Osc89 said: I'm not sure why you think the rest aren't trying to be this common ground. Google has Google TV. Sony has the PS3, as well as smart tvs. Both of these companies have already combined everything. Apple is also heavily rumoured to be producing something along these lines, and is probably best positioned as it has the strongest ties and content because of iTunes.
The only difference between what everyone is offering is how seamless the experience is. And that takes a long time and a lot of deals. Google TV tried to do exactly what Microsoft is trying now and they still haven't got everybody on board 3 years later, so their unified search is still patchy and missing providers. Why will Microsoft manage to do this instantly? They have started latest, have the fewest ties and the least experience.
Well, Microsoft is hardly doing this "instantly." things have been moving in this direction for a while. MS is better positioned than you might think - Apple may have iTunes, and Google may have google TV, but neither of them have a lot of boxes in people's living rooms, yet. Microsoft is adding this capability to a product they are already guaranteed of selling tens of millions of. They're simply expanding the capabilities of their system, and increasing their potential customers. I'd say the PS4 is their biggest potential competitor, even in this market, due to it's ability to also attract people who want to buy 1 device for all entertainment needs.
By instantly I was referring to the unified search. Pretty much anyone can have a Netflix app on their device. But for Netflix to give database access from outside the app requires them to make a separate deal. And they won't be keen, as they don't want their content to be seen combined (and on par) with their competitors. The same applies to every other streaming company.
Without unified search, the XB1 will do what the PS360 can already do, but with voice control.
Check out the video at 2:12... Unified search will exist in Windows 8.1
