XBox Media Centre Development:
Just have the basic set up @ the moment, so will be looking to purchase a Wireless Adaptor, then switch on XBox Live and go from there.
Will add in the detail of where I purchased the Wireless Adaptor, will also look to add pictures along the way to help to give a better description as I develop this.
Currently use my Compaq laptop and a S Video cable into the TV via the Red, White & Yellow Cables (I'll find the posh name for them) and watch on the TV via Windows Media Player on expanded view. This is a bit of a Pain as you have to set-up each time you want to use and your reliant on the battery power of the Laptop.
2nd February
Looking to buy the XBox Network Adaptor & Network Hard drive in February or March 2009, and will then work on how we build up a Media Centre, where Media can be added to the Network Hard drive and then use the Xbox & HD TV to pull this Media.
16th March
Both the XBox Wireless adaptor and the 12 Months subscription have been bought off the Net. So waiting for delivery to see if the Wireless Adaptor does as it says 'on the tin'. Also going to go 'ON-LINE' with the XBox to see if I can play against friends & strangers, on some of the games we have such as Forza 2, James Bond & PGR4, to name but a few.
25th April
Used the Media Centre option for the first time, left the laptop on in the office upstairs, and the XBox set-up was straight forward, all that was needed was to synch the Laptop Files & the XBox together and it was intelligent enough to look on my Laptop under the 'User' directory, so it picked up the Movies, Music & Pictures.
Then the fun started, I tried to watch my first movie, I selected one of the 'avi' files on the Laptop directory listing. Found the options to run the Media Centre on the XBox very good and you can location your own files with common sense options, did though find the selection a little slow, so going to have a look at this just too see if it's the way I have my XBox set-up? So back to the movie, I selected the one I wanted to watch and unfortunately I had the following error.
Understand this is the emulation that the XBox can play on the Window Media Centre being limited, so after working through the web, found ways of tweaking settings and conversions all of which didn't work.
2nd May
Have been able understand what I need to do to get the movies to work from off my Laptop through my XBox Media Centre. The fix is through 'Windows Media Encoder', my first attempt I found the movie had sound and pictures, but pictures only started 15 minutes into the movie. So of course the synching was way out and was a little difficult to watch the film, but promising that I've been able to see my first movie. Going to run through the settings in WME to see if I can get the settings right and convert the 'avi' file so the the XBox can play, and I can watch from the comfort of the sofa.
Oh, will add how to download Window Media Encoder (WME) as I found that an experience even though it was host by our friends @ Microsoft.
These are files I used to download WME on my laptop:
Windows Web Page for downloading WME (Validation Required)
Windows Web Page for downloading WME once your Validated
7th June - Need to spend some time on the Media Centre, have a number of Movies and programmes on the Laptop that need to be watched, but want to do this with the ease of the decent HD TV in the lounge. Need to look @ the settings on the 'Windows Media Encoder' application, to see what we need to do. & build that start where all the media you have in your house can be easily accessed....
Think I may have found a Web Page that can help to convert 'Avi' files to 'Wmv' files, so they can be watched on the XBox 360, try this link. I'm running through it now, to see how I get on?
20th September - Have tried the Window Media Encoder, and I'm getting no where fast, it's too complicated. So have tried a few other things with some guidance from Mark Screawn. Have tired the 'GSpot' application to see how to understand the 'AVI' file concept, to see if then I can understand what correct software to use to code from 'AVI' to 'WMV'. Have recently tried 'WM Converter' & a little more positive, I've been able to convert to a 'WMV' file, and the Pictures & sounds are synched correctly, but still am getting the following error. So going to do a little more trawling on the Web & YouTube to see if I can understand the conversions I need to do from 'AVI' to 'WMV', you'd think it would be easy?
7th November - Believe me I'm still trying to convert a AVI file into a working WMV file, will have a look @ some AML software I've found, why oh why can't it be so easy?
18th April 2010 - Okay Okay I finally have solved this and in the end it was very simple, I used a application called 'Any Video Converter' and used the pre-existing settings within the App, to convert the 'AVI' files to the 'WMV' files. Tried it on the XBox and amazingly it worked after months of unsuccessful farting around with this that, other applications, converters & settings.
Here's a link for Any Video Converter, good luck....Link