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Do More Than Just Game on Your Xbox 360

lifehacker.com — Once I bought my 360, however, I've been able to get rid of my home theater PC, my DVD player, and even my cable box, so that my entire entertainment system runs through my Xbox 360. It's convergence at its best. The 360 is not perfect by any means, but it's the best multimedia device I've ever used.

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  • jameswater2, on 07/08/2008, -26/+12That is what I call multi-purposed.
    • FTWmovin2canada, on 07/08/2008, -9/+3It's all based on the assumption that you have a computer and a 360 sitting next to your TV. I do, and I already have my computer connected to the TV. All he is talking about is putting the 360 in between the computer and the TV, but I see no advantage.
      • RudeTurnip, on 07/08/2008, -4/+4You don't need your computer next to your 360. I've streamed stuff over my wireless network from my computer in my home office to my 360 in the living room. The advantage is that I don't want to put my computer in the living room. I've found TVersity and/or the Zune Player software to be way better than WMP11, esp. for MP4/h.264. Vista Media Center always crashes, which more than offsets its prettiness.

        OTOH, aside from the DVD player functionality, my AppleTV does all of the above much more efficiently, and I can stream YouTube and video podcasts (Diggnation!!!) straight off the Net, which provides hours of free entertainment...without a PC.
      • jrbrewin, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1methinks you need to see the setup of one of the guys who actually works on the media center team at microsoft. He has a pc in the basement with three HD cable cards in it, one SD cable card, and a low cost SAN.. he said he put it together for a few hundred dollars.

        then in each room that has a tv (3) he has an xbox (a core / arcade would do), and uses it as his set top box for each tv, he also has it set up to browse web videos, which you CAN also do from media center, and it all works amazingly well.

        i have vista ultimate, and it's never ever ever crashed, and if it weren't for the fact that wireless -> wireless routing doesn't work so well for MCE + xbox i'd be using it all the time. Of course, appleTV addresses another market. For example, it's a really really rubbish games console.
      • jrbrewin, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1the video mentioned above can be found @ http://www.on10.net/blogs/Brianjo/Amazing-Media-Ce ...
  • foomojive, on 07/08/2008, -24/+10i wish you could do the netflix streaming and other media center stuff through a mac.
    • muslax27, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1bootcamp might work i suppose
    • ibeetle, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2You cannot do Netflix streaming without Bootcamp, but everything else can be done with your Mac with the software Connect360 from Null River (www.nullriver.com)

      Connect360 for your XBox
      Medialink for your PS3
      PSPWare for your PSP

      Null River has done a great job at useing your game console as a media center for your Mac.
      • jads, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1Actually...Nullriver did a good job to begin with, then it was only because a new program called Rivet came out did they start working on it again. I've got both installed, but only use Rivet.
  • CollapseControl, on 07/08/2008, -23/+10All great things to do with your 360 if you put the time into it. I mainly use external HDs to hold all my own content. A 40GB filled with podcasts/photos. A 80GB filled with my Music collection. And a 260GB HD with my favorite movies ripped into MP4 to view nicely and conveintly, with cover art and all. Pretty much like the video marketplace movies, except I already own them.

    Sure I could do a lot more media connect wise, but mainly using a Mac, I don't want to bother. But the main purpose for my 360 is to game with my buds.
  • Tyler2tall147, on 07/08/2008, -13/+3I wish I had a media center pc...
  • BlindingDawn, on 07/08/2008, -41/+35Good post... but I have to wait until I get my back... RROD
    • ThinkSoJoE, on 07/08/2008, -4/+5you and me both
    • TheZorch, on 07/08/2008, -7/+2If you keep the 360 well ventilated and out of cramped places where heat is allowed to build up around it you won't have a problem of the RROD at all.
      • transform100, on 07/08/2008, -1/+9I have been through 7 Xbox 360s not one of them had heating issues and all but two have had the RROD others had disc read errors or freezing problems.
      • Comanche, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1Wrong TheZorch.

        I have a buddy on #3, kept in wide open .
      • fussbucket, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1I hadn't used mine in about a week. Turned it on while it was very cool and had the RROD within 30 seconds. They did get it back to me within a week and a half though.
      • GeckoSlayer, on 07/09/2008, -0/+3I just got my first RROD xbox back, no complaints, it's lasted me since launch and I live in one of the hottest places in the world.
  • deaftly, on 07/08/2008, -22/+14It even plays divx files better then my ps3, funny because sony worked with divx personally. ps3 says they are corrupted but 360 will play them fine.
    • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -1/+2Funny. DivX themselves say otherwise, but you know, I'm sure your anecdote is better than the company that developed codec. I mean, what do they know?
  • scififan9009, on 07/08/2008, -31/+14Sometimes I like to say things that I KNOW will tick other people off. I don't know why. I just do.

    I do all this with my PS3 upgraded with a 250GB drive. I wish MSFT would allow 360 users to upgrade their drives easier....HA HA NO I DON'T!

    /braces for 360 diggdown
    • feanix, on 07/08/2008, -3/+13Why don't you brace for being-a-douche-diggdown instead?

      And I don't own a 360. Or a PS3.
    • Puppetfunk, on 07/08/2008, -6/+1What do you mean like upgrading your hard drive to bigger sizes? Just connect them together with a cable and wait. Or like upgrading drivers?
    • P373Y, on 07/08/2008, -2/+5you can upgrade it like 2 seconds, click click, its the price that you should be complaining about. also, the 360 doesent need that much space, because you can stream music, movies, photos, and tv from a media center pc, and you dont need to use the hard drive to install games.
      • nutsackorama, on 07/08/2008, -2/+5You can stream to ps3, also.
      • Darkangel754, on 07/08/2008, -4/+3With the 360 you're limited to either 20 or 120 gb and you can't even copy you're own videos to it. With the PS3 you can use any old 2.5" HDD and copy all your media to it aswell as stream from your pc.
      • P373Y, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3i know, and thats why i didnt say that the ps3 needed a big hd to store movies and games, i was explaining the reasons that the xbox didnt need one.
  • Dopeness, on 07/08/2008, -20/+5The system can't even handle playing GAMES w/o over heating and getting the RRD let alone running a media center... :S


