UK Xbox 360 Gets LoveFilm & 4oD, But BBC iPlayer Delayed

Microsoft Corporation has this week released a much-anticipated dashboard software update for the Xbox 360, which forms part of a wider plan to transform the video game console into a multi-purpose device that will revolutionise viewing and bring a whole new level of entertainment to users. The first round of global custom applications from a number of leading entertainment content and TV providers has been rolled out for Xbox Live online platform, and this could be the start of things to come.

BBC iPlayer on Xbox Live
UK Xbox 360 gets Lovefilm & 4oD, but BBC iPlayer delayed

Whilst this dashboard update brings several video-on-demand (VoD) services like LoveFilm and 4oD (Channel 4 on Demand) to Xbox 360s in the United Kingdom, there will be a slight delay in the deployment of the ever-popular BBC iPlayer service on the platform, as it has been revealed that this will only take place early next year. There had already been rumours that BBC iPlayer wouldn’t be working to full capacity on the new Xbox 360 television service, so the revelation will not come as great surprise to some.

Despite the delay, Microsoft’s president of interactive entertainment business Don Mattrick remained very positive about the next-generation of Xbox entertainment. He said that consumers will be able to enjoy an era where all of their entertainment is located together in one place, which includes their games, HDTV shows, sports, music and movies.

He added that this software update will enable users to “experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search”, which makes the Xbox user experience more social and personal than ever. For consumers, finding the perfect entertainment will become easier following the addition of a wide variety of applications; and once BBC iPlayer is up and running effectively, UK viewers can look forward to even more choice in terms of on-demand content.

46 comments

  1. It is a load of crap. The new dashboard has worse functionality for anyone not using a Kinect to navigate it.

    Secondly, you have to be a Gold member to use services such as LoveFilm – wtf? I already pay for LoveFil,m why the hell should I give MS money to use it?

    My PS3 has been doing this for years, for free an it works better.

    Go away MS, anyone want to buy a 360 Slim?

  2. I think its class. nice and smooth. Shame lovefilm dont work properly. Luke I’ll have it off your hands

  3. the new dashboard looks nice and works well but i feel let down by how crap lovefilm is, i only signed up to lovefilm coz i knew it was coming to xbox box and found out this morning they only got crap old and stupid films gotta be said im totaly let down all i hope is all the other apps that are ment to be coming are not as crap as lovefilm!

  4. i view the new dashboard this morning and its a lot better than the old one ive waited a long time for love film to come on xbox360 how glad i am nice to watch films on my tv rather than my laptop cant wait to see what other channels coming next

  5. This new dashboard is a load of bull im trading in my slim and switching to PS3

  6. Downloaded the new update this morning, looks nice, a little harder to navigate but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Wondering why Lovefilm appears to be hamstrung with less content than I can get from the normal streaming service that I’ve signed up for, is this just the first iteration or is it always going to be restricted content?

  7. I like the new dash, easily navigated. I am a gold member and I’m going to be getting lovefilm (as there’s a £20 amazon voucher to get just now), the film choices I was really pleased with, plenty of classics I haven’t seen. Also didn’t see junk kiddie films like transformers, but maybe they’re there. I would be upset though if I had a lovefilm supscription and xbox silver, there’s surely no need for an extra charge?

  8. Been messing around with the new dash most of today, took 10 minutes to get used to but iv got to admit its alot better than the previous one.Alot of stuff has been streamlined so you dont have to go through 5 menus to get there (Check connection for example) Im happy with the lovefilm application as well, and as for there only being old films i spent this afternoo watching Anuvahood and Rubber, both brilliant comedys that i hadnt had time to watch. No doubt more films will be added as well seeing as this is the first day its ben out. As for not having Gold membership, honestly dont know why youd get an xbox without it to be honest

  9. i like the new dashboard thank god its out hate the old boring one loads of apps 2011 / 7

  10. Does that mean we get lovefilm for free….???

  11. Thats it, the Xbox is going on Ebay, I CANT BELIEVE they want me to have a gold membership.

    Im done, £40 quid a year is a complete rip off to A, use something i already pay for, and B, is free on the play station.

