37 replies to this topic

[Mox]

I have recently bought a new TV and the old sharp aquos has been moved to the living room. What I would like to get on this TV now is a similar experience to my HTPC which is connected to my new Samsung.

The must haves are -

1. MKV/AVI playback
2. Live TV
3. Guide info
4. Recorded TV from my main HTPC

Can the xbox do the above?

Regards,

Isaac

[Auldar]

I have recently bought a new TV and the old sharp aquos has been moved to the living room. What I would like to get on this TV now is a similar experience to my HTPC which is connected to my new Samsung.

The must haves are -

1. MKV/AVI playback
2. Live TV
3. Guide info
4. Recorded TV from my main HTPC

Can the xbox do the above?

Regards,

Isaac

With the Divx Foundation Codec installed, yes - that's only required for MKV playback in the Media Center extender interface. Everything else works without it.

I still prefer using the Xbox dashboard for playing avi's because I get some odd stuttering playing certain AVI's in the Media Center extender interface and I don't get that in the dashboard.

[dwebkombi]

I love the xbox as an extender and I only use the MC interface.
Ours is in the rumpus room and is used every day.

Regarding MKV's, yep what @Auldar said works well. Otherwise everything plays for me great

[Mox]

Thanks for the feedback, just a couple of things -

So you get the full TV guide, can schedule recorded TV, and play recorded TV from the HTPC?

Your help and advice is much appreciated

[logifuse]

Yes to the same guide, schedule, recordings & even viewing recordings in progress. Basically, the MC extender is a window in to the inner workings of the WMC it's tied to.

I'll mention it in case it's something you haven't considered (same goes for MediaPortal clients), the live TV on the extender won't be in sync with the MC, even on the same channel. Live TV over the network will always be slightly delayed (anywhere from 1-5 seconds). Just a thought if you're thinking you can stroll from room to room with everything playing the same content. Music is the same situation (Sonos seems to be the only network based multi-headed system that can put every zone in sync, although it's not absolutely perfect).

Justin

[Mox]

Thanks for the quick reply Justin, the time sync wouldn't be a issue, but thanks for pointing it out, its good to know these things before you spend the cash, for some it could be a deal breaker.

It sounds like a Xbox may be the way to go, the only problem I have to address is getting the HDMI cable through the wall to the Xbox, as the TV is mounted on the wall and I want to keep the clean look of no cables.\

Looks like I just found my solution - http://www.jaycar.co...w.asp?ID=AC1689

Edited by Mox, 12 July 2011 - 06:03 PM.

[logifuse]

You can get those significantly cheaper than Jaycar. Try Cablechick. If you've got a business you can buy through, check out Wiretek.

Justin

[Mox]

One of these should do the trick with a couple of wall plates.

Cable
http://www.jamellcab...12.5m-hdmi.html

Wallplate
http://www.jamellcab...ate-single.html

Not sure if I should go for the wall plates with repeaters in them
http://www.jamellcab...t-repeater.html

[logifuse]

Welcome to the dark arts of HDMI over distance. Seriously, anything could happen. Hopefully it will just work, but HDMI can be so picky, that's why the custom install AV industry hates it.

Justin

[dwebkombi]

Thanks for the feedback, just a couple of things -

So you get the full TV guide, can schedule recorded TV, and play recorded TV from the HTPC?

Your help and advice is much appreciated

You can also watch live tv on the extender using one of your available MC tuners.

Should note, VOBs wont play on the xbox as std but there are workarounds for this. I transcode using 'Mymovies4' (a paid solution but works great). There are free solutions although I have no experience there.

[Mox]

You can also watch live tv on the extender using one of your available MC tuners.

Should note, VOBs wont play on the xbox as std but there are workarounds for this. I transcode using 'Mymovies4' (a paid solution but works great). There are free solutions although I have no experience there.

Live TV would be a must, having 4 tuners in the HTPC 99% of the times there is one free.

[Mark1]

Can I just throw my opinion into the mix.

The Xbox 360 makes a horrible 'Media Center' extender! Nothing but a pain in the butt.

Let me clarify. If its just for accessing the Live and Recorded TV features of your Media Center PC - Its perfect. But lets face it, thats only half the job.
Its the playing back of your video collection where it all goes pear shaped.
SD avi's of all sorts seem to work fine, however (like Auldar said second post) 720p avi's have a heap of stutter (or you could describe it like dropped video frames). The audio plays fine through it. It does it during the scenes where there is heaps going on.
This annoys the hell out of me because it pretty much covers most of my collection (because I can only watch 720p minimun now).
And it gets even more annoying... yes, they play fine streamed and played through the dash!! Huh... Why!! WHY DAM IT!

I've only just started using my Xbox as an extender, haven't tried mkv's yet. When I do, if I have any issues, I might hit this thread up for some assistance.

[dgaust]

Can I just throw my opinion into the mix.

The Xbox 360 makes a horrible 'Media Center' extender! Nothing but a pain in the butt.

I guess, that's in your limited experience.

I've only just started using my Xbox as an extender, haven't tried mkv's yet. When I do, if I have any issues, I might hit this thread up for some assistance.

I've had absolutely zero issues with stuttering using 720p mkv/mt2s/mp4 files. None whatsoever. The Xbox360 and Windows 7 makes for a perfectly fine extender experience - in fact it's virtually exactly the same as have a full HTPC. I was hesitant at first, due to all the issues with Vista and lack of codec support, but with Windows 7 everything just works.

[TheRob]

I've had absolutely zero issues with stuttering using 720p mkv/mt2s/mp4 files. None whatsoever. The Xbox360 and Windows 7 makes for a perfectly fine extender experience - in fact it's virtually exactly the same as have a full HTPC. I was hesitant at first, due to all the issues with Vista and lack of codec support, but with Windows 7 everything just works.

Yes. That's been my experience too. I don't have a huge array of formats that I play (I mostly watch live/recorded TV and listen to ripped music) but all the DVDs I have ripped work fine with the Xbox. Similarly with the few downloaded movies I've tried. I'm very happy with the Xbox so far. Only problems I've had have turned out to be network issues (seems like Xboxs don't like some Realtek NICs), but I was able to solve these.

[dwebkombi]

I've had absolutely zero issues with stuttering using 720p mkv/mt2s/mp4 files. None whatsoever. The Xbox360 and Windows 7 makes for a perfectly fine extender experience - in fact it's virtually exactly the same as have a full HTPC. I was hesitant at first, due to all the issues with Vista and lack of codec support, but with Windows 7 everything just works.

+1 here. For me xbox is a great extender

Edited by dwebkombi, 13 July 2011 - 10:31 PM.