video, a television menu option will be added to the media blade of the dashboard. Once the television option is selected, the familiar 360 dashboard we are all used to disappears. A new guide is put in it’s place similar to what many will be used to if you have any experience with existing guides anywhere from your cable/satellite provider or even the Tivo Guide. Demonstrated in the video is the ability to still have access to the normal dashboard features while the IPTV is still running. The program guide is accessed by a display that is overlay-ed transparently on top of the continuous playback of the live video feed below it. All video is recordable onto the 360’s own hard-drive a.l.a every other DVR out there. Now we know there has to be a larger hard-drive announcement coming. Voice chat private chats are also still an option during this as shown in the video also.

Most definitely the best thing about all of this is the fact that the video is in 720p HD. It’s not in 1080p, but having this in HD at all is a mighty feet. The channel surfing seems to be very fast as shown. Apparently Microsoft is working with service providers to offer this at the end of 2007. If there’s any bad news from this, it’s the fact that were going to have to wait. Now I have a real dilemma on my hands. That Tivo series 3 I was eyeing may have to wait or not be purchased at all. Good Job Microsoft!

[Check out the video here]

-thewilleffect-