Temporary Sky Player hiccup for Xbox 360 users

by Stevie Smith - Oct 28 2009, 15:45

With main videogame rival Sony this week announcing a catch-up deal to bring popular movie and TV streaming service Netflix to the PlayStation 3, Microsoft’s plan to provide Xbox 360 owners with access to the Sky Player entertainment platform has been hit by a technical snag.

Due to officially launch on Tuesday of this week – taking some of the shine off Sony’s Netflix deal in the process – the Sky Player was met with immediate problems when Xbox 360 owners attempting to use the live and on-demand content service were greeted with little more than an error message.

“The service has been suspended due to an unforeseen technical issue,” explained Sky in an official statement. “Sky Player engineers are hard at work to resolve the problem.”

With Sky hopeful of having Sky Player back up and running some time during Wednesday, online console gamers equipped with Microsoft’s hardware will eventually be able to enjoy access to the service through package-specific monthly subscriptions ranging between 15 GBP and 50 GBP.

Limited to users in the United Kingdom (damn!), Sky Player will offer up a wealth of live programming from Sky Sports, including Premier League football, along with various on-demand entertainment shows through Sky One.

Although the Sky Player’s content does not come in high-definition (HD) quality, one added perk is that it enables Xbox 360 owners to chat together using headsets while enjoying their desired entertainment. Access requires a minimum 2Mbps broadband connection to ensure smooth delivery.

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