So far during the Vista Beta the extender functionality for Xbox 360 has been limited to the US and Canada. However the recently released 5472 build of Vista has opened this up to other regions. Unfortunately you need to be a member of the tech beta or MSDN (en_windows_vista_beta2_July2006CTP_x86_dvd.iso) to get access to this. Currently the next public build that will include the European functionality is RC1.

Interested in testing the new Vista version of the Extender software for Xbox360 and live in the US?

More Details
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2006/0530-beabetatester.htm

 [This test is now full]

As revealed in the Beta 2 release notes for Windows Vista no current Media Center Extender other than the Xbox 360 will be compatible with Vista Media Center

‘Q: Will my current Media Center Extender be obsolete once Windows Vista PCs are available?

A: As Windows Media Center Edition has reached well over 10M units and become a popular way to PVR TV and download movies, there have been greater demands and requests from content providers (Hollywood Studios, cable and satellite TV providers, and TV industry groups) to make the Windows Media Ecosystem more secure than was present in Windows XP. In Windows Vista, there are new architectural elements present to safeguard the rights of content owners. These architectural elements require associated new elements on the side of Media Center Extenders in order to continue to work in the highly protected environment. Customers of XBOX 360 will have their box updated by Vista automatically. When we get closer to the Windows Vista timeframe we will announce a program to make sure that early adopters who purchased a v1 Media Center Extender (from Linksys or HP) are accommodated. Current XBOX v1 Extender customers are encouraged to upgrade to XBOX 360 if they wish to ensure compatibility with both Windows Vista and Windows Media Center Edition 2005.

What does this mean?

• Those with Xbox 360s will be fine (The .xex file that will provide Extender functionality for the Xbox 360 will be updated for Vista);
• Those with HP x5400 and Linksys WMCE54AG extenders will need to get new extenders (either an Xbox 360 or a v2 Extender) for use with Vista. There will be a program to accommodate these people announced closer to Vista's launch date. Alternatively, they can continue to use Windows Media Center Edition 2005; and,
• Those with Xbox v1 Extenders will need to get new hardware (either an Xbox 360 or a v2 Extender if they want to use Extender functionality with Vista). Alternatively, they can continue to use Windows Media Center Edition 2005.’

bit-tech.net is currently hosting a number of pictures of the Xbox360 from this weeks Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/08/24/xbox_360_media_center  

This week Microsoft has made an official announcement about the pricing and details of the packages that will be on offer. This time around there is a base Xbox 360 Core System ($299.99 U.S./€299.99/£209.99), and also a premium package ($399.99 U.S./€399.99/£279.99)

“This premium edition — distinguished by signature metallic detailing on the console itself — comes fully loaded for the ultimate gaming experience, with components and accessories that would cost more than $200 if sold separately:

Xbox 360 console. Sexy styling that packs a punch — three powerful core processors are poised to pump out 720p/1080i output, 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound and DVD playback right out of the box.

• Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20 GB). 20 GB and detachable, the hard drive allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos and community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace.

• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. Hassle-free high-performance precision wireless gaming features the Xbox® Guide Button for quick access to digital movies, music and games libraries as well as a range and battery life of up to 30 feet and 30 hours of life on two AA batteries.

• Xbox 360 Faceplate. The removable Faceplate comes in stylish “chill” (white) and can be swapped out with custom Faceplates to reflect gamers’ personalities or decor.

• Xbox 360 Headset. This lets gamers strategize with teammates or trash-talk opponents while playing games on Xbox Live.

• Xbox 360 Component HD-AV Cable. This connects gamers to the world of Xbox 360 games and graphics through high-definition and standard-definition connections.

• Xbox Live Silver membership. With this, gamers can chat with friends online, send and receive voice and text messages, and access new content from Xbox Live Marketplace demos such as trailers and casual games from Xbox Live Arcade.

• A bonus Media Remote:  Included for a limited time, the integrated control center for the entire digital experience lets consumers play DVDs, movies and music, as well as access their Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC's controls with a single remote.

The Xbox 360 Core System comes standard with what consumers need to jump right into next-generation games and media, and is fully expandable to the complete Xbox 360 experience:

• Xbox 360 console. As with the premium edition, three powerful core processors pump out 720p/1080i output, 16x9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound and DVD playback right out of the box.

• Xbox 360 Controller. This wired controller features an extended nine-foot cable and a comfortable, enhanced ergonomic design.

• Xbox 360 Faceplate. Like no other console before, the Xbox 360 console allows customization and a removable Faceplate that comes in stylish “chill” (white), which can be swapped out with other custom Faceplates to reflect gamers’ personalities or decor.

• Xbox 360 Standard AV Cable. This connects gamers to the world of Xbox 360, delivering great next-generation graphics and games using standard-definition connections. “

For more details see:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/aug05/08-17EuropeNA360PricePR.mspx
http://www.xbox.com/en-gb/cultureSelectLanding.htm

The Xbox 360 in addition to being a games console can also act as a Media Center Extender which allows you to stream standard and HDTV television, videos, movies, music, and photos from your Media Center 2005 PC. All Xbox 360 consoles will come with this feature out of the box (though core does not include a remote control). If you don’t have a Media Center 2005 machine (or have more than one PC) it will be possible to access photo’s and music stored on other Windows XP machines through the Xbox’s ‘Media Blade’. The Xbox 360 Extender requires an update to Media Center which will be available free for Media Center 2005 owners to download before the end of the year.

One of the good things in terms of fiddling about with the Extenders is that they use Windows user accounts to run each devices session under (MCX1-5 for each device). This has been useful as it allows you to use logon scripts to allow the extenders session access to network resources.

This also means that you can set allowed time Windows unique to each extender using the the ‘net user’ command as you can for any other account. You can see the details on the syntax of this on my XP site at http://mvps.org/marksxp/WindowsXP/userhours.php

If someone tries to start up an extender which has had its logon hours limited, they won’t actually be told they’ve been blocked. A more generic, ‘There was a problem contacting the Media Center PC’ message will appear.

Unfortunately net accounts /forcelogoff does not appear to be effective against an extender session, so forcing the session to end when the time expires isn’t that simple. A very dirty method of kicking off your extenders would be to setup a time limit, copy the following into a .cmd file and setup a scheduled task event to run the cmd file at the time you want.

tsdiscon 1 /v

tsdiscon 2 /v

tsdiscon 3 /v

tsdiscon 4 /v

tsdiscon 5 /v

tsdiscon 6 /v

However doing blanket in the dark disconnects, isn’t a particularly good idea if you have more than one extender. This makes no distinction between Extenders, or PC remote desktop sessions. If the session is holding the lucky number, it gets booted. If you want to be a little more precise over what you disconnect, the console command ‘Qwinsta’ allows you to see all sessions active on the local machine. You could match the Extender username to a session ID and disconnect it by typing in tsdiscon x /v (where x is the session id), but that would have to be done manually since things can move around depending on what’s going on.