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Reader Comments (52)

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:13AM (Unverified) said

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DIVX support, H.264 support, and as of this update the 360 fill no longer read music off of my flash drive, I'd like that to be fixed too.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:08AM (Unverified) said

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Couple of questions...

Does a Mac running Windows thru Boot Camp stream video?
When you stream video from a PC is it still .wmv only?
Can you use an iPod in hard disk mode to play video?

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:11AM (Unverified) said

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One more thing:

Now that video streaming is standard for XP, are the Connect360 guys going to add video? That would be hot. It sucks being a Mac guy with a 360....

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:12AM (Unverified) said

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Oh well I will not get to see it... since I traded in my 360 last night for a PS3 pre order...

I am almost free of MS....

My 360 broke after 5 months and it was no sweat for SM to say pay 162 to get it fixed... so it is fixed and out the fing door...

No more MS stuff for me... OSX is awesome and vista can bit me....

Way to lose a costumer for every MS...

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:15AM (Unverified) said

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Can you select your resolution? Or does it have to be either 720p or 1080p? Nothing in between?

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 7:36PM (Unverified) said

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DIVX support is a necessity...

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:25AM Kinetic said

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Its a great update to the dash and marketplace, but MS still have alot they can improve.

So far anything i've tried to stream, play from disc etc hasn't worked other than WMV, which is good until you find out i have 3 wmv's in my 250GB video collection. (going to try and get the old way of transcoding (pre-transcode360) to work)



Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:27AM (Unverified) said

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Dave/#2:

I'm hoping for Connect360 to support it, too, but I wouldn't hold my breath. You can only stream wmv, so you'd have to transcode to wmv, which, of course, is not entirely easy to do on a Mac.

But maybe we'll see it happen.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:28AM (Unverified) said

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"What features would you like to see implemented in the next update?"

-> a language fix for belgium (we see a mix 3 languages)

-> web browser

-> HD video marketplace (lost, saw 2, etc etc)

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:31AM CaptNink said

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@ Giddieon

If you are going to waste time lamenting about how MS has wronged you, at least use a spell checker.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:37AM (Unverified) said

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I have a question for anyone who might be able to answer. I'll be able to find out for myself later today, but I can't wait that long ;-)

Are there any new supported resolutions for VGA in this update? I'd been hoping for 1680x1050 as this is an extremely popular resolution for widescreen LCD monitors, and happens to be the native resolution for my screen.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:43AM (Unverified) said

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BTW, when you go to choose videos from the hard drive, it shows different choices such as TV Shows, Movies(description says full length movies and trailers) etc.

Very interesting.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:46AM (Unverified) said

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Please let there be a internet explorer for the next update. PLEASE MICROSOFT. WII AND PS3 HAVE A WEB BROWSER. WHY MICROSOFT DIDNT PUT A WEB BROWSER? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD,WINDOWS HAS A INTERNET EXPLORER!
PLEASE!

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:49AM (Unverified) said

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@ stranger

Cool your jets, hot shot.

Let's just relax and turn off cap locks, eh?

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:53AM Player1 said

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"Can you select your resolution? Or does it have to be either 720p or 1080p? Nothing in between?"

What would be in between 720 and 1080? Those are standard resolutions.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 11:55AM JRock3x8 said

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"5. Can you select your resolution? Or does it have to be either 720p or 1080p? Nothing in between?"

I viewed 1080p videos on my 1080i TV this morning so the 360 does all the work in changing one to the other.

"Are there any new supported resolutions for VGA in this update?"

Someone on Joystiq yesterday said no. They were similarly peeved.

So this is GREAT! Oh wait - you mean all that stuff on BitTorrent won't work without spending twice as long transcoding? What about my DVD's - can I rip those to WMV? iTunes TV shows - I'm gathering that's a "no"? TiVo files - not really, huh?

Hmmm. I thought this was going to be a good thing. Now I need to buy another PC just to transcode every last piece of video to WMV and pray that the transcode works when its done. Oh, and I'll have to break about 13 sections of copyright law as well.

