Watch almost any format on Xbox 360 without Windows Media Centre

If your like me - impatient, and want a quick and easy solution to watching a video on your $650 - $1000 Xbox 360, without Microsoft's stupid proprietary video format (.wmv), then i suggest you try this tutorial.

THIS IS VERY SIMPLE TO DO AND WILL TAKE ONLY A FEW HOURS TO COMPLETE!!!

Since i pre-ordered the Xbox 360 (in march 06), i really badly wanted to watch video on the expensive console. This was finally answered with an update. Only problem was, .WMV SUPPORT ONLY!!!.
So here i was spending so much time looking for a quick and easy solution on sites such as engadget and xbox-scene. I was pretty impatient, dismissing most of the long tutorials, until i found out a nice little program that streams formats other than .wmv to your xbox 360.

This guide will basically show you how to play several different video formats on your Xbox 360 without having to buy and install Windows Media Center OS. (as if Microsoft wasn't happy with the amount of money they made from home and professional!!)

Formats i have watched so far on my xbox 360:
- .avi (divx and xvid compressed)
- .avi (non-compressed)
- .mpg 1 and 2
- .mov (Quicktime)
- .flv (Youtube format)

I'm still trying to obtain the .mp4 codec that is compatible with TVersity - The program that does all the streaming.

Step 1: Required Software - Windows Media Player 11

This is the only Microsoft program you need, which is very simple to install and use. Better yet, this is THE ONLY Microsoft program that is easy to install and use.

Download and install Windows Media Player 11 from Microsoft.com. It is imperative that you install version 11 because the previous versions haven't been written to help stream media to the Xbox 360.

Note: Do not miss this step as windows media player is a very important part of the process. It uninstalled itself on my computer (How this happened i will never know) and I was trying to figure out why I kept getting connection error messages when trying to play non .wmv formats on my xbox.

Comments

[hydro2000]

HEY THANKS SOO MUCH!
I AVE BEEN CONVERTING THE VIDEOS WHICH TOOK A HELL OF
A TIME BUT THIS IS SO COOL..
WORKS PERFECT!!
AGAIN THANKS MAN....

[DannyboyINXS]

Really? I would've thought this wouldn't be of any use to anyone anymore seeing the xbox has the major codecs as part of it's software now.

Nonetheless, thankyou for your comment :) I'm glad it worked for you!

[carlosqmcg]

i did find this useful but I had a program called Vuze already on my computer that did all this for me.

[fire_kid2003]

Thanks A Lot FOr This
Am Gonna try it
From PK

[dcm069]

I use twonkymedia server, It works great and plays Mp4 files.

[DannyboyINXS]

That's now mate. This tutorial was made when there was hardly anything out there.

[dcm069]

I was only trying to note an alternative, Not rain on your parade. Great Instructable is what the first line should have read. Sorry i did not note the date posted.

[DannyboyINXS]

Yeah sorry mate, lol i was actually writing a less offensive reply, but backspaced it and re-wrote it cos i got pissed at something else ahahah. It just triggered my angry side a bit. What i was meant to say was that there are many programs for this task out there now. To be honest though, i would just use them for say mkv files, rather than mp4. Xbox have included mp4 playback in their video player for a few years now, so i hardly see this worth it anymore, unless you want to play back mkv like i said. Unfortunately though, mkv is an HD format, and streaming it on the fly would be pretty pointless seeing TVersity kinda shrinks it a bit into a format for the xbox. So i doubt it would even serve that purpose. I suppose if you were serious about mkv, to try and convert it to WMV-HD seeing that could probably play back without much quality loss. Good luck

[buttersnake]

After having problems with WM11 freezing up and not connecting i tried tversity and it worked great the first 2 hours. After that i kept getting a message saying that the server couldn't start etc. I can't get the server to work for my life now.

