Product Description: Media Center Extender for Xbox is a new Xbox title that streams the Media Center PC entertainment experiences onto your TV or display through your Xbox console, so you have even more choice in where and how you enjoy their digital entertainment.Media Center Extender for Xbox is a packaged software product from Microsoft that runs as an Xbox game. With a wired or wireless connection1 to the Media Center PC, the Xbox console now allows you to enjoy the digital entertainment media from the PC when and how you want.Store all your digital media on your Media Center PC - photos, music, videos, live and recorded TV - and bring it all to life throughout your home through the Xbox console. The Windows Media Center Extender for Xbox also supports DVD movie playback.
You do not need this. You can just buy an Ethernet cable and plug one end to the xbox and the other to the console. There, I just saved you $45
Get this is you have MCE2005 It's great. I use it all the time to watch live and recorded TV. I like the guide better than Dish Network cable.
Make an XBox last longer Great product, lets you get a lot out your XBox. My only beef with this is that you have to encode stuff into .wmv in order for the xbox extender to be able to read it. It doesnt read Divx and there's no way to update the codec on the XBox. Fortunately Microsft has a re-encoder that works well and is free.
Wait for the new release This program is not available in retail in the latest revsion. Microsoft has made it necessary to subscribe to xbox live to obtain the updates necessary to play protected content and Microsoft will not address the issue in any other way PERIOD. Do a google search on "XBOX Media extender update issues" before you buy this program because the full functionality of the program will not be availble to you until Microsoft wakes up and takes care of its customers or you pay to join xbox live.
Does the job! Basically, I like it. It does what it is supposed to do.
Admittedly, I already had an extender in my bedroom, so if this one didn't work I wasn't pressed. It took a couple of times going back and forth between the extender and the media center, but it eventually worked. A couple of things though...1.) you cannot take the "game" or DVD out of the Xbox for the Extender to work. It is not like installing software to a computer. Also, you must have Media Center open on your PC, otherwise the Xbox will not connect. Thirdly, you will have to tell MacAfee to let the xbox connect with your computer. In the beginning, it will look at it as a hacker trying to gain access to your PC.
I do not have a wired connection, I have a wireless one. Therefore, there is some delay between your prompts and subsequent action on the television. But you really shouldn't expect any more than that anyway.
In essence, I have access to my digital music on all three floors of my home. I have an HP extender in my bedroom; the media center in my Great Room, and the xbox extender in my basement. The xbox was an inexpensive solution to the whole thing at about $89 for the wireless adapter (if you do gaming wirelessly...you already have this) and $32 for this thing. I am satisfied.
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