Seriously, though - I think we'll be much happier with this once the Zune and associated marketplace get rolling. MS has just bungled one thing after another with that whole Zune launch. They almost look like Sony.

You have to wonder how much of this update was forced on them by Apple's "iTV" and Sony beating its chest about its PS3 "supercomputer". I don't think MS really wanted to offer video streaming.

How long they can go without some kind of browser, now? All the "cool" kids are doing it.

My favorite part of the update? Not looking at the tiny white square in the middle of my screen during the Halo 3 trailer after the Forerunner device erupts. Call me weird, but that little decoding mistake ruined the experience for me every time.

For a future revision, please fix the functionality of playlists in the music player - it is bloody awful. There's a freeware program out there called Rockbox that gets it just about right.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:01PM (Unverified) said

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@Player 1
I was thinking of the 16:10 ratios
1440x900
1680x1050
1920x1200

These are used for computer monitors.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:02PM (Unverified) said

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I'm loving the new dashboard.. Finally the Arcade game list is not an issue at all, and everything seems a bit faster overall.. Streaming videos is definitely cool, even if it's just WMV's. I have different WMV's from a few years ago to very recent ones and they all seemed to work well and VERY quickly.. I was thinking that it might be like a computer to computer network where you have to start to copy the file, and it takes a minute to get a big file going.. Nope, this is all very fast..

Thanks MS.. My only wish is a web browser :-)

eric

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:05PM (Unverified) said

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That's a bummer Giddieon as it's well known and confirmed on the xbox forums that repairs to the launch consoles are now free and if you already repaired, you will be credited the amount you paid.

all that said, i'd never trade a 360 for a PS3 pre-order

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:58PM (Unverified) said

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I'm planning to get a 360 when I get my next student loan installment in January (Wii60 FTW), but the thing that would really make the Xbox my main media/gaming platform would be compatibility with with Apple's OS X, as I keep most of my music and video files on my MacBook Pro.

Given that Apple is going to release the Windows Media Centre-baiting iTV system in a few months time and Microsoft has stopped supporting WMP for Mac and just launched the Zune, it's not going to happen. But it's a nice dream none the less.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:15PM jaxsedrin said

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What the hell is the point of having video "categories" if none of my videos are in the right category?????

My Ultimate Avengers Movie clip is under "Video Games" and the Borat and TMNT trailers are under "Other". WTF??? Either fix the categories for each video or (better yet) allow me to move the videos between categories myself.

But yeah, they still have a LOT of stuff left to fix. Minor things, like how my custom guide background color resets everytime I try a new theme, or how I have to manually go through each subcategory in the "new downloads" category to see what's actually new since the last time I checked Marketplace... Minor, but still annoying, nonetheless.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:14PM falcomadol said

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How are all of you guys posting here, if you don't already have a web browser?

I mean, just as a historical note...

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:16PM (Unverified) said

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I'd not be surprised if Giddieon never owned a 360 in the first place.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:16PM jaxsedrin said

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Oh, and one other question... why is everyone so hung up on a web browser?

I have absolutely NO desire to use a web browser on my HDTV. I've even tried it already... I hooked up my roommates computer via DVI and played around with it. HL2 is certainly fun at 1360x768, but browsing the web did absolutely nothing for me. I'd much rather be sitting at a desk where I can type and use the mouse comfortably.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:21PM Duscrom said

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To those wanting a web browser. I actually think MS is taking a "wait and see" approach to the idea. If it's a good idea, they may throw it into the Spring update, but remember they ran Web TV, and Peter Moore ran Sega durring the Dreamcast years... so, the Xbox crew knows about console Web Browsers... and that they tend to be craptacular. And you can see abouve how people want to rip into MS over useful features that are "Only added in from pressure by compitition" ie Video streaming and 1080p support.

As for Video streaming being added from pressure by apple tv.... uh... apple tv is basically ripping of Windows MCE.... If anything I think they either a) since most editions of vista were comming with Media Center anyway, they probabbly put video streaming in due to user pressure.. or b) FInally enabled that feature that's been in the Xbox 360 since launch.

