Ever felt too tired to pick up the remote control in order to watch TV? The Kinect will have the ability to replace the zapper later this year with voice controlled search powered by Bing, including shows on Hulu Plus, ESPN, Netflix and other media types.

Thanks to a deal with Sky TV in the UK and other operators elsewhere in the world, you will also be able to get live TV, presumably with various PVR features.

Full press releases after the jump.

What if you could find your favorite games, music, movies and TV shows, just with the sound of your voice? What if you could ask your TV to find “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” and it did — instantly? What if you wanted to listen to Coldplay and all you had to do was tell your TV and it responded by playing the Coldplay songs you love? Only on Xbox 360 is your entertainment together in one place — and now you will be able to find it with your voice.

Microsoft Corp. today kicked off the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) by solving the challenge of finding the entertainment you want, quickly and easily. The solution: voice search with Bing on Xbox 360. Bing on Xbox searches Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN, as well as music, video and Xbox LIVE Marketplace to find exactly the entertainment you want to enjoy. With Bing on Xbox and Kinect for Xbox 360, you can effortlessly find the games, movies, TV shows, sports and music you want. You say it, Xbox finds it.

“This is an incredible time of growth and innovation for our business leveraging technologies that see us, hear us and connect us all together,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This year by bringing together the power of Kinect for Xbox 360 and the intelligence of Bing, we are transforming how people enjoy entertainment.”

Over the past two years, Microsoft has joined with some of the world’s largest TV operators to bring live television to Xbox LIVE in the United Kingdom with Sky TV, in France with Canal+ and in Australia with FOXTEL. Now, Microsoft has announced its commitment to expand access to live television programming on Xbox 360 to more providers in the United States and around the world during the upcoming year. Consumers will enjoy news, sports and their favorite local channels, all just a voice command away, on Xbox 360. Also this year, Microsoft is teaming up with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)* to bring the depth of the world’s best mixed martial arts programming to Xbox LIVE. Featuring live matches, classic fights, interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes looks into the lives of the world’s greatest fighters, access the octagon in an all-new interactive way only through Xbox 360.

As well as adding more entertainment with UFC, Microsoft is building on its expansive catalog of tens of thousands of movies and TV shows available on demand from Hulu Plus, Netflix and Zune by bringing YouTube** to Xbox 360. You will gain access to great “Web original” content from around the world — the latest videos, gaming tips and a universe of compelling content. And for the first time ever, you can control YouTube videos just by using your voice. A great way to experience YouTube is now on Xbox 360.

Did you miss “The Social Network” in the theater? You will be able to simply tell your television what you want to watch and choose from the multiple sources on Xbox 360 that may be offering it live or on demand. Want to play the latest viral videos from YouTube from the comfort of your couch? Xbox 360 and the magic of Kinect make it as easy as using your voice. Xbox 360 brings together the entertainment you want, whether it’s movies, TV shows, music, sports, or your favorite games, available instantly with the command of your voice through Bing on Xbox 360 and Kinect.

 

WHAT IS KINECT?
Kinect for Xbox 360 brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways, no controller required. While everyone else puts more gadgets and gizmos into your hands, Kinect removes the last barrier between you and the experiences you love and it will work with every Xbox 360 console.¹

Simply step in front of the sensor and Kinect recognizes you and responds to your gestures. See a ball? Kick it. Want to watch a movie? Say “Xbox, play.” Want to join a friend? Whether they are across the room, across the street or across the globe, connecting in a whole new way is as easy as a wave of your hand.

CONTROLLER-FREE FUN. Kinect is easy to use and instantly fun for everyone. No matter what your age or where you’re from, you already know how to use Kinect. With Kinect, friends and family get off the couch to dance, dodge, leap and kick using the whole body and voice to play – no controller required.

