Xbox Video, Xbox Music Preview land on Windows Phone
Xbox's media-streaming apps bring video, TV shows, and music to Windows Phone. Both are available for download today.
Two new Xbox media apps hit the Windows Phone store today: Xbox Video and Xbox Music Preview. The apps let you stream movies, TV shows, and music right to your Windows Phone device.
With Microsoft's Xbox Video service, you can purchase movies and TV shows from your Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 8 device, or from the Xbox Video website. You can then watch those videos on your Xbox consoles, computer, or Windows 8 tablet.
Now, Windows Phone has been added to that list. All you need to do is download Xbox Video and log in with your Microsoft account to access the content you've rented or purchased. You get to choose whether to stream videos over your Wi-Fi or data signal, or download them to your device for offline access.
The app comes with a few extra helpful features. One is the ability to sync playback across devices, so if you start watching a movie on your phone during your commute, you can pick up where you left off on your Xbox when you get home. If you sign up for a Season Pass for a TV show, new episodes will automatically show up in the app when available. Additionally, Xbox Video on Windows Phone includes Rotten Tomatoes reviews and Metacritic scores so you can separate the good from the terrible flops.
Also launching today is Xbox Music Preview. This app is an early-access look at what's to come, meaning it doesn't have all the functionality of Xbox Music's Windows 8 app and Web service up front. Microsoft says to expect a final version to launch in 2014.
While the app itself is free, you'll need an Xbox Music Pass account to use it, which costs $10 per month or $99.90 per year. With Xbox Music Preview you can stream any of tens of millions of songs in the catalog and download them to your phone so you can listen without a signal.
Both apps are available for download starting today.