Questions About Live TV on Xbox One?

[studbucket]

Hello fellow OSers,

I've drifted away from all internet forums except for OS. I think you guys here are great, and I love the conversations I've had around Madden 13, APF 2K8, FM13, and CHoops 2K8, among other games.

So I wanted to give back. I'm a Program Manager on the Xbox One team, working on Live TV. I know this area can be a bit confusing and many people have questions about it, so I wanted to help answer some of those questions.

So do you have unanswered questions? Have questions about getting it set up? Trying to do something and can't quite figure it out? Let me know, I'm here to help.

I know many of these questions were asked in the Xbox One thread, but it wasn't my place to answer them pre-launch.

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Tips, Tricks, and FAQ
As I answer questions, I'll fill this section out with more details.

Q: So you don't know much about games, what do you know?
A: I know the most about anything pertaining to Live TV, OneGuide, and controlling your TV, AVR, and STB.

Q: Where can I learn more about the TV & OneGuide experience on Xbox One?
A: Personally, I think this 12 minute video from The Verge does a great job.

Q: What about non-TV related Xbox questions, can you help with those?
A: I can certainly try, but I'll do a much better job answering TV & OneGuide questions.

Q: What's a STB?
A: Set top box. Just a generic term for your cable, satellite or other TV receiver that takes in coax and (hopefully) outputs HDMI.

Q: Is my provider supported? (USA)
A: All pay TV providers are supported with OneGuide, HDMI passthrough, and IR blasting. This includes cable, satellite, FIOS, and IPTV. If something doesn't work, that's a bug we want to know about.

Q: Is my provider supported? (worldwide)
A: While only HDMI passthrough (and some IR blasting control for certain countries) is available outside of the US at launch, those scenarios should work for your STB. However, we're still working on worldwide compat and we're interested in hearing about your experience.

Q: Can I snap Live TV next to a game?
A: Yes. Try saying "Xbox snap TV" while playing

Q: When TV is snapped to a game, can I change the volume of either?
A: Yes, from system setting -> Display & Sound.

Q: Does the Xbox need to be on to watch TV?
A: Yes, the Xbox won't do HDMI passthrough while in off/standby

Q: Why doesn't "Xbox Off" turn off my Xbox?
A: "Xbox Turn Off" is the command used for shutting down the Xbox One.

Q: Can the Xbox One access my DVR content or act as a DVR?
A: Unfortunately there is no DVR functionality right now. It's definitely something we'd like to tackle someday.

[aholbert32]

IS MS going to add surround sound through HDMI functionality soon? This is the main thing holding me back from buying a One.

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

IS MS going to add surround sound through HDMI functionality soon? This is the main thing holding me back from buying a One.

Surround sound is currently supported in a Beta form. You can turn it on in TV & OneGuide settings.

For some people it currently works great, however others may experience slight AV issues. We're working through those and hope to remove the "beta" tag in the future.

[Zalf]

Any videos of how the cable box DVR playback/recording hooked to the XB1 is going to working for our non-gaming non-kinect speaking spouses?

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zalf

Any videos of how the cable box DVR playback/recording hooked to the XB1 is going to working for our non-gaming non-kinect speaking spouses?

Hey Zalf, I'm not sure exactly what you are asking for.

Whatever is plugged into the HDMI-in port of the console can be viewed via the Live TV app.

You can bring up the OneGuide from Home or Live TV by hitting X on the controller and you can change channels from there and easily access on-demand content from ESPN, NFL, Hulu, etc.

You will need to use your DVR remote to access DVR'd content.

FWIW, the Kinect is much, much easier to use now than on the 360 and if you calibrate it and have your wife signed in, basic voice commands like "Xbox Watch TV" or "Xbox Watch ESPN" should work well. My 4 year old daughter can even get the guide to show up sometimes, and she doesn't speak very clearly.

Does that help?

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zalf

Any videos of how the cable box DVR playback/recording hooked to the XB1 is going to working for our non-gaming non-kinect speaking spouses?

Oh, and re: videos, maybe check out the video I linked in the tips section, starting at around the 5 minute mark?

[jacory12]

Could I get the TV stuff working if I used a coaxial to HDMI cable? Or do I absolutely need the set top box?

[bcruise]

No questions, just want to say it's cool that we've got a console rep on here now as well as game developers. I really like this way of reaching out to the community.