While most of the blogosphere is eagerly awaiting Apple’s keynote on Tuesday, we do have something to tide us over - Microsoft’s CES keynote tonight. Microsoft’s keynotes are usually nothing to talk about, but for some reason this year I’m interested in what Bill Gates has to say. Perhaps this is because I’m now a 360 owner and most of the keynote speculation is centered around the Xbox 360. Just read Microsoft’s teaser:

Bill will be joined by Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, in announcing several new offerings from Windows Vista, Xbox 360, Microsoft TV and more.

I’m curious as to what Microsoft has up their sleeve regarding the 360, so just like my Apple post, I thought it would be interesting to write about my Microsoft keynote wish list.

First up, I’m hoping Microsoft announces the next version of the Xbox 360. Thanks to Xbox-Scene, we know it’s out there, and will feature an HDMI port as well as a 120GB hard drive. It’s also expected to have the new 65nm processor, meaning less heat with a lower power consumption.

Now you might be wondering, didn’t I just purchase an Xbox 360? Well, yes, but I’ll also be moving out of the house in a little over a year. Most likely that 360 will stay here for my brother to enjoy, leaving me to purchase one of Microsoft’s updated 360s.

With that said, I’m also hoping that Microsoft releases a larger hard drive for the current model. Now with the ability to download movies and TV shows in the Marketplace, hard drives are filling up quickly, so hopefully Microsoft is on top of it. And, if Microsoft is on top it, let’s hope they don’t charge an arm and a leg for it. I’d be willing to shell out up to $150 for a 120GB hard drive. Any more and I’ll be having second thoughts. Also, I hope they have a convenient method for upgrading the drive. I’m not willing to lose all my game saves just for a hard drive upgrade.

The next enhancement I’m hoping for has just started to be talked about recently. I’m talking about IPTV on an Xbox 360. While the 360 has always been able to integrate with a Media Center PC and stream content to your TV, it hasn’t been able to do it on its own. Now it’s beginning to look like Microsoft may have an IPTV service up their sleeve, letting 360 owners watch internet TV just like a real TV. If this is a reality and it’s cheap, Microsoft may have a customer right here.

Finally, the last enhancement I’m hoping for is something I’ve been wanting since they first announced the 360. I want more codec support. Only supporting Windows Media on the video side is just pitiful. It limits the 360 from being a useful media device. While everyone says the issue lies in the licensing, I know that’s not the case. Look at the Zune; that supports formats other than WMV. Why can’t Microsoft do that with the 360? Alright, Xvid/DivX is mostly out of the picture, but they can at least support H.264. Heck, I’d even pay for the codec in the Marketplace if they would at least offer it.

There you have it. It pretty much boils down to wanting my 360 to be more of a media center. If Microsoft can deliver the goods tonight, I’ll be a very happy customer. Happy enough to forget the iTV all together. Microsoft is already sitting on top of the ultimate media device. It just needs a few more tweaks before it’s perfect.