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[tgm4883]

I have been reading multiple threads and the FAQ and may be more confused than before.

I currently stream all my movies from a windows server 2003.  I have heard that the 360 will only stream from windows media center, now i have read that it will stream from xp.  Which is true?  Will it stream from windows server 2003?

All my movies are currently in xvid.  I know that the 360 probably won't play these, so do i need to rerip all my dvd's in wmv?  what is a good program for that?  What about h.264?

[ikecomp]

Not sure how to answer some of your questions but if you have Windows Media Center installed on your pc you will be able to stream pictures, music and MS approved video formats. If you have regular XP you will only be able to stream pictures and music through the media extender.

[tgm4883]

QUOTE

Will all network streaming be done through the Media Center Extender?
No, the Xbox360 will have network streaming capabilities auxiliary to the Media Center Extender that will allow it to stream from non MCE Windows XP machines. This will be done through "Windows Media Connect" built in to Windows XP (or available for free through windows update).

[twistedsymphony]

Windows Media Connect is an add-on for Windows (which is already available) allows you to stream MP3s WMA WAV and picture files like jpg, gif, etc.

I'm not sure if you can install it on server 2003 but you can definitly install it on XP

Windows Media Center Edition can stream WMV and Mpeg-2 files through the use of media center extender (which comes pre-installed on the 360 and by an optional add-on with the current gen Xbox)

Does that clear things up?

[tgm4883]

Ok, that makes sense, but would it be possible to get that info into the faq?  Cause the way its written sounds like i can stream anything from an xp computer.

[tgm4883]

QUOTE

5.1  Which file types does Windows Media Connect support?
Windows Media Connect can stream the following file types to your devices:

Audio
Windows Media Audio (.wma)
Advanced Systems Format (.asf)
MP3 (.mp3)
WAV (.wav)

Video
Windows Media Video (.wmv)
MS Recorded TV Show (.dvr-ms)
Audio Video Interleaved (.avi)
MPEG-1 (.mpeg, .mpg)
MPEG-2 (.mp2, .mpeg, .mpg)

Picture
Bitmap (.bmp)
Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpeg, .jpg)
Portable Network Graphics (.png)
Tagged Image File Format (.tif, .tiff)

Playlists
Windows Media Playlist (.wpl)
MP3 Playlist (.m3u)
Notes   Although Windows Media Connect can stream a variety of file types to your device, your device might not be capable of playing every file type that Windows Media Connect supports. For information about what file types your device supports, see the documentation that came with your device.
Some Windows Media files are protected to prevent unauthorized distribution and playback. For example, the files that you download from online music stores, such as MSN Music and Napster, are usually protected. Not all devices can play protected files. To find out whether your device supports playback of protected files, in Windows Media Connect, click Devices, and then review the information displayed for each device.

[twistedsymphony]

The reason it's not very clear is because MS hasn't been very clear. I don't think we'll know for sure the extent of the connection to PCs until the console is release (it's only 18 days I'm sure you can wait).

http://www.xbox.com/...dia/default.htm

That's probably the clearest description they've given...

Can Windows Media connect stream Video to a 360? We don't know MS hasn't been very clear about this.
Can Windows Media connect stream Audio and Pictures to the 360? Yes MS has confirmed this.

I know the next time I rebuild my PC I'm going to use XP media center edition. Its essentially the same exact thing as XP but with some extra media functionality that a lot of new devices make use of...

[tNCecil]

Well, on the Geekspeakradio thing in july, I asked the MS dudes how streaming would work, and they said XP SP2 would support MP3s and Photos.  

http://geekspeakradio.com/?p=42

Dunno how relevant it is to the topic, but still.