Build An Xbox Media Center, Part 1: Wired

multimedia cable HDTV client

All recorded TV, MPEGs, and music are stored on the Media Center PC. The Xbox essentially acts as a terminal; nothing is stored locally on it. That's why network throughput, video card, tuner card, and processor on the Media Center PC (along with disk capacity) are so important. A large hard drive is key if your client expects to store a lot of movies. A typical movie takes up about 2 GB, and high-definition (HD) movies need even more. Do the math, and figure out how much hard drive you need for each of your customers. HD movies take up even more storage space.

Specifically, Media Center lets users:

It's cheap, too. Each Xbox costs only about $140, even less on eBay. And that's all your clients will need in each satellite room.

This is the first of a two-part Recipe. Here I'll show you how to set up a multimedia system using a wired network. In Part 2, I'll show you how to do it wirelessly.

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Ingredients

Here's what your client will need for you to get started building.

To get the platform working optimally, take care when selecting a video card and tuner card. The right video card and tuner will make this project a piece of cake; the wrong ones will make it a nightmare. A good video card has additional memory and graphics processing on the card, so it can refresh screen images rapidly and relieve the Media Center processor of these chores. If you have an HDTV or a nice monitor that you'll use as a TV, you'll want a card that has a DVI out, as well. This is the preferred connector for sending high quality digital video to the screen. For optimal TV quality, the tuner card should have hardware MPEG-2 encoding, comb filters and noise reduction features.

The right drivers are important, too. I chose these ATI peripherals because I know their Media Center 2005-certified drivers work right out of the box. The X800 intelligently de-interlaces and accelerates video playback, which makes for superb video quality. Here they are:

The Radeon X800 Pro video card is designed for optimum HDTV and HD gaming set-ups. You can tell that it's a serious piece of hardware. That cable is a power cord. The unit needs its own dedicated power from the motherboard. Notice that the tuner card has two inputs, one for FM reception, the other for cable or satellite input. You can even buy tuner cards that have two tuner inputs, allowing you to view one channel and record another at the same time.

Hardware/Environment Set-Up

First, you'll need to set up the Microsoft Media Center PC. The unit should be physically close to the TV your client will use for viewing. Alternately, if your client is installing a nice big plasma, DLP, or LCD monitor, the Media Center unit can be a standalone set-up that's not connected to an external TV. If your client wants the Media Center unit at a distance from the TV, buy long DVI, S-video and sound cables. The Media Center needs access to a 10/100 mbps network connection, too. Wired is recommended, though I'll cover wireless set-ups in Part 2 of this Recipe.

The computer itself can be either a laptop or a complete stand-alone box. A complete Media Center PC (non-laptop) can be had for about $1,000 to $1,500 HP has some nice systems in their m1050y and m1050e lines. The Dell Dimension 4700C and 8400 Media Centers are nice, too. There are also some laptops, like the HP Media Center zd8000 series, that are specifically designed for and pre-loaded with Media Center.

Alternatively, you can use a laptop that has S-Video and/or DVI out and an available USB port for an external TV-tuner adapter. Hauppauge Computer Works is one of the few companies that makes an external USB TV tuner that's specifically certified for Windows Media Center 2005. I tested their WinTV-PVR USB2, and it works great. You'll need to go to their site and download the Media Center-certified drivers for the device, though " remember that. Another nifty USB product is the brand new Adaptec AV-3610. This is a dual TV tuner device that has two sets of TV and sound inputs, and it's Media Center certified.

Certification is important, because without it, the tuner setup can be laborious and flaky at best. I tried a couple of $50, non-certified cards and the drivers just didn't work. At one point the Media Center didn't believe that it had a tuner card installed, and in another instance the tuner was identified but the video came across pure black. More and more cards are coming with certified drivers, though, so this should be less and less of a problem moving forward.