    Regardless of that, pretty awesome work... good luck with it! lol :)

    I know i'll probably get voted down, but that's okay :P
    • Puppetfunk, on 07/08/2008, -3/+13Honestly. Either I'm lucky, or something. Because I treat my 360 like ***** and it still works other that the little flap to the USB ports sticks. I leave my Xbox on the ground you can clearly tell it's dirty, it sits on the carpet. I take it all over the place. And I've had mine since about 6 months after launch.
  • notzak, on 07/08/2008, -19/+6You can do things other than play games on a device marketed as a media center combined with a gaming system? Who'd have guessed?
  • g2g079, on 07/08/2008, -10/+58no divx support yet in the media center extender.
    • johnomaz, on 07/08/2008, -0/+25Don't use the media center extender. Set up a few folders as shared folders and stream the files directly to your XBOX. I watch all my divx movies from my computer through my xbox. Same with my MP3 collection and my pictures. Media Center is too slow/clunky so i just stream them.
      • g2g079, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3I have been doing that for now but I use tversity to host my files since it can transcode in realtime. However; you can not watch tv. you can not use the netflix plugin, you do not see thumbnails of the video you want to play, there is no picture in picture, and a whole lot of other things that just arn't suported in the dashboard. Is divx support within media center so damn difficult?
    • paulvq, on 07/08/2008, -0/+11Check out TVersity. I've used it before, and it's very good at streaming. You can also use thumb drives, data CD's and DVD's, and external hard drives. I even use an SD card with a USB reader to watch movies on my Xbox.
      • g2g079, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Tversity only works with the dashboard not media center extender. I use tversity to host an array of files and rss feeds to my 360. It will reencode anything the dashboard wont play. The problem is that it wont work with the media center which has a lot of extra easy to use features.
      • mcottier, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1I had no idea it was possible with an SD card, thanks for sharing.
      • paulvq, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2Basically anything that you can put a folder on and plug in through USB can play content on the 360.

        Except for the iPod Video. You can only play music on there; you can't use it as a mass storage device on the Xbox.
    • murrowman, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3If you can use media center extender, I'm pretty sure you have the capability to just stream divx/xvid by itself.
      • g2g079, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2you can stream to the dashboard but not the media center extender part.
    • Ignignokt01, on 07/09/2008, -0/+4I've found that while Tversity is great, i love using thumb drives. There's never any playing issues, event though they are rare with tversity streaming.
  • joshefosho, on 07/08/2008, -21/+7Yea, and when it gets the ring of death it makes a very good paper weight.
    • crazym0nkey01, on 07/08/2008, -2/+5Or you could just send it in for a week to get repaired.
      • nutsackorama, on 07/08/2008, -3/+3A week my ass.
      • PolishLogic, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3Or if you purchased an extended warranty, just drop the old one off where you bought it, and take a brand new one home.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -2/+1Or, I'll not have to bother with an extended warranty, as I have little worry of my PS3 ever breaking until the next gen comes out and I get my next console.
      • BeeArePro, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2Have fun with all the awesome games... oh wait..

        in b4 mgs4LOL
  • INTERNETMASTER, on 07/08/2008, -20/+12horrible idea. the longer you keep your xbox2 powered on the more likely it is to RROD or otherwise malfunction.
    • prisoner24601, on 07/08/2008, -4/+12That and the noise is pretty bad. During a war movie you might not mind, but in any quiet scene it's pretty noticeable in a quiet living room.
      • ociris, on 07/08/2008, -4/+2Thats bogus.... Its ONLY noisy if you are using the DVD drive. Read the article or try it yourself.
      • pegisys, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5*correction* some 360's are only noisy if you use the DVD drive. Some, especially the older models, have unbearable loud fans
      • HigherLogic, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1I bought a 360 the day it came out. Still have it too (it's survived a couple RROD's but I've managed to keep it going). It's pretty loud when it's on. My brother got one about 6 months ago and his is very quiet, I don't even know it's on.
    • Puppetfunk, on 07/08/2008, -3/+6I leave mine on all the time. When downloading or I forget, and it still works.
      • Rickler, on 07/08/2008, -4/+2And you live next to an airport too right
    • BikerDude69, on 07/08/2008, -1/+5Electronics last longer when you leave them on. Most problems occur through repeaded power surges through the system at power up.
  • Kosher1947, on 07/08/2008, -13/+6This is mainly stuff most people already know. For those who won't read the damn article...there is a solution to share media between a Mac and 360. It isn't free, but $20 isn't anything.

    There is support for divx...read the article.

    RROD is old news people. It is stupid flame bait.
    • Kosher1947, on 07/08/2008, -6/+3I geuss I should have wrote something like...

      "Ps3 fr da win! Linux rocks!!!!!!1! All u windoze users is n00bz. Mac fagz r gayz. lulz!".

      Then I would be getting dugg up instead of getting dugg down.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2No, you're getting dugg down because you said the RROD is old news, and there's millions of xbox 360 owners who still have this issue to this very day, who would wholeheartedly disagree.
  • suckanucka, on 07/08/2008, -12/+160I have the vagina mod attached to mine and I sold my girlfriend to Cambodia.
  • clayasaurus, on 07/08/2008, -14/+3Keep your PC and throw out your xbox ... convergence successful
  • allaun, on 07/08/2008, -17/+6I've never used a xbox360, Never will. Why would I pay to have the privilege to watch things fail. I can do it for free elsewhere! :p
    • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -1/+5Kinda like your lame comment on Digg. Free and complete failure all in one.
  • Pake, on 07/08/2008, -5/+27I just use TVersity to stream ***** to my 360. I tried using MP11, but it seemed like more of a hassle for some reason (but then again, this was back before they allowed the 360 to play DivX and Xvid.
    • Tyrghast, on 07/08/2008, -1/+14The people burying you obviously haven't used TVersity. It rocks hardcore.
    • mrbbad, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4TVersity *ROCKS* -- this article lost all credibility when it mentioned that buggy transcode360 crap. I've been so happy with TVersity, it was easy to setup and use too...and streaming away to my xbox is easy.

