STREAMING FILES TO AN XBOX 360 WITH WMP 11

[Steve]

One of the cool features of the 360 is being able to stream media from your PC direct to the console. If you don't have Windows Media Center Edition, you can still do it using Windows Media Player 11.

 

Step 1 - Connecting your PC to your 360

 

If you buy a Pro or Elite 360, it'll come with the ethernet cable that you can use to connect your console to your router. If not, or if you need a longer one, you can pick one up on eBay for a couple of quid. Simply plug one end into the socket on the back of the 360, and the other end into your router.

 

Step 2 - Configure WMP 11

 

If you don't have WMP 11, you can download it for free from MS's site HERE. If your version of XP isn't legit, you will need to locate a pre-cracked version of WMP elsewhere.

 

Once installed, fire it up and click Tools - Options - Library (tab). If you click the "Monitor folders" button here, you can choose which folders you want to share with your 360. Once you've done that, go back to the main WMP screen and click the little arrow underneath the Library tab and select "Media Sharing". Check the "Share my media" box and you should see the 360 console listed underneath. Click on it, and choose "Allow" then hit Apply then OK.

 

Step 3 - Fire up the 360

 

Fire up the 360 and click on the Media blade. Choose either movies, pictures or music, then press X to change the source. You should see your computer at the bottom of the list, so scroll down to it and press A. You'll now be able to browse and play all of the movies, pics or music files that you chose to share.

 

Troubleshooting

 

1. When I activate media sharing in WMP, my 360 isn't listed.

 

Ensure that you haven't disabled the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. If you have, set it to Automatic and start it.

 

2. I can activate media sharing in WMP, but the 360 isn't detecting my computer.

 

This is usually a firewall issue. Try disabling your firewall and see if it works. If it does, you will need to create custom rules to allow the necessary traffic through your firewall. Here are the ports you will need to open locally: -

 

UDP - 1900, 10280-10284

TCP - 2869, 10243

 

If you need any help with this part, post a reply and I'll try and help you out.

 

If you've disabled your firewall and the 360 still can't see the PC, you may have an issue with DRM. To fix that, do the following: -

 

Stop and disable the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. Enable the viewing of hidden and system files on your computer and browse to the following folder: -

 

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM

 

Select every file in that folder and hit delete. Now, go to this web page and hit the Upgrade button: -

 

http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp

 

When that's done, restart the WMP Network Sharing Service and restart your PC and the 360 and you should be good to go.

 

It sounds a bit complicated, but it's well worth doing if you download movies and TV shows, because you can stream them straight to your LCD/plasma TV instead of watching them on a monitor, or burning discs. Also, you can play any music that's stored on your computer while playing Xbox 360 games which is cool too.