Microsoft is watching LinuxMCE too...

[MediaMonkey]

http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/4245/microsoft_releases_first
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/4329/microsoft_unveils_extenders

Edit: Hopefully they won't apply for patent for all the "new technologies" involved!

[Hagen]

MS attempts at media extenders goes back quite some time, it's not a new thing, just a new name for an old idea they had that didn't sell very well.
But it's true that with the new home server that keeps track of backups, media and other stuff along with WinMCE they are beginning to get there, what is funny with MS extenders though is that you can't play content that is not on the WinMCE machine.
Unless they change something you can't access files on the MS home server from a 360/extender connected to a WinMCE machine, it's not possible (or atleast didn't use to be), you can see and play the media fine on the MCE machine, but not on the extenders... you can't even forward TV content from the MCE to an extender (I have heard, but this I am not certain about) That is on of the things that made me look elsewhere.

[Zaerc]

Even if one of their software products would actually work properly for a change, I would still not be interested. 

[table9]

if these can be modded like the Linksys wrt then it would be a very cheap extender for Linux MCE.  So competition will hopefully bring opportunity for this community to grow.  As this market grows it will further bring prices down and we will have more choices for hardware for Linux MCE as well.

[internix]

In the mean time some things have changed at Microsoft. Using the XBOX360 as an extender it is now possible to watch all movies stored on the Homeserver. You'll have to go through the MCE though. The XBOX360 is capable of showing movies off the Homeserver itself, but oddly enough it doesn't support the DVR-MS format. Only MPEG's can be shown.

The LMCE solution is much more powerful, if only getting it to work would be somewhat easier:--)

Regards,

Internix

[RDAC]

Anyone had any luck with getting an original XBOX to work as a media director?