14 DAY TRIAL // A series of sources from inside Microsoft have said that the company is working on something called Project Orapa, which will be launched before the end of 2011 and will bring Internet based television, known as IPTV, to the Xbox 360 home console in the United States.
The sources have told ZDNet that Microsoft is incorporating into Orapa some elements from Ventura, another long-term project that will deliver video and music on demand to the home console and that Mediaroom functionality will also be included.
It seems that Microsoft is keen on using African names for its projects, as Orapa is apparently a city somewhere in Botswana, just as Project Natal was named after a place in South Africa.
It's not clear whether gamers will have to pay more in order to get Orapa or if it will be included in the close to 60 dollars for a year that Xbox 360 users pay in order to have access to the Xbox Live Gold service.
The sources are not saying what kind of content will be delivered via project Orapa, but last fall there were rumors that Microsoft was in talks with cable networks across the United States, seeking permission to stream their content to those who have an Xbox 360 and no longer want to use their cable service.
Microsoft first promised IPTV services for the Xbox 360 in the United States in 2007 and repeated the promise in 2008, but the project has not been officially talked about since then.
In the United Kingdom, Xbox 360 users have IPTV services as part of the deal with Sky.
By bringing television to the gaming console, Microsoft is trying to broaden the possible customers for its platform, which in the last few months has managed to beat the PlayStation 3 from Sony in term of sales and might end 2011 with better sales numbers than the Nintendo Wii.