The Official Xbox 360 Dashboard/Update Thread - Page 8

Originally Posted by betterdan

ATTENTION: XBOX LIVE IS HAVING TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DUE TO SO MANY DOWNLOADINHG THE UPDATES. GIVE IT A DAY OR TWO THEN IT SHOULD BE CLOSER TO NORMAL AGAIN.

Just thought I'd state the obvious since someone is being ridiculous and talking about pawning their Xboxes because of this. Sheesh they are just being hit hard right now. Look at http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-live-status for further info.

Originally Posted by HuskerOmaha

1006 CST.

Tried to update several times. Thanks xbox for more failures.

Status Code: 3524-0000-0080-0200-8015-1909

EDIT: It is on xboxlive.com/support that they are working on some issues. Awesome.

Originally Posted by oo7evan

I had issues for about half an hour, then I was able to connect as usual.


Short review:

ADS. ADS. ADS.


longer review.

So ya, ads. F U microsoft, this is getting out of hand. especially when I pay for this premium service.


Kinect:

I want to be able to say "Xbox, play Netflix" and it just happens. Haven't figured it out. I tried doing "Xbox, Bing Netflix" and it game me a list of results that included the 1996 movie Sleepers, some Spartacus motion comic, a Netflix/Xbox trailer, and the actual Netflix app, fourth on the list. Selecting the app doesn't load it. It lets me re-download or rate it. This makes no sense.

waving my hand seems to make no difference to kinect. How do I control this damn thing? There was no tutorial. Check that, it does work, but it I have to closer than before, meaning it won't read me from my couch, which defeats the whole purpose of using it for navigation.

Saying "Xbox, Go home" any time to get to the dashboard is super nice.

Ah, just got it. You say "next" or "back" to switch categories, and just say what's in the black boxes. This works pretty well.

Netflix:

Using a Harmony remote to navigate, it takes about 10 button presses to get from the home screen to load the Netflix app. This is much longer than before. I imagine having the controller shoulder buttons to shift from category to category would be faster. But, again, this was supposed to be more media orientated I thought.

Netflix UI is pretty good, probably even better than previous. 5.1!!!!!! Dolby digital plus was already selected for me. I'm sure the network is being slammed right now, but the HD quality is TERRIBLE. And, as I write this I figured out the quality status is still there, but you have to pause or press info to see it. This also lets you see more info about what you're watching, rate it, etc.


lots to learn. will post more as I learn it.

Originally Posted by betterdan

To get to Netflix quickly with Kinect say "XBOX APPS" then say "NETFLIX"

Yea it takes a little while right now to get HD quality going but once it is in HD mode it looks better to me than before. I just press the green button when in a movie and the quality shows up at the top of the screen. What is dumb is they got rid of the resume or start over option.
You can't search with voice while in the Netflix app but if you use Bing outside of Netflix you can search for Netflix movies then select them and play them instantly.
While on the home screen try saying "XBOX BING TWILIGHT ZONE" it will then show you everything it found which the first thing will be Twilight Zone on Netflix. Select it and watch.

Originally Posted by darklordjames

Anyone playing with the new Netflix app notice that black levels are broken? The Netflix interface properly renders black as black, but black in video is just kind of gray. It's like they are spitting out 16-255 inside of a 0-255 stream.

Originally Posted by OARevolution

Yep I was just coming back to confirm the messed up reference levels. I tried forcing certain color spaces and it didn't matter. It was the same thing with the hdmi black levels.

Originally Posted by oo7evan

I had issues for about half an hour, then I was able to connect as usual.


Short review:

ADS. ADS. ADS.

Originally Posted by nnarum23

BTW, finally got mine to update, and not that impressed. I could've lived with the old set up...

They should've done this on a Sunday afternoon with football. Less traffic online for the most part.

Originally Posted by mizuno21

I'm confirming Netflix is washed out. Hardcore.

Hulu seems ok though..

Originally Posted by TheDecn

I can also confirm that something is off with HDMI black levels in the new dashboard. It's not just limited to Netflix

Originally Posted by AHDTVDiet

So, on this xbox is there any TV I can watch for free or do they always charge you for every episode? Why would I pay for episodes when I can watch them on cable (i am already paying for) or free TV or buy the DVDs once and not pay for the shows ever again. I guess Im missing something or not getting the greatness of being nickled and dimed to death.

At least the ESPN stuff is free, though it still insist my cable provider (Time Warner Cable) is not affiliated with ESPN3, which they are. So all I get is highlights. The scoreboards are nice though.

This is why I dont mess with any of this stuff and just stay on the home/friends (or sorry social) pages, just raises the chances I accidently click something and end up paying money for normally free stuff. At least I dont have any kids or anyone else in the house who would accidently buy something.
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Now Microsoft Wants to Stop You Taking Them to Court
It's one of 2011's more troubling, if less sexy developments: that of major publishers and platform holders finding ways to stop customers taking them to court if something goes wrong with their product or service.