Entertainment. Kinect for Xbox 360 works with Xbox LIVE to transform your living room into a sports stadium and it allows you to navigate your favorite movies, music and live sports with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice.²
·         Voice search. Finding the right entertainment is easy when you are the controller. Coming Holiday 2011, you say it, and Xbox finds it immediately, regardless of where your favorite entertainment resides across Xbox LIVE. Through the simplicity of Kinect and the intelligence of Bing on Xbox, you’ll have the ability to find entertainment content on your Xbox 360 system including games, movies, TV shows, sports and music.
·         Video Kinect. Share a smile and a wave with faraway friends and family members as you come together from living rooms around the world with Video Kinect, no headset required.⁴
·         Sports. ESPN on Xbox LIVE takes sports to the next level by combining the leader in sports with the power of Xbox LIVE. The magic of Kinect gets you right in the action and brings the stadium experience into your living room.⁵
·         Movies, TV and music. With Hulu Plus, Netflix, Zune video and music as well as Last.fm you can instantly stream your favorite music and videos, and with Kinect for Xbox 360, your voice becomes the remote control. Can’t find the remote? Easily play, pause, rewind and fast forward the movie, TV show or music you are enjoying with voice or gesture commands.
·         Social. The one-of-a-kind Kinect Hub puts all your favorite controller-free experiences in one place. Kinect recognizes you, so you can easily sign in to your profile by stepping in front of the sensor. Access and browse your entertainment with just the wave of your hand. No gadgets or gizmos. Just you.
·         Games. Kinect gives you the freedom to play the way you want. Jump, duck, spin. It’s made for you and is designed to get everyone off the couch and cheering together. New games this year include sequals to hit titles like “Kinect Sports: Season Two” and “Dance Central 2” as well as “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures,” “Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster,” “Kinect Star Wars” and “Fable: The Journey.” Kinect offers a large portfolio of games with something for everyone.  Additionally, blockbuster franchises just got better with Kinect. Ubisoft announced at E3 2011 that all “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon” and “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell” titles will be Kinect enhanced, starting with “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier” this year. Additionally, the beloved “Mass Effect” franchise will return with Kinect functionality with “Mass Effect 3” in 2012.
·         Kinect Fun Labs: Kinect Fun Labs brings exciting innovation to Kinect for Xbox 360 owners and offers more extraordinary ways to have fun. Create magical moments with never-before-seen Kinect technology, including player capture, object scanning and finger tracking. Choose from a variety of Gadgets in Kinect Fun Labs — turn yourself into a bobblehead, bring your favorite stuffed animal to life or create art with your fingertips.

MAGIC OF KINECT TECHNOLOGY . Awarded with the record for “fastest selling consumer electronics device,” by the Guiness World Reocrds and deemed a “breakthrough innovation” by Popular Mechanics, the “best of what’s new” by Popular Science and awarded with the National Parenting Publications Awards Gold Award, Kinect for Xbox 360  demonstrates a new era of entertainment.  It uses a sensor to track your body movement and recognize your face. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak, you and your friends will be able to jump instantly into any Kinect experience. Here’s a quick look at how we do it:
·         Kinect sensor. Kinect combines an RGB camera, depth sensor and multiarray microphone running proprietary software that brings Kinect experiences to every Xbox 360 console.¹ The Kinect sensor tracks full-body movement and individual voices, turning you into the controller for social entertainment available only on Xbox 360.
·         RGB camera. Kinect has a video camera that delivers the three basic color components. As part of the Kinect sensor, the RGB camera helps enable facial recognition and more.
·         Depth sensor. An infrared projector combined with a monochrome CMOS sensor allows Kinect to see the room in 3-D (as opposed to inferring the room from a 2-D image) under any lighting conditions.
·         Multiarray microphone. Kinect has a microphone that will be able to locate voices by sound and extract ambient noise. The multiarray microphone will enable headset-free Xbox LIVE party chat and more.
·         Microsoft software. A proprietary software layer makes the magic of Kinect possible. This layer differentiates Kinect from any other technology on the market through its ability to enable human body recognition and extract other visual noise.