I assume Microsoft is updating the back-end (Xbox Live on Monday) before they update the front-end (360 Dashboard). There’s been all sorts of unlikely wild speculation (including “support for TiVo like PVR options”) regarding what’s coming with the Fall update, but I’d be content if they just add the new extender functionality of DivX and Xvid support.
As wild and unlikely as the speculation has been, the original thread “leaking” Fall Dashboard updates has been deleted from the Xbox forums…
Why do you want DivX and Xvid support Dave? Are you stealing content? Huh? Is that why you want it? It certainly is the only reason you would now isn’t it? Huh?
Basically, while the 360 is a great product – it’s feature-incomplete as a media extender until they add those formats. I do occasionally archive content as DivX and if the Xbox supported it, I might do more. Believe it or not, I’ve stolen video for personal use (as opposed to research) just once (as documented). Bringing Xvid and DivX support to the Xbox could possibly tempt me, but as it is I don’t have enough time to watch all the content I pay Comcast and TiVo for.
Glenn: It’s important to understand what DivX and Xvid are. While it is popular to consider them “pirate formats”, they are far from it. To better understand, get away from calling them by DivX/Xvid. It’s MPEG-4 ASP, that’s nothing special. MPEG-4 AVC is used in Blu-ray/HD DVD. MPEG-2 is used on DVDs, etc. All are licensed by the MPEG LA.
DivX and Xvid are widely used by pirates, but that doesn’t make them pirate formats. Heck, DivX Inc is a publicly held company!
I’ve downloaded TV shows from bit torrent sites, & have no problem in doing so. I have a Windows MCE computer and my 360 networked. My MCE PC has an HDTV tuner and I record over-the-air broadcasts in HD. In the instance of not getting reception or missing an episode here or there, I download the TV episode to my PC to watch. If there is a law against that, it is stupid, because I it is free to watch a TV program over the air, record it on a VCR, DVD-R, TIVO etc. So me downloading a missed LOST or Heroes episode should be no big deal… and right now I’m currently using transcode 360, which works terrific, but if the 360 supported xvid/divx, which most TV episodes found on torrent sites do, then it would be one less hoop to jupmp through.
Also when is windows media center going to allow you to take a MS-dvr file and convert it to a file format that I can archive and watch on DVD?