MP4 and Xbox 360

For a while now I have been wanting to digitize some of my DVD library to 1) make it more portable and 2) so I can stream it to my XBox 360. After much trial and error I have found that the best way to accomplish both of these task is to use Handbrake on the XBox 360 preset to create an MP4.

The reason for this post is not really to talk about the encoding process, but to discuss the solution to a minor inconvenience I have been struggling with for a while. Namely, the fact that the XBox 360 cannot recognize files with the .mp4 file extension. Previously, I had to rename the file to .avi for the XBox 360 to see it, even though it was fully compatible. A minor inconvenience, but annoying nonetheless.

Last night, I ran across this article which describes the process necessary to make WMP11 and in turn the XBox 360 recognize the .mp4 file extension. I tested it out and after a reboot, it has worked like a charm!