Xploder 360 Media Centre - 360 Gamer

Here's your chance to watch episodes of Lost in High Definition through your XBOX 360.

It’s likely that some of you may have amassed quite a lot of downloadable content on your PC over the years. From music to videos, the internet is a veritable goldmine of wonderful things. We’re not going to question where or how you got those files… that’s for you and your conscience to debate. However, isn’t it irritating when you’ve got all these wonderful things, but have to watch ot listen to them on your PC which probably has crap speakers and smaller screen. If only there was some way for you to get those music or video files through your HDTV and lovely surround sound system.

Well now there is! And it’s in the form of the excellent Xploder Media Centre. Like some kind of angel bearing gifts, the little metal tin containing wires and a disc comes down from Heaven and tells you everything will be okay. The best thing is that although your 360 is capable of playing Microsoft files, it isn’t able to handle stuff like DivX or AVI files which is what most of the good stuff is available on. The Xploder Media Centre changes all that. And you’ll soon be watching all those episodes of Lost Season 3 you’ve downloaded in the comfort of your living room.

The magic disc, well we assume it’s magic, streams content from your PC onto your 360 which is beamed by elves onto the HDTV (if you’ve got one). We don’t really know how it works but the important thing is that it does work… and it works well. The whole thing is very easy to set up. Streaming works nicely too thanks to the cable Xploder provides and it’s not like the internet when you have to wait for stuff to buffer. Plus if you’ve got a wireless network set up at your house you can hook everything up through that and watch movies on your XBOX in a completely different room to your PC. Now that’s magic.

So, what’s the downside? Well the bad thing is that you need an up to date PC with Windows Media Centre on. If you haven’t got that then there’s very little you can do with the Xploder. Apart from perhaps keeping a small snake in the tin everything comes in. Generally though this is a nifty little package for those people who want to make the most of their music and video files - there’s even a special programme that handily converts all your CDs to MP3, which is nice.

360 Gamer Verdict

If you’ve got a Windows Media Centre PC then this is a cheap way to transfer items across from your PC. Obviously the product’s worth will be dependent upon how much non-Microsoft file videos or MP3s you’ve got too. But if you’ve got a lot, and hook it up through a wireless network, then this is a nifty little solution to your file problems.

RATING 4/5

This Review features in Issue 19 of 360 Gamer Magazine.

Review by Rob Burman.