Thinking of picking up a 360 to complement my PS3

[aphex]

Too much duplication, or worth it to have both?

We recently cut the digital cable and dropped to the $9.99/mo plan for our TV. Possibly gonna get an Apple TV to run Boxee, but the AppleTV doesn't support Netflix, which the 360 notably does (and the PS3 does not).

I originally bought the PS3 for Blu-ray, but I ended up using it as a game system much more than a blu-ray player, though I did use the Blu-ray quite a bit when I had a working HDTV (a long story - see the AV Forum for more info of my Toshiba fiasco)

So, I stop by CC tonight and see the liquidation has increased to 20% off consoles. That puts the arcade at $159. Granted, I would need a HD as well, but doesn't seem to bad.

Anyone here use both systems? Or too much duplication?

 

[Queasy]

That's a really good deal on a 360 Arcade.

Might want to try the PlayOn app and see if you can get Netflix working through it on the PS3 before you drop that money on an Arcade though. The beta is free and it costs $29.99 now and will jump to $39.99 at the start of February.

I've had troubles getting Netflix working through PlayOn with my 360 but YMMV.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Queasy
That's a really good deal on a 360 Arcade.

Might want to try the PlayOn app and see if you can get Netflix working through it on the PS3 before you drop that money on an Arcade though. The beta is free and it costs $29.99 now and will jump to $39.99 at the start of February.

I've had troubles getting Netflix working through PlayOn with my 360 but YMMV.

I'll recall trying out an early alpha version 6 months ago or so with the PS3, but don't recall how well it worked. I'll throw it on my XP VMWare and give it a go, thanks for reminding me about it.

 

[Queasy]

Yeah, they are on RC6 right now and the 1.0 version should be out after Saturday. So, it's worth a shot to try at least.

If it doesn't work, a 360 Arcade for $160 is good. If you think you will use the Arcade just for playing Netflix only, you could probably save a little by going with a Roku box for $99.99 instead.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Yeah, they are on RC6 right now and the 1.0 version should be out after Saturday. So, it's worth a shot to try at least.

If it doesn't work, a 360 Arcade for $160 is good. If you think you will use the Arcade just for playing Netflix only, you could probably save a little by going with a Roku box for $99.99 instead.

Installing as we speak. I thought about the Roku box, but for $60 more I'm sure I would get some use out of the 360. Are the newer models any quieter than the old ones? I had a 360 about 2 years ago for a month, but ended up returning it and keeping the PS3. It was darn noisy back then.

 

[gorcorps]

Might as well... there's some good 360 games that you'll miss out on if you don't have a PC.

If you end up getting the 360 and need an HDD, I'll give you my used 20gig for $20 shipped if you want it. Just upgraded to the 120gig and no longer need it.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: aphex
Are the newer models any quieter than the old ones? I had a 360 about 2 years ago for a month, but ended up returning it and keeping the PS3. It was darn noisy back then.

Yep, the Falcon and the Jasper models are definitely quieter than the Xenon (launch) models. The biggest source of noise is going to be the DVD drive though. That's been hit and miss but not a big concern when streaming video.

 

[mugs]

What does the AppleTV offer that you can't do with a uPnP media server + a PS3 or Xbox 360? I'd buy the 360. Hell, I liked mine so much I bought a second one. It has a lot of worthwhile exclusives.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: mugs
What does the AppleTV offer that you can't do with a uPnP media server + a PS3 or Xbox 360? I'd buy the 360. Hell, I liked mine so much I bought a second one. It has a lot of worthwhile exclusives.

