Xbox Live Fall update (360)

[scooby_dooby]

we know folks will want other codecs like H.264 / Mpeg4 / Divx / etc. Our approach from launch day last year is that we listen to constructive feedback and while I can’t promise anything for the future, I can promise that we will listen and will improve our system software over time. Some things are just not doable because of legal or licensing issues,

Sell us the codecs over XBox Live, how complicated can it be??

 

[NBK-Steve]

Can anyone confirm that the WMV HD Terminator movie works?

 

[assen]

Sell us the codecs over XBox Live, how complicated can it be??

This might be a way to solve licensing problems where the license is held by a corporation, but won't help in cases where the license is held by a bunch of Microsoft-hating open source fanatics (XviD).

 

[Rockster]

Sell us the codecs over XBox Live, how complicated can it be??

That has already been addressed. Apparently there is limited amount of nvram in the 360 that supports the dash/guide and all of its functionality. So codecs (mpeg2, AVC, h.264, VC1, wmv, wma, mp3) are packed into a package that contains the software players, GUI, OS, live support, etc. Microsoft has indicated that they work very hard on code re-use and optimization to make it all fit. They won't be able to allow arbitrary additions to that package that could affect its size, operation, or their ability to update it. It could be supportable as a seperate stand-alone application.

 

[a688]

That has already been addressed. Apparently there is limited amount of nvram in the 360 that supports the dash/guide and all of its functionality. So codecs (mpeg2, AVC, h.264, VC1, wmv, wma, mp3) are packed into a package that contains the software players, GUI, OS, live support, etc. Microsoft has indicated that they work very hard on code re-use and optimization to make it all fit. They won't be able to allow arbitrary additions to that package that could affect its size, operation, or their ability to update it. It could be supportable as a seperate stand-alone application.

The main reason for some codecs is purely legal matters. XviD is covered by the GNU GPL. Go here and take a guess why MS (and Sony as well) is VERY shy about including XviD support themselves. Also, they could just put codecs in seperate downloads that are saved to the memory card or hard drive. The codecs (most likely) don't have to be saved in main system's flash memory.

 

[bkilian]

I just popped in my Coral Reef Adventure WMVHD disc. Shows mixed media like you said and you have to manually play the videos. However, it does not play the feature videos (either resolution), only the demo vids (gives an unsupported video error). I think I know why it won't play too. The feature video has built-in video controls or relies on separate files on the disc that it can't access on the 360. Oh well.

WMV-HD movies that are encrypted will never work. The WMV-HD protection works by including an X86 binary on the disc. It will not run on the 360, and if they wrote an emulator to run it, it would be compromising their own security system.

 

[pipo]

holy crap

streaming videos from my PC absolutely rocks!

Sure does. It even works without any probs from my WiFi laptop.

 

[Dr. Nick]

Sorry misread.

 

[PG2G]

Sell us the codecs over XBox Live, how complicated can it be??

It'd be nice if a purchase of the HD-DVD player gave us the ability to play H264, since the software is there already (and we paid for the license with that HD-DVD drive I'd assume). People would probably get angry and see it as a way to force people to buy the drive though.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

· Expanded video playback options increase the ways gamers can enjoy video content on Xbox 360. It is now possible to stream WMV video from a Windows PC running Windows Media Player 11 or Windows Media Connect.

Best.... news..... ever....

 

[Arwin]

That has already been addressed. Apparently there is limited amount of nvram in the 360 that supports the dash/guide and all of its functionality. So codecs (mpeg2, AVC, h.264, VC1, wmv, wma, mp3) are packed into a package that contains the software players, GUI, OS, live support, etc. Microsoft has indicated that they work very hard on code re-use and optimization to make it all fit. They won't be able to allow arbitrary additions to that package that could affect its size, operation, or their ability to update it. It could be supportable as a seperate stand-alone application.

Well, I guess they did a much smarter job on the PSP then. I guess the .prx system (loadable modules) is more flexible.

 

[jpr27]

I downloaded the patch earlier and was talking with a friend over voice chat with no game or downloads running in the background. We each had our 360's lock up on us at different times during the conversation and it has me a little worried. Im hoping its due to all the other activity on live that maybe caused it. (Actually Im praying it is ) I remember I had the ring of death when I did a patch for the Rockstar Table Tennis game so now every time I see a patch or update I hold my breath Guess time will tell

 

[pipo]

I downloaded the patch earlier and was talking with a friend over voice chat with no game or downloads running in the background.

Been there, done that. No problem at all.

We did notice better voice quality though, the distortion is almost gone now.

 

[bloodbob]

This might be a way to solve licensing problems where the license is held by a corporation, but won't help in cases where the license is held by a bunch of Microsoft-hating open source fanatics (XviD).

Except that XviD doens't hold the apprioate license to distrubt their own codec either.
Only way it could be done is if XNA allowed you to compile codecs and then you'd have to pay for that.

 

[JaylumX]

Just to let you guys know, my *cough* Island Fever 3 WMV-HD and Total Recall WMV-HD movies work from disk.

 

[RobertR1]

Damn that was one cool update! I'd never tried any of this media center/streaming stuff before so I said "why not?" since I'd done the update and already had WMP11 running.

I have to say this ROCKS! The navigation is quick and painless. The video and audio quality is great and now I can use my home theater system (plus bigger TV screen) to play stuff back. It's sooo easy that just about anyone could do it.

A big thumbs up for MS.

 

[pipo]

Another post from the team on the supported video formats.

http://blogs.msdn.com/xboxteam/archive/2006/10/31/fall-06-supported-video-formats.aspx

How do I know if a video file will work on the Xbox 360?

Currently only the Windows Media Video (WMV) file format and codecs are supported. If you have a file with a “.wmvâ€￾ extension, then the odds are pretty good that it will work. Technical details on the types of files we support can be found at the end of this post, but the easiest way to find out if a file will work or not is to just try it. Hopefully after you click play the video will show up on your display, but if the content is not supported you will simply get an “Unplayable Contentâ€￾ message blade from the side of the screen and then be returned to the Video blade.


How do I create videos that will play on my Xbox 360?

Windows Movie Maker, a standard feature of Windows XPSP2, will output WMV video files compatible with the Xbox 360 console. Either use the default settings when you finish a movie and click “Save to my computer,â€￾ or just make sure that the output video format you select shows the file type as “Windows Media Video (WMV).â€￾

 

[GunFingers]

Some don't even show up ...

I had this problem at first, as well. For me, the fix was to keep WMP11 running on the host PC. Seems there is some underlying catalog that wasn't being updated until WMP11 was running. Never had this problem with WMC under Media Center. Not a big deal, though. I much prefer accessing video without having to launch Media Center on the 360.

 

[Silanda]

I haven't spotted this posted here yet, but if you have a brand new 360 straight out of the box you might not want to apply the update yet. There are quite a few reports on other sites that this update is killing new 360's.

 

[Rockster]

My nephew got a new 360 today, and the update worked fine. He actually kicked my but in COD2 this morning, it made me feel old. Need more practice.