At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), being held in Las Vegas, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach provided an early look at a new service, IPTV on Xbox 360. According to Microsoft, the offering will deliver world-class TV experiences such as digital video recording capabilities, with gaming, movie viewing, and even voice and video communications to the XBox 360.

Users will be able to watch their favorite sporting event live while chatting with their friends, for example, or participate in a match on Xbox Live while they record a TV program in the background. IPTV on Xbox 360 is expected to be available to consumers by holiday season 2007 and will be offered by providers that are deploying TV services based on the Microsoft TV IPTV Edition software platform.

“Our goal is to make entertainment more personal, more interactive and more social,” Bach said. “IPTV on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live are powerful examples of ways we are bringing together the worlds of gaming, TV viewing and community to make it easy for people to access and discover their favorite content and share their personal experiences with the communities they are part of.”