Thanks for the responses everyone. I already have a standalone Blu-ray player, so that f unctionality isn't as important when choosing a console/media player. My BD player unfortunately doesn't allow for video playback frome xternal sources though, which is why I'm in need of something else now. I have a video library of about 350 titles (including TV shows and box sets which include multiple discs each). Only 10 of those are Blu-ray, and I continue to pick up cheap DVDs more often than cheap BDs (mostly due to the price differences). That being said, the tip about the 3660's superior upscaling weas very helpful, since it certainly is a priority to ahve good looking DVDs as well. I'm pretty well convinced that the 360 Slimw ill do what I want in a media center now. I appreciate everyone's feedback!
I have long been interested in getting an Xbox 360 but have been unwilling to drop $300 on a gaming console lately, since I'm a student with limited income and even less time for gaming. However, with the release of the 360 Slim, I've become interested in the console again. Lately I've been researching the best way to condense my DVD library and play movie files from a portable hard drive via a media player of some sort, like the WD TV Live. So far, I'm looking at psending at least $300 to get everything I really want out of a media player, and since that's in line with the Xbox 360 Slim's price, I figured I might be able to get both the media player functionality I need and the gaming functionality I've long wanted in one package. But I do have a couple of questions about the 360's media playback capabilities, and I was wondering if anyone out there could answer a few of them for me. 1. What file formats is the 360 capable of playing? Specificaly, I ned the ability to play DivX/XviD, H.264, AVI, MKV, MP3, WMA, JPEG, and BMP files. Anything else would just be gravy. 2. Can the 360 Slim read portable hard drives that are attached via USB, or does it only read media from the internal drive? 3. Would the 360 Slim's built-in WiFi enable me to stream movies, music, or pictures directly from a networked PC? I am running Windows XP; does the option still apply, or would I need to upgrade to Vista or Windows 7? 4. How well does it play back stored video at 720p and 1080p? Is there a lot of stuttering, or is it smooth? I think those are the main questions I have. These are some of the biggest considerations I have when looking at media players, so if the 360 can do all of these things and do them well, I may very well have a new console on my hands (finally). Thanks for your help!
My family's first console was the NES with Super Mario Bros. (without Duck Hunt; I'm pretty sure this was before the bundle was released). We also got Kung Fu at/around the same time.
If you ask this in the Metal Union you're likely to get much better and more accurate results. You'll probably get less fuss about who was "first", too; the first of anything may be groundbreaking, but thirty years later they rarely stand as the best. Some personal favorites: Rage - Soundchaser, Down, No Fear Thunderstone - Tool of the Devil, Forevermore, Virus Iced Earth - Travel in Stygian, Violate, MelancholyPyramaze (Link to MP3 samples on official site.) Some other great bands, you can probably look up the music yourself (it's getting a bit tiresome): Stratovarius Opeth Blind Guardian Demons and Wizards Dark Tranquillity Symphony X Evergrey Scar Symmetry Into Eternity After Forever Control Denied Dream Evil Firewind Sirenia Quo Vadis Winterfell ...ahh, heck. Why don't you just visit some Metal label web sites? Century MediaSPVMetal BladeNuclear BlastNightmare RecordsNapalm RecordsSpinefarm RecordsInsideOut Records
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