XBOX Fall Update?

Final Fall Dashboard update details - Xbox Live's Major Nelson

# Xbox Originals – With this new service, announced on Nov. 13, consumers can download-to-own full original Xbox games that were previously only available at retail. The digital shelves will always be stocked with classic titles, such as “Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex” “Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge,” “Halo,” “Fable,” “Fuzion Frenzy,” “Psychonauts,” and more as the catalogue grows over time, at 1200 Microsoft Points per game.

# Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits – On Xbox LIVE Arcade, the Arcade Hits program kicks off where some of the best selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games will become available at permanently reduced prices, making it easier than ever for everyone to build a library of downloadable games! The first games to become Arcade Hits will be “Bankshot Billiards 2” and “Lumines LIVE,” which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points each, and “Marble Blast Ultra,” “Small Arms” and “Zuma Deluxe,” which will be available for 400 Microsoft Points each. With free trial downloads for every game and over 100 games to choose from, Xbox LIVE Arcade offers something for every member of the family.

# Inside Xbox – A new direct feed brings current news straight from Xbox.com into the Xbox LIVE Dashboard providing members an easy, predictable entry point where they can discover what's new in game releases, events, and Xbox LIVE Marketplace offers. (It will also feature brief weekly segments from myself, TriXie, Games Editor Denny Atkin, and SoozyQ.)

# Enhanced online profile – Members interested in sharing a few more details about themselves will have the option to go beyond their motto and further personalize their profile with an expanded bio. The extended bios will be visible to “Friends Only” or the entire Xbox LIVE community.

# Expanded Friends List access – A quick and easy way for gamers to expand their personal community on Xbox LIVE, members will be able to see the Friends Lists of other Xbox LIVE members, boosting their social networking experience on the service.

# Enhanced Parental Controls – Family Timer, a strong and flexible new addition to the Xbox 360 Family Settings, enables parents to set the amount of time their Xbox 360 can be used on a per-day or per-week basis by their children or other members of the household.

# New video features – The convenience of full-screen movie previews and enhanced video codec support further expand the options when it comes to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience.

Easy-to-use navigation features – With several noteworthy changes in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, from the new Game Store button to the Video Store button to enhanced visuals and descriptions in the video library, Xbox LIVE members can find what they want, when they want it.

More on video:

Xbox Team : December 2007 Video Playback FAQ

Or, the 'don't want to read the fluff, list the features' list

Xbox.com | Full Features List for 2007 Fall Update

Full Features List for 2007 Fall Update

Back to System Update

* Improved Video Library.
* Improved visuals and descriptions.
* Users can now sort movies and TV Shows in the video library by Title or (Download) Date.
* TV shows can now be grouped by Series .
* Group video and game trailers .
* Art associated with personal video files on a portable device will now be displayed.
* Easier to use media areas and improved metadata .
* Improved source selection for video, picture, and music libraries, making it easier to switch between console/digital camera, computer, portable device or disc.
* New "Suggested Items" link for downloaded movies.

Feature Details:

Media - All

* Added more user friendly text for various error related messages
* Added Shortcut keys from Remote Control: Pressing Play on a Video/Song/Picture will immediately start playback of that item from the list (pressing Start from gamepad does the same thing)
* Added support for Album/Video artwork larger than 500kb
* Added support to enumerate metadata in the background and not just when selected by the user
* Added support to make sort options sticky across console reboots
* Added support to show all available Media Sharing Servers on the local network and allow automatic re-affiliation
* Automatically delete older versions of Optional Media Update package when new ones are downloaded
* Improved consistency in storage naming across all areas
* Improved performance for displaying Album Art when connected to remote sources
* Improved text messaging when connection to PC is lost when streaming Music/Photo or videos
* Improve boot speed with media when console startup is to boot-to-dash

