The Xbox as a streaming media platform

The xbox as a streaming media platform.

Recently I picked up a NAS (network attached storage). These devices are becoming more popular as they drop in price (you can get them for under $100). I got one so I can access my data from any computer in the house. Previously I had an external USB drive but that would require that the PC it was attached to be on and the drive shared if I wanted to access it from my laptop. What a NAS boils down to is an always on standalone computer with a HD inside.  

I was excited to finally get this NAS because my plan was to consolidate all my music, videos and pictures into one location and then be able to stream it to the TV using the Xbox 360. I didn't realize until after I got the NAS that this plan had a flaw and the flaw was that I was planning to use an Xbox 360.  

Many NAS's are now DLNA (digital living network alliance) certified which means they will stream digital media to any DLNA certified client. Guess what, the Xbox 360 is *not* DLNA certified. Now if my plan had included a PS3 rather than an XBox 360 I would be set, the PS3 IS DLNA certified and would have seen my NAS and I would have been streaming media within minutes of setting up my NAS.

Upon investigating it appears that the Xbox will never be DLNA certified, Microsoft has positioned the PC as the center of the Home Entertainment network, specifically their Media Center editions. The 360 will stream from any Media Center PC or you can access your pictures,video or music from a PC running Zune or Windows Media Player 11 software. That's right, I HAVE to have a PC on in order to stream my media to the 360. In fact the 360 is referred to as a "Media Center Extender".

Is this convenient for us? No. Does it further the Microsoft agenda of trying to force feed us a PC (running the Windows OS)  to serve our media? Of course! Everything Microsoft does furthers their agenda.

This is something Sony should be playing up, I think streaming media from a NAS will be more popular in the coming future and the PS3 is a hands down winner on this point right now (and that doesn't even count the fact that the PS3 has builtin wireless).