    Loads of mates have been going to playstations, Seriously, £40 a year could be two games a year im not broke but i can no longer justify paying Xbox tax anymore . . .

    Bring on Gran Turismo :-)

  12. Plug a vga cable into your tv and use you laptop to watch anything you like.

  13. I thin this gold membership is a total money scam and shame on MS and Amazon. I prefer my 360 over PS3 for gaming but since i already get to stream my lovefilm on my PS3 (within my lovefilm subscription), why should MS be allowed to charge more. I also remember a time when game demos were available to all aswell.

    Cheap MS, very cheap.

  14. Why would anyone have an Xbox & not have a Gold Live Subscription ?

    The main benefit of the Xbox is its immense online play, which you need a Gold sub for.

    You can pick up 14 months sub for £26 online (£1.86 a month), or wait until the £1 a month deal pops up (I got 38 months for £38 a couple of months back).

    The new dash is a huge improvement on the last, but I wouldnt pay Lovefilm £4.99 a month for anything. Thier selection is crap & you can just download it via the net anyway & plug into your 360 to watch for free.

  15. Hey non cheapskate, let me explain to you why I don’t have XBL Gold anymore. Believe me I am not a cheapskate, I work 38 hours a week and buy nearly every game as and when it comes out.

    I paid for XBL Gold for 2 years, and for what? Service that people on PSN were getting for free.

    When I stopped playing everything bar Halo Reach and pretty much went full PS3, I cancelled my XBL Gold as I was playing maybe a couple of hours every few days on the Xbox, but the rest of the time was on my PS3.

    For the past 4 months, I have been paying for PSN+. IF you don’t know what that is, it is PSN’s premium service which gives you cloud storage, but also exclusive downloads, discounts and free games.

    In 4 months from PS+ I have got over 10 full PS titles (be it arcade games or full games), 20 minis (equivelant to indie games, although they have titles like Angry Birds on PSN in the minis collection) and 10 PS1 classics including every Crash Bandicoot game, as well as a handful of avatars and premium themes.

    That is why I don’t pay for XBL Gold anymore – Its a rip off, they give you nothing and dont care about the customers.

  16. None of these services are out at the moment.

  17. Blah blah blah! I have an opinion. I bought an xbox, but don’t want to pay for XBL because I’m a tosser.

    Why did you get an xbox then you bunch of idiots?

    Oh no the dash is so shit. I can’t navigate it because it requires a different thought process to the last one.

    WAAAAAA! Rage quits.

  18. i’m very disappointed with MS lately. I recently upgraded my braodband to the new BT infinity and then i wasn’t able to play online because of it. That was sorted last week, now MS bring out this new Dashboard and system, which everytime i try to play a game online, i get disconnected from live, and told i cannot reconnect! does anyone have any suggestions as to what it could be?
    I am tempted to switch to PS3, but i have just under 30k gamerscore and i don’t want to just throw it all away if i can help it!

  19. You people can discuss this and anything else at our dedicated New Look Forum by clicking the forum button at the top of the page or by using the link here:

    http://forums.hdtvtest.co.uk/index.php

    Regards
    Barry.

  20. I have an Xbox Live Gold subscription and too am dissapointed with how much it costs and that you must have it for content that you can pay for elsewhere or get for free on other consoles.

    I like the new dash integration with voice though i wish the voice training was more than ‘one, two, three, four, five’ as i have a strong accent and am not easily understood by the kinect.

    I also wish the extended kinect compatibilitly would encompass pausing, fast forward and rewind on the video player when streaming from my PC.

    This is a step in the right direction MS but you’re still behind the other consoles that i own.

  21. Ok, Emm I thinks the New Dashboard is Ok.. Preferred the Previous version though.
    Does anyone know if Ireland will get 4od, BBC iPlayer and LoveFilm??
    UK got BBC iPlayer on the Wii but we in Ireland did not :(
    so does anyone know if it’s coming to Ireland?
    Thanks

  22. I like it personally. Works excellently with Kinect too! Just waiting for all of the apps to become available and it will be class.

    It makes me laugh how people start bitching about Xbox and PS3, who really cares. If you like Xbox play your Xbox- PS3, play your PS3. Stop blocking up pages with your bitching and whining. Yeah we pay extra on Xbax, always have always will……who cares!