[DannyboyINXS]

if u have tried right clicking on the TVersity icon in the system tray and clicking "start server", then i suggest you restart the computer or something.... because it should start. Also, another thing to try is when you installed TVersity, in the start menu, there should be a batch file to start the server... run that and get back to me

[buttersnake]

I have done both of those and also debugged the server app and it came back as being ok. I even re-installed it. It works fine after an install but if i close the program and open it back up to get it streaming again thats when it wont start the server. I read on some forums where other people are having the problem and they are suppose to be working on it. I really like the program because i could never get WMP11 or anything else for that matter to even get started by choosing files. Breakbox 360, what a masterpiece of multimedia.

[DannyboyINXS]

lol isnt it great? i spent so long trying to find a way to watch movies ahahaha hmm if you tried both of those, then i dont know what to suggest other than to check out on the forums and look for new versions... there is an optional xbox update though that gives the console a few extra codecs... like mp4, avi (xvid/divx), etc just try and play an .mp4 or something and itll give u an error with the link

[buttersnake]

My breakbox is up to date as far as updates go. I tried another program called orb and it worked just fine with no problems with the server. Only problem with it is that it is very clunky and just not up to par compared to tversity so im not even going to use it. I will just watch movies the way i did before. I take the avi file or whatever it is and just burn about 6 or 7 as data on a dvd and that way i don't waste a dvd on just one movie.

[DannyboyINXS]

yeah i've heard about orb but then again i havent tried it because of other options i had.... also, if you are able to watch movies of a data dvd then maybe u could just try and get WMP11 to stop freezing and just use that because it seems you can still watch avi files. if you plan on watching movies your way though, another option you have is to go and buy a notebook hard drive and an enclosure to make a small external (or just buy it pre-made). Leave the filesystem as FAT seeing the xbox only picks up FAT hard disks and put all your movies on to there then connect it to the xbox's USB ports.... either way - watching movies in different formats is the main thing :)

[buttersnake]

Its just easier to burn 6-7 movies at a time ( if they are in a format such as avi, mpeg, etc. ) and watch them that way. I have 2 HD's laying around and a usb set-up i could use but meh, just more things in my entertainment center and more heat to help my red rings pop up :)

[DannyboyINXS]

ahahah yeah u gotta watch out for the heat... lol microsoft used the unexpected humidity of australia as an excuse for our RRoD... they said we were so humid, that some xbox's were instant red rings... lol bullshit

[buttersnake]

Haha, yeah humidity isn't a valid reason for massive hardware failures all over the globe. If humidity was a problem mine would be broke by now, Alabama is pretty damn muggy. I am waiting on mine to break so i can get my free repair, im wanting to tear into it and put a new case on it and all but im not until it breaks because i won't be able to get a free repair if its tampered with.

[DannyboyINXS]

yeah perth isnt too good either in terms of humidity but i've also had my eyes on the free repair ahahaha if its going to red ring on me, lets hope it does it before the 3 year warranty runs out

[st162]

for the RRoD it doesnt need to be under warranty, you dont even need your receipt...

[DannyboyINXS]

yeah... unless you feel like paying $140 for warranty-less repair (i think that's a USD figure)

[el greeno]

Good instructable but i don't see the point. Most video's can be downloaded in avi format nowadays and media player will stream this to the xbox by file sharing without any conversion required at all. Thats how i watch films and TV series.

[alex12345]

Hi, el greeno, you couldn't briefly tell me how you file share with WM11 and Xbox360 could you? I have a hard drive with loads of avi movies and an xbox 360 and am desperately trying to play the avi files through it on my TV as simply as possible! Thanks!

