One of the parts I like the most about the Fall Dashboard Update for the Xbox 360 is that it’s added video streaming of WMV-encoded video via Windows Media Player 11 — before this I was incapable of trying any video streaming since I did not shell out beaucoup dollars for a Windows Media Center enabled PC. I also like it because the video streaming functionality lets me view flawlessly rendered HD content that my laptop would otherwise be struggling to play. Once you’re all setup, you don’t even have to be running WMP11 to share your videos (and music and photos) through your Xbox 360.
There are still a couple hurdles to get this to work, so I figured I would detail the process to get started with streaming video. NOTE: This will break your Windows Media Connect setup. You will have to uninstall WMP11 to go back to using WMC.
Here is a step-by-step on how to get WMP11 video streaming working on your network.
(Click on any of the images below for an enlarged view of what you should be seeing — all images open in a new window.)
1. Download Windows Media Player 11 and complete the install process.
2. Turn on your Xbox 360 and also run Windows Media Player 11, you may or may not have items in your library depending on where you store your movies and music. Don’t worry about this for now.
3. Go to “File” > “Tools” > “Options…”
4. Under options click on the “Library” tab and then on the “Configure Sharing…” button
5. Check the “Share my media box” and then click “OK”
6. Hopefully in the list of devices under “Sharing settings” you will an icon for your Xbox 360 with a yellow “!” sign on it. Click on it and then click on “Allow.” The Xbox 360 icon should have a green checkmark sign on it.
7. You can change your default settings under the “Settings…” button or by clicking on the “Customize…” button. Make sure that either your default settings or your custom settings for your Xbox 360 includes all the media types you want to stream: Music, Pictures and/or Video. If you’re doing this for video streaming, make sure “Video” is checked and make sure the “Star ratings” and “Parental ratings” are also set so you can see the videos you have in your library. Once you have all the settings you want, click on “OK.”
8. Back at the “Media Sharing” window, click on “OK.”
(Optional) If you do not keep all your video in your “My Documents” or “My Videos” personal folders, you’ll need to point WMP11 to the directory you have them saved in. To do this, click on the “Library” tab and then on “More options…” Then click on “Monitor Folders…” and then on the “Add to Library” window, click on the “Add…” button. In the “Add Folder” window, highlight the folder you keep all your videos files in and then click on “OK.” Repeat until all your video folders have been added to the library. Click on “OK” on the “Add to Library” window and WMP11 will automatically start searching for music, pictures and video on your computer in all the Personal Folders and folders you have added and automatically add them to the library.
9. Check that all your videos have been added by clicking on the “Library” tab and then on “Video” to load up your video library. It should have a list of your videos — with thumbnails if you kept the default settings.
10. You can now exit WMP11 if you choose. The rest will all take place on your Xbox 360.
11. In the Guide, go to the “Media” blade, highlight and select “Video.”
12. Highlight and select “Computer” to “Stream videos from a Windows-based PC.”
13. On the “Windows-based PC” screen, highlight and select “Yes, continue”
14. On the following screen, highlight and select the name of the PC that has the videos you want to share.
15. After a brief network search, the Xbox 360 “Videos” screen should appear along with all the videos in your library. It might take a while to populate depending on how many videos you have.
16. Select one and then you should be streaming straight from your PC. If you don’t have any WMV HD files, head over to GameTrailers or somewhere else and download yourself some amazing WMV HD videos for your first run.
If you’re still having trouble, try the Microsoft Help and Support page, ask on the Xbox.com forums or ask the on forum of your choice, of course!
jeff says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:12 pmWow this is great but… so not needed with an XBOX with XBMC! not the 360. Its like 2 clicks with a XBMC to just share the folder on your network and the xbox would just find your shared folder and you could stream any media support. Im sure that it would be nice if my pc was as powerful as the xbox 360 and be able to play all HD content like some of the 1080p shots but.. i think for now ill stream my xvid movies .. the way i have been :)
Nick says:
November 05, 2006 at 12:42 amHey, I did all of the above, and my xbox can see music and photos no problem, but no video? any ideas? I have added wmv's to my wmp library and made sure they are shared, but when I select video on my 360 it just says there is no video
cheers in advance,
Nick
arne says:
November 05, 2006 at 12:42 pmNick:
That’s really bizarre, I think you messaged me on XBL about that too, right? I’ll be honest and I’ve not encountered this nor has a few people I asked. I’ll ask around, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to get an answer that really works without total indepth details from you. If I get anywhere, I’ll e-mail you.
jordan says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:58 pmhey i had the same problem as nick im able to listen to music or photos but no video. did i do something wrong? P.S i also did everything that this web site said.
Michael Phipps says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:44 pmIf your video files are DivX AVI’s, XBox360 can’t play them – but there is a solution.
