The xbox 360 has really earned the category of Home entertainment. If you start looking at the facts contained within hype within this article from GamesIndustry.biz. Take for example, The console can be switched on and off wirelessly using the Media Remote control or the wireless game controller.
The xbox didnt have this feature and made it difficult to be used like a ce (consumer equipment) type device. Sarah has a 6 in 1 remote with macro support, so shes able to turn on and off all our home cinema/entertainment equipment without shifting off the sofa. But the xbox still needs to be manually turned on by the small switch on the front of the machine.
So the xbox 360 rewrites that mistake and adds its self to the CE group, just what Microsoft has been planning for a long time. It also seems Microsoft have decided to pump up the stakes when it comes to securing the Xbox platform and content. I remember the xbox was meant to be a test for the Trusted computing platform. Uncrackable security system
is what they claim, well I predict it to be hacked before March 2006. Uncrackable my ass! When are they going to learn, there is no such thing – its more a matter of time.
Back to Home entertainment and the xbox360, some things which will make home cinema fans smile.
On the issue of cooling – Satchell said he thought the system had three fans (he said he wasn't sure but thought it was three, so we'd open to correction on that one), and we couldn't hear them at all as he spoke. When you play a DVD, it powers down to just one fan.
One word, thank goodness! I've got my xbox behind a glass case because the fan makes such a noise.
DVDs can be played even if you don't have the remote control, unlike Xbox 1.
Yeah well its about time, I do wonder how there going to do region coding now.
DVDs will play back in progressive-scan, with the Xbox 360 up-sampling to prog-scan in the case of DVDs that don't support it.
Great except….
RGB video output will only be possible if you purchase the GBP 17.99 cable separately – regardless of whether you paid GBP 209.99 or GBP 279.99 for your Xbox 360 console.
Well, well, a extra £20 for a machine which only supports HiDef output? What cable comes with the machine? a non RGB scart?
iPods are detected by default, as are PSPs, and by our watch it took about 2 or 3 seconds for the Xbox 360 to notice they were there. With an iPod plugged in you can play music direct through the Dashboard software, with visualisations, or you can play a slideshow of photographs.
You can also plug in a laptop or PC (or not plug it in – if you're using wireless networking) and play content direct from that. This is through Windows Media Player Extender, the software for which is pre-installed on the Xbox 360. In our example, Satchell first streamed a high-definition Project Gotham Racing 3 trailer, and then drew upon a high-definition recording of Star Wars: Episode II apparently captured on his home TV.
We shall see how good this feature is compared to the abilities of Xbox media centre. I guess with the ipod and psp support, xbox 360 must support firewire, usb and network connections like smb.
