Microsoft: Project Natal Will Revolutionize TV

Microsoft: Project Natal Will Revolutionize TV Microsoft: Project Natal Will Revolutionize TV

Microsoft's Project Natal could revolutionize the TV watching experience by replacing the traditional remote control and scheduling programs based on the in-room audience's preferences, Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten envisioned during the Streaming Media West show.

Whitten explained that the increase in video services such as Netflix was one of the biggest surprises of the current generation of consoles and that it will require a "new, easier to use controller" than the traditional remote control.

"With the flick of my wrist I can change a channel," he praised Natal. "With the power of my voice I can start a movie."

"I don't believe we are currently in the golden age of the television or the golden age of the game console or the golden age of the Internet; frankly, five years from now I don't know that you'll be able to tell the difference between those worlds," Whitten added.

The XBLA executive also suggested that in the future content would be organized according to brands and/or the user - with additional content being suggested automatically. "The context is not 1 billion channels, but one," he explained. "One channel, with what I want, when I want it."