Microsoft announced a set of new partners joining the Xbox Live Video Marketplace.
A&E Network. “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” “King of Cars,” “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” “Driving Force” and “Criss Angel Mindfreak”
ADV Films. Top offerings from the No. 1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) outside Japan.
National Geographic. The television series “Is It Real?” and “Taboo” as well as programs such as “21 Days to Baghdad” and “Air Force One”
TotalVid.com. A broad action-sports offering including extreme skiing and snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, surfing and mountain biking
ADV holds the rights to series like Kino’s Journey, D.N.Angel, RahXephon, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. If ADV Films plans to bring “top offerings” to the video marketplace Evangelion seems like a shoe in. Other TV shows cost 160 Microsoft Points ($2) per episode and if ADV’s shows follow the same standard pricing this could be a cheap solution for purchasing anime.
In the movie section Paramount Pictures plans to release HD films for download. Braveheart, Team America: World Police, World Trade Center and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut were listed. Also Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release direct-to-video movies in HD the same time that they are released on DVD. Sublime and Babylon 5: The Lost Tales have been announced. The HD movies are a nice addition, but to really start collecting them you’re going to need the 120 GB hard drive and patience while you’re sitting through the download.
