Microsoft announced today, as a precursor to Windows Phone 8.1, the unbundling of Xbox Music and Xbox Video from the core Windows Phone operating system.
The two apps will be made available from the Windows Store, allowing the Apple and Google competitor to promote new features without waiting for a system update. Xbox Video is a cross-platform TV and movie streaming platform that is available on Windows 8 PCs and Xbox consoles; users have the option to stream each title from the cloud or download them for offline watching later on. Like iTunes, Xbox Video offers movie Seasons Pass support, bringing new TV shows to devices as they’re made available.
Newly added to this new version is the synchronization of placement between platforms, so continuing a movie on a phone after starting it on a Windows PC is easy.
Xbox Music Preview is an update to the existing preloaded version that comes with each Windows Phone 8 device, and allows Xbox Music Passholders to test the new features that will become standard next year when WP 8.1 is released. At this point, the updates are minor: playlist synchronization across devices and minor aesthetic updates. An Xbox Music Pass, like many of its streaming competitors, costs $9.99 per month.
[source]Xbox Music, Xbox Video[/source]
