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[VALIS]

If there have been any good articles or parts of articles explaining in more detail 360's media streaming capabilities, I'd really appreciate the link.

Even though I'm a huge fan of higher end stereo equipment and especially vinyl, within the last year I've been making the "switch" over to wireless mp3 receivers and fuckin' LOVE IT. I have a pair of the Creative Soundblaster Wireless Music receivers and use them all the time, one of the most useful new devices in years, IMO.

I would assume the 360 will use MS's already existing Windows Media Center, although probably an altered version. How does it organize mp3 files? Please tell me it uses the mp3's embedded ID3v2 tags. Also please tell me you can sort by genre and artist.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I think what worries me about their network media functionality is that MS will be stupid enough to make require their Windows Media Center OS which barely anyone has and you can't buy. If that's the case, I guess I'm stuck with using the much better Xbox w/ Xbox Media Center. Too bad the Xbox 360 won't have the flexibility and compatibility of a modded Xbox since it certainly would be nice to have something that could process HDTV quality video.

 

[rc213]

Built-in Media Center Extender for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

That's from the Console Specs sheet on xbox.com, so if u look up reviews on the Media Center Extender out for Xbox u might find some more info on how it might work. Other than that I havent seen any specifics of how it will work. Im hoping someone does a write up on it soon.

 

[Ghost]

I think what worries me about their network media functionality is that MS will be stupid enough to make require their Windows Media Center OS which barely anyone has and you can't buy. .

Nope, specs say any Media center Or XP PC.

 

[chinch]

do you need a "XP media center PC" or any PC on the network?

reading about the multimedia aspects of 360 is VERY impressive... but not if xp media center is required

 

[Marty Chinn]

Nope, specs say any Media center Or XP PC.

Awesome. Now we just need to know what kind of compatibility it will have. Will it do Divx? Xvid? ogm? mkv? ts?

 

[3rdman]

I think what worries me about their network media functionality is that MS will be stupid enough to make require their Windows Media Center OS which barely anyone has and you can't buy. If that's the case, I guess I'm stuck with using the much better Xbox w/ Xbox Media Center. Too bad the Xbox 360 won't have the flexibility and compatibility of a modded Xbox since it certainly would be nice to have something that could process HDTV quality video.

I could be wrong, but looking back at the Xbox Media Extender seemed to be more of a "proving ground" for what seems to have been the 360. It seems almost as though it was a Beta test before it is fully implemented in the 360. I could be wrong...

Edit....good, my XP pc is good to go!

 

[rc213]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/factsheet.htm

It says XP and Media Center Based PC's. Now the only thing we need to know is as Marty Chinn mentioned, how deep compatability is. Im hoping for something atleast equal to XBMC now on the xbox. <drool>

 

[chinch]

if you go by his (erroneous) statements on DS wireless connectivity, marty is not someone you want to listen to

 

[PanopticBlue]

No way are they stupid enough to limit it to media center pcs.. They probably felt owned by the homebrew scene and XBMC, and tried to get every feature that XBMC has into 360.

And I can tell you right now, it's going to kick all kinds of ass. I have recently ripped my wife's and my entire cd collection to my pc, and I use XBMC all the time, streaming my music and it is absolutely awesome. I can't wait to be able to use all that for custom soundtracks on 360.

 

[quin]

doesn't it say

Built-in Media Center Extender for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

?

 

[Oracle Dragon]

I like having all my TV shows stored, and can access them from one menu.. its like having a Tivo with a 1TB drive! And no recording... but its still great

 

[golem]

people buy windows OSes? anyways u can get the OEM media center from several places online...

 

[Marty Chinn]

if you go by his (erroneous) statements on DS wireless connectivity, marty is not someone you want to listen to

What "erroneous" statements? I said that if you listened to what Iwata stated, it wouldn't be possible without an additional adaptor. That turned out to be true. In order to get it so you hide all the stuff, you HAVE to buy their router. Otherwise you can't hide stuff like the WEP key and people will have to enter it in. Nothing I said was "erroneous" at all. In fact, I was completely right.

 

[chinch]

What "erroneous" statements? I said that if you listened to what Iwata stated, it wouldn't be possible without an additional adaptor. That turned out to be true. In order to get it so you hide all the stuff, you HAVE to buy their router. Otherwise you can't hide stuff like the WEP key and people will have to enter it in. Nothing I said was "erroneous" at all. In fact, I was completely right.

let it go no need to dig up the thread.

