Microsoft Brings Xbox Video To The Web Ahead Of Windows Phone, Forgets HD Playback

Happy pre-fat day, Super Troopers. Today Microsoft brought Xbox Video to the web, meaning that if you use the service on your Xbox or Windows 8.1 device, you can access your content on other machines.

The downside? There is no HD playback, which will disappoint many. The easy rebuttal to that is that people who use Xbox Video likely have an Xbox console, which is probably linked to the largest screen in their house. So, where they need HD content the most, they have it. Still a bit of a bummer to not have it on the web, but perhaps it will come in time.

As The Verge’s Tom Warren notes, Microsoft is “planning to release a Windows Phone version of Xbox Video shortly,” but notes that that version will also lack HD playback. This is more excusable, as you can only imagine the bandwidth cost of such content flowing over Verizon or AT&T’s networks.

As a product move, this is about as surprising as Apple introducing a new iPad on a yearly basis. Microsoft is building out its consumer content business, which will eventually contain in-house-created video and the like. It wants to ensure if you toss your lot in with it, you can hit up all your videos regardless of what device you’re on.

Now, stop reading tech news and go hug someone.

Top Image Credit: Microsoft