      Did we mention TVersity > transcode360?
      • g2g079, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2Tversity does rock but it has one fallback. It does not work with media center extender.
      • Gizza, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2I use to use Transcode 360, but it was pretty crap. I've now just set up an old PC in a Media Centre case with a TV Tuner card. Works much better. TVersity wasn't really an option because it doesn't work with the media extender and I have over 700GB of TV shows, so I need an easy way to sort them.
    • Cuchanu, on 07/08/2008, -0/+13I stream ***** to my toilet.
    • shibbyo, on 07/09/2008, -0/+3I couldn't get TVersity to work when I tried it. That was way back when it first came out for 360 though.
  • igneouz, on 07/08/2008, -11/+3yea but when you get RROD youre totally screwed
  • aftern9ne, on 07/08/2008, -9/+2That's a pretty lame article, considering all of these things are pretty much spelled out in big dummy letters when you buy a 360.
    • punkcat, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2i must have missed the thing about the overpriced wireless connector and the work arounds in my manual.
  • sabster, on 07/08/2008, -9/+3ive tried transcode360, and it doesnt work, it doesnt work for a lot of people.. and who wants to pay for netflix to watch stuff? nooooo thanks
    • sabster, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1why am i getting dugg down? go look on their support forum..

      http://www.runtime360.com/forums/list.php?8

      people arent even able to get it to uninstall.. people just assume it works because some random blogger says it does.. ive troubleshooted it for hours and i couldnt get it to work.. im not alone.
    • mrbbad, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Forget transcode360 and get TVersity, then never look back.
  • skweezer, on 07/08/2008, -11/+4XBMC 0WNZ !!
    way better
    • Darkangel754, on 07/08/2008, -1/+0What it's true
    • graemee, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Except for that Hi-def bit. I have both so I OK with either.
  • sockpuppets, on 07/08/2008, -16/+7360's sound like vacuum cleaners when they're running. horrible for a media center.
    • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -2/+3I take it you don't actually own one.
    • lowmagnet, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2I do, and I use my PS3 for media. My 360 is one of the loud ones.
  • JakeyG14, on 07/08/2008, -13/+5"I've been able to get rid of my home theater PC, my DVD player, and even my cable box", well you're a tool for doing so. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 both aren't good enough to replace cable or a home theatre PC.
    • jo21, on 07/08/2008, -1/+3the ps3 is.
      by far the cheapest and functional media center in the market.

      you can even replace the HDD for a 250 gb one without voiding the warranty
      • JakeyG14, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1I have a PS3 and it is good as a media centre but it's not the same as a "home theatre PC", if you use it as media centre then you'll have noticed this also.
  • Levarris, on 07/08/2008, -11/+4-2 digg
  • Kosher1947, on 07/08/2008, -23/+98Hey...Xbox 360 isn't a bad system.

    (Prepare for the digg down.)
    • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -19/+30Why would you get dugg down for that, Xbox 360 is the best system out right now.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -12/+5Depends on your criteria.

        Reliability? Not Quite...
        Affordable Accessories? Erm... Nope.
        Compatibiliy with non-proprietary Hardware and Accessories? Try Again...
        Multimedia Capabilities? Sorry...
        How about motion based control schemes? Hardly.
      • sovietninja, on 07/09/2008, -2/+9Depends on your bias and what you are smoking.

        Games? Yes...
        Bulletproof? Yes...
        Erasable Surface? Sadly, Yes...
        Annoying Voice Chat? Yes...
        Christmas Lights mode? Yes

        Based on those criteria, the Xbox 360 is the best system. It plays games, can be worn as armor, be drawn upon and erased by Top Men working at Microsoft Repair Centers, can be used to insult someone's mother, and has flashing red or green lights, perfect for your Christmas home decor that you never take down.
      • Darksoul, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1Only in your mind is it the best system out right now.
    • transform100, on 07/08/2008, -6/+23it's not a bad system by any means it's just flawed.
  • cleric85, on 07/08/2008, -32/+47I loved my 360 until I bought a PS3. Until you own both of them you have no right to judge them.
    • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -16/+10*****.

      It's unreasonable to expect people to pay $700-800 just to have the right to discuss the pros and cons of the two systems. I judge with my wallet, and I'm not wasting money on a PS3 when there's only one or two games for it that barely come close to sparking my interest.
      • markus7353, on 07/09/2008, -8/+8*****.

        PS3's cost $400 with wireless internet ($100 for 360, free for PS3), Live/PSNetwork ($50/year 360, free PS3). I know you mean combined, but PS3 is cheaper in the long run

        Games: MGS4 (are you serious?), HOME(!!!!!), Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, Drake's, SOCOM (!!!!!x30)

        What does 360 have? halo (meh, its been done), acheivements (PS3 got them in 2.4 update as of 3 days ago), Live in-game (just got this as well), Netflix (k you got that)

        I like both systems, but IN MY OPINION i believe PS3 is better

        one last thing: blu-ray won.
      • djruden, on 07/09/2008, -3/+6I don't totally agree with your taste in games. I'm a happy 360 owner and have no interest in PS3 or blu-ray. Sure blu-ray beat HD-DVD but a big reason I got a 360 was because I can just rent and stream movies right from xbox live (in HD even). No big collection of discs that will soon be obsolete like my video tape collection I worked so hard on or my DVD collection I have now. I can stream and watch it and really, I don't rewatch movies too much so this works fine for me.

        In the end I think streaming video is gonna beat out any disc media, including blu-ray.
    • SuicideMouse, on 07/08/2008, -8/+23I still love my 360 and I almost feel guilty saying this but, after buying my PS3, it's a love based off of old memories.

