Live TV is now available through the Xbox 360, with the news that AT&T plans to make its U-verse TV service available on the console.
It’s also planning to launch a version of the service for Windows Phone 7 devices. From November, the U-verse Mobile app will be preloaded so that any AT&T wireless customer with a Windows Phone 7 device — whether or not they’re a U-verse TV customer — can download and watch TV shows.
“Now you can get our award-winning U-verse services on your big screen TV, online, on your mobile phone, and integrated with your Xbox 360,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
“And now we’re extending the U-verse experience to more AT&T smartphone customers with the upcoming launch of U-verse Mobile on Windows Phone 7 devices.”
Xbox 360 users can receive chat and game invitations from friends through Xbox Live while watching live TV, and switch from game to TV mode without switching video inputs on the TV screen.
The servive is ‘virtually the same’ as that on the company’s standard set-top box, providing live TV and DVR use, as well as allowing users to access interactive apps, program guides and the On Demand library.
It’s free to existing U-verse subscribers, or $99 for new customers.
And come November, U-verse Mobile wiill be available on all AT&T Windows Phone 7 devices, allowing them to download and watch hit TV shows and manage DVR recordings – free for customers with some TV plans, or $9.99 per month for others.
“AT&T has a legacy of innovation and teamed up with Microsoft to build a differentiated all-IP TV offering to enable the future of TV services for their customers,” said Andreas Mueller-Schubert, general manager of Microsoft’s Media Platforms Business.
