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Xbox 360: System Use
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Share Media from a PC with Xbox 360

 

Technical Support

To access media files--including video, audio, and pictures--from a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you need to connect an Ethernet cable from the Ethernet port on the back of your Xbox 360 console to your PC. (An Ethernet cable is supplied with the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system; not included with the Xbox 360 Arcade system.)

Direct network connection between Xbox 360 and a PC

If your PC or home network is connected to high-speed Internet, you can use this connection to connect to Xbox LIVE®.

For more information, see Connect to Xbox LIVE.

Note

Your Xbox 360 console can deliver the ultimate integration of gaming and room-to-room entertainment--including watching or recording TV shows, viewing your digital photos, and listening to your digital music library--from a PC running Windows Media Center to any TV in your home.

To learn about using Windows Media Center with Xbox 360, see Share Media from Windows Media Center with Xbox 360.


Media Sharing Software

To share media from your PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista to your console, you must have media sharing software installed. Currently available media sharing software includes Windows Media Player 11, the Zune software, and Windows Media Connect.

To run any of these three programs on Windows XP, you must have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2 or later.

Windows Media Player 11

Windows Media Player 11 lets you connect your Xbox 360 console to a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, it doesn't have to be a PC running Windows Media Center. Stream music, video, and pictures stored on a computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista anywhere in your home. View slide shows and videos on your TV and play your music both your audio CDs and the unprotected music files on your PC through one sound system.

Note

Windows Vista comes pre-installed with Windows Media Player 11.


To set up Windows Media Player 11 on a PC running Windows XP

  1. Connect your console to your PC as described above or using one of the connection types described in Connect to Xbox LIVE.
  2. Go to the Windows Media Player 11 download page at www.microsoft.com to download the software.

    Depending on your region, Windows Media Player 11 may also be available at www.xbox.com/pcsetup.
  3. Click Windows Media Player Software (or, if you followed the link for a manual download, choose your operating system and follow the instructions).
  4. Run the software setup on your PC and follow the prompts.
  5. When setup is complete, Windows Media Player should automatically start. If not, open it.
  6. In Windows Media Player, click Library, Media Sharing.
  7. Select Share my media, OK. Windows Media Player will search for devices on your network.
  8. Click your console, then click Allow. If you want to apply more options, click Settings. When done, click OK.
  9. On your Xbox 360 console, in the Media area of the Xbox Dashboard, select Music, Pictures, or Video.
  10. If your PC's content is not displayed, press X and select your PC.

Note

If your PC and your Xbox 360 console are connected to a router and your PC is using a Windows ICS connection to a third device, media sharing may not function.

Media sharing depends on the Xbox 360 console's UPnP traffic. This traffic may be blocked by a PC in this configuration. If this occurs, either turn off ICS to unblock UPnP traffic or rearrange your network.


The Zune Software

The Zune software also lets you connect your Xbox 360 console to a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista and stream music, video, and pictures.

To set up the Zune software on a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista

  1. Connect your console to your PC as described above or using one of the connection types described in Connect to Xbox LIVE.
  2. Go to the software download page at www.zune.net to download the Zune software.

    Depending on your region, the Zune software may also be available at www.xbox.com/pcsetup.
  3. Run the Zune software setup on your PC and follow the prompts.
  4. After setup, in the Zune software, click Settings, Sharing.
  5. Click Enable Media Sharing with Xbox 360.
  6. Set your media sharing options, then click OK.
  7. On your Xbox 360 console, in the Media area of the Xbox Dashboard, select Music, Pictures, or Video.
  8. If your PC's content is not displayed, press X and select your PC.

Windows Media Connect

If you have already installed Windows Media Connect, you can continue to use it to stream music, videos, and pictures.

Note

Windows Media Connect is no longer available at www.xbox.com/pcsetup. For information about Windows Media Connect, visit Windows Media Connect.


Switching PCs

The name of the media share on your PC is based on the PC name and user. If you want to connect to a different PC or user, change your media source.

Note

Previously, to switch PCs, you had to go to the System area of the Xbox Dashboard to disconnect from one PC, and then choose a new one in the Media area. This is now all handled in the Media area.


To switch PCs

  1. On your Xbox 360 console, in the Media area of the Xbox Dashboard, select Music, Pictures, or Video.
  2. If your PC's content is not displayed, press X and select your PC.

Switching from Windows Media Connect to Windows Media Player 11

If you have Windows Media Connect on your PC running Windows XP and then install Windows Media Player 11, media sharing is no longer controlled by Windows Media Connect. Set up media sharing in Windows Media Player 11.

The name of your media share may change when you move from Windows Media Connect to Windows Media Player 11. When you make the switch, you may have to disconnect and reconnect your PC connection on your console. See Switching PCs above for instructions.

Running Windows Media Player 11 (or Windows Media Connect) and Zune Together

If you have both Windows Media Player 11 (or Windows Media Connect) and Zune installed on your computer, they will share their libraries over two different connections. If you want to access media from your Zune library (including content downloaded from Zune Marketplace), you need to connect to your Zune media share. Likewise, if you want to access content that is only in your Windows Media Player 11 library or shared through Windows Media Connect, you need to connect to that share.

To change connections, see Switching PCs above. You can recognize your Zune media share by the Zune symbol next to the share name.

For More Info

To learn more about Windows Media Player 11, visit Windows Media Player 11 or check out the Windows Media Player FAQ.

To learn more about Zune, visit www.zune.net.

To learn more about Windows Media Connect, visit Windows Media Connect and the Windows Media Connect FAQ.

To establish a wireless connection between your PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista and your Xbox 360 console using an Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter or other Xbox LIVE compatible device, go to Wireless Connection.

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