Xbox 360 Fanboy

Basicly, their ownly doing this with Xbox Live Gold accounts that are linked to a credit card that has a billing address NOT matching the one in the account (ex. Account is set to a Japanese address, credit card is linked to your home address in the US).

But its very easy to see why Microsoft is doing this. Obviously, as someone Major was interviewing said on his show, they can't provide this content in other countries due to contracts to have a certain show on CBS, ABC, etc., because they might have the same show contracted to CBC in Canada or something (just using it as an example) and that would violate that contract and CBC might consider sueing MS or something.

So pretty much with Video Marketplace, Microsoft is completely at the mercy of the content providers, their contracts, and national wide content providing laws (which set the prices we see today on Video Marketplace, their about the same as the prices you see on all digital cable On Demand services, and all other online downloadable content providers (such as iTunes, Amazon, etc.)). In fact, Microsoft isn't really making dirt off of the video marketplace, almost all of it goes to CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, UFC, Nickelodeon, etc.

But there IS a loophole for people who still want to download content exclusive to other countries. Since their only checking credit card addresses, you can still get this content overseas if you DON'T have your Live account associated to a credit card. Basically by ONLY using point cards and subscription cards sold in stores, you can avoid these blocks and still purchase overseas content. I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft figured out a way around that as well, though.

Reply

I thought they were doing this via IP addresses, so the above method wouldn't work.

Reply

Typically MS approach of not thinking everything through and over-promising features (remind you of Zune?)

I live in Canada and see no reason why MS cant come up with a solution to this. Sure Apple is dealing with this with their iTunes store and restricting that in the same way, but given that shows that would be stored on an Xbox arent readily transferable to another device (OK I know you can do it but not as easily as with an Ipod), does it matter where the show is downloaded. Cant the content provider just pay whoever they have agreements with (the CBC was the example) a percentage of the fee they get from MS.

Seems like that would make everyone happy - users can download, MS takes their cut, the content providers get the money and then they can honor whatever distribution deals they have in place.

MS should find a way to lead in this area but my money (figuratively and literally) is with Apple doing this 1st and then MS will attempt to catch up.

Or maybe Sony will show everyone in the end.

Reply

I know this is going to sound stupid but i think MS is leaveing the loopholes there on purpose so that people can sett access the content from different countries. As long as they are seen to be strengthing their security then content providers and any lawyers out there can do anything about it. This also explains why they didnt set everything up to work off your IP in the first place.

Reply

You know what really pisses me off about this? The fact that here in Canada and everywhere else for that matter, we're paying the same amount of money for Live yet we are not receiving the same level of service now. Time limited game demos are one thing, but this is now a MAJOR feature of Live that is not available to us. It may be fine for a month or two until distribution issues are resolved, but much beyond that, MS needs to either increase the price of U.S. accounts or lower the price of non U.S. accounts because well, why the hell should I be paying the same as someone who's getting a better service? In the rush to smack down Sony, this was poorly planned at best and I KNOW I'm not the only one who feels this way. I understand the legalities of it all but as far as major additions to Live go, it needs to be content for all or content for none.

Reply

Major said in his post that their doing it via comparing the billing address on your credit card to your Live accounts address. If that's all their doing, then that loophole I mentioned might work. But if they are also doing IP checks as some mentioned (though that would probably slow their server down by having to trace route millions of IPs to see if their coming out of the right country) then the the loophole I mentioned wouldn't work as Michael said.

Reply

In response to #5, gold is not required to use the video marketplace, so your entire post is moot.

Reply

I think what NotOfThisEarth says sums it up entirely. Give everyone some added value! I'd love to see them do a deal here in the UK getting the BBC's Plaent Earth series in HD, or cheap downloads of The Office. In fact they'd probably find that the BBC would be more than happy to release these for cheap (being a non profit government organisation)

I think we'll see in the distant future the media agencies embracing the internet by releasing their content globally, rather than staggering releases. Surely by doing this they are only forcing bootleggers to whack episodes of Lost online months before they come out overseas.

Hell - Peter Jackson released LOTR globally. We just need the TV companies to wise up.

Reply

I just hope that MS comes up with the same bull as all other online movie content providers and remove Puerto Rico to be allowed to access the content. After all, we're part of the US and all the same copyright laws apply here.

Reply

Having moved from Ireland to America my billing address is still set to Ireland. I've called xBox support but they refuse to change it, with one supervisor person telling me I'd have to setup a new account ( and lose all my achievements and downloaded content ) and yet another supervisor person just hanging up on me.

I would love to access the video marketplace and give MS more money to download content legally in the USA, all it needs is to have my country changed on my account but they won't do it.

Any suggestions ?

Reply