22 Dec, 2011
I watch a lot of television.
It doesn’t feel like a lot of TV, not when I’m actually watching it. There aren’t many shows that keep me superglued to the sofa, and I like to think that most of the time, TV serves only to provide me with a comforting background babble as I go about my life. Thing is, when it comes to having to fill in those surveys that ask me to gauge how much time I spend staring at a screen, I always find myself needing to tick that bottom check-box. And although I don’t watch soaps (a fact I brandish around as though it has the power to repel any suggestion that I might be addicted to television) I have to confess to an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Big Brother and X Factor contestants.
That’s probably not a good thing, right?
I balance this with a heavy diet of documentaries and “current affair” shows, as though they’re able to mitigate any drop in IQ whilst watching Holby City. (They’re not.). I also adore the greatest comedy of our time, The Office (British or American – both rock my world). And there’s The Inbetweeners, of course. And Friends. And I do like a chunky serving of Panorama, too. And when I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is on, that too slips easily into my nightly routine, if only to watch the reactions of Ant and Dec during the trials. I can’t miss Grey’s Anatomy either, although I’m not sure if that’s because of its potent, emotive, character-driven narrative or merely my obsession with men wearing white coats.
Anyway.
Whilst what I watch might vary with my mood, how I watch TV doesn’t. Of course not – why would it? The biggest challenge a night in front of the tellybox usually poses is forcing me to decide whether I deign to view from the sofa or snuggled up in bed. Sophie’s Choice this is not. Well. Until today, that is . . .
You might have noticed that this time around, Microsoft’s latest dashboard update sports more than just a pretty outfit change. Packaged with a heap of new media partners – including 4oD, Demand 5, YouTube, Sky Go and Love Film – and with many more set to join in early 2012 – it’s becoming clear that I can’t even temper my telly habit by hiding on my Xbox 360. Which means I’m kind of doomed.
Initially though, I’ll admit that I was unconvinced. Xbox have been flirting with other media partners for some time, and I have to admit, I’ve not experimented much with the social apps. While I have periodically dropped in and out of the Sky feature in the past, it’s chiefly been for very specific purposes, like catching a show I forgot to put on planner. So when news broke of the dash update with its accompanying new and improved services … well, I was the last person to get excitable. After all, it’s just TV, right?
WRONG.
Don’t believe me, eh? FINE. I’ll prove it! After spending a couple of weeks getting to grips with the latest television apps on my 360, here’s my Top Five reasons why this new Xbox service rocks. Set your facial expression to AMAZED . . .
1. It’s okay to lose the remote control. Well. Kind of.
Lazy? Damned straight. But unless you’ve used the Kinect voice controls for yourself, you have no idea just how far we’ve come in voice recognition. It is outrageous in both accuracy and awesomeness and whilst I’d feared that my, ahem, dulcet Welsh tones would confuse the poor bar sitting atop my TV, I needn’t have worried. The Kinect is as skilled in picking up voice cues as it is my half-assed body movements, and it’s surprising just how easy it is to become accustomed to voice control. Okay, so it can’t manage your TV’s volume or tell your kids to shut the hell up in the middle of Corrie, but the way Microsoft is headed, I expect this piece of kit to be making me tea and vacuuming the carpets by September. (Note to Microsoft: go on. A tea-making vacuuming games console that disciplines your kids would rock. You know it).
2. TV on demand is less demanding.
I find some TV on demand websites – 4oD particularly – reeeally temperamental. I’m not sure what it is (I’m inclined to blame my sub-par broadband provider) but I feel as though I spend half my life watching the buffering circle fail to come to fruition rather than the programmes I wanted to view in the first place.
Not so with my Xbox. Even with one of the slowest broadband speeds in the country (I think I’m in the bottom 6% of the country here) (Sob), for reasons I can’t quite fathom I don’t get the slowdown on my Xbox as I do on my laptop. Furthermore, the service offers not only catch-up TV, but also complete box sets to help you while away the hours, and all without the bustling annoyance of ads. And if you knew how I felt about TV ads, you’d know much more of a good thing this is. BELIEVE ME.
3. I technically don’t think I need Sky Multiroom anymore.
Okay, so Sky might not be overly chuffed about this development, but I am. As much as I love Sky, I sink an extraordinary amount of money into that company each month, so the opportunity to claw back even a tenner is a glorious one. By relocating the new applicious Xbox to the bedroom, we can now view Sky live and on demand from there, regardless of what’s being watched in the lounge or needing a multiroom subscription. Awesome? YES I KNOW.
4. This doesn’t cost me a penny extra. Ish.
Yeah, I’ll admit it – this is cheating, for it thoroughly depends upon whether or not you’re an existing Gold advocate. From a personal perspective, I couldn’t imagine owning an Xbox and not being able to connect, play and chat with friends as I get destroyed on Halo for the gazillionth time, so to have all this additional functionality – everything from voice controls to live TV to entire box sets available on demand – at no extra cost to a Gold subscription? Yes please.
5. Accessibility is more accessible. Seriously.
By dropping the requirement for a controller, Xbox have opened up a world of opportunity for an audience that has hitherto struggled with manual controls. Freeing a huge range of potential customers – from visually-impaired people to individuals with mobility restriction and/or arthritis – no longer are people confined to the teeny little buttons on a controller. Armed with just a little initial training, the possibility of the Kinect for disabled customers is endless . . . and EPIC.
6. It secretly makes me feel like I’m in the Minority Report.
Yeah, I know – I saia five things, not six, but this one’s a guilty pleasure. Don’t pretend you don’t think it too . . .
Been using the Kinect voice controls yourself? Let us know in the comments, forum or @ us on Twitter with your thoughts!
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