Like many of you, I'm a longtime XBMC user. Once x264 720p and 1080p video started circulating on the net, we realized that the Xbox did not have the horsepower we needed for high definition video. Along came the 360 and disappointed us with WMV-only support. Re-encoding into a format that has issues on many other devices, including our precious Apple devices, seemed silly. Transcoding wound up as the killer-app for the 360's video, with the advent of TVersity. Now, that Microsoft has added support for Divx/Xvid, is there a simpler solution?
Not really. At least as far as I can tell. Why? Well before I get started, let's define how it SHOULD work.
The way it should be:
- 720p or 1080p video file with 5.1 sound.
- Subtitles for foreign movies.
- Streaming from a PC/media server quickly and smoothly.
- The highest possible video and audio quality.
The source:
- 720p/1080p x264 MKV files
The solutions (as I see them)
- Demux/Convert audio to 2ch AAC/mux to MP4
Link: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=620160
Issues: .MP4 does not show up in WMP11/360 dash, must rename files to WMV. No support for MPEG-4 subtitles, hard subbing a possible solution, anyone have a simpler solution? Stereo only, no surround. - Re-encode to HD-WMV (old pre-update solution):
Link: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=611163
Issues: Slow re-encoding, poorly supported format, no subtitles. - Transcode original MKV using TVersity
Link: http://tversity.com
Issues: Slow to start, requires significant processing power.
Possible other solutions:
Demux h264 MKV/mux into x264 AVI container? Does anyone know if this might work?
Questions:
Is MKV>AVI possible/supported? With subtitles? 5.1?
Is hardsubbing fast? How do I do it?
