We all know all about how someone can mod their X-Box. This affords the user(s) all kinds of cool features, but one of the most popular with most users is the ability to play media files from your other computers on the network on your TV via the X-Box and its built-in ethernet connection. (Personally, this is my 2nd favorite feature, right behind playing games from “backed-up” disks.)

Well, Microsoft has come out with there incredibly corporate version of this cool feature. The Xbox Media Center Extender allows a user of a Windows Media Center 2005 computer (No, you can’t use any other version of windows or even Windows Media Center 2004) the ability to play or view data from their computer to the X-Box via the network.

There is one cool feature that this setup give you that I wish I had. For instance, you can watch TV through your Media Center PC to the X-Box. Now I realize the lameness of watching TV on a TV through the network connection, not just through the cable that goes directly in the back of the set. But when you watch it through your computer, you can pause and record DVR style. That is something that I have wanted for some time now.

The cost of this kit (Remote dongle, Media Center Remote, and DVD install disc) is $79.99 from Microsoft, so you can probably find it a bit cheaper elsewhere.

I think this will be more valuable to me when I eventually get the X-Box 2 and rumor has it, that will have no hard drive, so might not be as easily hackable.

Engadget has a tutorial about how to set it up: How-To: Using a Media Center PC through your X-Box