      I wasn't expecting the PS3 to be this awesome.
    • h0ly, on 07/08/2008, -2/+11What do you guys think it's so awesome about the PS3, and not so awesome about the 360?
      I mean not only as a media player, but in playing games as well.
      (honest question, I might be buying one in the future)
      • modix, on 07/08/2008, -3/+21The PS3 interfacing works better, is cleaner, and allows for easy hard drive expansion as well. It is whisper quiet, does not overheat, and is very reliable. It is fairly future proof having blu-ray playback and blue-tooth integration.

        Its usefulness improves with every patch, and it is a one stop shop for everything right out of the box with no add-ons needed. It also comes with Wi-Fi installed already, so you don't have to shell out $100 for the X360 one (thus making it more expensive than the PS3).

        These are subjective experiences for the most part, but you did ask for opinions.
      • azurechaos, on 07/08/2008, -2/+16One of the big draws for me of the ps3 was free online play and not having to buy any external drives for expansion. I'm not big on the idea of paying so much for a system and then paying more just to play online.

        The people I know who have 360's all love them, but I've loved my ps3, all its features and the games since I've had it, and so do all my other ps3 owning friends. For that matter, most people I know with the current generation of consoles are happy, amazing isn't it?
      • markus7353, on 07/09/2008, -10/+5PS3's cost $400 with wireless internet ($100 for 360, free for PS3), Live/PSNetwork ($50/year 360, free PS3). I know you mean combined, but PS3 is cheaper in the long run

        Games: MGS4 (are you serious?), HOME(!!!!!), Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, Drake's, SOCOM (!!!!!x30)

        What does 360 have? halo (meh, its been done), acheivements (PS3 got them in 2.4 update as of 3 days ago), Live in-game (just got this as well), Netflix (k you got that)

        I like both systems, but IN MY OPINION i believe PS3 is better

        one last thing: blu-ray won.
      • jaypdub, on 07/09/2008, -6/+4I was struggling between the two for a while, but eventually settled on the PS3 for many of the reasons mentioned above, but just to reiterate:
        After having to buy a hard drive, wireless adapter, and wireless controllers, the 360 actually costs more than the PS3 and offers less. I was drawn to the 360 by its low price, but after a little research came to find that most of the savings were in areas I would have to upgrade later. Sure, they could sell a bare bones PS3 (or if they were Microsoft, an "Arcade" PS3) but they really give you everything you need right out of the box. WiFi, wireless controllers, Blu-Ray, whatever. Not to mention not having to worry about the overheating problem.

        But in the end, this article is meaningless to me, since I have my desktop PC hooked up to my TV through a VGA cable, so all of my "media center" functions are done right through my computer. I just thought I'd give my two cents on the console war.
    • ociris, on 07/08/2008, -10/+5I own both of them but i like my 360 better. See how my opinion differ from yours.
      Now STFU
    • BabyWookie, on 07/08/2008, -4/+22I own both, as well. The 360 is still better for the games.
      • vulpescry, on 07/09/2008, -3/+2Yea, I must say the PS3 has enormous room for expansion, but unfortunately, the internet service isn't as good as the Xbox Live yet.
      • NCg8r, on 07/09/2008, -1/+0Tekken 5 and 6, eventually Shadows of the Collusus 2 and God of War 3, SOCOM and MGS4 (if you're into that... I'm not), Little Big Planet, and hopefully Home. None of that will be on 360. I have owned 2 RLoD 360s and will probably buy an Arcade when the price drops, but Halo and Gears of War don't excite me that much as Exclusive titles. The REAL draw is that my wife needs to finish Viva Pinata and she made me promise I would get another 360 after I switched to PS3.
      • Nath2k8, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1Dont count your eggs NCg8r before they hatch, Haze anyone?
    • whisperedlie, on 07/08/2008, -7/+8have both, like 360 better. contradicting opinion GOOO
    • SilentRamble42, on 07/08/2008, -10/+3I own both. I have my XBox for games and everything listed above, and my PS3 for blu-ray, because that's all it's good for.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -2/+2It a shame you spent all that money to one a slim fraction of the PS3's capabilities.
    • Cloud7654, on 07/09/2008, -0/+3Have both, love both. I don't see why there always has to be a console war between fanboys of both, although this doesn't seem to be one here. Just saying.
    • sovietninja, on 07/09/2008, -4/+3Sony paid me to tell you guys that the Nintendo's XBOX 360 is better than Microsoft's PlayStation 3. So I totally bought Sony's Wii and was blown away by the graphics on My Sims. Everyone should go buy My Sims, its way more entralling than Metal Gear Halo XIII.

      So EA and Sony, where's my money?
    • BearinG, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1After getting the MGS4 PS3 bundle (i wanted the 80gb and backwards...), I was excited but in the end, still preferred my 360. There's also a few things i wasn't expecting when I opened the box (which definitely took a toll on my enthusiasm and excitement) .. no HD cable for a blu-ray player, no battery pack for the wireless controller (batteries don't last forever), 3 feet usb cable, no "media remote" (no infra-red receiver so no Logitech Harmony), MGS4 was my first game and it took me around 20 minutes to play online.. install, then install for online component, then update for online component..create konami account, game account, game character.

      Gaming and media server aspects are fine though, no one could tell a difference when gaming.. games are games.

      With these last updates though, in-game XMB is pretty awesome.. definitely got some points there..

      Its all opinions anyway.. I still needed a blu-ray and its the best out there.. I'm just happy there are a few good "older" games now that I can get for cheaper..
  • biggieandmoe, on 07/08/2008, -7/+28Or you can just get an original xbox and mod it to have XBMC
    • Yakovzoya, on 07/08/2008, -1/+25If it could handle HD content I never would have replaced my modded Xbox. Aside from the hardware limitations, an Xbox with XBMC is the best thing I've ever connected to my tv.
      • FreeTalkLIve, on 07/09/2008, -0/+12Hacked stuff is always better.
    • jerrycan, on 07/09/2008, -0/+4I agree %100. I'll replace my xbox once the XB360 can be modded to run XBMC and the RROD problems are really a thing of the past...The only reason being to have the horse power to play all that juicy HD content that is become more prevalent. I've tried Media Portal with the Project mayhem skin on a media PC, but alas it just ain't the same...
      • paulsmith288, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1im hoping the linux version of XBMC will (may already) work on the ps3.

