Helmers Blog

It took me about 4 reboots before the update mentioned above showed! But finally I can install Vista SP1 RC1!

I’m curious if this RC1 release fixes some issues I still have with my Windows Vista Media Center (Live TV). Because my Live TV functionality is still not working 100%! When I’m done installing I will give you guys an update!

As announced earlier today Microsoft has released Windows Vista SP1 RC1 to the TechNet and MSDN Subscribers. It will be available to the public within a week. Don’t wanna wait? Just download the patch below (read the enclosed document) and install it now!

There are three ways to install the Service Pack :

• Windows SP1 RC1 DVD
• Windows SP1 RC1 Downloadable Executable
• Through Windows Update (via the patch you can download below)

The last option is by downloading a simple batch file which will set a few registry keys and then let Windows Update check for new updates. It’s just the same way you installed Windows Vista SP1 Beta. You can also wait a week : Service Pack 1 RC1 will become available to the public in about a week from now via the Microsoft Download Center.

REMEMBER : You have to uninstall previous version of ServicePack 1 before installing this one! Read the enclosed document first!!

Download the ‘Windows SP1 RC1 via Windows Update’-patch (uploaded it to my own server so it’s not a cumbersome to download, thnx 4sysops) Download the ‘Windows SP1 RC1 via Windows Update’-patch from the Microsoft Download Center

Install the SP1 RC1 at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if your system stops responding!

For the people who don’t want to install SP1 (when it comes available) via Windows update there is a service pack blocker tool available.

The XBOX Team announced on their blog that it will be possible to play Divx (and Xvid) movies on the XBOX 360 after the Fall update (which will be available at Dec. 4th). They announce the following about the video playback on their website (only the new features will be mentioned here) :

What exactly does the XBOX 360 support for AVI?

XBOX 360 supports the following for AVI:

• File Extensions: .avi, .divx
• Containers: AVI
• Video Profiles: MPEG-4 Part 2, Simple & Advanced Simple Profile
• Video Bitrate: 5 Mbps with resolutions of 1280 x 720 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.
• Audio Profiles: Dolby® Digital 2 channel and 5.1 channel, MP3
• Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.

What specific features of Mpeg-4 Advanced Simple Profile does the Xbox 360 support?

The Xbox 360 supports Bidirectional Frames (BVOPs), Interlaced Frames, Quarter Pixel Motion Compensation, Global Motion Compensation, and MPEG Quantization.

What types of AVI files are supported?

The Xbox 360 supports files encoded using MPEG-4 Part 2, Simple and Advanced Simple Profile. These files are often referred to as Xvid or DivX® video files. Many common PC DVD authoring tools, cameras, and camcorders are capable of encoding files using MPEG-4. Note that some files authored for DivX devices may also contain additional functionality(menus, subtitles, multiple audio tracks, etc). The Xbox 360 will attempt to play these files, but does not support any of the additional functionality and in some cases will be unable to play the file.

Does the Xbox 360 support video artwork when browsing my collection from a USB 2.0 FAT32 removable drive or optical media?

For all video types we will search for a corresponding .jpg file and use that as the artwork. For example video1.avi would display the artwork in video1.jpg if it existed. In the absence of this file, for the mp4 container, we will search if the video file has embedded album artwork and display that instead. Please note you cannot use this method when streaming from Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software.

How does the “Sort by Type” and “Sort by Title” option work when browsing my own generated video content?

The “Sort by Type” option is the typical Windows Explorer view that a computer would show your files in. It will first alphabetically sort your folders and then alphabetically sort your files. The “Sort by Title” option allows you to sort all folders and files alongside each other. Both of these sort options are persistent and linked to your profile so that you do not need to set them every time.

What shortcuts can I use with my gamepad while using the Video area?

LB skips backward one chapter. RB skips forward one chapter. RT fast forwards. LT rewinds. Start toggles between play and pause. X and Y bring up the On Screen Display for more advanced options. While browsing through your lists of videos you can also push Start to automatically begin video playback using the bookmark if it exists bypassing the Resume/Restart page. You can also use RT or LT to page up or page down through lists of items.

Why do I see the message “Updating content. This may take a few minutes. Please wait.” the first time when entering the Console video area?

To support grouping television and game videos your content metadata needs to be updated. Once this process is completed subsequent entries into the Video area will be very quick. Please be patient during the update process and allow it to complete updating all of your content metadata.

What changes have you made to selecting the source for Videos, Music, and Pictures?

The source selection is now mapped to the X button for each of these areas. The Xbox 360 will remember the last source that you picked and default to that. We have also removed the computer affiliation from the System Blade and we now show a list of all the computers that you can connect to directly in the Select Source scene. This allows you to quickly jump between Windows Media Player 11 and Zune PC software media shares.

