Streaming DVD's to 360 Guide - 4 Steps Full DVD Quality!

Ok so I spent all day searching and searching on how to make this happen, and finally I have cracked the code!

If this isn't new information to you, please don't flame me as there are probably plenty other user's out there that didn't know this either so hopefully it will go to good use!

Ok so quick background, I wanted to be able to "archive" my DVD collection onto a hard drive and then using the built-in functionality of Media Center Extender and my Xbox 360, I wanted to stream those DVD's back to the Xbox. It took some searching to figure it out, but here is the scoop.

1st - Rip DVD to desired hard drive using DVD Shrink, DVD Decrypter, or other software program that saves the uncompressed .vob files to your hard drive.

*My personal favorite is DVD Shrink as it allows you to simply select the "Main Movie" track and ignore all other bonus content which speeds up the rip process.

2nd - Once you have the .vob files on your hard drive, rename them to .MPG files. (Yes, just rename them!)

Now, typically the files will be named in correct order (01.vob, 02.vob, etc) but I recommend double checking them to be sure. Ultimately what you want is "1.mpg, 2.mpg, 3.mpg) in your folder.

3rd - Now create a new text document inside this folder and put the following text in it: "copy /b *.mpg MovieName.mpg"

Save this text file as "Joiner.bat"
*Note the .bat file extension, you will need to change the file type dropdown box in windows to "All File types" or your file will be saved as joiner.bat.txt

Once you have this file saved, it should have a little gear icon on it (it's a batch file) - double click it and it will join your seperate .mpg files into one continuous file.

4th - Finally drop that file into your shared folder (whatever folder you have configured for Media Center to share with your Xbox 360). You will now be able to play that video file from your Xbox 360 in it's full, uncompressed DVD quality format!

Yay!

Warning - Although using this method renders the BEST quality playback experience possible as we are not using any compression on the video, it requires alot of disk space. If you don't have oodles of disk space to work with, I would recommend converting your DVD's to DIVX/XVID, then using a Transcoder to push them to the Xbox 360. This will result in a lower quality viewing experience, but it will also use substantially less space.

I tested playback using a Linksys Wireless G router and Xbox branded Wireless Adapter and had no troubles with bandwith.

 

Thanks, this should come in handy. I'll have to try it tonight.

 

nice guide, but wouldn't it be easier to just convert the vob files to avi files once the rip was done,and then you dont have to rename anything, or create batch files?

 

Maybe So - I am not a pro on video editing, what programs are available to convert .vob to .avi without using compression?

That was the point with this guide, is to deliver uncompressed full quality dvd video over your wireless network.

Also I know with Media Center Edition you are limited on file types. For example, it will not stream Xvid/Divx directly to the box. You have to use a transcoder, which in turn will result in substantial quality loss.

 

Hey sthrncali, nice thread. I don't think too many users know how to stream movies to their 360s. This is the quickest way and gives you the best quality.

You know what though... I can cut your process in half. With DVD Shrink, go in to "Edit", "Preferences", "Output Files", and uncheck "Split VOB files into 1GB size chuncks".

This way Shrink will give you 1 big VOB file. Then just rename it to .mpg and you're ready to go.

 

Sweet man thanks!!

Great Input!!

That makes this process absolutely SIMPLE!!!

You Rock!

 

probably, but i think quality is lost this way, not sure.

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for starting this thread. I have a little bit of a dilemma, I was really keen on utilizing this method for archiving my dvd collection and being able to stream with the 360, but I have a few questions..

Will the xbox stream files over 4 gb? (Don't forget that if you're using an external HD using Fat32 it won't be able to tranfer files over 4gb)

I'm not very Video savvy, but is there a difference if you save the file as .mpg, .mp4, mv4, or .avi? Is one really better than the other if you haven't used compression?

With the new MSFT update to the xbox:
I ripped Resident Evil (which I bought) to an external HD (Fat 32), at first I changes the .vob to .mpg; The 360 did not even see it, then I tried .mp4, it recognized it but wouldn't play it...... I'm a little lost. It would be great to have and external tb HD with all your movies on it that you could hardwire or stream, can anybody help please.

Will the 360 create native scene selections so I only have to rip the actual movie?

What is H.264? I know I could google it but....

Thanks guys, let's keep the thread alive.

 

If you're only using an external hdd plugged into the 360, I'm not sure if it'll play anything other than wmv files. I haven't tried it that way.

It's much easier (for me) to stream the movies right from my pc to the 360. I use TVersity and it'll play alot of different files. WMV, DIVX, XVID, MPG, AVI, and even MKV. And playing over 4 gb isn't a problem.

Last night I streamed War. It was a .mkv and 6.9 gb.

If you want to use an external hdd, I'd suggest converting your video file to a .wmv.

 

I will try my best to answer your questions completely.

With regards to the file size, I haven't had any problems with large files using the posted method (changing the file extension.) but I have a Win XP Box with NTFS.