  23. OMFG what is with all the people who are hating on the new dash. IT IS JUST A DASH what do you do on it that is really important. Anyway it is way more organised than the old one. The whole im selling my xbox and switching to ps3 is a load of bull and you know it, you will keep the xbox and just get used to the new dash like you did with the previous ones. Now pick up your controller and play a game and stop moaning you baby!

  24. y bother getting an xbox if your not going to get gold. xbox has always charged for gold, so y r people still moanin about it like its a new thing. get over it. or go get an inferior product that gets taken offline for a month at a time lol because they dont spend money on security!

  25. You people can discuss this and anything else at our New Look Forum by clicking the forum button at the top of the page or by using the link here:

    http://forums.hdtvtest.co.uk/index.php

    Regards
    Barry.

  26. At least iplayer will be available to all members (even free):

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2011/10/bbc_xbox_iptv_iplayer.html

    To the one’s saying people shouldn’t complain about paying for live, some people received their consoles as a gift and are not interested in online play. I love my xbox and do not want to swap it for a ps3 but I was disappointed when I heard MS was insisting on only gold member’s getting iplayer even though it is included in our tv licence fees.

  27. You are all stupid fanboys, and I know because I was one of you.

    You know why iPlayer is available to everyone for free? MS tried to get them to give them it before – all was going well until MS said that it was going to be for Gold members only. At that point BBC said “Well, you give us money as well then. Increase the subscriptions” and MS said no. Amazon have only allowed it with LoveFilm because they want the service to be as big as Netflix, which isn’t going to happen if the rumours of Netflix coming next year are true, as MS already have a deal with them in the US an will drop LoveFilm quicker than a fat kid can eat a candy bar.

    This wasn’t a debate about wether XBL Gold should be free or not, as you’ve said everyone knows you should pay for it by now. As I said, I paid for the useless service for 2 years, and don’t now because I use my PS3 for all the latest games as the Xbox can’t keep up graphically anymore.

    It’s just annoying that if I go to play some Firefight on Halo, if I want to switch and watch some LoveFIlm they want me to pay them just for that – and it is a service that I already pay the company for.

    Now stop being elitist pricks and thinking that spending £39.99 a year makes you a better person in life. I could buy 10 a week if I wanted too, most people who play Xbox in the UK are on the doll, which is why you are happy to pay out for Live – it is like finance of the videogame world – pay less for the cheaper console, and keep paying for what the rest of the world is getting for free.

    Good luck, I’ll be watching Lovefilm for free ( I say free but bare in mind I pay out £15 a month for that service, but that is with Amazon and nothing to do with Sony) on my PS3 still as I have done for time now, and also be playing all the same games as you but with better graphics and the online is free. When you include what I’m paying for I get a handful of games every month with PSN+ cloud storage an auto syncing and updating at a specified time of day that I get to choose.

    Except your shitty GoW the 360 has nothing but Halo, which I’m done with. Sony has the Uncharted series, Resistance, Gran Turismo, Shadow of the Collosus, Tekken Hybrid, LittleBigPlanet,HD Remakes of every game that us real gamers played before Call of Duty came out… dare I go on?

  28. There is now an Xbox section on the HDTVtest forum here:

    http://forums.hdtvtest.co.uk/index.php/topic,6910.0.html

    So come and join us.

    Barry.

  29. love film is rubbish…ok.watching the odd old films is ok but not good enough… i want to watch the new films but u still have to send off for them.. an right out con.. dissapointed completely… just flicked thru all the films and only seen one that i really wanted to watch…. just rubbish.. but hey … thats just my oppinion…find out for your selfs.;;;;;

  30. The new dash is awesome but I’m afraid I still prefer the original dash with the blades etc. paying for a live subscription doesn’t bother me at all, I pay for quality. Pan is a bag of wank!

    Love film is poo anyway. I have had a 360 since launch day and have paid for Xbl since day one! The ps3 never got used much, especially when I tried to play kz2 online but uh, well, couldn’t. Psn service is shocking!

    I don’t care if ms are a bit of a rip off, the money for the service is worth it.

