Media Streaming

manic_man · 28 Feb 2011 at 10:46

your problem here is network, not the xbox.

From all I have read, using the XBox as a playback device is actually quite good.

Get your xbox wired up instead of using it via WiFi (try looking into powerline adaptors if using ethernet is a no-go). And if the PC you are sharing media with has Windows Media Centre on it, have a look at a free add-on called Media Browser. With a bit of setting up, it'll produce a really great "jukebox" with cover art and the like. Once you have this done, setup your XBox as a Windows Media Centre "extender" (it's all explained on the MS website) and you will basically have a media browsing solution as good as or better than XBMC and the like, but on your XBox.

But none of the above is worth it unless you can get your xbox to be connected by something less spikey than WiFi.

Pug · 28 Feb 2011 at 10:52

for the cost of some cable, and a few holes, running CAT5 from the router to the other room will solve all of your issues, Xbox or PC.

Homeplugs in my modern house couldnt stream 1080p.

manic_man · 28 Feb 2011 at 10:54

Pug said:
for the cost of some cable, and a few holes, running CAT5 from the router to the other room will solve all of your issues, Xbox or PC.

Homeplugs in my modern house couldnt stream 1080p.

To counter-act, homeplugs in my also modern flat stream 1080p with no problems (they give a throughput of roughly 70mbps if I work it back from the MB/s transfer rate) it's close in cases of very high quality, but it works. Certainly not far from what a normal 100mbit ethernet system will give you.

However, all that aside, ethernet is still better if you can do it.

Pug · 28 Feb 2011 at 11:01

yeah, i have a mate who they work for too, but i get about 20mbps...

stokecity_m · 28 Feb 2011 at 11:02

Ethernet cable it is then :-)

So how do I go about sharing the info on the 2 pc's?
Would they both need the same operating systems or is there another way ?

hawker1986 · 28 Feb 2011 at 11:38

stokecity_m said:
Ethernet cable it is then

So how do I go about sharing the info on the 2 pc's?
Would they both need the same operating systems or is there another way ?

Seriously just run the cable to your Xbox and save the money, you wont need another PC.

Hawker

NB: the number of bars you get (signal strength) for the wifi isnt the problem, problem is that wifi does not have the bandwidth to stream so much data.

manic_man · 28 Feb 2011 at 11:53

As hawker says, hook your xbox up via ethernet first, just plug it into your router and set it to use that connection instead.

Then, as long as the pc you are currently streaming from is also hooked up by ethernet, I think you'll find even 1080 content will play smoothly and everything will seem responsive.

Then, as I assume you are currently just browsing the files on your xbox using DLNA (windows media sharing) on your streaming PC, try setting up Windows Media Centre on your streaming PC and install Media Browser (http://www.mediabrowser.tv/) on it. Then setup your xbox as a Media Centre Extender.

This has lots of benefits and will provide a setup as good as using say a small ION based PC (ignoring arguments over whether WMC is better than Boxee is better than XBMC etc.) without the need for you to shell out hundreds of pounds!

You can even get a Media Centre remote control for about a tenner for your Xbox to make it an even better experience.

stokecity_m · 28 Feb 2011 at 12:01

The only trouble is, my g/f had a play on xbmc last night and she wants that on the tv and to be able to use it for web browsing.

Plus I already have most parts to build a nice little pc for it.

manic_man · 28 Feb 2011 at 12:13

IMO Media Browser in WMC7 is better than XBMC (dons flame proof suit..)

i have spent the last few years playing with them all. The main problem you'll have with a self built PC is making it quiet. For me, a media player has to be quiet. Consoles already are for the most part. You can make a PC quiet, it just takes effort and money.

Setup up Media Browser on a PC running Vista or Windows 7 Media Centre and see what you think. You'll probably have to re-organise your media collection a bit to make it scrub all of the Metadata properly, and Music support comes from an extra plug-in you have to tell it to use, but once it all works, it's so silky smooth. And being it uses MCE underneath to playback your files, it just works with most media.