As an alternative to WMP11, you might like to try TVersity. The advantage is you can stream DivX files, and they are transcoded into a format that XBox360 will play.
http://www.tversity.com/
It works really well. If you are having problems – try disabling your firewall. If that works, switch the firewall back on, and open up the appropriate ports and permissions.
Tim says:
November 05, 2006 at 1:57 amI recently upgraded from WMP 10 to WMP 11 and I can still stream my wmv vids and my jpg photos but none of my over 60,000 music files all in unprotected mp3 format will stream they are simply not there so I am trying the TVersity route. Thanks for the suggestion and wish me good luck
Kevin says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:15 pmHey there I am having the same problem as nick can play everything but no video…the xbox cant seem to find it .. Checking everything i converted some videos with Videora for Xbox 360 to mpeg format added them to my libary in WMP11 and nothing…any ideas
arne says:
November 05, 2006 at 1:03 pmKevin:
This might actually not be your issue, but the WMP11 streaming to the Xbox 360 only works with videos encoded in WMV. You might want to try converting them to that first, if you hadn’t tried that already.
somekid says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:58 pmYour videos need to be in the “My Videos” folder and on the wmv library make sure there on both
arne says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:03 pmsomekid:
I’ve gotten it to work with videos that are outside of the “My Videos” folder. But like you said, listed in the WMP11 library list.
FREAK NL says:
November 05, 2006 at 10:34 amIt is a great machine but, NOTHING IS AS EASY AS IT MUST BE!!
I almoste wrecked my Laptop en Xbox because it just won’t work!
Music en Picture no problemo….VIDEO BIG BIG PROBLEM!
Danny says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:41 pmSame issue mentioned above. Ive done everything right, i even moved all my WMV files to MY VIDEOS (jus to be safe) then added everything to my WMP Library, configured everything correctly. My 360 says “no videos found” but my music and photos show up fine. Am I missing a 360 software update or somethin, it downloads automatically anyways so it cant be that…NEED HELP PLS
General Matt says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:05 pmYes this works if all your files are WMV HD format which uses the VC-1 codec but if your video files are MPG4 or any thing eles the xbox 360 won’t find them and this is probably why some of you have wrecked your computers trying. I have tried converting my files to WMV uses various converters but all that happens is the xbox displays them on the dashboard but when you click on them it comes up with an error screen. I believe this could be because the converters make it WMV but not VC-1 codec like WMV HD is in. VC-1 is the format the the console was built for. The format is used for movie sceens in video games. If anyone knows a converter that does work please share with us
General Matt says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:11 pmHey Danny go here and download one of these videos these are garunteed to work if your network is set up right. Which it sounds like it is since you can get your photos and music still. It could be that just none of your videos are in the right format even though they are WMV (there are different versions). It is just something to try before making bigger changes.
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...o/hdvideo/contentshowcase.aspx
Peter says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:10 pmDo you have XP or XP with Media Center Edition…because I’ve heard that a simple upgrade to WMP 11 without media center still will not allow for streaming video functionality.
MIke says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:19 pmHey the Media Share thing see’s the xbox 360, but it wont let me press “allow” any possible solutions? Already shut down firewall and that hub bub. Got windows 11, connected from a router: computer(wifi) 360(ethernet)
ILan Gyrl says:
November 05, 2006 at 6:31 pmOK so I bought the Belkin transfer cable and I have Windows media player 11 but cannot get my XBox360 to show up on my laptop and I cannot get my laptop to show up on my Xbox. Someone hook a sista up plz. ASAP. I don’t care about the videos all I want to do is transfer some music. HELP
arne says:
November 05, 2006 at 7:07 pmPeter:
WMP11 will allow media streaming to your Xbox 360 regardless of which version of Windows XP you are running.
Sean says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:41 amHi Arne360, Thanks for the guide, ive set it up no problem. The only problem ive got is the files keep on jumping when im streaming them any ideas on the network setup that might improve the streaming? Im currently using a Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router.
Cheers
Sean
Brett says:
November 05, 2006 at 12:40 pmi was having the same problems as nick too. i tried what general matt suggested and it worked first time! i guess the format was wrong. further investigation needed but at least i know that my network is working ok!
peter says:
November 05, 2006 at 4:33 pmsame as nick ive tryd everythin but it just comes up with “no videos found” but it can even go in 2 my document n stuff sum1 plz help me
Mutley says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:13 pmFor anyone who is experiencing the “no video found” problem, get the latest software update here http://www.xbox.com/en-US/supp...x360/console/systemupdates.htm
Either update from xbox live or download the file and burn on to a CD and install on to your xbox360. After the update has installed, you should be able to access your computer, usb device etc etc.
Mike says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:02 pmhey, i was wondering if you could add more than one computer to share???
if you can
could u tell me how?
