Shola's Home Gadgets

Having spoken to Xbox 360 support personnel on 3 different occasions, I can confirm, that at the moment, you will need at least a memory unit to download any firmware updates to your xbox 360 console from the Xbox live site!

Another ploy by the Microsoft corporation to squeeze more money out of individuals!

What really annoys me is that their press release blatantly lied about not requiring one, and I don't see why technically one is required. Surely during the design process they knew they would be rolling out firmware updates via xbox live, so they could had made provision for this without having to require an external storage device, unless of course they knew that the main purpose of the console was going to be gaming! So the additional media hub facilities were an after thought to gain an extra market share!

I recently bought a XBox 360 console to use as a Media Center Extender, as I quite loved the idea of my family having arm chair access to our complete ripped CD collection, our ever increasing collection of digital photos that would never otherwise see the light of day, as well as access to the few DVDs we had and our home videos which I had shot.

With Media Center Edition 2005 firmly established as a favourite easy to use HTPC application, and me having a fairly new windows XP machine in the study, and not wishing to shell out £800 or so to get a living room acceptable HTPC, using the XBox 360 as an extender to my current PC which I would need to install MCE 2005 Edition on seemed a good choice, and Google seemed to have many references to the increased use of the XBox 360 as a media hub in the house.

Having had access to a Liteon 5025 PVR/DVD recorder over the last 12 months or so, I knew that our family had no use for a PVR, so I wouldn't be using MCE 2005 for live TV or recording. It wasn't until I started adding all the bits and pieces together that I realised how far from the £210 commonly quoted price this new media hub was going to cost.

Not being a gamer, and to cut costs, I decided on buying the Core system and building on that.

XBox 360 Core System £210
HD Component cable (to complement my new LG RZ37LZ55 HD Ready LCD Television) £20. Joytech sell a cheaper version.
You will need a VGA cable to connect the Xbox 360 to a computer monitor, the cable included with the core system can be used to connect it to a CRT TV, but for a better quality signal you will need the RGB scart cable.

Xbox 360 Universal remote console £20. Even if you buy the premium pack, the included remote does not have the complete features provided by this remote.

XBOX 360 wireless adaptor £55 (I needed this since I didn't have a wired network point near my TV, and wasn't in a position to run one). For best performance, your MCE 2005 PC should be connected to the wireless access point via a wired connection.

A digital optical cable to allow me output 5.1 surround sound from the Xbox 360, as the HD Component cable only outputs stereo (I haven't checked if this is Dolby, but guess it is).

One annoying thing that I recently found out was that you need a storage device to be able to download updates to the Xbox 360 via Xbox live, contrary to the press release that was sent all over the place by Microsoft when the much anticipated Spring Update was released in June. So here I am with a XBOX 360, and I can't download the latest firmware to the console because I don't have a memory unit or Hard drive. Obviously Microsoft still thinks the XBOX 360 is primarily a gaming console and the media hub facilities where just an after though. I haven't bought a storage device or memory card yet, as I don't think I really need the spring update yet!

Finally I have had to pay £72 to get a legal copy of MCE 2005 to run on my study PC, and this had to be a fresh installation, as MCE 2005 will not upgrade Windows XP Home Edition.

Now I have everything to connect my XBox 360 to my TV as well as allow it to act as a MCE 2005 edition extender, does my family now get the full MCE 2005 experience from the sofa? NO.

I will be explaining in my next post what a let down the XBox 360 as a MCE extender is.

more reading
XBox360 as Media Extender
The Wii games console

My latest home gadget is the LG RZ37LZ55 HD ready LCD TV which I bought recently as part of my quest for a Digital Media Experience.

The LG RZ37LZ55 is an affordable good quality 37" HD ready LCD TV, and though it is not the latest model from LG, it still offers good value for money. Not every one will like the styling of the LG RZ37LZ55, especially with the 2 speakers on the side, which are not removable. It also comes with a desktop stand. The TV has an analogue tuner which I don't use, as I have a SKY box connected via scart RGB.

In terms of connectivity this home gadget the LG RZ37LZ55 offers 2 Scart sockets, 1 composite, 1 component, 1 VGA and 1 HDMI interface, so will connect to any device you can think of. A RS232 control interface is also included for those computer geeks who want computer control.

The quality of the picture is very good, and when I connect my gaming home gadget the XBOX 360 via the component input the HD picture is stunning.

What I don't like about this home gadget Non detachable speakers (not a lot of LCD or Plasmas have these anyway), but would have been nice especially as I intend to wall mount mine. The TV does not scan the inputs for a signal, so if I switch on the XBOX 360, switch off the SKY box, I get a no signal screen saver, it would have been nice if the LG RZ37LZ55 automatically detected that there was a signal on the component input and automatically switched to it (maybe this is available in more expensive sets?). When the aspect ratio on the TV is set to automatically detect from the broadcast signal it puts grey bars on the side of 4:3 broadcasts, I would prefer black. On the whole I'm pleased with the set. Points to note: The TV remote is supposed to be a programmable universal model, but I couldn't get the remote to control my SKY box or Samsung AV601 receiver. If you are used to CRT pictures, it takes time to get used to the LG RZ37LZ55 LCD HD ready TV, especially when watching poor quality broadcasts, as the high quality screen really shows the artefacts. I am still trying to get the picture settings adjusted right especially for watching DVDs, as the dark scenes from the movie 'Tears of the sun' where not watch able last night with the current settings, so you will need to adjust the factory preset settings.

I got mine from Dixon's Online for less that £1000 (2006), I got an automatic £25 web discount as well as an additional £10 pricerunner discount (check pricerunner site for the current discount code). Took 6 days to arrive from ordering. The price of the set seems to be coming down everyday, with some outlets now selling it for £900. I you are looking for an affordable 37" hd ready LCD, the LG RZ37LZ55 might fit the bill, as with everything, you get what you pay for, so don't expect this TV to out perform a similar sized LCD from a leading brand manufacturer.

LG RZ37LZ55 TV Problems

There have been a few problems reported on this LG TV, howver the only one I've encountered is the issue of the LCD TV not waking from stand by. I've not heard of a fix for this problem by LG, but since switching off the telly from the main and turning it back on again overides it, I can live with it. Update 2012: Almost 6 years of owning this High Definition LG TV, and I'm very satisfied with the product, it now is connected to a SKY HD box, and I watched the London 2012 olympics in full glory HD including Hussain Bolt and mates breaking the 100m relay record. LGs are reliable TVs.

Over the next few days or weeks, I will be putting things in place so the family can experience digital media in our main lounge.

The plan is to get a new HD Ready flat screen display, use a XBOX 360 as a Media Center Extender to allow us access to our music, photos and videos in full HD glory. The XBOX 360 will also replace my DVD and CD player, so the lounge should look tidier with all CDs, DVDs and fewer electronic gadgets around.

I have started the process this weekend by buying a Toshiba 320GB external USB hard drive. This external USB hard drive will have all my CD's ripped to it in MP3 format, hold the few DVD movies we have, I will be using a DVDShrink to copy just the main movie, eliminating all un necessary extras. The hard drive will also hold the family photos.

I'm half way through ripping the CDs, I used Windows Media Player, though there are other options available. I'm not too fussed about quality, so I used maximum compression during ripping.

I've bought the XBOX 360, but am waiting for a few extras, so haven't bothered opening the box yet. The order of the HD LCD TV will be made in the week.

I will also have to install windows media center 2005 on my study PC, so there is a far bit of work to be done.

I will keep a diary of how things go, and will do a few write ups when finished.