Media sharing vs. Windows Media Center

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December 28

Media sharing vs. Windows Media Center

It's been almost two years since I wrote my Windows Media Connect vs. Windows Media Center article, and I thought it'd be a good idea to update and repost it, since so much has changed over the last year or so. Much of this entry will be identical to the old article, with updates to reflect changes to media sharing software, Vista, and Xbox 360 system updates.

There are two ways to stream media to your Xbox 360 console from your PC: through media sharing software, and with Windows Media Center. Previously, only Windows Media Connect was used for media sharing, but with the release of Windows Media Player 11 and Zune last year, Windows Media Connect was retired and taken over by those two media players.

The Media Center landscape has changed, also. Xbox 360 used to only support Windows Media Center on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, but it's now included with and supported on Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate.

The main thing to remember is that media sharing (Windows Media Connect, Windows Media Player 11, and Zune) is different from Windows Media Center. Media sharing is more of a background connection, while Windows Media Center is a standalone application with its own user interface. Any XP or Vista machine can run Windows Media Player 11 or Zune, but only Media Center PCs and PCs with Vista Home Premium or Ultimate can run Windows Media Center.

Here's a quick chart to compare the two technologies, and help you recognize which is which. I'm not explaining exactly how to set up, troubleshoot, and access your media here; there's info on Xbox.com that should help you with those details.

	Windows Media Player, Zune software, and Windows Media Connect*	Windows Media Center
Computer Operating System	Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Professional Edition Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Business	Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate
Program Setup	If XP, on PC, install XP SP2 and .NET Framework 1.1. If Vista, no updates are necessary. On PC, run setup program from www.xbox.com/pcsetup. On console, select Music, Pictures, or Video on the Media blade and select your PC.**	On console, select Media Center button on Media blade, follow directions On PC, run setup program from www.xbox.com/pcsetup.
Media Setup	Share media first on computer then access it on the console	Launch Media Center on console then use it to add and navigate PC media
Media Access on Console	Through the Music button on the Media blade Through the Pictures button on the Media blade Through the Videos button on the Media blade In the Xbox Guide (music)	Through Media Center button on Media blade
Console Behavior	Pictures are viewed in the Xbox Dashboard (area with thumbnails, slideshows) Music can play in music player in Xbox Dashboard (area with player, song list, and visualizations) Music plays in background Music can play during games Videos are viewed in the Xbox Dashboard	Launches Media Center Extender software on console Media Center is a standalone application that runs on the console Access pictures, video, and music using Media Center interface only (not in background, not during games)
Available Media	Music Pictures Video	Music Pictures Video

* Windows Media Connect is no longer supported by Microsoft, but it still works if you have it set up. However, Windows Media Player 11 will take over for Windows Media Connect if WMP 11 is installed. For more info about media sharing, see my Media Sharing blog post.

** The console now remembers the last media source you chose. If you're not presented with a list of sources, press X to get to the list.

12:35:28 PM | Blog it | Tidbits

Comments (5)

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	No namewrote: Hiya Elle, a quick question about this subject..... I'm having trouble getting my PC and Xbox to communicate for media sharing and cross-platform gaming.... I've been back and forth with email support but I'm not getting anywhere fast.... one of the suggestions that I was given was that I needed to install Windows Media Connect, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere (links are dead) (I already have WMP11) Now that I read this article, I realise WHY I can't find it.... I've finally realized that the email support ISN'T actually real people, just a parser that sends back a canned response based on my question and apparently some of the answers are out of date, Any advice on how to get better email answers, ways to phrase questions or "special" keywords that work better (or not) when trying to troubleshoot an issue? thx RB Feb. 7
	Ellewrote: Right. The Guide is still running, and apps like games and MCE can call the virtual keyboard, which in turn knows how to "talk" to the USB/chatpad. The app itself would need to support the keyboard if they want it to be used directly in the app. Regarding an MCX update, I can bat my eyelashes on your behalf, but I won't be able to tell you what I find out. Oct. 30
	Richwrote: Ahhhh! Thanks so much Elle! So the dashboard "unloads", that would explain a few other things like: why no USB keyboard (or Chatpad for that matter) support when using the 360 as a Media Centre Extender. To input text you have to actually pop the virtual keyboard out, input the text and then let that insert it in to the Media Centre Extender software. A little convoluted but it works! Shame really as I'm more likely to want to use my keyboard/chatpad (and the DivX support) when I'm using the 360 as a Media Centre Extender. Thanks for the speedy answer... and if you have any say in the content of the dash updates, maybe you could mention it *flutters eyes* for me? (Or maybe I'll just wait for the Next-Next-Generation! Tee Hee!) ;) Jan. 17
	Ellewrote: I'd have to check into it more, but I believe it's because the player in the Xbox Dashboard and the player in Media Center Extender are separate (the dash actually unloads when you load Media Center, just like a game). It's not like a PC that can share codecs across apps, and it doesn't get its codec from the PC. I'll need to confirm, but I think that's how it works. Jan. 16
	Richwrote: Hey Elle, I've just re-read your "Media sharing vs. Windows Media Center" post and I have to say, it's very interesting. I have XP:MCE on my PC at home (Yeah yeah, I'll upgrade to Vista when I get a new PC ;) hehehe) and it works flawlessly with my 360 and I love it. But... (there's always a "but" isn't there?) some things are a little confusing to me and I wondered if you would be able to enlighten me. Since the Q4-2007 Dash Update I can now view DivX files on my 360 through the dashboard (Assuming they are in the "My Videos" folder on my PC) which works a treat. However, I can't view these same files (or any others located elsewhere on my PC's HDDs) when using the 360 as a media centre extender. What's even more confusing is that I can view these files on my PC using Media Centre so I just wondered if, next time you talk about files and file sharing, you could explain how this all works and why some files work in the dash and on the PC (using MC) but not on the 360 when it's working as an extender! PS: Happy New Year! ;) Jan. 16

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