Anticipating the launch of the Mothership Zeta DLC for Fallout 3 on the Xbox 360 and PC, MTV Multiplayer asked Jeff Gardiner of Bethesda via an email interview if it would be possible to raise the level cap from the current 30. His answer: it's not advisable as it could make the game unbalanced.

A few days ago, Microsoft announced that it will be going into a partnership with the British Telecom (BT Group) to provide Xbox 360 consoles with on-demand programming. While the service will not need the broadband TV service's set-top box, it seems that the setback is that the console will not be able to watch or record live TV. Details in the full article.

The partnership between BT Group and Microsoft has been rumored many times before ever since big MS announced IPTV for the Xbox 360. Given the services and functions of the two, one can't really help but see the connection.

Those rumors come to a close today as Microsoft finally confirmed the partnership during CES 2008. More details after the jump!

It just came to our attention that Microsoft will be implementing the Xbox 360 Dashboard Fall update on December 4 and we are pretty sure that you will be pleasantly surprised with the software additions. Reportedly, the update will finally introduce the Video on Demand feature with the initial offerings coming from film studio Warner Bros.

The full details after the jump!

A couple of days ago, a handful of screenshots arrived at our doorsteps hinting that the IPTV option for the Xbox 360 may be activated soon. The screenshots belong to a gamer who sent in his console for repair.

When he got his console back, an option for said feature has been added in the Dashboard. Microsoft just issued an statement about the matter stating that the leak is legit but that it doesn't intend to activate the service with the annual Fall update.

Here is the company's complete official statement:

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) features will only be available from the Xbox 360 through a service provider who has deployed Xbox 360 with Microsoft Mediaroom (IPTV) services.

This was an isolated incident where these features were inadvertently exposed while the customer's console was being serviced and is unrelated to the Fall Update.

Xbox 360 with Microsoft Mediaroom (IPTV), will be available to service providers by the end of the year. Microsoft's IPTV service providers will ultimately determine the timing of Xbox 360 with Microsoft Mediaroom deployments.

As much as we want to try this feature as soon as possible, an end of the year launch date is not that bad. We wonder if Microsoft will be revealing this much at this point if the leak hasn't occurred.

    

We haven't heard much about Microsoft Xbox 360's IPTV option these days, but a handful of revealing screenshots show that IPTV may be installed in Xbox 360 consoles soon... very soon, in fact.

For those who still aren't aware about Microsoft's upcoming IPTV service, it's basically an Xbox 360 application that delivers broadcast-quality video on demand, and offers services more commonly found on VOD subscriptions, such as DVR and picture-in-picture view, among others.

So what happened with the IPTV plan, and what's taking it so long? We don't know, but the tipster pictures sent to Xbox360 Fanboy may be an indication that the project is well underway. Aaron sent his Xbox console for repairs, and when he got it back he found a new option in the Dashboard. The option has gibberish for a name, but has a telling TV icon to the left.

Not satisfied with that clue? Check out the subsections under the new category. There are options pertaining to live TV functions (such as pausing), on-demand movies, and chat while watching TV. All options do sound like IPTV functions. None of them work when selected, however, and only leads to an error message.

Certainly an exciting (and intriguing) rumor, and we can't wait to see if the above screenshots are truly legit and if we're going to see the service take off in the near future.

 

If you're from the UK and interested in getting IPTV via your Xbox 360 game console, site 360 Gamer has some news for you that you may be interested in. And the most interesting of news is the revelation from some sources that only British Telecom (BT) subscribers will get the service in the UK.

Such a deal isn't confirmed yet by Microsoft and BT hasn't claimed exclusivity to the rights for the service, but no other firms have been listed in on the loop, giving the impression that BT just might be getting it all.

"Online gaming is a market we have targeted heavily for our BT Total Broadband service, with many tens of thousands of gamers already enjoying the UK's best performing ADSL broadband service," says an unnamed BT representative.

Speculations suggest that whichever firms acquire the rights to the service by entering a deal with Microsoft can acquire consoles directly from the American giant and equip the hardware to best suit the service.

It would be remembered that Microsoft dropped a bomb known as IPTV on 360 during last year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  A couple of weeks later, the console maker announced that our European friends will have the opportunity to have a glimpse of the said technology fusion.

