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simon275
08-26-2007, 04:30 AM
I am thinking of going out and buying me a 360 for a number of reasons.
-They are getting cheap now
-Halo 3
-Can have friends over and play together.

What is the media functionally of the 360 like? Can I use it with my creative mp3 player or can I even stream music/movies to it.

Also how much are extra wireless controllers?

Are the consoles as screwy as people say they are. Or if you are smart and keep them well ventilated and not in some tiny tv cupboard will you still experience any problems.

Is it worth getting the version with the hard drive and all that if I am not going to be storing movies on there or is it one of those things you gotta have.

Is it easy to network. Is there a wifi adapter for it or do I have to buy a bridge?

Finally does it have HDCP as the Sony LCD tv we have has one?

I know I am asking a lot but I am sure the brain trust here can answer my questions as a group.

jdbnsn
08-26-2007, 05:10 AM
What is the media functionally of the 360 like? Can I use it with my creative mp3 player or can I even stream music/movies to it.
I'm not sure what you mean by use it with your mp3 player but you can stream movies and such quite easliy through a home network. I used a wireless G modem and it worked well but I have heard wireless A is better.

Also how much are extra wireless controllers?

Check ebay, usually about $20-30 USD I think.

Are the consoles as screwy as people say they are. Or if you are smart and keep them well ventilated and not in some tiny tv cupboard will you still experience any problems.

I have had one since release day last Nov. and for the most part it has functioned flawlessly in terms of data storage integrity and glitches etc..However I did have to ship it to M$ once for a new video card replacement which they did for free.

Is it worth getting the version with the hard drive and all that if I am not going to be storing movies on there or is it one of those things you gotta have.

I would definately get one with a HDD, you will want more than the onboard storage for many games which require lots of saving. I don't think you'll save much getting one without, but I don't think you need the Elite 120GB, that seems like overkill unless you plan to store the movies on the 360.

Is it easy to network. Is there a wifi adapter for it or do I have to buy a bridge?

There is a wireless adapter made by M$ for the 360, but it is shamelessly overpriced (~$100). You would be much better off running an ethernet cable to network it. Aside from that, it networks like a breeze. I'm using Windows Media Center 2005 which probably makes it easier though.

Finally is there HDCP support?

Not sure..

simon275
08-26-2007, 05:14 AM
Cheers for the speedy response. I.O.U. rep

Thats annoying about the wifi means I have to run cat5 to the lounge room.

One more question don't hurt me. Whats the range on the controllers like?

jdbnsn
08-26-2007, 05:17 AM
Pretty damn good actually. Mine has the wireless controller, DVD remote (IR), and the best part if you are an online team gamer is the headset which plugs directly into the controller so proximity is not an issue. The bluetooth range is good enough that if you're far enough that it won't reach, you can't see your TV anyway. I have sat in the bedroom and changed tracks using the controller in another romm 20' away through a wall with nno problems.

solja
08-26-2007, 06:12 AM
I'm like 98.7% positive there is no hdcp support. Alot of mp3 players do work with the 360 yes :) (there is a list of them somewhere but I cant be arsed.. google is your friend though). everything else jon took care of.... only one thing I disagree with him on.... you may not "need" the 360 Elite.... but the Elite absolutely rox j00r s0x, I mean its black.. and its got a bigger hard drive... what more do you want hehehehehe

"Make the connection, and Xbox 360 instantly streams the digital media stored on your MP3 player, digital camera, Media Center PC, or any Microsoft® Windows® XP 2005 Edition-based PC." ~ Xbox.com

also there is no longer a list that I can find, but the forums say that most usb devices WILL work with the 360 which includes mp3 players.

Killa_Ape
08-26-2007, 11:47 AM
You'll definately want one with a HD, lots of people are speculating that some games might require a hard drive and people without one won't be able to play them (GTA4 is an example of this), lots are saying GTA4 will require a harddrive for so much swap space

Mitternacht
08-26-2007, 04:16 PM
The only reason I vouched to buy the Elite was to be unique and to be one of the first to have it. I also plan on modding it anyways when I get bored with Xbox Live, so that 120 GB is gonna really come in handy whenever I mod it. It'll save me money that I wont have to spend on another SATA 2.5" HDD. I can also use a HDMI to DVI cable to play it on any HDCP Monitor, until I get a HDTV w/ HDMI.

Another thing about MP3's, the funny thing is that the 360 and iPod are completely compatible; 100%.

solja
08-26-2007, 04:23 PM
The only reason I vouched to buy the Elite was to be unique and to be one of the first to have it. I also plan on modding it anyways when I get bored with Xbox Live, so that 120 GB is gonna really come in handy whenever I mod it. It'll save me money that I wont have to spend on another SATA 2.5" HDD. I can also use a HDMI to DVI cable to play it on any HDCP Monitor, until I get a HDTV w/ HDMI.

Another thing about MP3's, the funny thing is that the 360 and iPod are completely compatible; 100%.

also the 360 and all Sony mp3 players to my knowledge are compatible

simon275
08-27-2007, 12:32 AM
Cool thanks guys. I will probably pick one up this weekend.

