Microsoft recently added support for Divx and Xvid video to the Xbox 360 via a Dashboard update. I already knew how to stream music to my Xbox 360, but had never tried video. In this article I’ll describe a couple of applications that allowed me to stream video content to my Xbox 360.

I successfully streamed both Divx and Xvid content from both my desktop (Windows XP) and notebook  (Windows Vista). Apple users may be interested in Connect360, which is not covered in this article. Both PC’s are connected through a wireless home network. The programs work independently and do not interfere with each other, so installing both on one machine will not cause problems.

Connecting to Winamp Remote

1) Download and install Winamp Remote. (Note: Winamp Player is not required). Registration is not required to download, but is required to use the application. Winamp Remote is beta software as of this writing.

2) Right click the Winamp Remote icon in the system tray, then select Configure. On the Media tab you can add locations of your videos and music.

3) Go to the Media area of the Dashboard on your Xbox 360, select Videos. Select your PC. The PCs on your network are listed by name and should be titled “Orb: <computer name> - <username>” (Note: if a media source is already selected, press X to select a different one).

You should now see the drive and folder location you selected in Step 2 (example: ‘c:\videos’). Select a file. If this is your first time watching a Divx/Xvid video, you will be prompted to download the optional update through the Xbox 360 Dashboard. After the update is downloaded and installed, select a video file again and you should see the video buffer, then play.

Winamp Remote will also buffer and play online videos from AOL videos, Photobucket, Guba, Dailymotion, and YouTube as of this writing. Buffering is there again, and taking 20-30 seconds to buffer a YouTube video may not be worth the wait. This feature may improve over time as well, and currently Windows Media Player does not offer online video support for Xbox 360. Some other options like “Live TV” and “Internet TV” do nothing when clicked from Xbox 360. Support for those options may arrive while Winamp Remote is still in beta.

Winamp Remote Pros and Cons

• Pros: Winamp Remote is small and easy to use. Finding files and connecting to the 360 is a simple process, almost effortless. Since Winamp Remote directly connects files to your 360, you can play any Xbox 360 supported file type, including Quicktime (.mpv)! Now you can play downloaded video podcasts on your television.

• Cons: Winamp Remote is slow. The 360 buffers video before playback, and it can be slow. I have seen glitches and buffering during playback which can be very annoying. Fast forwarding or rewinding is not possible most of the time due to the slow buffer time. Hopefully playback interruptions due to buffering are removed before the final version is released.

Connecting to Windows Media Player 11

The tutorial at xbox.com is posted here. My steps are as follows:

1) You’ll need to upgrade to Windows Media Player 11 if you don’t have it. (Note: To connect the Xbox 360 console your computer, you must be running Windows XP Service Pack 2, Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, or Windows Vista.)

2) Start Windows Media Player. Click the arrow below the Library tab, then click “Media Sharing.” In the Media Sharing dialog box, select the Share my media to: checkbox. In the device list, select your Xbox 360 console. Click Allow. Click the settings button to name your media where it says “Share media as:”

3) Click the arrow below the Library tab, then click Add To Library. Click the Advanced Options button. From here you can add Folders to your Library. The media cannot be played on the Xbox if it’s not in your library. Folders are monitored for updates.

4) Go to the Media blade on your Xbox 360 and select Videos. Select your PC. The PCs on your network are listed by name and will appear in the following format: <Computer name> : <name entered in step 2> (Note: if a media source is already selected, press X to select a different one). Now you should see the folders and files from your Media Player Library. Select a file, if this is your first time trying to watch a Divx/Xvid video you will be prompted to download the optional update. After the update installation completes, select a video file again and you should see the video play.

Windows Media Player 11 Pros and Cons

• Pros: Streaming video from a Windows Media Player 11 Library is fast. The videos start to stream right away with no buffering. I only saw buffering when I skipped ahead in a video, and even then, the buffering took just seconds. If you use Windows Media Player to manage your media, finding content to stream will be easy and already organized for you.

• Cons: Windows Media Player is big and not easy to navigate, especially when sharing media to other locations besides Xbox 360. Media Player may not be able to share every file in your library. To stream the media, the original file must be stored in one of your monitored folders and it must be a supported file type. So for me, I wasn’t able to stream my Quicktime video podcasts with Media Player. If your library isn’t updated (even though the file is in the right directory), you will not be able to see it on your 360.

Conclusion

I like the idea of watching my iTunes podcasts on my 50” TV, but waiting for the buffering isn’t always worth it. If Winamp Remote had the speed of Windows Media Player 11, I would give it the nod, as it has more features and is easier to use.

For now Windows Media Player 11 is the way to go because it’s faster at video playback (no buffering). Both applications are useful however, so I recommend installing and configuring both to try for yourself.