I was wondering whether anyone is using a combination of Apples and Xbox 360s for whole-house distribution. I am, and I thoroughly recommend it (Mac Pro wirelessly streams to all locations with a 360). I'm particularly happy with the Shoutcast connectivity.

Oh, and amusingly, I've found that it works better (faster, and less prone to crashing) than my Vista PC with Media Center.

My only question is whether there's any way to sort the video files I receive into manageable lists. Has anyone had any luck yet?

I continue to keep an eye on this. Now that it seems we can get 5.1 audio out of iTunes compatible Quicktime.mov files is anyone getting 5.1 audio to work with connect 360?

It seems I can buy a Xbox 360 core system, for around $200 bucks, and I am moderately interested in a next gen game console so if this is working it might be where my "media extender" money goes.

Sorry Sling Catcher and Apple TV.

It seems I can buy a Xbox 360 core system, for around $200 bucks, and I am moderately interested in a next gen game console so if this is working it might be where my "media extender" money goes.

Sorry Sling Catcher and Apple TV.

If you want a media extender, buy a media extender. The 360 is a lousy media extender. If you want a game console that can also do media, then the 360 is a viable choice (although the PS3 is a better choice as far as media goes, maybe not for games). I have an Apple TV, PS3, and a 360. The thought never occurs to me to use the 360 to stream and watch media. It's loud and it requires too many clicks to get to my media. The PS3 is quiet and offers easier access to media stored locally and on my NAS. The Apple TV trumps them all in it's ability to deliver media in a clear, concise manner. It also integrates with the rest of my media devices (mini, iphone, ipod, nas, etc).

You need to decide what you want and buy the device that best satisfies those choices.

Also... you need to factor in the price of 360 Connect so that would be around $220 total. That $220 is also not buying you local storage on the $199 360. Nor is it buying you a remote, so you may need to add in another $20.