November 26 - 12:40pm EST   Streaming of high-definition Netflix movies should soon be added to a pair of Samsung Blu-ray players, the latter company has announced. The feature will be delivered in the form of a firmware update for the two Blu-ray drives, the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550, as of the first week of December. The players were enabled for streaming standard-definition Netflix content in late October. [full story]

November 18 - 9:35pm EST   Microsoft is set to launch its New Xbox Experience, beginning Wednesday. The update pushes beyond the standard-definition video stream and into the realm of the next-generation Netflix HD. Users will initially have access to 300 movie and TV show titles, with more to be added in the future. Although a Netflix subscription and Xbox Live Gold member ship are both required for the HD content, the system diverges from competitors by allowing unlimited streaming instead of charging for each viewing. [full story]

October 13 - 11:50pm EDT   Microsoft is enticing Xbox 360 Core and Arcade system owners to acquire a high-capacity 512MB memory module or 20GB hard drive, offering an upgrade path for interested users. The program is designed to prepare lower-end Xbox 360 owners for the upcoming user interface update, coming November 19th. Core systems can be eligible for either a free 512MB memory module, or a $20 20GB hard drive, while Arcade owners can pay $30 for the 20GB hard drive, with three months of Xbox Live Gold. [full story]

August 20 - 4:00pm EDT   Microsoft plans to halt the sale of any unauthorized Xbox Live software at the App Store, one developer claims. 1337pwn says that its Xbox Live Friends Application -- which lets people see what others are playing on their Xboxes of Xbox 360s -- was recently challenged by Microsoft, which is responsible for all facets of Xbox gaming. 1337pwn comments, though, that Microsoft appears only to be concerned about people turning a profit on its technology, as it has given permission for XLFA to be distributed for free. [full story]

May 28 - 1:20pm EDT   Amazon is about to launch an on-demand video service, the company's chief Jeff Bezos said today at the Wall Street Journal's D Conference. Expanding on the company's existing Unbox download feature, the retailer will launch a paid streaming service "in the next few weeks," according to the executive. No details beyond this early news are available, though the move would directly compete with a similar option from Netflix, whose Watch Instantly feature is largely web-based and requires a regular Netflix subscription of $9 or more. [full story]