Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle

Kevin Tofel at HD Beat has an outstanding article on streaming HD video from a Windows Media Center to an Xbox 360 over WiFi. Kevin found some pitfalls in the HD streaming process, including the need to carefully position your WiFi antennas for optimal thru-put. On the positive side of the process, Kevin quips, "there is no noticeable difference if I'm watching HD via my over-the-air tuner or from the Xbox 360." Outstanding news for anyone who wants to send HD video from a PC to an Xbox 360 or other compatible extender. That speaks volumes for the optimization work Microsoft put into this latest round of Media Center Extender technology. He's absolutely correct that HD streaming consumes massive amounts of your available WiFi connection, so don't try to download files via BitTorrent over your WiFi connection while also streaming HD and expect to have smooth video playback. Ideally, a wired connection is the best way to insure great HD playback throughout your house, but with an antenna booster and some careful planning, wireless will do the trick without running cable in your walls.