Like all dedicated Xbox 360 fanboys, I’ve spent my morning delving into Engadget and Gizmodo’s New Xbox Experience (NXE) coverage. Buried within Engadget’s write-up was one very compelling picture (above) and related commentary:

A small perk — but huge deal as far as we’re concerned — is the inclusion of a limited amount of HD content. We previewed Heroes in HD, and the quality was stunning. Right now there’s only about 300 titles on offer, but we think after folks get a taste of this, they’ll be begging for some expansion.

The inclusion of select HD streaming is quite promising, especially in conjunction with the new Starz lineup and as long as Netflix continues to freely bundle online video with unlimited disc rental plans. Though I wonder if this will be an Xbox-only exclusive for now, or if we’ll be seeing HD streaming on computers and other hardware platforms soon. We do know the Roku Netflix box is capable of outputting HD resolutions, but is the hardware capable of crunching and caching the content? Remember, most 360s have plenty of hard drive storage…

While the Xbox team was taking preview applicants, I imagine most of us will be impatiently awaiting the official launch of NXE on November 19th.

Back in the day, when the M stood for Music, I spent many an hour parked in front of the tube watching Headbangers Ball and Yo! MTV Raps. I currently have no idea what MTV is about, and Comcast should feel free to drop them from my lineup. But I’m exceedingly happy to discover tons of classic videos have now been made available at MTVMusic.com. The library looks quite large and the videos are even embeddable (above). However, I’d like to see a little more detail on the video page (how about original air date), track purchase links to iTunes or Amazon MP3 (hey, make some money), and of course higher resolutions. And ultimately, I’d like to see the content back on my television. So, let me create a bunch of web playlists and stream them to my Roku box, Xbox, whatever. I’m willing pay.

Leave your recommendations in the comments, and here’s a few to get you started:

• Panama, Van Halen
• You Can Call Me Al, Paul Simon
• Walk This Way, Aerosmith & Run DMC

Sonos, whole-home audio provider, is one of the very few product lines that seems universally loved. Everyone I know with a system, swears by it. While at Sling, I often crossed paths with Sonos foot soldiers at various events. But I finally got a chance to sit down with CEO John MacFarlane a couple of weeks ago - to see their new Sonos iPhone Controller in action. And more fascinating than the software itself is iPhone Controller back story. Sonos has heard the touchscreen requests, but hybrid analog/touchscreen prototypes didn’t fare well in their usability testing and pure a touchscreen device was uncomfortable for some. Whereas the iPhone demographic is obviously already in tune with touchscreen conventions. The free Sonos iPhone Controller can supplement or replace the existing Sonos Controller ($400) - effectively lowering the cost of entry for many. However, Sonos still has a marketing challenge in communicating to potential customers exactly what components are needed and I can’t say they’re priced for the casual audiophile.

In addition to the new iPhone App, Sonos is also introducing additional Internet streaming services today: Last.FM (scrobbling across all sources!), audio podcasts, and over 15,000 radio stations are available via Sonos Software 2.7.

Not to sound like a broken record, but Cooliris just keeps getting cooler every day. I fired up the plug-in to show my parents over the weekend, and noticed that the app now has an option for TV episodes. (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there before, or at least it wasn’t separated out from some more general video category.) I clicked on the link and immediately got a wall of videos showing recent popular TV episodes. As natural as anything, I selected the latest SNL episode with Tina Fey from Hulu, and my mom and I watched it right there at the kitchen table.

If you haven’t yet tried Cooliris, go download it now. (Works with Mac, Windows, Firefox and IE) The interface is so smooth, and the company keeps adding new features. An iPhone app came out earlier this month, and I’m still discovering early features I didn’t know existed (like a PowerPoint plug-in). A lot of people still haven’t heard of Cooliris yet, but at the rate it’s developing and adding content partners, that’s going to change very soon.

Until I find the time to crank out a proper ZvBox review, anyone can now give the promising Zviewer dashboard a spin. The Mozilla-based software is being releasing today as a public beta, without requiring an investment in $500 ZvBox hardware. While Zviewer will pretty much work on any PC (Mac support is coming), the main benefit of the large, lean-back interface is achieved by utilizing it in conjunction with a living room PC and remote control. I like where they’re going with this, though the top priorities going forward should be capturing more web video content before new windows can be spawned and working with sites for universal transport controls. From a marketing angle, giving away the software is a great way to get the word out on ZvBox.

Zviewer can take you anywhere on the web, or to the content and applications that you have on your computer, providing practically unlimited video on demand. Users with Microsoft Media Center-compatible remote controls will gain TV-like remote navigation using Zviewer, and functions like Play and Pause will work natively on popular websites such as Hulu. ZeeVee’s ZvRemote includes additional features such as a Full Screen button, on-screen keyboard for text input, and complete mouse control via a touchpad—allowing you to operate any website or desktop application from the couch.

While the screenshot above depicts a Windows-based laptop, you’ll soon likely see a Macbook in Netflix’s ads. For quite a while Windows users have had Netflix Watch Instantly Now video streaming - Mac users have had to sit by and wait or attempt virtualization. Well with Microsoft’s Silverlight, Netflix video streaming is finally arriving for most OS X users. I say most because it will only work on Intel-based Macs. Note, that as now, there’s no official word on the Netflix site, but my guess is we’ll see more info today given the press release EngadgetHD has posted.

The deployment, which will initially touch a small percentage of new Netflix subscribers, is the first step in an anticipated roll-out of the new platform to all Netflix subscribers by the end of the year. It is expected that Netflix members who watch movies and TV episodes instantly on their computers will enjoy a faster, easier connection and a more robust viewing experience with Silverlight, due to the quality built directly into the player. Among the viewing enhancements with the new player is a breakthrough in timeline navigation that vastly improves the use of fast-forwarding and rewinding.

Check out more of Brent’s reflections on tech, gadgets, software and media at Brent Evans Geek Tonic.

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs:

• Vista Media Center Update Breaks CableCARD Recording: Brent Evans Geek Tonic
• What We’re Learning from HD Consumers: Connected Home 2 Go
• XBox 360 Teases MSNBC iVoD in Canada: The Daleisphere
• “The Debate” on LTE: Connected Home 2 Go
• New Remote Management Software for IP Set-Tops: Connected Home 2 Go