Digital video service problems rile Xbox users

Microsoft Corp.'s new online digital video download service for its Xbox 360 video game console is off to a rocky start that has users demanding refunds over a host of problems.

People posting to the discussion forums on the Xbox.com website variously complained they were unable to download or view television shows they had bought or movies they had rented through the Xbox Live Marketplace online service. There were also complaintsfrom people claiming they had been charged multiple times for failed downloads, or that the process takes too long.

In a post to his blog late Thursday night, Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb, known by his gaming pseudonym Major Nelson, attributed the problems to high demand for the service that was launched in the United States on Wednesday, the Xbox 360 console's first anniversary.

"We have been experiencing technical difficulties associated with the extremely high number of downloads from the Video Marketplace service over the past 24 hours," Hryb wrote. "The team is dedicated to fixing the issues and continues to work as fast as they can around the clock to get the service running as seamlessly as you have come to expect."

Hryb urged people experiencing problems to contact customer support.

"I will be calling MS [Microsoft] for a refund on my South Park Make Love, Not Warcraft episode since it doesn't work," an Xbox forum member calling himself Toxic Bullets wrote on the message board Friday. "I downloaded 4 times so far, and it just won't play."

"I've been downloading The Unforgiven since around 6 p.m. EST on Wednesday and I'm only at 59 per centnow (10:30 am ET on Friday)," wrote Sith Ninja 75. "I really do hope this gets ironed out. I can usually download a 1 GB [gigabyte] demo in less than 20 minutes."

Refund demanded

"Why launch a service for which you can't deliver what you are promising, yet anyway," wrote Czarborg. "A download should not take freakin days!!!!! I demand a refund for my wait."

Hryb noted that people who receive a message that states Xbox Live points the online store's currency, which can be bought with real money are being deducted from their account when they try to download free content do not have to worry.

"We are NOT deducting points," Hryb wrote.

The digital distribution launch for people with broadband internet connections makes Microsoft the first console maker to offer such a service.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., which launched its own network with its PlayStation 3 console on Nov. 17, currently offers short video clips of movies and video games for download, but plans to increase its offerings.

Nintendo Co. Ltd. has no plans to offer video downloads for its Wii console, but in the new year will offer a version that plays DVDs.