Boxee is a free cross-platform media center and entertainment hub with social networking features that is a fork of the open source XBMC media center software. Boxee is still under development and is currently only available as Alpha releases for Mac OS X (Leopard and Tiger)[6], Apple TV[7], and Linux[8] for computers with Intel processors

Through its Python plugin system, Boxee includes incorporated addon features such as Apple movie trailer support and subtitle downloading, as well as online internet content channels and services, like BBC iPlayer, Jamendo, Joost, Last.fm, NPR, and SHOUTcast internet audio plugins, and movie trailers of apple.com, Blip.TV, CNET, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, NBC Universal's Hulu, MTV Music (music videos)[16], MySpaceTV, Netflix[17], Revision3, YouTube, Warner Bros Television Network[18] internet video plugins, and Flickr and PicasaWeb picture viewing plugins. All are available as media sources available alongside your local library. Some of these are specialized connections to services (e.g., YouTube), while the rest are a preselected list of Podcast channels for streaming using generic RSS web feeds (e.g., BBC News).

Its not listed, but they recently added ABC support as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxee

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: mugs
What does the AppleTV offer that you can't do with a uPnP media server + a PS3 or Xbox 360? I'd buy the 360. Hell, I liked mine so much I bought a second one. It has a lot of worthwhile exclusives.

Boxee is a free cross-platform media center and entertainment hub with social networking features that is a fork of the open source XBMC media center software. Boxee is still under development and is currently only available as Alpha releases for Mac OS X (Leopard and Tiger)[6], Apple TV[7], and Linux[8] for computers with Intel processors

Through its Python plugin system, Boxee includes incorporated addon features such as Apple movie trailer support and subtitle downloading, as well as online internet content channels and services, like BBC iPlayer, Jamendo, Joost, Last.fm, NPR, and SHOUTcast internet audio plugins, and movie trailers of apple.com, Blip.TV, CNET, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, NBC Universal's Hulu, MTV Music (music videos)[16], MySpaceTV, Netflix[17], Revision3, YouTube, Warner Bros Television Network[18] internet video plugins, and Flickr and PicasaWeb picture viewing plugins. All are available as media sources available alongside your local library. Some of these are specialized connections to services (e.g., YouTube), while the rest are a preselected list of Podcast channels for streaming using generic RSS web feeds (e.g., BBC News).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxee

Yeah, but can't you do most or all of that stuff with a uPnP media server? I take it that Boxee gets installed on a hacked AppleTV, so that does have the advantage that a computer wouldn't be required. Is it difficult to hack an AppleTV?

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: mugs
What does the AppleTV offer that you can't do with a uPnP media server + a PS3 or Xbox 360? I'd buy the 360. Hell, I liked mine so much I bought a second one. It has a lot of worthwhile exclusives.

Boxee is a free cross-platform media center and entertainment hub with social networking features that is a fork of the open source XBMC media center software. Boxee is still under development and is currently only available as Alpha releases for Mac OS X (Leopard and Tiger)[6], Apple TV[7], and Linux[8] for computers with Intel processors

Through its Python plugin system, Boxee includes incorporated addon features such as Apple movie trailer support and subtitle downloading, as well as online internet content channels and services, like BBC iPlayer, Jamendo, Joost, Last.fm, NPR, and SHOUTcast internet audio plugins, and movie trailers of apple.com, Blip.TV, CNET, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, NBC Universal's Hulu, MTV Music (music videos)[16], MySpaceTV, Netflix[17], Revision3, YouTube, Warner Bros Television Network[18] internet video plugins, and Flickr and PicasaWeb picture viewing plugins. All are available as media sources available alongside your local library. Some of these are specialized connections to services (e.g., YouTube), while the rest are a preselected list of Podcast channels for streaming using generic RSS web feeds (e.g., BBC News).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxee

Yeah, but can't you do most or all of that stuff with a uPnP media server? I take it that Boxee gets installed on a hacked AppleTV, so that does have the advantage that a computer wouldn't be required. Is it difficult to hack an AppleTV?

To the best of my knowledge, nothing comes close to the support you get with Boxee, though I'd be happy to hear about any others if they exist.

And its easy as heck to hack it and yes, no computer required.

 

[mugs]

OK, now I want an AppleTV (did some reading on my own). But if I didn't already have an Xbox 360, I'd get the 360 before I got the AppleTV.

