Netflix on 360 fully doable with just Windows XP?

[StageLeft]

I see reference to one needing Vista Premium or Ultimate, and yet it appears to me that my XP machine already has Media Center on it (and Windows Meida Player 10--not 11). I presume I can use that and get the full netflix access (I know it'sflix truncated if done only on the 360 menu system). True?

*UPDATE*

I am clearly confused in life in general. I for some reason got this muddled with media center so that I could access my PC's stuff on the xbox. I thought I read about media center and netflix, but since netflix is a web app I have no idea.

Sorry for the confusion

 

[leglez]

To my knowledge it would work on any OS. You use a web browser to put movies in your instant Queue then go on your 360 and all the movies are in the netflix menu.

 

[Thraxen]

You lost me with this question. Are you not wanting to use the Netflix utility built into the 360 dash?

 

[DaveSimmons]

AFAIK streaming to Windows has the same selection as streaming to the 360 except for maybe a few Columbia movies.

 

[Queasy]

If you want to use Netflix, just sign up for it on the 360. You don't have to have Media Center to use it.

If you want to stream the videos you have on your PC, you can use XP Media Center but the videos have to be in WMV or MPG. You have to set up WMP11 to share your video library to stream video to the Dash if you want to use any videos encoded in Divx, Xvid, or MP4.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I am clearly confused in life in general. I for some reason got this muddled with media center so that I could access my PC's stuff on the xbox. I thought I read about media center and netflix, but since netflix is a web app I have no idea.

You're not that confused. There are Media Center plug-ins like vmcNetflix that add Netflix streaming to Media Center and that can then be accessed using the Media Center extender functionality of the 360. And I know that vmcNetflix does indeed require Vista.

vmcNetflix actually has a lot more functionality than the Netflix ingetrated with the 360 dash. You can browse/search movies and manage your watch-it-now list. You can't do any of that with the integrated Netflix... which is absurdly stupid IMO. But I'm not sure if the plug-ins like vmcNetflix can access the HD streams. I haven't tried it recently.

If you just go with the 360 dash Netflix utility you won't need to involve your PC at all other than during set-up with you have to go to your account on a PC and enter the code shown by your 360. I really like the convenience of the Netflix integration, but I don't know why they left out so many obvious features.

 

[Queasy]

vmcNetflix only works with Vista Media Center though. I think Skoorb mentioned he has XP Media Center.

 

[Thraxen]

Yeah, I was just confirming that Vista was indeed required and that he wasn't as confused as he seemed to think.

 

[StageLeft]

Thanks, y'all.

A quick Q--I have only about 40 megs free on my Arcarde right now. Yes, I should buy a hard drive and I know it's needed for xbox videos (as they DL first), but with Netflix, if everything is a stream, can I in fact watch movies with it like it is now?

 

[Queasy]

You're going to need some space to install the Netflix app. I can't remember how much space it takes off the top of my head. But other than that, you should be able to just stream.

 

[bearxor]

It's like 4MB.