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XBox 360 as Media Box / HTPC

Collider

Collider

Senior member
Was looking for a solution to stream media to my TV, both from personal storage and online (Netflix/Hulu/etc) and considered getting Boxee but then I noticed that pricewise it would come out as much as XBox which seems would give me similar functionality, not much into console gaming but it would be a nice bonus.

Also read some threads online of people streaming to Xbox using media center and even running XBMC which I would like to know more about..

If you can please share some thoughts/experiences of using XBox as a media device and possible setup options I should consider. Thanks!
 
The 360 on its own works as a basic frontend. It works well enough for things like SD DivX video without any help but if you want it to play anything like mkv HD content, you'll need another machine that can transcode for it. TVersity Pro works pretty well for that but the single-core processor I was using for the transcoding (currently running my HTPC) didn't have enough horsepower to transcode on-the-fly.
 
I tried my XBox for a while too, the consoles just don't support enough codecs to make it worth your time. And I didn't feel like fighting to get Windows 7 and DivX to stream mkvs, my laptop would gag on that trying to transcode on the fly or whatever it needs to do.
Unless all you watch is SD avi's, its not worth getting a console for what you want it for. I ended up getting an Asus O!Play just for convenience.
 
IGemini said:
TVersity Pro works pretty well for that but the single-core processor I was using for the transcoding (currently running my HTPC) didn't have enough horsepower to transcode on-the-fly.
Click to expand...

That would work for me, I have a beefy i7 that I keep on when I'm home. Are you able to control playback via xbox while streaming or will I have to run to my pc every time I need to pause? How does the whole process work is it controlled via xbox, ie like browsing/selecting content or do you have to open a file on a pc and only then xbox sees it?
 
The XBox will stream the videos from the host computer. Once TVersity is properly set up on the PC, all that will be needed is for the PC to be powered on and connected. All playback controls and browsing will be done on the XBox.
 
Awesome, I think this will be my setup. Hows the performance while streaming, responsive or sluggish?

Also, a bit ignorant as I'm not into console gaming but it seems there's 2 models around 4GB and 250GB, what are other possible uses besides downloadable games? and is it possible to just swap the drive with a 3.5/2.5 hdd later on, I may have a few laying aorund?
 
Streaming performance will depend on your connection and the quality of the videos. SD content should stream easily enough on a decent 11g wireless, I never saw it use more than 400KB/sec bandwidth.

The hard drive is good if you play any games that have a lot of loading time (eg. RPGs), they can be installed to disk for faster access (you will still need the disc to play). It will also allow the option of buying and playing from the XBL game catalog. Some game modes also require the presence of a hard drive for various features: Halo requires one for online co-op campaign play, for example.

You can't use just any hard drive in a 360. I know with the older models you could take apart the hard drive mount and put in a bare hard drive, but the console only recognizes certain drive sizes. You couldn't put a 1TB drive in if you wanted, at best it would only recognize 120GB. I'm not sure if the current drive mount can be taken apart.
 
Cool, thanks for the replies all.

Anyone running XBMC on XBox? Saw a few videos on the topic but still not 100% if its supported across all models or how easy/hard it is to setup..
 
XBMC only runs on the original XBox (NOT the 360). You'll only get it on the 360 if you mod it, and I'm not sure about how well it works with recent 360 software versions. Modding itself is not a small chore. XBMC isn't really necessary though, the built-in 360 interface is simple enough to play shared video.
 
Actually you can use up to a 320GB 2.5" drive but only from either the WD Scorpio Blue or Black lines.

And you have to set it up correctly, just google for hddhackr for info if interested (specific drive models will be listed as well). I'm in the middle of upgrading mine this way, got a new/sealed 320GB Black off eBay on the way for $60 and a caddy for like $8. M$ charges $130 for the same drive kit.
 
Considered getting either an Apple TV or XBOX 360 for HTPC, but neither supports playing the codec I want on the fly, and converting I loss quality and is a pain.

Now I am really considering getting a Mac Mini to do the job instead. VLC player will play my *.MTS and *.m2ts files without a hitch. I can also load PPS for chinese movies and XMBC for all other video contents. I think this solution will work better for the family living room, as anyone can use the Mac Mini for going on the web on the big screen. Multi-functional.
 
It works reasonably well but nothing beats a dedicated htpc with giant hard drives that can play everything locally. I find even with streaming it will beat both the ps3 and 360 in network performance. .02
 
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