Facebook on Xbox - this fall (and better looking movies, too)

Microsoft took pains to further position the Xbox 360 as an entertainment hub at its pre-E3 press conference today.

The company announced several new partnerships with Facebook, Twitter and last.fm – all set to begin this fall. It also announced plans to beef up the quality of its video content, with all HD movies and television shows in its 18,000 title collection being made available in 1008p this fall.

Additionally, it will no longer require users to download a film before they can begin watching. A new “instant on” feature will allow purchases to begin playing immediately.

Microsoft also plans to extend the number of countries it offers the content in from eight to 18.

The changes will take place as Microsoft begins integrating that portion of Xbox Live with the upcoming Zune HD. 

Microsoft and Sony have been competing for film and movies fans as fiercely as they have been for gamers this generation. Both companies believe the key to becoming an indispensible part of the living room is to appeal to all members of the family, including the ones they can't convert into gamers.  

Also this fall, Facebook and Twitter users will be able to update their status via the Xbox 360, as well as track friends’s updates, photos, etc. Players will also be able to instantly post screenshots from games they are playing starting with the release of the new “Tiger Woods”. The other features will go live this fall.

The last.fm partnership, which will also go live this fall (sensing the trend?), will be another part of the integration with Microsoft’s Zune HD. The service will let users stream music through their Xbox and will be free to Xbox Live gold subscribers.