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Is Today Christmas or Halloween? |
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Written by Thomas "CigDangle" Balistreri
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Monday, 30 October 2006 |
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![[News]](../../../v2/images/stories/news2.png "[News]") ![[X360]](../../../v2/images/stories/360.png "[X360]")
This morning Xbox Live is pushing its latest update with a feature set like never before (85 updates in all). Funny, they managed to get all this stuff out the door right before the release of their two competitor's new consoles. Regardless, there is some pretty cool stuff listed. For those of you with no hard drive, this update will be available to you.
New Features HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cablesXbox 360 HD DVD Player supportStream WMV video from a Windows PC running Windows Media Player 11, Zune software, or Windows Media ConnectPlay video from storage devices such as USB flash drives, Xbox 360 Memory Units, etcPlay video from CD or DVD data discsXbox 360 Wireless Headset support, including battery level indicator in the Xbox GuideVideo support for 50 Hz HDTV modes (DVD and HD DVD only)Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel support Set up automatic downloads of newly released Xbox Live Arcade trial gamesSupport for upcoming release of XNA Game Studio Express (requires additional download and subscription)Stream music, pictures and video from a Zune device
Xbox Live Arcade
Lightning-fast enumeration and listing of all Xbox Live Arcade games on the consoleFind games quickly with two new sort options: Recently Played and By CategoryHave all new Xbox Live Arcade games at the ready with auto downloadsAuto downloads optionally adds newly released trial versions of games to active downloads when you enter Xbox Live ArcadeView full achievement info in Xbox Live Arcade, including icons, achievement point details, and descriptionsFriends leaderboard: Compare yourself with friends and view leaderboard details right from the Xbox dashboardTell a friend: Send a message to a friend about your newest favorite Xbox Live Arcade game
DVD Player
Optionally disable notifications from Xbox Live while watching DVD moviesImproved support for audio streams on incorrectly authored DVDsBetter handling of unreadable discsUpdated count-down timerHD DVD player supportAdded zoom support for non-anamorphic contentAdded support to Family Settings to block Unrated Content
Video Player Improved support for extended all black scenes in WMV contentAdded support for Windows Media Video 9 Advanced profile videoScreen saver now becomes active when videos are pausedNow shares UI and player controls with DVD playerImproved video playback while downloading from Xbox LiveAdded skip controls (forward approx. 30 seconds, back approx7 seconds) Improved messaging around unplayable video contentAdded time elapsed and time remaining displaysImproved playback of high bit-rate HD content on fragmented hard drivesImproved visual quality of video playbackAdded selectable display modes: default and letterbox zoom
Localization
New locale setting for China Improved German translations in console settingsImproved German translations in memory areaImproved Japanese translations in Family Settings Added localized text for all supported languages in pictures area Improved Spanish translations in camera effectsImproved locale-specific decimal denominatorsAdded localization support for title menu and main menu in the DVD playerAdded localization support for “Attempting to Read Media” system message
Memory Area
Added support for Xbox 360 HD DVD Player contentAdded new page for viewing content size by category
Other System Improvements
Updated support for new Daylight Savings changes coming in 2007Improved support for games to better handle host migration in multi-player matchesImproved Xbox Live Vision camera support for changing room lighting while zoomingBackground downloaded videos appear in video area Improved Xbox Live Vision camera support while using VGAPlaying photo slideshows from PC now maintains picture folder hierarchyImproved user experience when playing and deleting videos from the Games or Media areasImproved handling of invalid characters during Xbox Live signupBetter handling of watermarks in gamer cardsImproved text for Windows Media ConnectImproved UI performance in Media Center Extender Improved connection support for Buffalo WZR-G108 wireless router when using Xbox 360 Wireless AdapterRedownload of deleted Arcade Games no longer re-enumerates all games on the Arcade pageImproved visual display of text in themesImproved support for CD playback after signing up for Xbox Live and losing network connectivityImproved support for long names of items memory areaImproved handling of gamer pictures downloaded from Xbox LiveImproved background download notifications when downloading many small items from Xbox LiveImproved support for custom backgrounds after returning to the Xbox Dashboard from the Account Management areaImproved network reliability between Windows Media Center Extender on Windows Vista and Xbox 360 consoles using Xbox 360 Wireless AdapterImproved voice chat quality in Xbox Dashboard and in-game chatsImproved messaging when failing to connect to Windows Media Center ExtenderImproved USB keyboard support when using a USB hubImproved consistency of user experience when deleting various types of contentImproved handling of low storage space for background downloadsImproved handling of Picture streaming from attached Digital Cameras over MTP protocol Improved error messaging for optional iPod support download when storage devices are fullImproved handling of multi-key repeating for USB keyboardsExpanded Family Settings to include support for blocking unrated DVDs and videosAdded ability to clear space from storage devices in download areasAdded support for low-speed and full-speed USB keyboardsImproved CapsLock behavior for USB keyboardsImproved look and feel in Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade areas Added redeem code option to Xbox Live signupRemoved system message at the start of new downloadsMessages will be displayed for completed items Added support for CCV credit card validation field in Xbox Live Marketplace purchase areasUpdated “More Information” instructions in the Xbox Dashboard for connecting an Xbox 360 console to a Windows PC to stream digital media contentAdded auto-scroll to long text descriptions in Xbox Dashboard UIImproved support for DVD insertion while playing a video file
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 May 2007 )
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