5 replies to this topic

[danyeates]

I currently have an xbox 360 and my laptop linked to my LCD TV. Its starting to get annoying when I want to use the internet and my girlfriend wants to watch TV etc. as we cant do both at the same time without unplugging loads of wires and moving everything around in the cabinet. The laptop has a 250GB external HDD with all my music, pictures and videos on. So, is it possible to connect this to my Xbox 360 via USB and play all my video, music and pictures through the xbox rather than my laptop. That way the HDD can stay in the cabinet with the xbox and whenever I download or burn something I can plug the laptop into the HDD and copy it over. I can also use the VGA socket on my tv for the Xbox 360 that the laptop is currently taking up, as I understand it is better quality.

[siztenboots]

I currently have an xbox 360 and my laptop linked to my LCD TV. Its starting to get annoying when I want to use the internet and my girlfriend wants to watch TV etc. as we cant do both at the same time without unplugging loads of wires and moving everything around in the cabinet.

The laptop has a 250GB external HDD with all my music, pictures and videos on. So, is it possible to connect this to my Xbox 360 via USB and play all my video, music and pictures through the xbox rather than my laptop. That way the HDD can stay in the cabinet with the xbox and whenever I download or burn something I can plug the laptop into the HDD and copy it over. I can also use the VGA socket on my tv for the Xbox 360 that the laptop is currently taking up, as I understand it is better quality.

Not tried a USB HDD, but USB memory sticks work okay for music. Video needs to be in one of the MS formats, WMV , no support likely for DIVX. Plus, DVDs burned with WMV files on them also work, bit less hassle than a USB drive and all it cables and transformer to move around.

Or you could network them, and use a product called Twonkyvision

[danyeates]

What do you mean when you say network them? Network the xbox and laptop? At the moment they are both wired to a router for broadband, but you can only stream music and pictures. It wont however strem from an external HDD connected to my laptop, just what is in My Documents! Was considering one of those things that connect to your tv and strem video, pictures and music wirelessly, but thought the quality might be crappy once its converted to a scart output or whatever it uses. The xbox won't stream video unless I run xp media centre, which I dont.

[danyeates]

ok might just scrap the whole media centre laptop thing because it is annoying trying to use internet through my tv whilst my girlfriend wants to watch tv.

THIS might solve my problems! I can then stream frommy pc wirelessly, get internet radio, it will play DiVX's and encoded stuff. Anyone used or heard anything about this before?

Also has a HD composite output so dont have to worry about the picture looking horrible! (Like the Archos) I can then use the VGA port for the xbox and the composite for the Philips media thingy.

Edited by danyeates, 19 January 2007 - 10:37 AM.

[Code Monkey]

if you have a short cut in my documents, to link to the external HDD does that work not tried it yet, just wool gathering.

[danyeates]

Set it up, you can play music, videos and pictures from an external HDD through the xbox. Its a bit of a pain though! Will have to keep plugging in my laptop everytime I download something. Might go back to networking it.