[Rich A]

Originally Posted by Duc Hunter

A friend is running a MS MCE2005 system and an XBOX with the Media Extender and an XBOX360 with a Media Extender. His server sits in his closet in the garage and his 2 TV's have the Xbox’s attached to them. He simply powers up the XBOX with the ME Remote and he has full access to his server as if he was sitting at its console. His wife can be on the other TV and do the same thing and have her own full access to the server. See, with the ME's the Xbox’s act like BTV Link systems for the MCE2005 Server. With MCE2005 he has everything we have with BTV and Beyond Media. This seems to be a very elegant and simple solution to running a central server feeding multiple TV's. So elegant in fact that I am considering switching. Now he has a wired network in his house but this can be done wireless as well.

The kicker is I know nothing about MCE. The only big caveat I see is that I have all my shows in DIVX format to save space and not looks quality and it does not appear that MCE2005 can read DIVX files. What are your thought on this though everyone? Seems pretty slick to me, esp. with the price of the old Xbox’s no-a-days.

I wouldn't switch from BTV to "anything" else, especially MCE. I have it, used it, got rid of it. Be careful when saying it will do "everything" that BTV could. It can't. Why just in your post you mention a problem with DIVX files.

When you start comparing cost / feature list AND all the little things BTV does, then you'll find MCE not as nice.