Xbox One getting media player with USB and DLNA support 'soon'

Microsoft will release an Xbox One media player with support for a wide variety of file formats and playback from USB devices and DLNA media servers "soon," the company announced today.

The upcoming Media Player app will debut in a preview of an Xbox One system update with support for files on USB storage. Microsoft will later add the capacity to stream media from a network-based home media server that supports DLNA protocols. The Xbox One "will support more formats than Xbox 360," according to Microsoft. Compatibility with formats such as MKV, animated GIF and MPEG-2 TS will be added to the Media Player app "by the end of the year." You can see the full list, which boasts more than 30 file formats, on the Xbox Wire.

Once it is released, the Media Player app will fulfill a promise Microsoft made shortly before the launch of the Xbox One last November. Back then, Microsoft said it was working to make the console DLNA-compatible, an announcement the company made after Sony confirmed the PlayStation 4 wouldn't support DLNA servers or audio CD playback.

Microsoft also said today that markets set to receive the Digital TV Tuner, an accessory the company announced last week for Europe, will be able to stream television from their console to their smartphones and tablets using the Xbox One SmartGlass app. The feature will allow users to pause and rewind live TV, and change channels, without interrupting gameplay on the console. And soon, TV-watching Xbox One owners will be able to set their console to boot directly into TV mode.

For more on Microsoft from Gamescom 2014, check out our StoryStream.