Sony was the first company to introduce a "no sue" clause as part of its terms of service in September, and was swiftly followed by Electronic Arts. Now Microsoft and its Xbox 360 are in on the act.
As part of the new dashboard update rolling out worldwide today, the console comes with a new terms of service agreement that users must agree to. Most of it is standard stuff, until you get to section 18.1.4. Binding Arbitration. It reads as follows:

IF YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES, YOU AND MICROSOFT AGREE THAT IF YOU AND MICROSOFT DO NOT RESOLVE ANY DISPUTE BY INFORMAL NEGOTIATION UNDER SECTION 18.1.2 ABOVE, ANY EFFORT TO RESOLVE THE DISPUTE WILL BE CONDUCTED EXCLUSIVELY BY BINDING ARBITRATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ARBITRATION PROCEDURES IN SECTION 18.1.7 BELOW. YOU UNDERSTAND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BY AGREEING TO BINDING ARBITRATION, YOU ARE GIVING UP THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE (OR PARTICIPATE IN AS A PARTY OR CLASS MEMBER) ALL DISPUTES IN COURT BEFORE A JUDGE OR JURY. INSTEAD, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED BEFORE A NEUTRAL ARBITRATOR, WHOSE AWARD (DECISION) WILL BE BINDING AND FINAL, EXCEPT FOR A LIMITED RIGHT OF APPEAL UNDER THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT. ANY COURT WITH JURISDICTION OVER THE PARTIES MAY ENFORCE THE ARBITRATOR'S AWARD.

THE ONLY DISPUTES NOT COVERED BY THE AGREEMENT IN SECTION 18.1 TO NEGOTIATE INFORMALLY AND ARBITRATE ARE DISPUTES ENFORCING, PROTECTING, OR CONCERNING THE VALIDITY OF ANY OF YOUR OR MICROSOFT'S (OR ANY OF YOUR OR MICROSOFT'S LICENSORS') INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.

Shortly after, section 18.1.6 reads:

18.1.6. CLASS ACTION WAIVER. YOU AND MICROSOFT AGREE THAT ANY PROCEED*INGS TO RESOLVE OR LITIGATE ANY DISPUTE, WHETHER IN ARBITRATION, IN COURT, OR OTHERWISE, WILL BE CONDUCTED SOLELY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, AND THAT NEITHER YOU NOR MICROSOFT WILL SEEK TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE HEARD AS A CLASS ACTION, A REPRESENTATIVE ACTION, A COLLECTIVE ACTION, A PRIVATE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ACTION, OR IN ANY PROCEEDING IN WHICH YOU OR MICROSOFT ACTS OR PROPOSES TO ACT IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY. YOU AND MICROSOFT FURTHER AGREE THAT NO ARBITRATION OR PROCEEDING WILL BE JOINED, CONSOLIDATED, OR COMBINED WITH ANOTHER ARBITRATION OR PROCEEDING WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF YOU, MICROSOFT, AND ALL PARTIES TO ANY SUCH ARBITRATION OR PROECCEDING.

What this means is that if something happens to Xbox Live or the Xbox 360 in general, you can't sue Microsoft. Nor can you join in a class action suit targeting Microsoft.

As we've explained previously, this sets a dangerous precedent, as these new terms have been drafted for exactly the same reason as Sony's, EA's and many other non-gaming companies, like insurance firms, have in recent times.

Unlike courts, whose outcomes are decided by juries (who can by sympathetic towards consumers battling multinational corporations), decisions made via private arbitration often find in favour of businesses, and even when siding with consumers offer relatively small payouts.

You normally can't appeal the findings of a private arbitration hearing, nor is there an independent or public means of reviewing an arbitrator's decisions. They are also designed to be conducted privately, out of the public eye.

It's a move designed, in essence, to steamroll your rights as a consumer. To ensure that even if Microsoft screws something up, or something terrible happens to the platform, any compensation or dispute will be handled on their terms, not those of a court and jury.

Before you say "what good would lawsuits do anyway?", remember, it was an avalanche of class action suits that helped prompt Microsoft to fess up to the "Red Ring of Death" issue with the Xbox 360 and offer extended warranties.

Note that this move only affects residents of the United States. Those outside the US can carry on as usual. For Americans who want to do something about the new terms, there is a way out. So long as you contact Microsoft within thirty days of singing the new terms of service agreement, you can be exempt from this new clause. You'll need to contact them in writing, by mailing:

Microsoft Corporation, ATTN: LCA ARBITRATION, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399

You should probably do so.

UPDATE - American readers are letting us know that in several states the matter of whether these kind of agreements are even legal is up for debate. Illinois, for example, has ruled that consumers must always be given the right to pursue legal action in a court of law, while Ohio and New Mexico are currently investigating the same matter.

Originally Posted by OARevolution

Yep I was just coming back to confirm the messed up reference levels. I tried forcing certain color spaces and it didn't matter. It was the same thing with the hdmi black levels. I know on the old netflix app right before the video would play my screen would flash black for a second changing the color space correctly and I would get my little info box in the top corner of my tv telling what resolution I'm in. It still flashes black for a second but I don't get any info from my tv like the color space has changed.

I also hate how there is no start over or resume like before and how the video just starts playing. I don't like the fast forward or rewind either. It's harder to tell where you're at. I liked the basic thumbnails they were using.

Originally Posted by Daye

i found a solution to this problem tomorrow morning im takin these xboxes to the pawn shop an then im off to the mall to pick up 2 ps3's

Originally Posted by OARevolution

Yep I was just coming back to confirm the messed up reference levels. I tried forcing certain color spaces and it didn't matter. It was the same thing with the hdmi black levels.

Originally Posted by s1njin

That's the most horrible solution I've ever heard. Play those PS3s and we'll see you back here in a couple months.

Originally Posted by betterdan

From http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-live-status

XBOX LIVE Service

Users may experience difficulties with the following services:
Signing into Xbox LIVE from an Xbox console
Signing into Games for Windows - LIVE on a PC
Signing into Xbox LIVE from Xbox.com
Signing into the Xbox LIVE forums
We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience

Originally Posted by Threefiddie

what's the difference? they both have same games but ps3 has more exclusives. fail logic