Xbox360 Media Center Extender Vs Modded Xbox
A few days ago I setup Windows XP Media Center Edition on a PC so that I could access my media on my Xbox360 using the in-built Media Center Extender.
I have to say that the overall experience so far hasn’t been overwhelming, but will hopefully pick up once I get my TVcard which will unlock the PVR capabilities of MCE.
I also own a Modded Xbox so below I’ve compared the pros and cons of each console as I see them.
Music
The Xbox360 has a cooler looking audio interface than the Xbox’s, with some cool animations when you browse through a library. Both systems will download album details and track details off the internet automatically.
However, one of the major drawbacks with the Xbox360 is you can’t fast-forward or rewind tracks - even with the supplied remote control. This is awful in my view.
The Modded Xbox offers several features the Xbox360 can’t match such as accessing online music streams and sites.
Winner: Modded Xbox
Video
The Xbox360 really struggles in this department as it only supports DVR-MS, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and WMV video. This restriction means that I haven’t been able to watch a video yet on my Xbox360 because every video I have uses DiVx or Avi formats.
I have no idea why the Xbox360 is so restrictive, as XP Media Center has no problems playing these files.
I tried using Videora Xbox360 Video Convertor but it was too slow so I just went back to using my modded Xbox for video playback. The Xbox also has the advantage of being able to connect directly to internet streams and also sites like launch.com.
Winner: Modded Xbox
Overall Winner: Modded Xbox
So, it looks like I will continue using my modded Xbox to watch and listen to my videos and mp3s, and the Xbox360 only as a PVR.
I was very surprised with the lack of features in the Xbox360. I can understand that maybe there are political reasons behind not supporting Avis etc, but not having fast-forward/rewind control is a major oversight in my view.
Once my TV Card arrives I’m hoping that the PVR capabilities will win me over, otherwise I guess I’m going to have to shell out and get a TVDrive box from Telewest.
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