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Recently, there has been a flurry of rumors about a big announcement from Microsoft at this year’s GDC. In our podcast, we thought maybe a new SKU or Gears of War 2, but it could be something a little less gaming related.

Last week, it seems that a letter was sent out to Netflix subscribers letting them know that they could soon rent movies by using their Xbox Live account. One only has to do some simple math in their head to see where this could be leading. It could be a great way for Microsoft to get a ton of movies on their download service, and would make the loss of HD-DVD much more palettable. It would also give Microsoft and Netflix a huge footprint in the digital video rental market.

image and idea via msnbc.com

So what rental model with this possible service use? Currently, when you rent from Netflix, you get the rental until you send it back. Will this model work the same way on the 360. Currently, when you rent a movie on the Live Marketplace, you only get it for two weeks and it is gone 24 hours after you start watching the movie. Which way will prevail is the question most would like to see answered.

Another issue is pricing. Netflix is a flat fee price, where you have a monthly subscription, and get all you can watch, albeit, one to three movies at a time. The Live Marketplace works on a per movie cost, and you cannot keep the movie for as long as you like. I would think that a points based subscription fee would be the wisest way to go. Make the service 800-1200 points a month, with up to three movies downloaded without a timeout.

Being a PC gamer, I wonder if this service would ever work its way over to the Live for WIndows market. Currently, I would have to say no, as Microsoft seems to have forgotten that the Live for Windows initiative even exists. It would also end up having to compete with the Netflix instant download service that they already offer on the PC, so I doubt this would fly.

Keep watching this space to see if something comes up during the conference. As soon as something is released, we will let you all know.