But the new marketplace navigation is much appreciated, and actually it's, so far, my favorite feature of the update. It was stupid how it sent you back a screen when trying to queue up a bunch of stuff. Espically on those long-ass "Bringing It Home" lists. I think that was one of my most wanted feature updates.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:30PM (Unverified) said

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Why are people crying for a browser? Go back 7 years ago and get a dreamcast. Its nothing new and it was certainly not something gamers needed or used.

I'm scared to see what sony does with their dashboard.

Screw you we're playstation pay us $600.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:27PM jaxsedrin said

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@24

Just FYI, it only sent you back a screen previously if you hit the "Continue" button after starting a download. If you just hit "B" on the controller, you could queue up more stuff on the same list.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:27PM (Unverified) said

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Does anyone know if the rumors about upscaling DVD's are true? I've tried out a few DVD's and can't notice any marked improvement.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:54PM ciscomancer said

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I would love to see a web browser as well. I think M$ is hesitant to make the 360 a true competitor to desktop pc's since income from licensing from Dell/HP/ etc. is what butters their bread. Major and Letskilldave have both balked at the idea and I think Major even said it reminded him of the old webTv (which i think is a bad comparison, webTv was for technophobes who were afraid of computers)

I don't think we are asking for a IE replacement here. it would be nice to be able to hit gamefaq's or the xbox forums without having to go to a pc. Even an RSS reader for the 360 would be nice.

Plus I want the disc info displayed on the eject/play game button. Even if it only worked for 360 games it would be worth it.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:32PM (Unverified) said

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1080p through VGA friggin' rocks! Now my Dell 24 inch LCD shines! And for those of you who own this monitor, if it's too bright just access the service menu (hold the plus sign and menu button while powering on the monitor) and you can adjust the channel offsets which are too high by default. But I digress, I'm loving 1920x1080 with a better response time from VGA. Time to play Dead Rising again!

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:45PM (Unverified) said

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F a web browser. I dont need any viruses on my 360. What i really want is divx support.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 12:38PM (Unverified) said

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DVDs are only upscaled if you have a VGA cord. The same was true previously, apparently.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 1:16PM (Unverified) said

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Anyone try a WMV HD dvd like T2 or one of the IMAX discs yet? I think they should work now.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 1:18PM (Unverified) said

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They do work. I've confirmed it.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 1:33PM JRock3x8 said

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does anyone care to throw out some links to sites with (legal) media in WMV format, like movie trailers, demo clips, etc? I have a feeling the availablity is quite thin today. Once the Zune marketplace hits full steam, then I think this video upgrade will make a lot more sense.

What the heck ever happened to the much talked about "DirecTV" blade? Did that die?

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 1:43PM (Unverified) said

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The update is good. On the next update I would like to see party video chat, and party audio chat as well which would help out a lot in clan based games.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 1:51PM alanator said

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@qbix (#27). Do you have the 2405 or the 2407?

I have the 2405 and it won't accept 1080p over component. I'm wondering if it's worth it to spend $40 on the vga cable.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 2:10PM xNONRANDOMHEROx said

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no web browser is needed.... do you really want to DL stuff and get spyware and virus's or need to buy antivirus for your 360??? just use a PC.

a web browser is a bad idea, now if they let you get to xbox.com that would be cool but a open browser is a bad idea



i can wait until PS3 fanboys start having the sony prolems, then they'll stop their bitchin'

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 2:36PM (Unverified) said

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@ Stranger:

Why don't you develop a browser for 360? I believe the SDK is out...

PS - why would you want to browse the web from a console anyways? is it too far to walk to a PC when you're stuck?

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 2:31PM (Unverified) said

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@Alan (#36) Yes, I have the 2405. I also tried the 1080p using component with no luck. The monitor doesn't support it. However, using the VGA cables you can enable the 1920x1080 resolution which is obviously supported by this monitor. The colors will look washed out at first but if you tweak advanced settings using the service menu, you'll get it really close to the richness of component video with the benefit of VGA response time.