Media - Music

* Added support for CD Playback from music area in Xbox 360 Guide area
* Added support for listing multiple computer sources in Xbox Guide music sources
* Added support for Y button to toggle full screen on and off for music visualizer
* Disable 'play all' button when folders only contains playlists (with no audio files)
* Disable Y button when no list items selected in Music player
* Improved device support for new iPods (classic and 3rd gen Nano) - iPhone and iPod touch are not supported
* Improved error handling for mixed encoded playlists (aac,mp3,wma)
* Improved handling for MTP Music devices with >200k entries
* Improved handling of game background music after playing videos in Dashboard
* Improved handling of music playback over games (if music source terminates or has errors, background music returns to game background)
* Improved performance for "Play All" with attached MTP devices
* Improved performance of music enumeration via Guide
* Improved robustness when playing back HFS+ formatted iPods
* Improved support for returning to game background audio when user's music player session terminates
* Improved support for scrolling song lists while listening to music during game playback
* Improved support when ejecting game disc while selecting music source through Guide

Media - Pics

* Added support to display PNG files when streamed from Windows Media Player 11 on Vista
* Improved enumeration for PTP cameras including Cannon Powershot SD 630 and Apple Iphone
* Improved playback performance of "Play All" when PC source has 1000s of photos and subdirectories
* Support Folder view of Photos from MTP Portable Devices
* Media - Video
* Added 2 line support for entries in the Video Area of the Media Blade
* Added ability to recognize Colorspace attribute for Video Marketplace Content
* Added fade in transition for start of video playback
* Added full screen buffering animation for streaming videos from Xbox LIVE
* Added Suggestions scene for Video Library area in Media blade of the Dashboard
* Added support for 16x Fast-forward/Rewind
* Added support for AC3 embedded audio (see video faq for full information)
* Added support for enumeration of video files from Zune 2.0 devices
* Added support for Left Shoulder button on controller to chapter skip backward
* Added support for Left Trigger button on controller to rewind
* Added support for moving past the point user has viewed when doing progressive downloads of Video Marketplace videos
* Added support for MP3 embedded audio (see video faq for full information)
* Added support for Mpeg-4 part 2 video files in AVI containers
* Added support for Right Shoulder button on controller to chapter skip forward
* Added support for Right Trigger button on controller to fast forward
* Added support for Zune Podcast video playback from Zune device
* Added support to display metadata and thumbnails embedded in video files
* Added support to enumerate .divx video files
* Added support to group TV shows by Series in Video Library of Media Blade
* Added support to group Video and Game Trailers into same area of Video Library of Media Blade
* Added support to sort Movies or TV Shows by Title or Download date in Video Library of Media Blade
* Added top level support to show expired or soon to expire information for purchased movies from Video Marketplace in Media Blade
* Improve support for "Play Now" calculations with ISP that boost download for the first 20MB of a file
* Improved accuracy of bookmark positions when video player abnormally ends
* Improved accuracy of download progress bar after chapter skipping operations
* Improved auto resizing experience for small (under 100x100) video files
* Improved Bookmark / Resume experience with 60fps Interlaced WMV videos
* Improved bookmark support while progressively downloading videos from Marketplace
* Improved calculations for "Play Now" for Video Marketplace downloads
* Improved deinterlacer support for video playback
* Improved enumeration speed for user-generated video content in Media Blade
* Improved error message support when playing back video files without valid licenses
* Improved error message support when pulling USB drive while playing back video files
* Improved handling for USB memory stick removal while on Video device selection list in Media blade
* Improved handling of video playback when transitioning from 4x FF to Play with MP4 video files
* Improved handling of WMV bookmarks when rewinding and shutting down video player
* Improved info pane timer when playing back DRM's WMV content from Windows Media Player 11 from Windows PC
* Improved message support for progressive video playback
* Improved overall UI, content descriptions and navigation of Video Library of Media Blade
* Improved performance during Fast Forward to Playback transition when playing back MP4 content
* Improved performance for buffering and playback of streaming videos from Xbox LIVE
* Improved performance for low bandwidth streaming of MP4 videos from Zune PC software v1.0
* Improved performance of skip forward/backward with WMV video files
* Improved performance of trick modes when streaming videos from Zune PC client
* Improved performance of WMV playback for WMV7 & WMV8 encoded video files
* Improved playback experience after extended pauses of video files from Marketplace
* Improved playback experience when resuming from a stopped/paused state
* Improved playback performance for h264 720p .MOV files
* Improved playback performance with 1920x1080 MP4 files
* Improved playback performance with 5Mb h264 encoded video files
* Improved playback performance with 60fps 720x480 MP4 content
* Improved playback performance with h264 files in .m4v containers
* Improved quality for upscaled user videos when played back full screen
* Improved quality of MP4 decoder: Global Motion Compensation and VMX optimizations
* Improved quality of MP4 decoder: improved Interlaced Support
* Improved quality of MP4 decoder: Out of order frame output, bidirectional motion vector handling, etc.
* Improved quality with non-square pixel video files
* Improved responsiveness of trick mode controls for video playback
* Improved robustness during chapter skipping of h264 video files
* Improved robustness for streaming problematic video files from Zune PC Software 1.0 or Windows Media Player 11
* Improved robustness of video player when playback catches up to downloads in progressive playback scenarios
* Improved robustness of video streaming when network congestion / stalls occur
* Improved robustness when closing video player after attempting to play a video file that would not open
* Improved robustness when entering and exiting video playback on a portable device repeatedly
* Improved robustness when exiting video files encoded in h264 and playing back from attached USB HDD
* Improved robustness when playing back Mp4 video with consecutive bad aac samples encoded into it
* Improved robustness when shutting down console during h264 video playback
* Improved robustness when trying to play a video recently moved from MU to HDD or vice versa
* Improved robustness with video player when exiting player via Xbox Guide button -> Y
* Improved support for AAC-LC 2 channel encoded audio in MP4 video files
* Improved support for chapter skipping during progressive downloads of Marketplace Video content
* Improved support for MP4 video files with discontinuous time stamps encoded in
* Improved support for MP4 video playback from burned optical dvd-r's
* Improved support for resuming downloaded videos after reaching end of an uncompleted download
* Improved support for resuming partially downloaded videos from Marketplace
* Improved support for using Big Button controller during video playback
* Improved support for Video bookmarks when playing MP4 videos from USB portable hard drives
* Improved sync of video display and info pane display when rewinding
* Improved text for Windows Media Center setup instructions
* Improved Trick mode support when streaming videos with AAC embedded audio
* Improved video performance for 60fps interlaced WMV videos
* Improved Video performance with 15Mbs 1080i 24fps WMV video files
* Improved video playback for Fast-forward and immediate exit usage with h264 video files
* Improved video playback of MP4 content from Zune PC Software v1.0
* Improved video playback when source content has incorrect sync samples encoded
* Improved video quality for SD Composite AV pack displays of the on-screen display for video controls
* Improved video support for chapter skipping of MP4 videos
* Improved Videotrick mode support with 24fps 1080i WMV video files
* Improved visual display of WMV video files while rewinding
* Improved WMV Playback performance for 60fps and 1080i 30fps videos
* Improved WMV7 performance with VLC encoded content
* Removed occasional purple flickers in video playback when transitioning between FF and RW
* Removed potential 9 second delay when rewinding WMV video files

