Quick question...does :
1. Media Center able to play Divx movies if u install Xvid codec into the machine or
2. It does but unable to stream it to a Media Extender..aka Xbox 360.

Answer:-

1. Media Center is a GUI installed over a normal WinXP, that way, you can control the aspects of media playing capabilities of a WinXP via the remote and user interfacing buttons/shortcuts. So, since a normal WinXP can play DivX, so does your MCE.

2. You can stream it to a Media Extender, provided your Media Extender supports and recognizes it. Some standalone ones like Phillips Streamiums are able to o so. In the case of XB360 as an Extender, technically you cant. But by clever way of transcoding an existing file format not supported by MCE, into a file format supported, and streaming this transcoded file across to your Extender, you can do so now.

Im picky with the quality of my movis, so i chose the longer route, i chose to encode them first before steraming them over. Transcoding , when performed, is left at the mercy of the preset transcoding quality of the program itself. I want to control this aspect first before streaming.

Just to add. You can customise the quality setting for Transcode360. With Beta 4 you also have to option to choose between different encoders. But you have to try it out and see which works the best for you.

I agree. Beta 4 provides that option. I just want more control over the quality process. And i still couldnt get Beta 4 to run smoothly on my setup, runtime errors abound.

As for running DVD VOBs and transcoding that on the fly, again, runtime error. That option would be acceptable to me since ripping out VOB files from DVDs is taking the purest form of video format without any encoding process applied. Because logically, encoding over from original purest format to another format, and then trancoding it again using Transcode360 is apply further degradation of image quality, since you're encoding once too many time. The most idea situation is to have the original video format run straight away, the next best is to only encode once, with programs that allows the most minimum image quality loss.

Best = play DVDs straight away on XB360. But this option only allows ONE DVD to play, not allowing storage.

Second best = from HDD. Usually movie files are ripped into particular format, often in smaller filesize to save space. This option allows Video on Demand like capability, but need to select the right encoding tools to preserve original source Image Quality (IQ).

Im currently doing this with Windows Media Encoder, with WMV 9.0 Professional and WMA 9.0, with select SDK dlls. From what i read, the only other format that would be on par with the IQ that i get from encoding with WME, is Divx at high bitrate. But if i do rip the movies into DiVx/Xvid, then the end result file needs to go through a second transcoding using Transcode360, which encodes into an MPEG file i believe. And these file formats from the transcoding process, are not up to my liking, as substantial IQ degradation occurs. I suspect that even when you have preset the video bitrate to a high value, say 9800kbps, with audio running at 320kbps 5.1 AC3, it is the nature of the codecs used by the Transcode360 programs and the nature of their encoding(video is Variable Bitrate(VBR), i believe, while audio is Constant Bitrate(CBR)) that degrades it too much to my liking.

A properly encoded WMV using WME at 2300kbps video bitrate, and 386kbps multichannel 5.1 WAV( AC3 ripped and separated into discrete channels), beats the end-result of Trancode360 IMO. I have tried this using DIvx Pro, even bought the program bundle, so that i have access to the codecs, the end result is very impressive once you turned it into high bitrate Divx. But once the transcoding occurs, the end result at the XB360 side is disappointing.

Of course, if you're not as picky as i am regarding IQ, then Transcode360 does the job satisfactorily. Me, im just cursed with eyes that can nitpick things on screen even when i didnt want to.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jun 17 2006, 07:41 PM

guys....means that we must need router?
cannot connect direct using ethernet cable?

Ethernet Cable? Nope.
It is possible to connect using Crossover Cable, but I'm not sure how set it up.

Actually u can la.... that's how i did mine, since my mobo had 2 LAN ports.

any special setting need for that thing????

Just set Internet Connection Sharing on your Streamyx dialer and you're all set.

Finally managed to have my own MCE running on Vista Build 5472!

i wan ask...can i use windows media center to download astro guide if i connect the astro cable to my pc TV in...i heard that astro is not support in windows media center...thx

wuihhh ... kene ajar nie ... bang cylon ajar saye huhuhhuh buat bende nie

I believed certain OEM manufacturer likes Techdos or Hp have access to Astro EPG.

No problem..kacang! Get yourself a Vista Build 5472 ( coz this build supports other region of Xbox 360 ). Unplug the 360 from the network. Install Vista on your PC. Set the included MCE properly. Run it on "window mode" ( not full screen...so u can see the security prompt at the task bar! ). Plug in the 360 to the network and switch it on and voilla!! Vista will detect it.

not need setting by the way is it crooss or by using a router dude

Using a router

hmm... my MCE keeps hang when watching video after 20min like that.

that means i cant use my own windows xp MCE to install? muz have hp or techdos mce installation?

Anyone who has experience working MCE with Astro please share their experience...I am thinking of building myself a MCE system, but if it cannot incorperate well with Astro (for example download Astro program guide), then I guess it lost one of its major usage, at least for me it is.

got astro EPG also whats the point? the MCE can't interact with astro decoder directly... the most u can get is video-in via composite/s-video only. and MCE can't even change the astro channel for u, so no automatic record. even if u hookup digital/analog tuner card also, still useless.... and no, u wont get fancy multiple small box channel preview from MCE, just single channel at a time from astro

ya...i heard that only Techdos MCE can do so with astro because thier MCE is special edition dealing with Microsoft... so in malaysia only techdos MCE can b use with astro...hp im not sure coz i din heard anything b4 with HP mce...