An excerpt from an email I received earlier today:

I’ll be recording an posting a video to YouTube sometime tomorrow, but in the mean time, here are the juicy bits.

Parties:
It’s now easier to join and be invited to parties. You also have the ability to ‘sort’ your friends list.

Account Management:
I think it’s slightly gimmicky, but Xbox Live Gold members now have a badge against their IDs to signify the length of their membership. The premise being, the longer you’ve been a member, the more hardcore you are.

Avatar Marketplace:
This is a feature I’ve been waiting to see hit the Dashboard. With the latest version of the Xbox dashboard, you’re now able to purchase new content for avatar. Great for customizing your personal avatar.

Video Display Options:
Nothing to see here, other than a new feature to auto-detect monitor settings. Not too sure about this, but it’s nothing that affects me.

User Ratings:
A step in the right direction, helping users find high quality content quicker and easier. Rate games and movies.

Games On Demand:
The selection of games remains in the realm of original Xbox titles, but this is bound to see systematic update with more recent content. Download full Xbox 360 games to your consol, no CD required.

UI Improvements:
The big difference I’ve noticed here is the addition of several categories, such as ‘Most Popular’, ‘Highest Rating’ etc...

Console Settings:
A tweak here and there. Yawn.

What are you most excited to see?