        I run mythtv frontend on my linux ps3 - its ok even with the restricted access to the GPU(RSX) that linux has. Mythtv and mplayer offload all the work to the cell - and my SD video works fine. Bluetooth controllers work with mythtv. (I dont have ANY hd content).
        The only annoying thing is starting linux. System -> default OS -> boot. If sony ever get us to boot direct from XMB then I will be a happy bunny.
    • PhantomJM, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2Agreed. XBMC supports more media formats than the 360 and PS3 ever will (vob for example). Couple that with the various homebrew apps (such as emulators and RSS streaming) and you have a media powerhouse. Best of all, all it takes to get one now is an old Xbox ($50 used), a copy of Splinter Cell (a few bucks), an Action Replay unit (also cheap), a home network, and your PC with an FTP app (I recommend the FireFTP add-on for Firefox) and an IRC client (I recommend ChatZilla for Firefox). For less than $100 you can have a media center that blows the current gen systems out of the water.
  • Bloodburn, on 07/08/2008, -11/+4RROD RROD RROD!! LOLZ
  • jackal123, on 07/08/2008, -9/+2As it stands right now, neither a 360 nor a PS3 can replace a proper HTPC. Both require streaming for some content because of their limited native support for codecs. There's no use in arguing.
  • Harrison88, on 07/08/2008, -9/+3Was I the only one expecting to see "...heat your house with it!" and an article about some third world country using a 360 to heat one room house?
  • mohsenxp, on 07/08/2008, -35/+90Hmm I hate to start a feud but I have to say the PS3 is a better 'all round' entertainment hub.

    Media Centre - performs just as well as the x360
    Network Connection - Built in wifi. No need to hack/buy adaptors.
    Fan - Its quieter than the x360 so no need to silence it by buying more parts.
    Blu-ray - No need to buy a $100 HD-DVD drive (which in 2yrs time will pretty much be rendered useless anyway). I have a Lovefilm.com connection and get all my films on Blu-Ray so its nice to have a built in player.

    The only problem I have with the PS3 is that some of my .avi files say unsupported data. I've learned that it is to do with the way the divx files are encoded and some don't play. It would be nice for Sony to extend their divx support in future updates (rather than focus on redesigning a platinum trophy :S ).

    Not trying to say the PS3>X360. But on the topic of "The 360 is not perfect by any means, but it's the best multimedia device I've ever used." I have to disagree.
    • schoate09, on 07/08/2008, -4/+21I tend to agree with you on every point. The PS3 is definitely better as a multimedia hub.

      Having owned both, I can say the PS3 is superior in this respect, but both systems are great in this area.
      • ociris, on 07/08/2008, -6/+0Problem is you can't connect your ps3 to windows.... And if you have this guys setup, then you can actually have cable tv and all your windows media files accessible. So it depends. And in my opinion, i like the 360 better because of this.

        HDDVD failed. But you dont see me buying a bunch of BluRay for my PS3 now. Rather, im making a big collection of all the HDDVD movies that are out cheap.
      • modix, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5What gave you the idea that the PS3 can't connect to windows? Mine uses all the Windows Media Player files in the exact same fashion as the X360. If that is your only reason for the X360's superiority, then you should change your mind.
      • azurechaos, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5@ociris:

        yes you can! do a little research. first day i plugged in my ps3 i was surprised that it was picking up my winamp remote over the wireless network, sweetness!
      • BearinG, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I thought he meant with the Media Extender...

        PS3 works fine with just media shares.. i use TVersity for both ps3 and 360..

        I thought ps3 had BETTER (see FULL) support for DivX though
    • punkcat, on 07/08/2008, -6/+13have both, so far they are equal.

      rest is just fanboy whining.

      • dasdef, on 07/09/2008, -4/+1except that they're not equal and ps3 is better =P
    • MrFisty, on 07/08/2008, -0/+11Well I've had both systems (ended up having to ditch the 360 after 3 dead consoles), and I'm finding the PS3 has completely replaced my DVD player because of it's support for DVDs and BDs, but mainly because it's quiet. I couldn't stand watching DVDs on the 360 because it sounded like a hairdryer.
    • BabyWookie, on 07/08/2008, -5/+12""The 360 is not perfect by any means, but it's the best multimedia device I've ever used." I have to disagree."

      Well, *****... maybe he never used a PS3?
    • luvkit, on 07/09/2008, -5/+4I've used both extensively. And, no, there is no Blu-ray support for the 360 and HD-DVD will be defunct, but it is a good deal cheaper than the PS3 and looks phenomnal while playing games. Not only that, but the Live features kill anything the PS3 has to offer.

      The two are pretty equal as media players (exempting blu-ray), but I'd rather have the gaming system have better content and more functionality. I want the 360 to give in and make a blu-ray player for the 360, and have 360's with them built in. That would make it an all around better media player than the PS3, hands down.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -1/+4xbox 360 (besides the useless arcade version) $349 + 1 year xbox live supscription = $399
        (I'm convinced they only reason they ever released the core or arcade models was so they could advertise a lower base price point)

        PS3 = $399

        Need a wireless controller? wireless internet? That's extra, only for the xbox 360.
        Want to upgrade the hard drive? FAR cheaper to do on the PS3.
        Got a bluetooth headset lying around? It'll work with PS3, but you need to buy microsoft's proprietary wireless headset if you want the same effect.

        What were you saying about it being a good deal cheaper?
      • Stroggoth, on 07/09/2008, -3/+0Somebody call the wAAAA-bulance!! We have a patient!
      • BearinG, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1@bigbadgoat

        Not taking price in consideration, please don't mislead people.. both console makers made stupid mistakes...