Microsoft TV Worldwide Director of Marketing and Communications Ed Graczyk will demonstrate what happens when next-gen TV collides with the company's next-gen console.  The showcase will be held at The Connected Home show in Olympia, London from March 5 to 6. Graczyk remarked,

Separately the Xbox 360 and Microsoft TV IPTV Edition deliver unique and exciting entertainment experiences. But IPTV on Xbox 360 delivers a real value proposition for consumers, service providers and content and game developers alike. By integrating these industry-leading solutions, we continue to drive innovation and enable new connected entertainment experiences for consumers.

Furthermore, the show will coincide with the third annual IPTV World Forum. IPTV on Xbox 360 is expected to become available as early as this year's Christmas season. Early corporate partners include AT&T, British Telecom, Deutsch Telecom, and Swiss Telecom.

During last week's CES, we picked up on news of Microsoft's IPTV for the Xbox 360. Chris Satchell had made several statements on this upcoming tech, and detailed how it would be applied to the Xbox 360.

Now, for the rest of us still wondering what IPTV does when it gets plugged into our console, we've got news. The Microsoft TV site has just opened up a section on their site dealing with IPTV, and provides an explanation of what it does:

Microsoft TV IPTV Edition is an integrated and comprehensive software platform developed specifically to deliver broadcast-quality video and new, integrated TV services over broadband networks. The platform combines market-leading features such as instant channel change (ICC) and multiple picture-in-picture (PIP) with traditional TV services such as broadcast programming, VOD, and DVR. The software is developed to integrate seamlessly and economically with other IP-based communications and media services for PCs, phones, and other consumer devices. Microsoft TV IPTV Edition is ideal for telecommunications carriers and for cable operators looking to deliver differentiated TV services and experiences.

The site also makes detailed explanations of other features like Video-on-Demand and the previously announced digital video recording feature making it to the 360 package. Given that the tech isn't slated to hit the 360 until later this year, this provides a good opportunity to catch up on the features we may want to use once it's released. Full details on the read link.

IPTV – digital television distributed over the Internet (*cough* YouTube *cough*), is set to be the next big push from industry giants like Microsoft and Sony. This year at CES Bill Gates announced that Microsoft was bringing IPTV to the Xbox 360, Sony of course also announced that they're preparing a TV – IPTV module for summer release. Since this is an Xbox 360 blog, we'll focus on Microsoft's endeavors on IPTV. Here's Microsoft's Chris Satchell's comments over at a Gamespot  interview:

If the IPTV feature will be a dashboard update or not - I think where you'll first see it will be in partnership with these telco partners who are doing IPTV. Now, later on, we're looking at, "Well, should we do an update to allow people who've got just an Xbox 360 to get to some of the same services rather than having to get it from a telco?" We're looking at both, but first you're going to see it from our partners.

On making it available to all Xbox 360 owners - If we do open it up so that our current users can get to the service, we're not quite sure how we'll deliver it. Of course, we have a great system with [Xbox] Live, so it's entirely possible that we could do it as an upgrade. It's entirely possible we could give it to you on a disc and you could just install it. There are all sorts of ways we can give it to you. Obviously our preference normally is to do everything online because that's where people are at.

On the possible cost - Really, that's for our partners to define because they're likely going to bundle it in some way, kind of like when you go to Comcast and go, "Hey, I want my Internet phone, I want my Internet, I want my movies," and they do packages. [IPTV and Xbox 360] will probably be the same type of thing--that's really up to our partners and not us to set price.

On bigger storage for the Xbox 360 in light of IPTV - That's not really something we're looking at today. We're very open to feedback on it.

Oh, and here's a bonus. Call it flame-bait or whatnot, but here's Chris Satchell's take on the Xbox 360's graphical capabilities as compared to the PS3.

I think there are several factors that feed into it. The first is that I don't think we have a less powerful system. In fact, especially in the area of graphics, I think we actually have a superior system. What's really important is the developer tools we give people so they can exploit it. If you give people great developer tools, rather than struggling to get a game working, they can focus on the creativity.

Well, that's a very interesting way to look at things. As for the IPTV stuff that Microsoft is promising. It would be a bit more satisfying if we heard from them that they're pushing to make the possible price of the service a bit more affordable. But, as Satchell has said, pricing is something that's out of their hands. So it seems that we'll have to wait for now and hope for the best.