Watch ripped DVDs on your XBOX 360
One of the coolest features of the XBOX 360 is the ability to stream media, especially video, from a Windows Media Center 2005 PC. So, I figured I would share a quick how-to for putting your favorite DVDs onto your MCE box so that you can stream them to your XBOX 360.

First, here is the software that you will need (the first two of which are free):

1. DVD Decrypter
2. VOB2MPEG
3. Windows Media Center 2005

NOTE: This how-to presumes that you have the XBOX 360 and the Media Center PC configured to share media files before you start.

Once you have the software installed and a DVD in your MCE box's drive, here is how you get the DVD to your PC's hard drive:

NOTE: The red numbers on the screenshots correspond with the steps in the process.



1. Open DVD Decrypter and set it to "File" mode by selecting "Mode" then "File"



2. Configure DVD Decrypter to create a single VOB by selecting "Tools" then "Settings" then the "File Mode" tab. In the right side of the "File Mode" tab, change the File Splitting menu to "None." This will create a single VOB file which will make it easier when you use VOB2MPEG later.



3. Select the directory where you want to store the VOB files in the "Destination" section of the interface
4. Click the DVD-arrow-hard drive icon at the bottom to start the process which will take between 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the disc and the speed of your machine)

After ripping the DVD as a single VOB, here is how you convert it to an MPEG (since the XBOX 360 won't stream VOB files):

1. Open VOB2MPEG



2. Select the directory where your ripped VOB file is stored
3. Select the directory where you want to save your soon-to-be-created MPEG file. Choose any of the directories that you are currently sharing between the MCE box and the XBOX 360. This way, you won't have to change any settings on the console or the MCE box in order to watch your new file.
4. Press "Start"

After about 10-15 minutes, your MPEG file will be ready. You will probably want to delete the original VOB file to save hard drive space.

Now, just got to the Media Center menu (on either your XBOX 360 or your MCE box) and select My Videos. You should see your new file in the folder with the rest of your video files.

That's it!