How to Stream Digital Copies of Films to Your Xbox 360

If you are like me and you have been on the latest tech information and ideas in order to make your home media storage into a home media entertainment center, you may also want to read my previous articles on streaming media with Tversity or watching Netflix but this article also primarily concerns using the Xbox 360 and streaming Digital Copies of your films with Windows Media Center.

First thing first, we need get your digital copy on your computer and/or media storage device to the Xbox so that you can stream the film to your television. I am hoping that I can save you some trouble about trial and error when it comes to information on the digital copy versions of version. I have been collecting movies for years, and from VHS, to DVD, to Blu Ray, it is now really nice having a copy that all I have to do is push a button on a remote and *poof* it appears on my television.

Turning your television into a home media server entertainment center is becoming more and more of a dominant source of material in the living room. With things such as Google and Apple TV, various Blu- Ray players and gaming consoles that support Netflix so that you can stream thousands of titles in an instant or Digital Video Recorders like Tivo or your local cable/satellite company where you can store up to hours (depending on your storage size) of your favorite television shows and movies in a local library. And now, by keeping a local Digital Copy of your purchased film, you can view it on your computer, stream it to your television with an extender, or to a portable media storage device.

Digital Copy seems to be something cooked up by Hollywood to boost up their home DVD sales and also compete against the endless armies of digital copy bootleggers that infest the various bit torrent sites of the net. Digital Copies of films are typically sold as a "three pack" of a film, promoting the movie as watch three versions of the film and tons of extras on DVD, Blu-Ray and the Digital Copy. Through my experiences with Digital Copy, it would depend on which computer you are using with the most up to date software and download rights management material.

You must first insert the Digital Copy disc into your computer, and choose if you want to transfer the film as a .MP4 with ITunes so that I can watch it to my IPod, IPad or Apple TV. Your other option is to rip it through Windows Media Player and save it as a Windows Media file, so that you can watch it on a supported Windows Media devices or your Zune. I have found out the hard way that if you rip a version of this film, and you delete it by accident, you can't use the same authorization code to rip it again. I am somewhat sure if you were to complain and whine to the DVD Company about your purchase, they may let you slide if you can prove your purchase, but for the most part, you can only use your code once. This also means that you ripped something through ITunes, and then realized you would rather watch a Digital Copy of the film on your Zune instead of your IPod, you will still be stuck with that .MP4 version and unless if you want to tinker with the DRM people you probably won't want to convert it with a third party program either.

If you are thinking long term with the advances of Digital Copies, you may want to invest in a backup hard drive, or something with a lot of space as each one of these films can be up to a gigabyte or two in size. I currently have a Western Digital My Book World Home Edition. What is great about it is that it is hooked up to my router, so that I can stream my videos, music and files from my office to any of the lap tops in my house and the various other pieces of tech in the home like my IPad, PS3, Wii or the Xbox 360. Each device seems to work a bit differently with the My Book World, and some media types can be served up and supported on one, but sometimes, not the other.

Let me just tell you that I have found the most success streaming Digital Copies through Windows Media Center to the Xbox. This is probably so because they are both Microsoft supported, and due to the fact that I ripped the Digital Copies with the same device that I want to play the file on. But, that same device, Windows Media Center, needs to be running the whole time, so I must say that is the primary inconvenience of this process. With my back up hard drive, I can access information in a flash at any time, and from any internet access point for that matter. But if I want to stream my digital copies of films, my computer and Windows Media Center need to be running the whole time first.

In order for Windows Media Center to "talk" to your Xbox 360, I would heavily encourage you to go to Microsoft's website here, so that you have the most up to date software in Windows and your Media Player. I think you are in real luck with Windows 7, which is very compatible with the Windows Media Center aspect of the Xbox 360. If you have Windows 7 and an Xbox 360, I would recommend you check out Microsoft's site here, in order to configure your 360 as an extender. If you have Windows 7 with Media Center, you may also want to look into the other features, such as watching internet TV and other features to expand your home entertainment center.

Once you have enabled the sharing of your home library through Windows Media Center, and allowing the Xbox to access that library (warning: some of you may have to tinker with ports, and wireless access points depending on your home wireless network) then you should be able to now view the films on your television. If you are able to stream the file, you may also see that it is just the film, no bells or whistles of bonus features or separate audio tracks. I think this will be a good way for Hollywood to boost their home media sales and hopefully cut down on piracy, as this is a great feature to have your favorite films with just a touch of a button away.

References:

Microsoft's website here on communicating your Xbox to your Computer

Microsoft's site here - Windows Media Center and Windows 7 features

Fox's Digital Copy site - For more information Digital Copy