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Official 360 Media Center Tips and Tricks thread

S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Searched, couldn't find one, sorry if there's a huge sticky right above me. Please add your tales of woe or success here.

FOR USERS OF 360 and Windows Media Center only.

Yesterday I was tooling around in 360's media center, and I found I had access to both MSN Messenger and Movies on demand. Not to mention radio etc. I got Messenger to run - you can plug in any USB keyboard, and press "Y" to bring up text entry. problem is, I have no idea what happens after you enter text. I "sent" dozens of messages and got no response, although the way the interface works, I'm not sure HOW I'm supposed to find a response or even see where the conversation went.

I also found a complete, HDTV resolution browser hidden in there - select "FORUMS" and you can choose to go to a totally unnnavigable MS page (there's no way to input your choice or move a cursor).

You can alos stream your favorite radio station by making it a playlist on your PC. Everyone probably knows that, but I thought it was cool.

While I did my video tune up, it told me I couldn't stream HD because I didn't have an Elite enough connection. I solved the problem by moving my old Xbox WET far away from my new Xbox 360 wireless adapter. Now I am streaming HD content flawlessly from one end of the house to the other, although there's only so much HD sample material from the WMV page I can stand.


EDIT: Rhindle > me: http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=73324
 
Noticed the lack of Minter love. His visualzer is some serious stuff, i was drawn to those funky colors and patterns for 40 minutes. When your music is playing and you know the beats, the movment of patterns take on a hypnotic effect

Sorry Stinkles, but it had to be said mate.
 
Prine said:
Noticed the lack of Minter love. His visualzer is some serious stuff, i was drawn to those funky colors and patterns for 40 minutes. When your music is playing and you know the beats, the movment of patterns take on a hypnotic effect

Sorry Stinkles, but it had to be said mate.
Click to expand...

Yes, the single greatest vizualizer ever conceived (although mine uncomfortably turned into a distinct plasma swastika during a The The album last night) but that's in the dashboard, nothing to do with Media Center stuff. Be more l337.
 
Unfortunately, there are no visualizations in the Windows Media Center Extender. I'm sure they'll update that in the future.

I was playing around last night and noticed that I can stream Fox Sports scores, listen to NPR Radio, have access to 2 movie on demand services, you can subscibe to XM satellite radio through the media center, and have access to several different radio stations.

I didn't have any problems setting it up. The only problem I had was about 8 hours after I set it up and it was working properly, it just suddenly quit connecting with my PC and wouldn't reconnect after several re-boots of the Xbox360. I ended up having to reinstall the Media Center Extender software and that solved the problem. I haven't lost connectivity since then. Its worked perfectly the last 12 days.
 
I have a question.

I set up another partition for Media Center Edition, but I use my standard Windows XP setup for my normal computing. MCE worked well, then I went back to my Windows XP and popped on some PGR3, but now I can't get the X360 to recognize my computer. Any ideas? I am bummed. ;_;
 
Wellington said:
I have a question.

I set up another partition for Media Center Edition, but I use my standard Windows XP setup for my normal computing. MCE worked well, then I went back to my Windows XP and popped on some PGR3, but now I can't get the X360 to recognize my computer. Any ideas? I am bummed. ;_;
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't you just just use Media Center Edition exclusively as your OS?

Its actually better than Windows XP Home because Media Center Edition is basically XP Pro with built-in media center functionality.

For some reason it sounds like your Xbox360 is searching for media center and its being led to your standard XP. I'm not sure how to get around that other than having to run the extender setup each and every time you want to use it, so that it'll be pointing to MCE instead of your standard XP.
 
bill0527 said:
Its actually better than Windows XP Home because Media Center Edition is basically XP Pro with built-in media center functionality.
Click to expand...

Isn't it XP Home w/ Media Center? Thats why I haven't upgraded
 
sangreal said:
Isn't it XP Home w/ Media Center? Thats why I haven't upgraded
Click to expand...

No, the official name is Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Its the exact same OS as XP Pro EXCEPT they have taken out some the networking domain functionality so that businesses would still buy the more expensive XP Pro.
 
bill0527 said:
No, the official name is Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Its the exact same OS as XP Pro EXCEPT they have taken out some the networking domain functionality so that businesses would still buy the more expensive XP Pro.
Click to expand...

Wait, isn't THAT what seperated XP home from Pro in the first place was the improved networking functionality?
 
I think the real question to ask here is: How long before someone releases an MCE 'spoof' application for me to run on my XP and let me stream movies to my 360. I don't want to wait until I get my next PC
 
Can you read mpg/avi/divx/etc off a dvd+r/dvd-r? Or is that thru media center only?
 
Wellington said:
I have a question.

I set up another partition for Media Center Edition, but I use my standard Windows XP setup for my normal computing. MCE worked well, then I went back to my Windows XP and popped on some PGR3, but now I can't get the X360 to recognize my computer. Any ideas? I am bummed. ;_;
Click to expand...


Try disconnecting your compooder from the dashboard. My MCE was off, I turned it back on and couldn't connect - but when I looked at "COMPUTERS" in "SYSTEM" blade, it thinks it's still connected. I chose disconnect and that fixed it.
 
I'm hoping some alternative will come up so I don't have to pick up MC, but I'm so tempted...streaming video!! Argh.
 
How much can you get working with bog standard Windows XP and Windows Media Connect? Are streaming radio stations a possibility with that setup?
 
mrklaw said:
I think the real question to ask here is: How long before someone releases an MCE 'spoof' application for me to run on my XP and let me stream movies to my 360. I don't want to wait until I get my next PC
Click to expand...
Yesss! That doesn't seem unreasonable to expect.
 
Stinkles said:
Oh, and does anyone have an easy solution for de-DRM-ing iTunes music so I can stream it?
Click to expand...

Burn to CD, rerip in whatever format you want.

If there's an easier solution, I'd like to know as well.*






*Sometime next year when I finally get a system.
 
bill0527 said:
No, the official name is Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Its the exact same OS as XP Pro EXCEPT they have taken out some the networking domain functionality so that businesses would still buy the more expensive XP Pro.
Click to expand...

no, that's the difference from XP Home and XP Pro. Sort of like the only real difference between XP pro and XP/2003 Server is that XP Pro limits the number of concurrent IIS connections so that you can't use it as a permanent server. XP Media Center Edition is just XP home with the media center functions added to it.
 
MCE will work without a capture card.

I just wish the damn dashboard music player showed thumbnails. Older versions of the 360 dashboard had it.
 
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