Xbox, oh Xbox, give me media!

 Aug 22, 2014

Do you have Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8? Then, provided you have an Xbox with a wired or wireless home network, you can add broadband Internet to the mix and it will further make you the king of the hill. With this, you will be able to play any media content from your computer on your Xbox, neat!! To set this up, there are two set up procedures involved - one for your Xbox, and one for your computer. If you already have a working Network Connection to and from your Xbox, then skip directly to Part 1, Step 5. Otherwise, follow the steps below. Part 1: Connect Xbox 360 to Windows Media Center 1. Complete the necessary connections, Xbox to computer, or ethernet cable to switch/broadband router either through wireless or wired ethernet. 2. Navigate to 'Network Settings' in the 'System' section of the Xbox 360 dashboard. 3. Select the 'Edit Settings' option, scroll down and choose your preferred method (either 'Wired Network' or 'Wireless Network'), and then enter the information for your secure network. 4. Enter your security password information into the Xbox 360 console so the network can recognise it. 5. Depending on your Xbox version and Home Screen settings, navigate to the Media Center on the Xbox from the 'Media' tab. 6. If this is the first time setting up your computer as a Media Center source, Xbox will most probably not find the computer and you will have to choose 'Set Up a New Connection.' 7. An overview of what you can do with WMC and the Xbox will display. Select 'Continue.' 8. The next screen will show a setup key. You’ll need this to connect the console to the PC running Windows Media Center. That’s it for now on the Xbox. Now it's time to move to your computer. Part 2: Connect your computer 1. Your computer will now detect the Xbox 360 on your network. You’ll see the following message. Click 'Set Up Now.' 2. A message will appear which will explain the Media Center Extender Setup. Once you've read this message, click 'Next.' 3. Now enter the 8-digit setup key (from Part 1, Step 8) that’s displayed on your Xbox. Click 'Next.' 4. Your system will go through the steps to configure the extender as seen in the image below. 5. At the same time, you’ll see the Xbox connecting to Windows 7 Media Center on your PC. 6. The amount of time it takes will vary depending on your network speed and computer hardware. When the Extender Setup is complete, click 'Finish.' 7. On your Xbox you’re able to browse through your media libraries. You have access to everything from WMC on the PC including your movies, music, videos, live TV, pictures and more. 8. In the below example, you can select the Movies Library on the Xbox 360. If you have a lot of content, it will take several minutes while the libraries are updated especially with a slow internet connection. Once you've set all this up, you will now be able to enjoy all of your media from your PC on your Xbox!

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About the Author:

Barend Koekemoer  

Barend is one of New Horizon's highly experience IT Technical trainers with over 15 years of practical IT experience as well as experience in administrating, planning and executing projects and automation systems. He began his career in IT working for a South African government organisation and has since become a Microsoft Certified Trainer, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist and a Microsoft Certified IT Professional.

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