I loved how the 360 looked on the 2405 but the response time was horrible when playing time-sensitive games like Halo 2 and GeoWars. VGA was much faster but the colors were dull and too bright regardless of how I set the brightness and contrast levels. Then I found out on a forum how to access the service menu which let me adjust the offset for each of the RGB channels. Think of offsets as individual brightness and contrast settings for each of the three channels, plus a gain setting for fine tuning.

I say get the VGA cable from Best Buy or some other place with a decent return policy in case you are not satisfied. I can't see why you'd have any problems. And if you are stuck just add me to your friends list and I'll help you out over Live. Gamertag is the name I use here.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 3:16PM (Unverified) said

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avi inputs would be nice. and maybe video messaging. other than that i'm happy

Posted: Nov 1st 2006 3:51AM (Unverified) said

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I'd like to see upscaling of DVDs to 720p over component. As was promised in this update.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 4:53PM (Unverified) said

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my brain is going numb reading comments of people wanting web browsers and watching their bootleg divx movies. those would be dandy but are not necessary. devices are already out there that can perform those functions on your TV and they cost less then a 360 game itself.

what i'm looking forward to are the hi-def WMV movies playing off a regular DVD-R. who needs a HDDVD player or Blu-ray players when people start ripping those HD disks to hi-def WMV files instead of AVI. perhaps they'll hafta be cut across 2 DVD-Rs, similar to VCD movies being cut across 2 CD-Rs. either way, should be fun to play around with it.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 5:52PM (Unverified) said

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christopher, I can guarantee you that MSFT never promised upscaling of dvds to 720p over component.

Component isn't considered a "protected" output, and so the CSS rules say you can't output more than 480p. This is why all (legal) upconverting dvd players have HDMI/DVI+HDCP outputs, and only upconvert over that output.

VGA is, oddly, a protected output, and so Microsoft can upconvert DVDs over a VGA cable.

Check out:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/06/20/ask-hd-beat-dvd-upconverting-over-component/

That said, there are DVD players that upconvert over non-protected outputs. They do so at their own risk, though, and I think they could have their license to use the DVD logo+trademark revoked. I have an Oppo 971H which upconverts to 720p/1080i over dvi (without HDCP). It's not quite legit, and they could get sued, which is why MSFT isn't doing the same thing.

Obviously movies that aren't CSS-encrypted would, presumably, be fine to upconvert over an unprotected output. Whether Microsoft does that, i don't know.

Anyway, I'm sure Microsoft had some big legal memo that says they can upconvert over VGA and a theoretical HDMI output, but not Component/Composite. Sucks to be you, huh?

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 6:29PM (Unverified) said

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Baffling that they felt the need to add 1080p and not common widescreeen monitor VGA resolutions. How long do we have to wait for this fix???

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 6:42PM (Unverified) said

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ya know instead of complaining here,you should complain to microsoft,not sure what the email address was though but i'm sure it's on the site.

Though they are shooting themselves in the foot alot recently,consumables,expiring content may become common place,an even bigger segregation of silver and gold members and of course they STILL only allow video being streamed to be WMV.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 9:31PM (Unverified) said

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All Xbox-live needs is a music download service. Come on...with the Zune coming out and 60 GB hardrive in the works there is no reason why a music service shouldn't have been implemented already. Also, I would like to see weekly TV shows available for download. Microsoft needs an iTunes type service because that would rock. I would pay for music, movies, and TV shows if the price was reasonable.

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 10:05PM JRock3x8 said

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yah I think Dane is right on - the Zune guys really let the 360 guys down on this one.

anyone have any links to WMV content sites? Preferably legal? :)

Posted: Oct 31st 2006 10:58PM Ostentaneous said

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If you're looking for game videos IGN post all of theirs in WMV format.

Posted: Nov 1st 2006 4:20AM (Unverified) said

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Ed,

I do have a PC-in on my TV. Which i think is the same as VGA. I researched into it. There were alot of conflicting views as to which on the 360, is better VGA or component.

Ill probably just have to copper up and try the VGA cable and see for myself. Or wait for a HDMI cable which would be my preference.

Any idea what cables are capable of supporting 480p other than component, VGA ,HDMI? Thinking of my Wii here.

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