  31. Above = fanboy idiot.

    The PSN service has always worked fine with the exception of the hackers, which as you would know if you had half a brain also hacked the Pentagon. People that run around saying that the PSN service is crap because of that are complete morons, if they would have targeted Xbox Live it would have had the exact same outcome for them – any security architecture that gets broken onto on that scale has to be completely rewritten to avoid future breaches targeting the same exploits. It’s common knowledge.

    Tell me, what is excellent about the Xbox Live “Service” as you call it? You mean how it connects? Yeah the PS3 does that and so has my PC for years. Voice chat, no we’ve got that on both of those too…is there advertising plastered absolutely everyone on the PS3’s XMB? Nope, and neither does my PC screen when I’ve loaded any type of game.

    If they wanted it to be a real “premium” service they would make it free online for all, and make it so there are no ads on the Gold users. That is something that would be worth the money. But no, carry on paying for your amazing service and enjoying waving your arms around like a twat.

  32. Would the children who are determined to spoil these comments with insults etc refrain from doing so as this will lead to a permanent ban.

    tele1962
    Global Moderator.

  33. It’s ok…..I’ll stick with xbox for a while longer as I like my details to be safe not hacked

  34. Ignoring the usual childish PS3 fanboys my thoughts on the new dash

    Now that Lovefilm is using Silverlight as is the new 360 dashboard if you have both a PS3 and a 360 take a look at how much better the quality is on the 360 it’s an amazing improvement.

    Voice control is great and the gesture control especially in a darkened room is perfect.

    Another 10 channels to be activated this month, if anyone wants to know what they are they are all ready in the Apps download section waiting for activation.

    And with cloud saves plus beacons I am well pleased with it.

  35. Im not sure why the PS3 fans are even reading this post let alone taking the time to comment.
    Im sure PS3 has a good online service but theres no need to be aggressive and so passionate about it. people are getting too emotional over a piece of technology. Its not like your family member is being insulted or anything.
    Sony arent reading your argument thinking “Go on my Son, thanks for sticking up for us!”

    Anyway, I really like the new dash update. its much more streamlined and easier to use. Everything is now organised and its very fast.

    The main thing I like is the heavy Kinect integration. I can now use my new kinect to navigate through the whole of the dash. its awesome.
    The only thing they need to do now is ensure all Apps also support kinect.
    Sky player is still limited.

    As for xbox live service as a whole, I think its worth paying for. The money goes towards innovation and providing a great online experience. you dont have to pay £40.. You can get it for £30 per year if you shop around on ebay or amazon. Im always playing online so i get my money’s worth.

  36. U are all whiners

    STFU u moaners

  37. What’s a ps3?

  38. Why do Microsoft charge for their services and Sony don’t? Because Microsoft actually care about combating hacking and modding etc. when game developers ask Sony to suspend hackers PSN accounts, Sony say that it’s not worth their effort as the hacker will just take out another free account. Unless Xbox hackers are billionaires they wouldn’t be able to pay for the vast amounts of gold subscriptions they would need to ensure they can still play online even though their (hacked) accounts are getting suspended. And why do you have to ‘pay double’ for Lovefilm? Simple – Amazon and Microsoft are NOT the same company. Amazon have offered their services to Microsoft, possibly for a price, and Microsoft are selling them on to customers. If Amazon told Microsoft not to charge customers for the service, Microsoft wouldn’t provide Lovefilm on Xbox, so it suits both parties and the customers to ‘double charge’. Finally, why would you not buy an Xbox without Gold. From what I’ve seen, you could get a few years of Gold and an Xbox for the price of a PS3 these days, so there’s no competition.

  39. 3 more players are now up and running on xbox live –

    4OD, Channel 5 catchup and Dailymotion..

  40. Shout out the the PSN freak who’s left a few comments by the looks of things….. Grow up, step outside and quit thinking that banging on about some useless piece of shit makes you better than everyone else in the universe!

    Yeah you paid for XBL for 2 months…. And what? You then switched cus all ur mates called u gay for not having the ps3 and you figured you’d have to play with them or nobody at all and switched or at least got the ps3 too cus u nagged ur mum long enough for it!

