Xbox LIVE’s Sky Player service is now up, running and fully functioning. Well, sort of...

Our early efforts to use the newly-launched service were slightly hampered by yawn-worthy log-in procedures and error messages suggesting that there are still a few teething troubles to sort out. Would-be viewers will need Xbox LIVE Gold membership to join the TV party, though, with prices starting at £15 a month for non-Sky subscribers or £10 a month for existing Sky customers upgrading to the Multiroom service.

That buys the basic ‘Entertainment Pack’ which features over 20 live channels, including G.O.L.D., Sky Real Lives, Sky Arts 1, Sky News and MTV One, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, History and Eden. Meanwhile sports fans get Sky Sports News, British Eurosport and ESPN Classic, and there’s Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Nick Jr for the nippers.

Beyond that lies a fulsome spread of paid-for packages to suit consumers with more demanding televisual needs. All contain the Entertainment Pack as standard and are as follows:

£25 - Sky Sports 1 OR Sky Sports 2 + Sky Sports Xtra
£34 - Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 + Sky Sports Xtra
£24 - Sky Movies Screen 1 OR Screen 2
£32 - Sky Movies Screen 1 + Screen 2
£33 - One movie channel + one sports channel + Sky Sports Xtra
£38 - One movie channel + all sports channels, OR vice versa, + Sky Sports Xtra
£41 - All sports and movie channels (From £9 per month extra - ESPN).

Users will be able to access thousands of hours of free and paid-for content too. Recently broadcast programs can be viewed for under a Quid, there are Premiere League highlights to watch again and over 400 on-demand movies from the outset. Prices will vary, obviously.

All content is streamed, thus Sky recommends a 2Mbps broadband connection in order to get the most out of the service. This includes seamless access to the ‘Avatar Party Mode’, whereby viewers can watch and chat about live telly with their Xbox LIVE mates. Excellent fun during the Big Match, no doubt.

Finally there are a couple of introductory offers to tempt and tantalise – a three month subscription for the price of two, and a special Sky Player bundle which includes a single month Sky sub, a three month Xbox LIVE Gold membership and a useful Media Remote. The latter’s priced at £29.99.

And that’s pretty much all there is to know, although Xbox.com/skyplayer has more info if you need it. Otherwise the Xbox LIVE Sky Player is finally GO. So, like, go get it!