Hmmm... I wonder if I could pass this off as a v-day gift for my wife...

 

[Eeezee]

If you already game on your PC, I'd say no. If you don't game at all on your PC, then sure, pick up the 360 for some great games that you'd otherwise miss.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Don't you have to buy a wireless adapter, an HDD and a live account for it be to useful, too?

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Don't you have to buy a wireless adapter, an HDD and a live account for it be to useful, too?

No.

 

[Kabob]

I'd nab the arcade, if you do it today you can still get the $20 20GB hdd offer as well, that'd essentially be a Pro system for $179.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: kabob983
I'd nab the arcade, if you do it today you can still get the $20 20GB hdd offer as well, that'd essentially be a Pro system for $179.

IIRC the only option w/ the arcade is $30 for HDD and 3 months of live. The $20 HDD was for older core systems only.

 

[digiram]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: mugs
What does the AppleTV offer that you can't do with a uPnP media server + a PS3 or Xbox 360? I'd buy the 360. Hell, I liked mine so much I bought a second one. It has a lot of worthwhile exclusives.

Boxee is a free cross-platform media center and entertainment hub with social networking features that is a fork of the open source XBMC media center software. Boxee is still under development and is currently only available as Alpha releases for Mac OS X (Leopard and Tiger)[6], Apple TV[7], and Linux[8] for computers with Intel processors

Through its Python plugin system, Boxee includes incorporated addon features such as Apple movie trailer support and subtitle downloading, as well as online internet content channels and services, like BBC iPlayer, Jamendo, Joost, Last.fm, NPR, and SHOUTcast internet audio plugins, and movie trailers of apple.com, Blip.TV, CNET, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, NBC Universal's Hulu, MTV Music (music videos)[16], MySpaceTV, Netflix[17], Revision3, YouTube, Warner Bros Television Network[18] internet video plugins, and Flickr and PicasaWeb picture viewing plugins. All are available as media sources available alongside your local library. Some of these are specialized connections to services (e.g., YouTube), while the rest are a preselected list of Podcast channels for streaming using generic RSS web feeds (e.g., BBC News).

Its not listed, but they recently added ABC support as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxee

Wow. Now I want one too.

 

[Spoooon]

Bah. I picked up an XBox 360 Pro at Circuit City. $256.43 out the door.

The PS3 at 20% off was around $320.

 

[Jules]

Go for it. You won't regret it.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Bah. I picked up an XBox 360 Pro at Circuit City. $256.43 out the door.

The PS3 at 20% off was around $320.

That's not a deal at all. You didn't fall for the 'liquidation' BS did you?

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Bah. I picked up an XBox 360 Pro at Circuit City. $256.43 out the door.

The PS3 at 20% off was around $320.

That's not a deal at all. You didn't fall for the 'liquidation' BS did you?

Huh? 20% off a new console is a pretty good deal.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Bah. I picked up an XBox 360 Pro at Circuit City. $256.43 out the door.

The PS3 at 20% off was around $320.

That's not a deal at all. You didn't fall for the 'liquidation' BS did you?

Huh? 20% off a new console is a pretty good deal.

Ditto.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Bah. I picked up an XBox 360 Pro at Circuit City. $256.43 out the door.

The PS3 at 20% off was around $320.

That's not a deal at all. You didn't fall for the 'liquidation' BS did you?

Huh? 20% off a new console is a pretty good deal.

I meant the 360 pro. I mean it's not bad for B&M I guess but you can get it online cheaper. The PS3 is a decent deal.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Bah. I picked up an XBox 360 Pro at Circuit City. $256.43 out the door.

The PS3 at 20% off was around $320.

That's not a deal at all. You didn't fall for the 'liquidation' BS did you?

Huh? 20% off a new console is a pretty good deal.

I meant the 360 pro. I mean it's not bad for B&M I guess but you can get it online cheaper. The PS3 is a decent deal.

Are you assuming he's talking about the 20 GB version? I think he's talking about the 60 GB.