Spawn-Inc
08-27-2007, 01:38 AM
Halo 3 sucks!!!!!!! haha, i can't say that but i sure won't be getting it

simon275
08-27-2007, 02:48 AM
Halo 3 sucks!!!!!!! haha, i can't say that but i sure won't be getting it

Rubbish. *rasp

Spawn-Inc
08-27-2007, 03:13 AM
i'm guessing this is just as annying to the staff (CS) as ˙˙˙ǝɹoɯ ou os ƃuıʇɥƃıɹ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɥʇ i might like it but i never got into the series since i hated/still hate xbox (but not the 360).

simon275
08-27-2007, 06:56 AM
Anyone wanna recommend me some good 360 games. Maybe with a multilayer aspect to it so I can have my friends over. And also to tide me over until halo 3?

Mitternacht
08-27-2007, 09:05 AM
Call of Duty 3
Just about any demo you can grab on xbox live
nfs carbon
rainbow 6 vegas

Luke122
08-27-2007, 01:04 PM
I got a 360 for free two weeks ago, red ring of death.

The original owner had this one fail before the announcement by MS to repair them all, so he bought another one.

He told me that if I could fix this one, it was mine. I considered shipping it in for repair, but decided that my curiosity as a modder was much higher than my need to have a 360.

After stripping it open and COMPLETELY disassembling it, I'm now convinced that had I done the towel trick, it would be working. SO... I'll put it back together and try it out. :D

But since I have it apart anyways, I'll be painting it and probably adding a window and some LEDs to it.. might as well...

As far as using it for media, XBMC on the regular xbox kicks the crap out of the 360 for media functionality any day of the week. It plays every single file type in my library, and then some, has scripts to allow access to Youtube, Shoutcast, and an email client, all sorts of great visualizations, etc. And for price, you cant beat it.

The only catch is that the regular xbox cant play native 720p or higher content, due to the lack of processing power from the 733mhz cpu. However, it will output up to a 1080i signal to a tv, and will upsample any media to that res if you want. Mine is currently running 720p to my new tv, and it looks amazing.

Surfing from the couch with the remote, and being able to read ALL the text is priceless. :)

Speaking of price..
XBMC - Free to download
Regular Xbox - $50 @ pawn shop with 1 controller and remote

Add-ons in mine: 80gb hdd, white paint, 3 more controllers, and an HD cable pack and it STILL cost less than a core 360 system. :)

Also, for a good party game, grab "Super Mario Wars". Homebrew software is t3h pwnz. <-I suck at this.

Mitternacht
08-27-2007, 02:30 PM
Give the 360 some time, maybe we'll even have Dreamcast emulators for the 360. They weren't possible on the Xbox because it needs 1.6 Ghz of processing power to run 'em.

I'll need to throw some more space in my PC; host HD videos on my PC so I can stream 'em from the 360.

Maybe even install Windows on the 360. That'd be interesting.

Spawn-Inc
08-27-2007, 04:25 PM
one of the games that would make me get a 360 is Gears of War.

Luke122
08-27-2007, 05:03 PM
I'll need to throw some more space in my PC; host HD videos on my PC so I can stream 'em from the 360.


I thought the 360 was limited in the formats it can stream/playback from the PC? I might have to google it up and see what i can find.. maybe the 360 will become my dedicated media box if it can stream my HD stuff..

jdbnsn
08-27-2007, 07:28 PM
Keep in mind fellas that discussing firmware mods/cracks is not allowed on the forums. To be honest I don't really understand what was discussed above :( So I'm not warning or threatening anyone, just asking you to avoid the temptation of that particular topic. Thanks guys.

Luke122
08-27-2007, 11:26 PM
Hey no problem, we arent talking anything illegal. :) I know that the whole console modding thing is a very grey area, so I dont talk details as to how it's done. :)

If anyone wants pics of the 360 completely "naked", let me know and I can post some up.

jdbnsn
08-27-2007, 11:52 PM
Fair enough, and yeah pics are cool. Nothing illegal about ripping one up.

Spawn-Inc
08-28-2007, 12:37 AM
If anyone wants pics of the 360 completely "naked", let me know and I can post some up.


that line reminds me of another like/quote from a movie...



digital pimp hard at work. - the matrix, Switch

stewart123
08-28-2007, 01:51 PM
I love the 360 very much. I only have really played 3 games however. I have played some of FEAR and have played GRAW1 and GRAW2 (Ghost Recon advance warfare) way too much. In my honest opinion, this is the greatest multiplayer game I have ever played in my life. There are a few bugs in it, but the game play is so amazing. I bought COD3, but barely even played it. I wasn't able to get over GRAW1.

I will be excited to play the new Tiger Woods. Online play on that game also looks ridiculously good.

As for some of your questions - My controllers work fabulous. I have had very limited problems with the 360. However, I am on my 3rd replacement. I heard that xbox got rid of the X - bracket and now cooling seems to have improved. I would set up my own cooling system, but I do not want to lose my warranty as the solder seems to be the problem with most of these systems. Also - I do keep mine in an air conditioned room that has good air flow. The last time I sent it in, it 3rod me in my parents basement after being down there in the middle of feb. There was 2 and a half feet of snow on the ground. Keeping it in a cool environment does not help all that much.

simon275
08-29-2007, 06:29 AM
Hmm

My work has stacked up at the moment. Also they are going to introduce 360's using the 65nm manufacturing process which mean less heat so I am considering waiting and maybe buying it with Halo3 later this coming September.