Easy DivX to Xbox 360 Streaming with MCE Video Encoder

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2295/easy_divx_to' target='_blank'>http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/2295/easy_divx_to</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Until now, in order to play your DivX encoded copies of The Matrix on your Xbox360, you had to resort to a "hack", which was functional, but required you to be somewhat computer savvy to get it running. Well, Jake Ludington may very well have found a simpler solution for getting those DivX files playing on your swank, new 360. MCE Video Encoder, from Gary Stimson at LightningWare, converts your DivX, XviD and other video files on the fly through any MCE extender, including the 360. Also, it supports fast-forward and skip ahead along with play and pause features. The true beauty of MCE Video Encoder is it's simplicity and it's price (free, of course). You will need to install the actual DivX player to get it to work, but installation is relatively easy and you get a fully supported MCE interface as well. Head over to Jake's site for more details and screenshots."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/mce_video_encoder.jpg" /> <br /><br />While it's great to see independent coders creating solutions to "problems" like this, I have to wonder how useful this really is. You still have to have Windows Media Center Edition, and I'm going to make a wild guess that the type of folks who want to use Divx on the Xbox 360 are not the type of folks who are going to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy an OEM Windows MCE computer. This is almost a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. :?

[jeffd]

mm..not to mention, if you have MCE, your pc is probably allready hooked up to the tv and can outpute divx directly to the screen. ^^

[Jeremy Charette]

That too.

There's speculation (based on comments from the Xbox Dashboard team) that MS will offer support for video streaming to all XP users in the very near future. This is something I'm really looking forward too.

[Jake Ludington]

Uh, not to rain on this non-event stuff, but the Xbox 360 is also a Media Center Extender. ;) If you don't have one (an Xbox 360, that is) you don't know how great it is to not have a PC in your living room and still have access to all the features. Spouse acceptance factor for the Xbox 360 is much higher than having a PC in the family space.

[Jeremy Charette]

Understood, but maybe if MS allowed some limited functionality of the MCE interface to non-MCE users (folks with regular XP Home and XP Pro boxes), they could sell more MCE machines. Possibly use a "teaser" screen to say "To see a demonstration of this feature, click here. Purchase a Windows Media Center Edition Computer to unlock this and many other exciting Media Center Extender features on the Xbox 360."

I don't think they're pushing the MCX capability of the Xbox 360 hard enough. They need to put some advertising and consumer awareness campaigns behind it.

[Jeremy Charette]

Spouse acceptance factor for the Xbox 360 is much higher than having a PC in the family space.

Debatable. My girlfriend complains about how loud the damn thing is every time I turn it on. "It sounds like a vacuum cleaner!" :lol:

[Felix Torres]

Spouse acceptance factor for the Xbox 360 is much higher than having a PC in the family space.

Debatable. My girlfriend complains about how loud the damn thing is every time I turn it on. "It sounds like a vacuum cleaner!" :lol:

In game mode, maybe.
Mine is whisper-quiet in Extender-mode.
The noise is the spinning DVD (12X, remember?).
Even when playing media off a burned DVD the box is quiet enough.