Rob says:
November 05, 2006 at 6:23 pmso i setup wmp11 on 2 pc’s all on the same network with my 360, the settings are both exactly the same on the pc’s. but when i go on my xbox and search for pc’s it only finds one. i even tried connecting the pc that doenst get found straight to my 360 and it still woudlnt find it right. anyone have any idea what could be wrong?
Brandon says:
November 05, 2006 at 7:06 pmOk so I set up WMP11 and it can see my 360, however my 360 can not see my computer, has anyone run into this?
Mark says:
November 05, 2006 at 4:59 pmI am having the same problem. Confirmed latest software update on 360.
Aaron says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:58 pmIf you’re having problems finding the XBOX, make sure the NVFirewall (if you have that) is off or the ports are opened. I disabled NVFirewall, and it found it (came with my ASUS motherboard)
akash says:
November 05, 2006 at 9:22 amcool but how do you store videos from your pc
Rodrigo says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:10 amI have the latest version of WMP11 and XBOX360, but still have the same problem… “No Videos Found” message, but pictures and music work fine. Running XP SP2 on the PC side, and the latest fall dashboard upgrade on the XBOX360 side.
Anyone still having same problem?
Warren says:
November 05, 2006 at 10:16 amI’m still having the same problems as those other guys…..Streaming pics and music fine but doesn’t see any video.. I’m not going to change the format of any of my files because PS3 streams it all without any problem, so I only stand a chance of screwing that up
Taylor says:
November 05, 2006 at 10:01 pmI’m in the exact situation as Rodrigo except I’m running vista. What the hell is the problem???
Scott says:
November 05, 2006 at 10:23 pmwhen i click sharing on my windows media player 11 my xbox does not pop up. it shows nothing at all. my xbox is pluged into the network and gets an ip. what am i doing wrong
Johnnie says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:49 amIf you dont see any video it is because it is not in the correct .WMV codec. There is also a solution besides using WMP you can use the MS Zune software, which from my experience will work with all the videos, but have problems with some music.
Tim says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:51 amVista 64 ultimate. Computer see’s 360 all my sharing is setup correctly with all latest vista updates and xbox 360 updates. Xbox 360 can’t see computer it just says there is no computer. I run the diagnostic on the 360 side and it still doesn’t see it. Funny thing is MCE will run just fine however it won’t stream divx and I was hoping for that with the latest update.
Hope this helps says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:14 amHi guys, if you are running windows xp with service pack 2 and have followed this guide with no luck listen up. I was having the same problems as many of you. In order to get video you need to go into “my documents” and create a folder named “my videos” place all of your videos into this folder (“my videos”) and the xbox 36o should recognize them. Works like a charm ;-)
*Note: I am only able to play .avi files on my xbox 36o
good luck ppl. — hope this helps some of you.
Thanks for the guide!
Hope this helps says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:19 amI almost forgot… if you are running Zone Alarm you MUST shut it down or configure it properly. If Zone Alarm is running it will most likely cause problems between the computer and the xbox 36o.
VOLT says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:27 pmSo i take it streaming Divx won’t work cause its not an .avi right?
when i used Winamp (remote) i was able to stream the divx movies just fine but it looked too grainy and pixelated…it just looked plain UGLY. can some one show us a tutorial on how to set up TVersity? i just DL it but the 360 isn’t picking up on it =( or i might have it set up wrong.
Steffen says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:32 pmI had the same problem as everyone else, and this solution worked for me: I’m running Vista, and had my shared video folder under my user account name/video. I transferred my music to the “public/video” folder, shared that, and viola, it worked. Hope this helps everybody else.
Costa says:
November 05, 2006 at 7:01 amMy problem may be unique.
I have had streaming (for music, picture and video) working since i got my 360 about 2 years ago.
I now got a new computer (upgrade from XP SP2 to Vista Ultimate) and i set up Windows Media Ceter. Now herein lies the problem.
Media Center worked fine until i realised it doesn’t support Xvid and DivX etc. So i think to myself “i’ll just go back to the way everything was” Silly me!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Before i continue, all my media is saved on its own hardrive”)
So on media center i can see all my files, just media center can’t play them. But when i click videos/music/pictures on the media blade of my 360 it says it can’t find anything. Why not????? All these video are in my WMP11 library!!! :(
It seems as if my xbox is saying “no! we know you have media center, you can’t go back! Fuck you!”
All settings are correct. Live works, media center has a good connection. Media is set to share. This just frustrates me so much. I had everything working 100% until i tryed media center.
Is there no-one out there who can help!!
I am in desperate need!! Obviously the makers of Xbox have no idea what is going on!!
Please help!
sean says:
November 05, 2006 at 5:38 amhey, im having trouble finding my 360 via configure sharing, i have xp and using media 11. what am i doing wrong?????
Omeaux says:
November 05, 2006 at 8:08 amOkay folks. Here’s the skinny.