With regards to the file extension, if you aren't using compression (which is how this guide was written) then the ONLY purpose the file extension plays is telling your computer what program to process this file with, or in our case, qualifying the file to be played by the xbox 360. For example, if you were to have a divx.avi file and you renamed it to divx.mpg, your Xbox would attempt to play the file, however it would result in an error message because it cannot decode the divx compression in a stream, but alternately if you had an MPEG II stream and renamed it .avi, the Xbox would simply tell you upfront it cannot open this file, rather than making the attempt.

For Resident Evil Extinction - Was the hard drive connected to your comp, or directly to the Xbox? If it was going through your comp, then it couldn't have been uncompressed.. The Xbox is plenty capable of playing back an MPEG II stream which is what you should have had if the movie was ripped correctly without using compression.

Native Scene Selections -- No, you CAN fast forward/rewind through the movie much like you would a VHS tape, but unless you have a prebuilt structure of scenes there is no way for the xbox to just randomly create them. (FF/Rewind controls are the triggers on the STD 360 remote, the media remote should be self explanatory)

H.264 - As stated earlier, I myself am not a video editing pro/genius/ or anything close to that so I am "shooting from the hip" here... As far as I know, it is just a codec - much like Divx or Xvid. It is simply a process by which to compress video/audio streams. Really going out on a limb, I think it is intended for portable/handheld devices. It results in an MPEG-4 stream but with substantially lower bitrates (file size) than alternative codecs.

Hope this helps!

 

One more thing.. To help give you my setup which is working properly.

I have an External USB 2.0 HDD connected to my WinXP box with NTFS disk structure. I rip the DVD using DVD Shrink to a single .VOB file - then rename the file extension to .MPG

My folder structure on my EXT HDD has a seperate folder for each DVD located at the root. Meaning to access it in my computer would be F:/Dodgeball/ and then I save the Dodgeball.MPG file into that folder. I also go a step futher and get a picture of the Dodgeball DVD cover, and save it to that same folder with the name "folder.jpg"

My Xbox 360 talks to my PC wirelessly through Media Center Xtender, and my Media Center is configured to share my F:/ drive.

The result, from the Xbox 360 "Media" tab I select Media Center, and it then connects to my computer and pulls up a list for Videos/Music/Picutures/Etc. When I select Videos, it then displays a page of folders, except instead of folder icons it displays the image of each DVD cover that I have saved. I simply pick one, and 3 seconds later my DVD is streaming to my Xbox.

It's pretty impressive for guests, and makes it much more convenient then shuffling around my entertainment center trying to find which case Dodgeball ended up in, since it never seems to be in the Dodgeball case!! It also helps prevent me from inadvertanly scratching the Dodgeball DVD when I "handle" it. Of course, if I want to jump straight to a specific scene in a movie, I get off my lazy ass and put the DVD in the Xbox!

LoL!

 

The 360 now plays xvids straight up. No need to have a transcoder. However, this is a great guide to play a dvd from your pc to your xbox with no quality loss.

 

Hi, I already split my vob files into one big vob file and this has been okay for me. However, does this method allow you to have the original menus etc? Thanks!

 

Hi all,

Just found this thread, however after renaming vobs etc, it doesnt play on my 360, however I am using TVersity instead of Media Centre for Divx.

Is this the reason why it doesnt work, if I change to Media Centre will the 360 still play divx ?

Thanks

Taz

 

Thanks for your help guys...

First for bhetrick, When you streamed that huge file, what kind of format was your HD, Fat32 or NTFS? Also, does Tversity require any hacking to the Xbox and is it free? I heard Media Center 11 now acts like Media Center? Thanks man.

To sthrncali, with the new XBOX 360 update (the link I posted gave me this info) I understand that you should be able to stream lots of different types of video with an External HDD direclty plugged to the 360. My idea was to have option of streaming from my PC using the same external HD, or taking my Ext. HD on the road and accessing the same movies.. When I used DVDshrink to rip Extinction I first changed the extension to .mpg and then transfered that file to the external HD and plugged into the 360, it didn't recognize the file at first, then I changed the extension to .mp4, it recognized but wouldn't play it. Next I'm going to try .avi. I'll let you guys know. Thx

 

hey,,,
jan 08,?,,using transcoding of divx on xbox 360,?
just update the firmware on your 360 and u will be able to play divx without transcoding,as of dec 07....

also,anyone know a way to stream realplayer to 360 without transcoding or converting them?

 

I'm running Win XP. I use NTFS. You can reformat that external hdd to NTFS if you wanted. Tversity doesn't require any hacking. It's a legit program used for streaming media. It is free. There is a guide for it here on AD. Look in the "Guides" tab up top.

 

I tried this but when I try to play the video, it just freezes up the XBOX360.

I am running Vista Home Prem as my media server.

I took a DVD and ran thru DVDshrink 3.2, saved as a single VOB on my harddrive. I renamed it to foo.mpg then moved it to my shared video folder. Over to the XBOX360, start up Media center and navigate to the mpg file. Select it and nothing happens, just freezes.

The file plays fine on my PC using Win Media player.

Anything special I need to do on the XBOX360?

 

Nope nothing special to do..

What are you computer specs?

Also are you connecting to Xbox via Wireless or cable?

 

Wired network for both PC and XBOX.

PC is Vista Home Prem, Compaq Presario SR5152NX 2GB RAM, 250+500gb hard drives.