        I don't think anyone should buy the "Pro/Arcade" just for the lack of HDD. Blu-ray player, but not HD cable. Wireless controller comes with the other models on 360, headset also, media remote (not sure anymore). A HDD is NOT required though.. and installations of games will never be an issue... with my PS3 though, i will most likely NEED to buy another HDD at some point when it is full. Wireless PS3 controller doesn't have replaceable batteries, so down the line, you will need to buy a new one. Blue-tooth headset lying around? Usually people use it for their cell phones. That also means that it always needs to be charged, there's no "wired" option. My motorola doesn't work when its charging (although the wireless 360 headset also doesn't work when charging). The Xbox 360 headset is NOT proprietary like you said, you can use cordless phone headset with the right jack (this is what I use personally). You do need to buy the WIRELESS headset however. PS3 media remote not included and PS3 does not support infra-red (Logitech Harmony) so you need a Blue-tooth remote by sony (or 3rd party).

        BOTH have made good AND bad decisions.. I can point out flaws too.. the fact is, they are both very close in features and price.. it depends on personal needs and just opinion.. (except blu-ray, that alone is a huge)
    • joegibes, on 07/09/2008, -0/+13"HD-DVD player will be rendered useless in 2-yrs time"
      It's useless NOW.
      • juvigt, on 07/09/2008, -1/+0I don't know about that. To have an hd-dvd player is great right now. The prices for HD-DVD's are usually lower than Blu-ray for the same quality and content. Heck, sometimes they're even cheaper than regular DVD's.
      • ispysomething, on 07/09/2008, -1/+1it's called clearance.
      • BearinG, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I'm just glad Blu-ray is bigger in size than HD-DVD though, that way I'll at least be able to burn my HD-DVDs to blu-ray at some point ...
    • nmessick, on 07/09/2008, -2/+2PS3 can't stream live TV, do DVR, etc. Right?

      Windows Media Center is really overlooked, its quite good. I've stopped using XBMC, my TIVO, and I returned my cable box.
    • Bartboy919, on 07/09/2008, -1/+1I'd contest that claim just based on the fact that I have my music spread about on a few different computers, and the only real place where all my music is in one place is on my ipod or zune, which does not interface well with the Playstation 3.
    • thegoldenavatar, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1You can get around the .avi problem by serving up your vids with the TVersity media server. It may not always be a convenient option, but it is one possible solution.
  • deaftly, on 07/08/2008, -11/+23generic dumb rrod comment
    • punkcat, on 07/08/2008, -4/+3generic my system is better comment.
    • jerrycan, on 07/09/2008, -1/+2generic genuine concern over purchasing due to RROD.
    • PhrosTT, on 07/09/2008, -1/+4my ps3 has blueROD.
  • Harrison88, on 07/08/2008, -9/+47"Installing a dedicated home theater PC under your TV is overkill for most people, especially if you don't want a big, noisy PC in your living room."
    But the 360 will drown out the noise of the PC.
    • ociris, on 07/08/2008, -6/+0Only if you have a DVD on the machine. RTFA.
    • Dracusis, on 07/09/2008, -0/+5The 360 console on my desk downs out my gaming PC with 6 120mm fans with the side cover off WITHOUT a DVD in the drive.

      I really want to like the 360, ha some nice games, but it's so ugly and noisy. If only it didn't get it's "exclusive" games 6 months before the PC versions, then I could just get rid of it.
    • m3mph1s, on 07/09/2008, -1/+3Yeah, it's loud, but it is not ugly. The Wii is boxy and plain, and the PS3 literally looks like a cooking grill. The 360 is beautiful. Loud, but beautiful.
  • spect3r, on 07/08/2008, -6/+1The only gripe I have is with Apple, not MS..... oh how I would love to stream itunes to my 360 :((((

    I've tried transcode 360, but I could not get it to work :| Any tips?

    I know I know, don't use Itunes, but it's .... erm, yeah
    • c010rb1indusa, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Connect360 is what I use to stream media to xbox. Its 20 bucks, but hey thats what bittorent is for.
    • LethalJizzle, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1well im not sure if you download your music from itunes or not, so that might affect things a bit, but id just add your collection to your media player library seeing as the program dosent even need to be running to stream the music. or you could just plug your ipod into the 360.
  • gfxlonghorn, on 07/08/2008, -15/+13Or you could install windows xp on your PS3 and have windows media center. You don't need to hack your network connection, because the PS3 has built in wireless. PS3 has built in media server compatibility. The PS3 isn't loud at all compared to the Xbox 360. Not to mention the PS3 has a blu ray player, which makes it an even better buy. So in conclusion, the Xbox360 pales in comparison to the PS3 as an all-in-one media center.
    • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -3/+2What is this ***** about hacking your network connection? Is it that hard to plug an ethernet cord into the back of the Xbox?
      • supermanly, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3In your living room? I doubt that most people have such a setup. Then again, my whole house is wireless except for 1 computer: 2 desktops, 4 laptops, and 1 Wii all use the wireless.
      • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1Even so - what hack is involved in buying the wireless adapter? The guy above makes it sound like it requires some sort of technical expertise.
      • gfxlonghorn, on 07/09/2008, -0/+4The wireless adapters for the xbox360 are much too expensive for what they are really worth.
    • ociris, on 07/08/2008, -5/+1is the PS3 also a DVR device now?
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -0/+3In europe, yes it is actually.

        It's an attachment called "PlayTV"
    • Tonytastic, on 07/08/2008, -0/+9except theres no build of XP for the cell processor...
    • Dracusis, on 07/09/2008, -0/+3You do the PS3 a disservice. Epic Fail.
  • batshitcrazy, on 07/08/2008, -8/+12i bought 360 because i like the games, and was given a ps3 for free... and honestly, ps3 is the better dvd/media player. the regular dvd playback is smoother, it plays blue ray, and the system runs much quieter.
  • hugolp, on 07/08/2008, -12/+25I own a Xbox 360 and is cool for gaming. But I would never used it as a Media Center, because is noisy as hell.