    Ultimately if you don’t use Xbox or care about it then why bother reading a post about an Xbox related feature…? And yeah you own one or did own one or whatever but you don’t hear everyone in the world banging on about the wank they had 3 nights ago so move on!!

    And also to everyone else moaning about the dash – its a dash! What the hell do you do with it that makes it so important no matter what it looks like?!

  41. I have no problem paying for Xbox Live Gold if I wanted to play online. However I don’t want to do that much anymore, so I only get gold every now and again as for me to have a sub would be a waste of time and money.

    However I object to being forced to pay to use things like 4OD, Twitter or Facebook on my Xbox when these services should be free. There is no reason whatsoever to charge for these services on the Xbox, no other console does. Sorry MS, you just lost yourself a gold customer. I, for one, will never again pay them anything if they insist on charging me to use a free service.

    I’m glad the BBC stood up to the cowboys at Microsoft over the iplayer. That legally has to be free to access to anyone in the UK, MS had to back down. I wish Channel 4, Facebook and Twitter had the backbone that the BBC has.

  42. I’ve noticed that the xBox 4oD does not seem to have the same amount of programmes on it compared to the main 4oD website…. so my verdict is ok but noit great…

  43. Well, here’s my two cents folks lol…

    * The new dashboard is fine, cos at the end of the day as long as I can play my games, I really don’t care what it looks like or how it works, it just needs to be functional which it is. 10/10 Microsoft :)

    * The expanded support for the Kinect sensor is also cool by me, I’m sure it will make some people really happy. I, however, don’t have any wish to use the device/facilities and that decision doesn’t hinder me at all with the new update. Once again 10/10 Microsoft

    * The new “apps” are a brilliant idea for people who will enjoy their convenience. I, however, only use my Xbox for offline gaming and I own a plethora of various other gadgets and gizmos that can fill in for any number of “apps” I may miss out on. This isn’t down to any objection to the cost of XBL or any other controversial reason, it’s simply just my personal gaming preference. Again though, Microsoft deserve a 10/10 for providing a “thank you” in the form of these “apps” of convenience for XBL Gold subscribers and their continued support of their favourite gaming platform.

    So in short, the new changes and features don’t affect me in any way, shape or form but I recognise them as a step forward and overall as a positive move for the Xbox community. All we need now is for Microsoft to see the light and give us a web browser built into the dashboard and I’ll find the one feature I would find extremely convenient :D

    For all the people here complaining about various aspects of the update, XBL and Microsoft… I see where you’re all coming from, but at the end of the day, instead of complaining, simply move on and find your personal preferred platform if the Xbox 360 just isn’t for you.

  44. anyone who goes to the play station is gonna be dissapointed for the following reasons..
    1. the controllers are shaped in a way which makes you have to make awkward positions with your hands.
    2. the reward scheme is CRAP
    3. NOBODY skilled has a ps3
    4. NO HALO, gears of war or forza

  45. well i have so much i could say but it comes down to this, it is happening whether you moan and b*tch about it or not. Take my advice if you own a playstation 3 then why bother commenting at all go to a ps3 forum surely you cannot comment on something you do not own. Secondly if you own an xbox 360 and are whinning about the service dont pay it dont subsribe to gold go buy a console with free online gaming but for the love of god do not come on here and cry like a little girl who lost her dolly, I mean seriously come on!

    I for one think that i get what i pay for, xbox live is £40 a year which is roughly 10p a day and for that 10p i am given the right to complain if my service is not fully functional or if i am not receiving the service. with the lieks of ps3 you cant complain because its a free service tough luck. Microsoft have one of the best customer services i have ever dealt with they are on the ball and have always been able to answer my questions.

    Long story short boo hoo move on or shut up lol

  46. I’ve had xbox’s since day 1 and I hate Sony Playstation’s
    but I have never had Live nor will I when they charge for it
    maybe if it was cheaper (upto £20) I’d consider it
    but ms are charging for playing (ok,upto them but not for me),that’s fair enough
    but no way should they be charging for apps like lovefilm,youtube,facebook etc
    they are included for free with any smart device (tho picture quality seems superior on xbox)
    Skype should be running but it isnt
    if it was that could be the deal breaker for me
    games,Lovefilm & skype could twist my arm to subscribe
    until then hell no!