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Xbox brings video and TV show streaming to the Web

Microsoft's Xbox Video store makes its way to the Web, but a Windows Phone app is still "coming soon."

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
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Dara Kerr
The Xbox Video store is now on the Web. Screenshot by Dara Kerr/CNET

Xbox has made another move in its attempt to be all about home entertainment. Microsoft announced Wednesday that it has brought the Xbox Video store to the Web.

What this means is users can now watch movies and TV shows from the Xbox Video store in Web browsers using Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in, in addition to on their Xbox or Windows 8.1 device. Movies and television series are available for rental at XboxVideo.com and users can also watch whatever they've already purchased -- since all content is stored in the cloud.

This new feature works similarly to the Xbox Video app for Windows 8.1 and looks and feels like Xbox Music for Web. Microsoft boasts that it has a "catalog of more than 300,000 movies and TV episodes." Users can watch their shows on XboxVideo.com, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows 8.1 PCs and tablets.

One of Microsoft's goals for Xbox One is to make the console a comprehensive living room entertainment system -- connecting cable TV, gaming, and video in one single user interface. It appears that Xbox Video for the Web adds to this idea of being all-inclusive.

Microsoft's new video feature is available in 21 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the UK, and more. The company also announced Wednesday that its Windows Phone app for Xbox Video is "coming soon."