    Xbox 360 as a Media Center is a no go.
    • Tyrghast, on 07/08/2008, -8/+7If you're sitting close enough to the TV to hear your console running, you're doin it wrong.
      • hugolp, on 07/08/2008, -2/+4Do you have any other usefull advise?
      • dasdef, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2i have some advice for you. advice is spelled advice and useful is spelled useful :)
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -1/+4So... 15-20 feet away is too close?
    • ociris, on 07/08/2008, -3/+1Unless if you have a DVD movie running, i dont see why the 360 would be loud. its quiet when it is not spinning the CD. Try it or RTFA.
    • pico303, on 07/09/2008, -2/+1If your 360 is quiet enough to watch DVDs, consider yourself lucky. The fans on mine are so loud you can hear it all the way upstairs in the back of the house. Thankfully the Apple TV is utterly quiet.
    • foomojive, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1i am on my third 360 and this one is pretty darn quiet. i think it depends on how new your 360 is... they seem to have made some major tweaks on noise level in recent years.
  • kokopackin, on 07/08/2008, -4/+17the author of this article conveniently forgot to mention XBMC.... like 6 years ago!

    XBMC is by far the GREATEST invention during this digitial era... if you dont know about XBMC, i think its time for you to go find out!
    • nmessick, on 07/09/2008, -2/+1ran it for 3 years, gotta say... 360 running media center is better. XBMC has a cool interface, but it just does not do as much.
  • NinjaBoy, on 07/08/2008, -6/+2I would LOVE to stream my diggnation/TRS to my HDTV in my living room using my xbox. But does anyone know of a way to stream the QuickTime files to it? I don't want to convert them just to watch them. (unless someone knows of a program that will auto download AND auto convert)
    • rodon, on 07/08/2008, -0/+5if you have a PC, you can download TVtonic. It will download WMV format video podcast episodes that you can subscribe to. From there you can play it through Window Media Center Extender on your 360. I'm surprised that this article didn't include a part about TVtonic. I watch my Tekzilla, Diggnation, etc. through it.
      • NinjaBoy, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1THANKS! I'm going to set this up as soon as I get home.
    • LethalJizzle, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1Alternitavly check out tversity. that will find files of all types and encode them to wmv while they play so the 360 will see them as a file it can play even if its something like a .mov on your pc. also it means you dont have to wait for them to fully convert before you can watch them.
    • Bartboy919, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1For mac, I use connect360. Those HD files run like a dream over my network. Windows side I had though that one would be able to use WMP 11 to stream those files. Maybe im wrong, but give it a try. Oh, and the Zune player streams to the 360 as well.
    • chris_allen, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1@NinjaBoy -

      You can simply download the large xvid files of those revision 3 shows and stream them from WMP11 to your 360 if your running a Windows PC. I do this and it works perfectly and I believe the video quality is better than the quicktime version.
  • DNAspark99, on 07/08/2008, -3/+38It's been mentioned already, but when this guy says "it's the best multimedia device I've ever used!", he clearly hasn't used XBMC on a modded first-gen xbox. I have a 360 and XBMC side-by-side - guess which one handles more media, gives more options, and better control? Yup, xbox360's media capabilities seem (purposefully) crippled next to it. The *ONLY* thing 360 does better is play HD media (since 1st-gen xbox has a measly 733mhz cpu) , but 360 falls short when that media happens to be in a format it can't handle. (which is... a LOT.) Even having the wrong extension on a file it CAN play, (say, .mp4 vs .m4v) it's not smart enough to examine the filetype first to determine if it can play it. I am really disappointed in it's current media capabilities, and it is my #1 desire for them to VASTLY improve this area in the next round of updates.

    So, MS, if you're listening, PLEASE implement, at the VERY LEAST:

    1: Support for 'unsupported' formats, especially container formats such as .mkv. The list of supported formats is pathetic compared to XBMC.
    2: Support for subtitle streams in mp4 containers.
    3: Proper media detection. Renaming files isn't a terrible chore, but it should be unnecessary
    4: The ability to connect to a SMB share instead of relying on media-center software for streaming media.


    Yea, I know.. wishful thinking....
    • BikerDude69, on 07/08/2008, -4/+1Modding an XBOX is not only illegal, it is a pain in the neck, voids your warranty, can get you banned from XBox Live and it is just plain buggy. I know from experience. it is nice once the hard part is done, it does have a nice interface, but in my professional opinion, it is just not work it. XBox 360 and Windows Vista Ultimate makes a great entertainment package. When coupled with my projector and surround system, it's even better than a movie theater.
      • hugolp, on 07/08/2008, -0/+4I dont know where you live but I live in Barcelona and here, if you pay for some hardware, that hardware is yours and you can do what you want with it. If you are not allowed to do what you want with the hardware you payed for, you have a big and stupid problem. It seems so basic to me, that I had to read it twice to be sure you actually said that. You need to change those laws, cause they are just stupid.
      • BikerDude69, on 07/09/2008, -2/+2I agree. it is stupid, but it basically along the same lines as piracy by modifying the XBox programming.
      • psylent, on 07/09/2008, -0/+2Wow, my modded Xbox with XBMC works absolutely flawlessly. The interface is amazing, and plays everything I throw at it and definitely worth it.

        Thanks for your professional opinion though!
    • akamurph, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3How much are original XBOX's these days? $50? Don't use it to play Xbox Live and don't worry about getting banned, especially with the 360 out for awhile why are you playing games on your original Xbox? ...and if you know what you are doing it is pretty easy to mod, and not a pain in the neck. XBMC is the best geek-software in my house, it's basically my dvd player/tv show player/etc. etc. etc. and will play everything thrown at it, just not HD :(
      • BikerDude69, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1Soldering on the XBox circuitry is risky and somewhat difficult. I've seen a few get killed that way.
      • akamurph, on 07/12/2008, -0/+1softmod, no soldering required!
      • akamurph, on 07/12/2008, -0/+1softmod, no soldering required.
    • TdiFFRob6876, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1I have the same setup and I only need a ps3 for a blu-ray player maybe for some games but mainly as a blu-ray player. then I'll put a 320 gig hdd in it and run mkv files.
  • DiggzDE, on 07/08/2008, -6/+5But does this support HD mkv files?