Installing Media Center 2005 OEM Version

The Media Center OS itself is just Windows XP Pro with a big application called Windows XP Media Center. Installing Media Center 2005 from an OEM CD is pretty easy. The general process goes like so:

Now that the Media Center is set up, you can connect it to a TV and see how it works. Try the remote to see how that works, too. Most of the basic functions -- and a lot of the advanced ones -- can be carried out via the remote.

Pay attention to how your channels change. On certain satellite and cable set-top boxes, the signal from the media center to the set-top box (via the IR blaster) will leave out one of the numbers about 30% of the time. If this happens, it could send your Media Center to, say, channel 2 instead of 302. That's not good for automated recording -- it's maddening, really.

Fortunately, there is a simple fix. Go to Matt's Media Center and follow the directions. The fix readjusts the IR blast duration and interval times between flashes so that the box understands the exact set of numbers being fed from the Media Center. When you step through the process, be sure to note whether you have multiple UserSettings folders. If you do, you'll need to change the settings for each instance of "STBcode."

Xbox Set-Up

So now you've got the Media Center running. Next, you need to set up an Xbox, add the Xbox Media Center Extender Kit, and network it to the Media Center PC. Or you can just add the kit to an existing Xbox and network it.

The Xbox is plug and play, so that's easy. Simply plug the power cord into a wall socket, plug the TV connector into the back of the Xbox, and then plug the red, white and yellow inputs into the back of your TV. Next, plug an ethernet cable (from your router or directly from the Media Center PC) into the ethernet jack on the back of the Xbox. Connect the game pad, too. You can use that to set the date and clock when you initially boot it up.

The connectors on the back of the Xbox look like so:

The front has four jacks for game consoles and/or Media Center Extender devices:

The Xbox Media Center Extender kit contains two set-up CDs: one for the Xbox and one for the Media Center PC. It also contains a remote control dongle -- which goes in one of the four front jacks -- and a remote control that looks a lot like the Media Center remote. Here's a look:

Once all the connections are set, insert the Media Center Extender for Xbox disc into the Xbox's CD/DVD tray. A screen will come on telling you to write down a set-up key:

Take that key to the room that has the Media Center PC, and place the Windows Media Center Extender Setup disc in the CD/DVD drive. Follow the wizard and input the set-up key when prompted. The key input screen key looks like this:

Now the system is connected. Go back to the Xbox room, and you'll see the Xbox is connecting to the Media Center PC, as shown here:

Once the Xbox Extender finds the Media Center PC, the user interface takes over the screen.

The interface looks just like the Media Center PC, and the remote is the same, too:

Your clients can click on MyTV with the remote to see what's on and what's recorded. TV shows, live and recorded, have all the Media Center menu options and features.

Here's a list of scheduled recordings:

Of course, your clients can also put a DVD into the Xbox tray and watch that. They'll be able to access their Media Center music, play lists and photos from the Xbox, as well. Users can order up MovieLink movies via the system, too. This is a great way to rent the latest titles without going to the video store. It's a very slick system. The Media Center 2005 edition reviews say that it's a big step up from the earlier Media Center release.

But at least for now, there's one catch: HBO and Showtime channels are blocked on the Xbox TV. That's because those two providers have special Digital Rights Management (DRM) blocking in effect. Microsoft is releasing a patch for this soon, though. In fact, the company has already released the firmware update for H-P and Linksys Media Center Extenders that fixes the problem.

By the way, if you'd like to learn more about Media Center, I can recommend Paul Thurrott's comprehensive review. Thurrott is a techie reviewer who writes for the Windows IT Pro magazine network.

The Xbox-Media Center set-up is a nifty audio/video networking solution. There are lots of Xboxes out there. And your customers' eyes will certainly light up when they get their minds around this scenario.

This is Part 1 of a two-part Recipe. Part 2 looks at extending a Media Center PC using Xbox on wireless networks.

PHIL DUNN is a technology journalist and independent communications consultant for high-tech companies. He's been reviewing, testing, and reporting on products since 1995.