Xbox 360 owners who also have access to AT&T's U-verse service will be able to use their gaming station as a U-verse receiver starting next month, although they'll need to have at least one AT&T-supplied set-top box or DVR to make it work. But, you'll also need to have an Xbox with an internal HDD-and plenty of space available-for it to work.
Reports--and, right now, they're still classed as "rumors, although Microsoft is hosting an open house Monday for their Windows 7 phones, with a Mediaroom component thrown in--say AT&T will launch the service Nov. 7, although Engadget is saying customers will be able to access the feature Oct. 17. AT&T earlier this year said it planned to roll out a plan that would give users the option of using Xbox 360s as STBs for U-verse.
The idea of using an Xbox 360 as an STB for an IPTV offering has actually been kicked around for about three-years; Bill Gates floated it out at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show.
This past August, Canadian telco Telus, the country's second-largest service provider, announced it would allow customers to use Xbox 360s as STBs with its Optik IPTV service. At the time, the company also said subscribers can also use the Xbox 360 console to access digital photos and digital music libraries on the TV via their home wireless network and connected Windows PC.
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