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Run Windows MCE Applications on Xbox 360

Posted by Hemos on from the embrace-and-extend dept.

BlueMoon writes "A user of the GA-forum found out the Media Extender on the Xbox 360 allows to stream Windows MediaCenter applications over network on your Xbox 360 console. While the applications themselves will run on the MCE PC, it'll stream the interface/input to the Xbox360/PC. Simple MCE apps like those modified browsers to pull down news stories, stock quotes, sports scores etc., as well as several internet radio clients worked fine. Mini-games like a Tetris clone and some card game crashed, but then again ... that seems to be a normal behaviour for the 360."

13 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. HDTV, and how I helped MS lose money by dada21 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm a big MCE supporter. Yes, I have tried MythTV (5 different installs) and Sage and every other variety over the years. MCE passes the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor), crashed only once in the past 4 months, and can handle nearly unlimited tuners. No, there is no hardcore cable HDTV support (except for unencrypted channels which is all I get anyway). The third party support is awesome and all my add-ons are bulletproof.

    I will be buying an X360 to replace my Xboxes which currently run as extenders. I have less than 10 games (most bought used). If MS is losing money on every X360, then they'll lose 3x that with my units.

    I am more interested in HDTV support and multichannel sound on the X360 extenders, as well as how well the actual video quality is. My Xbox extender's output is pretty bad (noise, gamma modifications and other weird issues). I'm waiting for the rush of X360's to purchase them used if possible, as I did with my Xboxes.

    1. Re:HDTV, and how I helped MS lose money by onion2k · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I will be buying an X360 to replace my Xboxes which currently run as extenders. I have less than 10 games (most bought used). If MS is losing money on every X360, then they'll lose 3x that with my units.

      I imagine Microsoft can afford the loss. What they gain from your purchase is perceived market share. Of all the consoles sold there'll be 3 360s and no PS3s as a result of your purchase. As Microsoft are desperate to show their stockholders that the cash they're burning through to grab as large a chunk of the games industry as they can they won't be too bothered that they've lost a bit of money. Money is easy to get. World domination is all in the statistics.

      --
      http://twitter.com/onion2k
    2. Re:HDTV, and how I helped MS lose money by dada21 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      True. I'm no Microsoft basher (I see more wealthy people in my age group because of Microsoft than any other company).

      World domination of one person or cabal is scary, but world domination from a corporation owned by millions (billions?) of people isn't something I think we need to fear, especially if that domination is likely to be ended by some other company (Google, etc).

      I know MS doesn't care if I lose money -- I just wanted to make note to the geeks who care that there is a use for the X360 other than gaming!

    3. Re:HDTV, and how I helped MS lose money by whitehatlurker · · Score: 4, Funny
      If he doesn't buy any, then they don't need to produce any, and therefore don't lose any money.

      OMG - you mean by not buying an XBox ... I'm helping the enemy!?

      --
      .. paranoid crackpot leftover from the days of Amiga.
    4. Re:HDTV, and how I helped MS lose money by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny
      ...especially if that domination is likely to be ended by some other company (Google, etc).

      I'm amazed that we have yet to see a single story insisting that the Xbox is doomed in the face of the impending Google Video Game Console and its revolutionary AJAX-based games...

      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  2. that seems to be a normal behaviour for the 360 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sigh....I have a 360 and nope no crashes, no problems, no inner need-to-bash-microsoft for the sake of it.

    1. Re:that seems to be a normal behaviour for the 360 by Eddy+Da+KillaBee · · Score: 5, Insightful

      While the parent was modded as funny, in all seriousness I'm getting sick and tired of people bashing the 360 for "constantly crashing". You guys make it sound like ALL 360s are doing that. Look, the PS2 has had defects, the PSP had issues with dead pixels, and I'm sure other systems have had their fair share of defects. However, it does not mean that all systems are defective; so please, grow the hell up and stop making it sound like all 360s have issues!

  3. Show off ;) by garcia · · Score: 4, Funny

    My guess is that it will be difficult to get anything other than simple casual games to run in real time using the interface, due to lag in response times.

    Sounds like a worthwhile application, no? I mean, nothing like spending $400+ on a dumb-terminal to play laggy Solitare on a huge TV (this guy was just showing off his Sony HD monitor) and have it crash after a bit.

    But I would think getting something like a full web browser up and running should be achievable.

    He means porn. Otherwise, I'm not quite sure what the advantages would be to having an unstable browser session open on a huge monitor.

  4. Why? by Voltageaav · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The TV out on my Media Center computer works just fine. No crashes at all. Why don't you just use that?

    --
    Someone save me from this sanity.
  5. What is abnormal about a system working? by FerretFrottage · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Agreed....in almost week of ownership, no crashes, artifacts or other "normal" behavior. Maybe I just jinxed myself or maybe I just have an abnormal box. Really out of all the 360's sold and in use today, how many are having problems? 5%, 10%, 50%, 100%!!!

    Now I do have some beef about the how MCE and the 360 don't seem to work with mapped drives (this includes both Windows and linux/samba shared drives) or external drives connected to MCE. The 360 still has a lot to learn from XBMC.

    --
    "Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
  6. It's not a loss for MS by Kirby-meister · · Score: 4, Insightful
    When you buy a console from MS, think of it from this perspective - they don't lose $126, but rather recoup $400 towards a $526 loss.

    Although in the end they've already made their money from the retailers who stock up. But if nobody bought them off the retailers, the retailers wouldn't order more for their shelves.

  7. Re:Interest Piqued by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Funny
    I have not special love for Microsoft but no special hatred either . . .

    You must be new here.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  8. How it works by BillBrasky · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For those wondering, it's an extension on the RDP protocol used by Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection. Audio and Video are sent in sideband channels: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url= /library/en-us/medctrsdk/htm/mediacenterextenders. asp