System

* Added fade out transition when powering down console
* Added fade out transition when launching games
* Added support for browsing XNA games within the Games blade
* Added support for video playback from UDFS formatted USB devices
* Added support for XNA Game Studio Express V.2
* Added support to connect to Apple Extreme routers in 802.11a/n mode
* Added support to pause background downloads when streaming full screen videos or ads
* Added support to retrieve game thumbnail directly from XNA game package
* Added system wide support for Simplified Chinese language
* Added text to explain flashing LED in the Ring of Light during background download low power mode
* Addressed rare case where game disc would spin in the DVD drive while playing HD-DVD Movie in external HD-DVD drive
* Disable Optical audio output when in low power background download mode
* DVD player no longer converts to YCbCr709 when output is over HDMI
* Improved auto sign-in to Xbox LIVE with Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter
* Improved clock accuracy for S/PDIF optical streams
* Improved compatibility with NEC WR8400N WiFi routers
* Improved download speeds when in low power background download mode
* Improved DVD Tray State notifications immediately after application of System Update
* Improved Forced Aspect Ratio Changes via HDMI output (including DVI)
* Improved handling when ejecting game disc during game start
* Improved handling when removing MU after sending Arcade game recommendation to friend
* Improved localization text for Wifi setup in German
* Improved performance for Game Titles to reboot in backcompat scenarios
* Improved performance of Xbox Guide during Messenger signin
* Improved robustness when ejecting game disc when prompted for game title update
* Improved robustness when inserting two MU's at the same time on the device selector scene
* Improved support for 3rd Party Controllers
* Improved support for Buffalo WiFi routers
* Improved support for Creston AV receivers with HDMI
* Improved support for JPN Corega CG-BARFX network router
* Improved support for signing into Xbox LIVE with Big Button Controller
* Improved support for starting console with Big Button Controller when console is charging attached Wireless Controllers
* Improved Xbox guide performance ~2x
* Removed "Windows-based PC" from Computers area in Systems blade
* Removed option to "Turn off Controller" when using Big Button Controller
* Resync the Ring of Light pattern to the boot audio/animation
* Updated copyright dates for 2007
 