How can I play music from my iPhone® and iPod Touch®?

Unfortunately the iPhone® and iPod Touch® uses a different mechanism for storing your music then a traditional iPod®. We are currently unable to play music from the iPhone® or IPod Touch®. You can still browse the pictures stored on these device through the Pictures area in the Xbox 360 dashboard.

Can I play videos from my iPod®?

The Xbox 360 does not support playing videos from an iPod®.

The XBOX Team announced the complete featurelist on their blog that will be included in the Fall Update which will be available within the next few days :

Hello Everyone!

Coming shortly is our December 2007 System Update, one where we’ve added a lot of new features that you guys have been asking for. You should be prompted for the update early next week on December 4th.

This is the seventh system update I’ve been responsible for and I recently went back and reviewed the previous major updates we published in June ’06, November ‘06, and May ‘07. It is amazing how far the console has come since 2005! And knowing all the work that has gone into this current update I stand back and feel super-proud of the Xbox Console Team.  The incredible innovation and efforts they continue to put into the platform each day is unbelievable.

Maintaining a twice yearly ship schedule is difficult.  Launching major services like Video Marketplace is challenging.  Designing and launching an external HD-DVD player from scratch in 10 months is difficult.  Growing our library of backwards compatible titles to almost 500 supported games is demanding. But hearing feedback from our users and seeing our platform succeed makes it all worthwhile.  And it makes us want to tackle even more.

Did you know our system update package is only 7MB in size?  Or that the entire 360 O/S resides on a tiny 16MB filesystem and when running it is only given 32MB of system memory?  I mention this as our developers and testers do an amazing job of coding for performance, and that is overlooked by a lot of people.  Each day they are faced with adding more features, improving performance, and creating magical experiences with those hard-capped limits.  And release over release they are able to pull off some magic to make it happen.

I feel really lucky to work with such an amazing team. We love the 360, and we are passionate about making it better!  Remember the team is listening to your comments on Xbox.com and on Major Nelson’s site so please continue to provide the feedback!

The team is already thinking about the next update and after some well deserved time off for the holidays we’ll again be working to improve your 360 gaming experience.

Daryl Welsh (GT: IndieGames) -Xbox 360 Group Test and Release Manager

Click here to see the complete featurelist.

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The Fall Xbox 360 dashboard update has now been officially revealed, and it’s looks awesome with Xbox Classics and films on demand. December 4 is the date you’ll need to watch out for; that’s the day you’ll be able to download and play Halo. Yes, Halo as in the Xbox game, through Marketplace, on your Xbox 360. Isn’t technology great!

Microsoft is introducing games it has published for the original Xbox on XBL Marketplace, with the eventual plan to bring as much of the back catalogue across as possible. Third party games will also be available to ‘demand’. Games cost about 1200 Microsoft points (about ten quid), which according to us puts them a little over what you’d pay for them second hand.  The initial list of downloads includes Halo, Fable, Fahrenheit, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex and Burnout 3. All good then, apart from maybe Crash.

The official blurb reads: “Starting on Dec. 4, all Xbox Live members will receive a free system update with a host of new features and enhancements. Included in this update will be the launch of Xbox Originals, which, for the first time, will enable consumers to download and own full Xbox games, such as Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fable, among others, directly to their Xbox 360. This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games.”

And if that wasn’t enough, films on demand, though not confirmed for the December 4 date, aren’t far away either. Studios such as Warner Bros are potentially lined up for the service, so we can look forward to films such as The Dark Knight, The Assassination of Jesse James and I Am Legend appearing eventually. Films will cost less than a fiver and come in 720p resolution. You have 14 days to start watching a film once it has downloaded. Once you started watching a film, you have 24 hours to finish it. After that, the film deletes itself from your hard drive. It’s basically an online rental service then, like the US Video Marketplace that’s been going for a few months now.

“In just five short years, Xbox Live has revolutionized the way friends and family have fun in the living room,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Live, software and services at Microsoft. “On its fifth birthday, Xbox Live truly is the place for hanging out with friends and enjoying downloadable TV shows, movies, videos, game add-ons and now downloadable Xbox games on demand.” What do these new additions mean for the future of Xbox Live Arcade? Does the PS3′s PSOne download service now look horribly dated? It’s going to be an exciting 2008 in the download space, for sure.

Unfortunately, whether or not the update will add the long-awaited video on demand service to European Marketplace or implement the long-rumored DivX support is still up in the air. Don’t worry, we’ll let you know should there be any kind of confirmation.

Source : Computerandvideogames.com