[DannyboyINXS]

Load up Windows Media Player 11 and follow these steps... 1. Up the top, there are tabs (Now Playing, Library, Rip, Burn, etc). Highlight the "Library" tab, and click the small arrow underneath it to open the pull down menu. 2. Click on "Media Sharing" and then click on the "share my media to" box. Click on the devices you want to allow and click "allow" underneath it. I.e. Xbox 360 (The Xbox 360 should be on, looking for PC's for WMP11 to pick it up as a new device) 3. Once the xbox 360 is allowed, open up the same menu again (Library Tab), but this time, click on "Add to Library" which is above "Media Sharing. 4. This window is pretty straight forward. Choose the folders you want to share, and click done. Once the xbox 360 has been allowed, and the folders are shared, The computer should show up on the xbox 360, and you should be browsing the folders you shared. Alternatively, you can just download "windows media connect" which is outdated, but still works perfectly. Windows Media Connect is easier to use, because it is its own program. Windows Media Player pretty much has windows media connect built in so it's really your preference. Hope this helps

[DannyboyINXS]

yes we know this, but perhaps you should look at the date this was created... this is roughly a year old, and the xbox didnt have these supported codecs available on xbox live until after this was made

[el greeno]

Yes, point taken, however people were/are still commenting on this instructable as if its still relevant. Very good for its time though.

[DannyboyINXS]

Thanks for the input. I might not take it down though, im sure people will research other alternatives that are relevant to today before trying this. Thanks anyway man.

[naru-fan]

Try downloading the moyea FLV converter only for FLV to convert videos :D

[DannyboyINXS]

yeah, you could download a converter to convert all your movies, but this instructable was made so that you don't have to sit there and wait for them everytime you wanted to watch something... this method does it on the fly, so you only transcode AS you watch it. Besides it's really annoying finding a good free video converter these days :P That being said, it also wouldn't hurt to have a converter sitting there in case you need it XD

[conradev]

You should update this because the new version, version 1.0 RC3, has a codec pack included, and your pictures are not up to date

[DannyboyINXS]

yeah, just cos there is a new version out doesnt mean i have to update the tutorial... when people visit the site, they will look for the latest version. so i don't really see any point updating it, besides, this is pretty useless now seeing an update pretty much added most of these formats...

[chinnerz]

I was looking on the net and I found out that Nero8 dose all the parts in this Instructable, and it comes with many codecs. if you ask me I think they copied your work.

[chinnerz]

dude, zune software is hard to use and is just plane crap! it can't see an .avi movie(probably the most common) I have tried the "Hacks" and they still don't work. also its blury and looks like wallpaper...

[DannyboyINXS]

lol, personally i dont trust most microsoft products, the only reason i used WMP11 is because i have used it for ages and it is the only program with windows media connect in it. you cant get media connect by itself anymore... pfft micro$$oft

[chinnerz]

the only Microsoft product I like is the xbox. Vista is buggy and xp doesn't say fast. windows media players is rly slow and when the songs play they r laggy. wmv sounds low-fi, wmv is un popular and looks crap, Internet explorer is ok I guess... in short spend more time refining you products Microsoft! I may sound like I hate Microsoft, and well maybe I do a little bit. but it rly messes me up when technology doesn't work the way is should.

[nckballer]

OKAY instead of all of this just use the Microsoft zune software and connect to your 360 for free. this software is free www.zune.net

[DannyboyINXS]

yeah, but are you only restricted to .wmv? cos i dont think they would add the support into zune if they couldnt with xbox

[DannyboyINXS]

as far as i know, the xbox 360's new dashboard update (December 07) doesn't add support for all those formats. I forgot to turn my computer on to watch my videos, and it said "this format isn't supported", so i guess Microsoft still haven't bought the liscences to the commonly used formats like .avi, etc. In response to GorillazMiko's comment, i will work on a video and post it as a comment, just give me a few days to a week to work on it.

[DannyboyINXS]

correction - i downloaded the mp4 optional media update on the 360 the other day, and surprisingly enough, it worked!, i was able to play mp4's. What was even better was that i was able to play avi's! i guess it must've been because i had encoded the avi's with xvid (mp4). oh well, i guess there is little use for this tutorial then LOL!

[edstorm]

im surprised with this thank you, and just a small tidbit i am able to play mkv and just about all other file formats from my vista laptop.

[DannyboyINXS]

cool :) im glad it helped... tbh, i have never watched mkv files on my xbox 360, but if u found the decoder, then good on u aye, although if u got a pc, i recommend using that, unless u got one powerful notebook lol