In realistate, it’s alll location location locomoti….err… location
With audio video, it’s codec, codec, codec.
Audio’s easy. You use dbpoweramp (google it, it’s 12 bucks and worth thousands of dollars if you think time is money like I do). It will transcode, upscale, downscale, do whatever you want to whatever AUDIO file you like.
Now…. video gets tricky. Because they have all the aspects of an audio file, combined with all the aspects of a video file (wow…. stating the obvious there….)
ergo (no i’m not being the Architect, i used the word years before that d00d….). Xbox 360 has specific criteria for which codecs and formats it will play. This info is listed elsewhere so I’m not listing it here (google or hit the xbox website)
Trick is, you can convert any video file to an xbox 360 friendly format and stream it (ex: http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/20...xvid-streaming-suite-released/). You can even program your netflix free downloads to stream (..heh heh… ERGO: http://www.networkingaudiovide...rchives/cat_xbox_streaming.php)
However, I’m a big fan of the h264 stuff, so this is my favorite:
http://a8t8.spaces.live.com/bl...cns!2518DD508BB713E8!156.entry
HOWEVER.
THis only takes care of the media format problem.
With Vista, there are a ton of ways to stream and tunnel crud to another machine. This kind of stuff is my weak point. I’m more of an A/V guy… so my savior is “Barb’s Connected World” a very groovin site that has helped a lot with my setup/problem: trying to get a PS3, 360, Wii, Vista Ultimate, and XP pro to all play nice together (and still be secure!)…..
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/
I think the best bet is to use dbpoweramp to change audio files and VLC media player to stream anything in any format… but I haven’t figured the latter out. Still working…… I’ll keep posting
Hope this helps. Lemmie know via facebook under standardradionacceleratorcoreWHICHISATgmailDOTcom
It’s fun to get this stuff connected….but by the time you do, a better codec or format comes out!
karan says:
November 05, 2006 at 6:38 amhey i am using a d-link fast ethernet switch des-1008V. I want to stream from my computer to my xbox 360 but my wmp11 does not show any signs of regnosing my xbox 360 plzzzz help. Email shahkaran94@yahoo.co.in
adam says:
November 05, 2006 at 1:19 pmI cant get my 360 to locate my computer. what now?
arne says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:53 pm@adam
I think if you want some help we’ll need some more details as to what you have tried to get it to recognize your computer. There are a lot of comments above this that describe some common issues or extra steps.
Andrew23423 says:
November 05, 2006 at 1:23 pmHey there,
I have seen this problem all over the net. I think with the release of the Xbox 360 Elite they changed some software so that only certain codecs work. Maybe this is yet another attempt to stop video piracy? I have been trying a number of various things, TVersity, loading into WMP11, etc. While TVersity did work for small files like tv shows, it did not work for movies. I am still looking for ways that will work.
Once I find out that works I will let everyone know.
Andrew23423 says:
November 05, 2006 at 2:27 pmOk, great news guys! I have success, and here’s how :D
As you know I have the 360 elite, which for some reason doesn’t stream like previous 360s.
First off I hooked up the xbox the normal way, plugged into local network etc.
I then downloaded the latest edition of TVersity (which in itself is a great media tool). Now for some reason AVI files did not work.
Next I converted a movie to WMV using WINavi video converter (freeware).
And presto it worked. If you have any problems check out the TVersity trouble shooting guide, it is probably an issue with your networking or firewall when the video doesn’t stream.
yourfault1 says:
November 05, 2006 at 1:15 amTo those that have been having "no videos found" issues on their xbox 360 when trying to share Divx and Xvid movies using WMP Media Share….
I used to have this problem too! I tried TVersity, that was just average. I then randomly tried changing the Xvid files extension from .avi to .mp4, and ouilah! It worked!!
So, if you're having the "no videos found" issue, I say, give this a try! Switch the extension to .mp4! Good luck!! Do let me know if it works :)
NorseLax09 says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:23 pmI have a cascading network, meaning that i have this computer i am on right now hooked up to router A, which is then hooked up to my cable modem. I have a wireless router (router B) hooked up to router A, so I can get a signal in my basementm, which is where my 360 is. Any ideas on how i would set this up to work with my network configuration?
virtual glasses says:
November 05, 2006 at 11:18 pmThank you for the info, this is definately going to help.
hilikus_lnf says:
November 05, 2006 at 6:40 pmthis seems like alot of hard work, and the videos will only work in certain formats.
If you use vuze, you can easily share videos with your Xbox and it's a torrent download manager check out this tutorial – http://bit.ly/aNVpL0
Krisiic says:
November 05, 2006 at 10:12 amI've prblem on 5th step, I press OK button, but nothing is happening.
Can someone help me?
my router ip address says:
November 05, 2006 at 1:58 pmGreat article, but that won’t seem to work together with my router ip, any ideas?