I played DIVX and XVID movies on my xbox that were on my computer's hard drive in the My Videos folder. Worked great. Looked pretty good too.

Now that we got the update xbox.com and xbox live is all slow because everyone is downloading it. I couldn't even recover my gamertag on my friends xbox so we could play co-op because it was sooooo slow and kept timing out. They should put the updates on a separate server so it doesn't bog down the xbox live servers.

Will friends of friends be available on xbox.com anytime or just on the console?
 
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Have any of you had streaming/connection problems to your PC since the update?

My console is returning tomorrow after being gone for 2 weeks for repair. So, I'll be downloading the update tomorrow.

I'm concerned the update will screw up my ability to stream music & pictures from my PC as before. I've heard others have lost the ability to find their PC's, etc.

I'm probably one of the few that uses the XBOX for streaming music, videos, and pictures as much as for gaming.
 
Mine has worked fine. Do you use Windows Media Center or the regular way to access your PC? I have tested mine both ways and they both work.

Some of the avi files didn't play well because they must be encoded the wrong way or something, but overall it has been good.

Good luck with your new console. Mine has been fine since getting it back from repair.

Jim
 
Mine has worked fine. Do you use Windows Media Center or the regular way to access your PC? I have tested mine both ways and they both work.

Some of the avi files didn't play well because they must be encoded the wrong way or something, but overall it has been good.

Good luck with your new console. Mine has been fine since getting it back from repair.

Jim


I'm not using a media center PC, just the "regular way".

My understanding is that it won't be a "new" console, just repaired my original one.
 
I have to say that after the update the dashboard blades are 10x faster than before.
 
Did any of you watch the video on there from Major Nelson on the new features? He flipped through things so fast you couldn't hardly see what he was doing. I just started laughing at one point. Oh well, at least it was entertaining if not imformative.
 
Well, Jimzo, you were right. They just replaced the console instead of repairing the original one. I guess that's why the turnaround was less than 2 weeks as opposed to the suggested 4 weeks.

This, of course, meant I had to reinitiate the wireless connection and find my PC and folders again, but that went relatively smoothly.

Then I let it update the dashboard with the fall update. My access to files (music, video, pics) on the PC was retained thankfully. This was my biggest concern as way back when I initially got the console, getting the sharing right was a pain.

There was one unexpected setback, though. Even though the gamer profiles were there (since nothing had changed with regard to the actual HDD), my wife was unable to "resume solo campaign" on Halo 3. Before the console broke, she was in chapter 5. After setting up the new one, "resume solo campaign" acts as if it's going to pick up where she left off, but the game freezes on a screen with illegible text, then kicks back out to the menu (within Halo 3). She figured out how to restart the chapter, and she's satisfied with that. And saving her progress since is working fine. I guess the data on the HDD just got corrupted there. I'm assuming it has something to do with the fact that it's a "new" console and the old HDD.