 

[DopeyFish]

it's not limiteed to media center pcs

 

[jedimike]

doesn't it say

?

read the the whole thread

Amplify your music, photos, video, and TV. Watch progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box. Rip music to the Xbox 360 hard drive and share your latest digital pictures with friends. Make the connection, and Xbox 360 instantly streams the digital media stored on your MP3 player, digital camera, Media Center PC, or any Microsoft® Windows® XP-based PC.

I swear... people are bitching about the 360 without even knowing any of the facts.

 

[chinch]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/factsheet.htm

Digital Media Support
* Support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD
* Ability to stream media from portable music devices, digital cameras and Windows XP-based PCs
* Ability to rip music to the Xbox 360 hard drive
* Custom playlists in every game
* Built-in Media Center Extender for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
* Interactive, full-screen 3-D visualizers

Digital entertainment: Amplify your music, photos, video, and TV. Watch progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box. Rip music to the Xbox 360 hard drive and share your latest digital pictures with friends. Make the connection, and Xbox 360 instantly streams the digital media stored on your MP3 player, digital camera, Media Center PC, or any Microsoft® Windows® XP-based PC.

 

[akascream]

I wonder if they are using MS network shares. It would be nice if you could keep a bunch of stuff on an existing server and use samba.

Probably not though, if it has to be an XP machine. I wonder how that will all work.

 

[VALIS]

Their spec sheets say you can stream media files from any Windows XP PC, so I wonder if 360's will come with a cd-rom with a version of Windows Media Center 2005 to install on your PC. It needs some type of software to organize the media files and communicate between the 360 and your PC. Unless that's built into the 360, but I doubt it. Why use the 360's resources to catalog all that data when your PC is much better suited for the job?

If any journalists/editors are reading this, please try to dedicate one of your E3 articles to details on the 360's media streaming capabilities. Thanks.

 

[joaomgcd]

Do you guys reckon it will support divx, xvid and stuff like that? It wouldn't be of much use if it only supports WMV and MPG, IMO...

 

[The Faceless Master]

so who else is gonna stream music from their PSP?

 

[jedimike]

I wonder if they are using MS network shares. It would be nice if you could keep a bunch of stuff on an existing server and use samba.

Probably not though, if it has to be an XP machine. I wonder how that will all work.

You'll have to load a front end client on your XP based PC. That client will mange your 360's (if you have more than one) and will also manage your share directories.

If you have a series 2 TiVo with the desktop app loaded on your PC, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Expect something similar.*

*disclaimer - all speculation

 

[chespace]

I talk about it here:

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=3&cId=3140209

Scroll down past Joanna Dark's face.

 

[CaptainABAB]

Media Center edition will be required to stream stuff you captured via the DVR stuff of Media Center. That is what an MCE extender is usually used for. Plus, it puts the MCE interface on the TV hooked up to the xbox.

XP will be used for accessing plain jane downloaded videos, mp3's - but you won't get the MCE interface.


Another example: if you download a weather plug-in for MCE, you can access that via 360.

(ALL OF THIS IS MY SPECULATION)

 

[mrklaw]

Scroll down past Joanna Dark's face.

can I close my eyes while I do that bit?

 

[fse]

So I guess you might not be able to use a Mac to stream stuff to it?

 

[Ponn]

So this doesn't have WiFi built in? That seems a bit vague too, it says wifi ready and on some other spec sheets it says something about a Xbox 360 wifi network adapter.

 

[Pedigree Chum]

So this doesn't have WiFi built in? That seems a bit vague too, it says wifi ready and on some other spec sheets it says something about a Xbox 360 wifi network adapter.

Wi-Fi is not built-in, its an adaptor that needs to be purchased separately.

 

[trmas]

It looks like the current XBox wireless adapter will work. It freaking better...

 

[jedimike]

It looks like the current XBox wireless adapter will work. It freaking better...

yes, current adapters will work fine... usb adapters are cheaper than ethernet bridges though. So those people without adapters will want to get usb, which can be found a lot of times for free after rebate.

 

[Pedigree Chum]

yes, current adapters will work fine... usb adapters are cheaper than ethernet bridges though. So those people without adapters will want to get usb, which can be found a lot of times for free after rebate.

Are the USB adaptors confirmed to work with X360?

 

[DopeyFish]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/factsheet.htm

It says XP and Media Center Based PC's. Now the only thing we need to know is as Marty Chinn mentioned, how deep compatability is. Im hoping for something atleast equal to XBMC now on the xbox. <drool>

There will be a freeware program you can get for your PC that is meant for Windows XP SP2. With that program you can stream videos, music, pictures from there to your Xbox 360. There will be no TV functionality from using standard XP. That would require media center.