    Likely no. :(
  • shadowmoose, on 07/08/2008, -11/+8For a near 1 in 3 failure rate you sure are putting a lot of eggs in one basket.
  • FFXIfrohike, on 07/08/2008, -8/+7Hmmm... This is less of a life-hack and more of a life-kludge. Not smart to rig everything around a potential RROD timebomb anyhow.
  • iamsmooth, on 07/08/2008, -4/+8It's sad that not too many people use this function for the 360. It's a waste of an awesome function.

    On a side note, the PS3 can do exactly the same thing, but the interface isn't as good imo.
  • jo21, on 07/08/2008, -14/+8why? the ps3 do much more.

    doesn't sound like a jet engine, and play blu ray
  • WilleyDiggemz, on 07/08/2008, -4/+3Time to pimp my 360
  • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -11/+5Good lord, when did Digg become a social hang-out for PS3 fanboys?

    Better yet, when did it become socially acceptable to waste your money on a PS3? I liked the internet a lot more when you guys were all still too afraid to admit you actually dropped $500 on that piece of trash.
    • supermanly, on 07/08/2008, -2/+8Don't tell me you're not a fanboy. Think about it: you don't have a PS3, yet you talk so badly about it.

      It's called reserving judgment until you actually can comment firsthand, not what your believe/want to believe.
      • FredFredrickson, on 07/08/2008, -7/+2I can comment firsthand when I say that the PS3 is still too expensive, and it doesn't have any games I am interested in. I don't need to buy one to know that.
      • sonicbliss, on 07/09/2008, -2/+2It's happened now that PS3 has sold roughly 14 million in 18months (nov 06 release), compared to 360's 19.5 million in 32 months (nov 05 release).

        There's simply many more happy PS3 owners nowadays :) Besides the fact that PS3 is just simply the better media centre/all in one device.
    • CollapseControl, on 07/08/2008, -4/+1Oh *****, you are gonna get dugg down so ***** far! How dare you say something foul about the PS3!

      The question is, why are so many PS3 lovers on digg reading about something a 360 user does?

      Shouldn't they be unlocking trophies or some gay ***** like that?
      • modix, on 07/08/2008, -1/+2"The 360 is not perfect by any means, but it's the best multimedia device I've ever used."

        The article is claiming that the 360 is the best Multimedia Device. Many PS3 users and owners of both came here to refute a claim that was in the article's summary.
      • CollapseControl, on 07/08/2008, -2/+1"the best multimedia device _____________I'VE_____________ ever used."

        The article is claiming NOTHING as fact. It is his opinion and his alone.

        Now he gets a whole ***** load of children digging down anything and everything that seems positive for the 360 and digging up anything positive for the PS3.

        I do believe that we are under... All » Gaming » Xbox

      • modix, on 07/08/2008, -1/+1No one was refuting the fact it was the best HE"D used. They came in to say the best that THEY had used. For those of us with both consoles, this was a point we felt was pertinent to the discussion.

        It is OUR opinion, and last I saw, this was a opinion based forum. Just because you don't agree doesn't mean you should be whining about others opinion. What else would you do in a forum if there was no dissenting opinion? "WoW, great article" with 2000+ digs.

        The fact that it's under Xbox category is meaningless when it's ON THE FRONT PAGE. No one went to sub categories specifically to discuss an Xbox only article. The story is about COMPARING media centers and where the X360 fits in... who'd have thunk it that people would be debating media centers in the forum?
      • CollapseControl, on 07/08/2008, -3/+1Don't even think that every comment on this forum is debating anything in a decent way. A lot of little douchebags come on here and just spew *****, tons of BS. It is alright to state ones opinion on whatever, lord knows I do it all the time, BUT, like the guy above stated, when the ***** did this site become a ***** retard fest?

        You seem to have a brain, which is fine, but I can't say that for the other hundred children typing away here.

        It is really sad.
      • modix, on 07/09/2008, -0/+0I'll agree with you that it is sad, but it is epidemic of digg in general. Very few people put in the time to read the article and even fewer actually digg up and down based upon any criteria besides whether or not they are on a "side". It makes it hard to get any decent information from the group, since it becomes a current snapshot of "sides" instead of people chiming in their honest opinions.

        I apologize for the harshness... there were just as many fanboys attacking the PS3 3 months ago that are supporting it now, and insulting large blocs of fellow gamers is uncalled for regardless of the current climate. It's childish and prevents decent discussions. The OP of this thread was insulting to PS3 owners in general, and I took umbrage.

        To each their own. I was hoping for a better discussion of the different possible HTPC setups... but this IS digg, I expected far too much.
      • bigbadgoat, on 07/09/2008, -1/+2Hey *****:

        How about you heed your own advice then, and stay the ***** out of any topic under All » Gaming » Playstation and shut the ***** up with your inane ***** you keep spouting

        "Shouldn't they be unlocking trophies or some gay ***** like that?"

        Funny, you loved to brag about Xbox 360's achievements when it had that advantage over the PS3. Now that Sony has found another way to do something the xbox360 does, but much better than it, and still not charge it's millions of subscribers a ***** dime for the added functionality, it's "gay *****".

        Right.
  • slochewie, on 07/08/2008, -3/+7still prefer my original soft modded Xbox running XBMC. If I could mod the 360 to do what my Xbox does then I'd do that. I would never lower myself to running Windows though so I can watch streaming videos on my 360. My one terabyte Ubuntu based file server full of movies runs just fine with XBMC.
    • AK10, on 07/08/2008, -0/+3Coincidentally, I'm streaming one terabyte worth of media from an Ubuntu uShare server to my 360 right now.
  • WaveRunningNakd, on 07/08/2008, -1/+11My 360 won't replace my HTPC until MS removes their heads from their asses and supports other formats besides their own inside Media Center.

    And cablecard support.
    • nmessick, on 07/09/2008, -0/+1pop a cable card in your PC and your good to go??
      • WaveRunningNakd, on 07/10/2008, -0/+1not that simple. you have to drop a grand on a whole new pc with a special bios for cablecard.
  • ncc1701, on 07/08/2008, -5/+6Mac Mini FTW!

    Yes, it's an apples-to-oranges comparison, but still...
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