My wife never complains, but she certainly enjoys playing games on the 360, so I was disappointed for her, fearing she'd have to start all over. We're both casual gamers by definition, but I play even less than she does. I probably play more arcade stuff than anything. Otherwise I really get the most use out of the console for it's media (downloading HD movies, streaming music, viewing pics, etc.) I'm a bit ruined for gaming anyway since I played through all of Gears of War. Halo 3 was a let down after that.

The updated dashboard is faster, although I hadn't really noticed it was very slow to begin with. Even though the resolution settings are the same as before, the text seems slightly smaller now. That's not a complaint, either. It looks pretty good.

One thing I do like about the new console is that it's much quieter than my old one. The old one had a build date of August 2006. Then new one has an October 2007 build.
 
Well, Jimzo, you were right. They just replaced the console instead of repairing the original one. I guess that's why the turnaround was less than 2 weeks as opposed to the suggested 4 weeks.

This, of course, meant I had to reinitiate the wireless connection and find my PC and folders again, but that went relatively smoothly.

Then I let it update the dashboard with the fall update. My access to files (music, video, pics) on the PC was retained thankfully. This was my biggest concern as way back when I initially got the console, getting the sharing right was a pain.

There was one unexpected setback, though. Even though the gamer profiles were there (since nothing had changed with regard to the actual HDD), my wife was unable to "resume solo campaign" on Halo 3. Before the console broke, she was in chapter 5. After setting up the new one, "resume solo campaign" acts as if it's going to pick up where she left off, but the game freezes on a screen with illegible text, then kicks back out to the menu (within Halo 3). She figured out how to restart the chapter, and she's satisfied with that. And saving her progress since is working fine. I guess the data on the HDD just got corrupted there. I'm assuming it has something to do with the fact that it's a "new" console and the old HDD.

My wife never complains, but she certainly enjoys playing games on the 360, so I was disappointed for her, fearing she'd have to start all over. We're both casual gamers by definition, but I play even less than she does. I probably play more arcade stuff than anything. Otherwise I really get the most use out of the console for it's media (downloading HD movies, streaming music, viewing pics, etc.) I'm a bit ruined for gaming anyway since I played through all of Gears of War. Halo 3 was a let down after that.

The updated dashboard is faster, although I hadn't really noticed it was very slow to begin with. Even though the resolution settings are the same as before, the text seems slightly smaller now. That's not a complaint, either. It looks pretty good.

One thing I do like about the new console is that it's much quieter than my old one. The old one had a build date of August 2006. Then new one has an October 2007 build.

Is that a build date or the REFURBISHED date? Many are saying that after they 'fix' they slap a new sticker on them.
 
I am pretty sure the process for sending in your faulty system goes as follows:

You receive the shipping box (aka "coffin") from them and if you are in the U.S. you ship your system via UPS three day to McAllen, TX, which is right on the border with Mexico. All they do in McAllen is make a determination whether or not your console is actually defective. Once it is deemed defective they actually send it (or at least its usable parts) to Mexico for repairs. I don't believe they make any effort anymore to return your console to you. McAllen is constantly receiving "new" consoles back from this Mexican repair facility as well and they ship these back to the customer. It is my understanding that your original console will be reworked and someone else will receive some form of this machine in a few months.

Your relative proximity to McAllen and their current volume of repair work are the determining factors in how long it actually takes to get a replacement console. When they are busy (like right after the extended warranty was announced) there may be significant wait times for them to actually examine your console at McAllen and for them to have enough stock of the repaired consoles to send one out right away.

Whether or not these are really new, isn't totally clear or always the same. Mine and yours certainly have new mfg dates which makes me think they basically built new consoles from a mismatch of functional parts from others consoles. Others have gotten them back with older mfg dates which makes me think they made more minor to repairs to a salvageable console. At least mine has the look and feel of a "new" console but I wouldn't say that it uses all of the latest parts you would get if you bought it off the shelf today.

When I got my replacement console I was really hoping for one with HDMI output (my old one didn't have it), but I didn't get it. Did you happen to get lucky?

Sorry for the long post. The part about whether or not these are new or not is some speculation on my part, but the rest of it I say with a fairly high level of confidence from researching it when it happened to me.

Jim
 

Xbox 360 Meltdown

Legend of the Red Dragon

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