Xbox Live Diamond TV kicks off next week

Microsoft's rumored Xbox Live TV subscription is about to get its public showing next week, industry contacts reported Friday. Known as Diamond, it should be shown off at E3 as long as the deals are in place. Microsoft was reported by WinRumors as being in the same position as Apple, holding last-minute talks, and might skip mentioning it entirely if talks aren't done by the Los Angeles show.

The system hasn't been directly confirmed, but Microsoft's corporate communications lead Frank Shaw explained that Xbox would focus on entertainment in the near future after already including ESPN, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and the Zune Marketplace.

Diamond is expected to behave like a pseudo-cable channel that would stream shows, though not necessarily live. What content would appear wasn't made explicit, but it's possible a core show pack would exist and get extensions depending on a user's existing, traditional TV packages. Microsoft's IPTV-based Mediaroom system would provide the infrastructure underneath.

Other services are believed to be in the works, including the Ventura music and video discovery system.

It's not known when Diamond would be ready to use, but it would probably be confined to the US at first.

By Electronista Staff

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industry, gaming, gadgets, Zune, Microsoft, Hulu, Xbox 360, ESPN, Diamond, Xbox Live, Mediaroom