Microsoft has released the full list of what the Fall Update includes. The update, which will be released on December 4, contains a bunch of new features and improvements. Personally, I couldn’t be happier about getting DivX support. Goodbye TVersity! For those of you not fond of reading, skip to the end for a video tour of the new features.
Full Features List for 2007 Fall Update
- Improved Video Library.
- Improved visuals and descriptions.
- Users can now sort movies and TV Shows in the video library by Title or (Download) Date.
- TV shows can now be grouped by Series .
- Group video and game trailers .
- Art associated with personal video files on a portable device will now be displayed.
- Easier to use media areas and improved metadata .
- Improved source selection for video, picture, and music libraries, making it easier to switch between console/digital camera, computer, portable device or disc.
- New “Suggested Items” link for downloaded movies.
Feature Details:
Media – All
- Added more user friendly text for various error related messages
- Added Shortcut keys from Remote Control: Pressing Play on a Video/Song/Picture will immediately start playback of that item from the list (pressing Start from gamepad does the same thing)
- Added support for Album/Video artwork larger than 500kb
- Added support to enumerate metadata in the background and not just when selected by the user
- Added support to make sort options sticky across console reboots
- Added support to show all available Media Sharing Servers on the local network and allow automatic re-affiliation
- Automatically delete older versions of Optional Media Update package when new ones are downloaded
- Improved consistency in storage naming across all areas
- Improved performance for displaying Album Art when connected to remote sources
- Improved text messaging when connection to PC is lost when streaming Music/Photo or videos
- Improve boot speed with media when console startup is to boot-to-dash
Media – Music
- Added support for CD Playback from music area in Xbox 360 Guide area
- Added support for listing multiple computer sources in Xbox Guide music sources
- Added support for Y button to toggle full screen on and off for music visualizer
- Disable ‘play all’ button when folders only contains playlists (with no audio files)
- Disable Y button when no list items selected in Music player
- Improved device support for new iPods (classic and 3rd gen Nano) – iPhone and iPod touch are not supported
- Improved error handling for mixed encoded playlists (aac,mp3,wma)
- Improved handling for MTP Music devices with >200k entries
- Improved handling of game background music after playing videos in Dashboard
- Improved handling of music playback over games (if music source terminates or has errors, background music returns to game background)
- Improved performance for “Play All” with attached MTP devices
- Improved performance of music enumeration via Guide
- Improved robustness when playing back HFS+ formatted iPods
- Improved support for returning to game background audio when user’s music player session terminates
- Improved support for scrolling song lists while listening to music during game playback
- Improved support when ejecting game disc while selecting music source through Guide
Media – Pics
- Added support to display PNG files when streamed from Windows Media Player 11 on Vista
- Improved enumeration for PTP cameras including Cannon Powershot SD 630 and Apple Iphone
- Improved playback performance of “Play All” when PC source has 1000s of photos and subdirectories
- Support Folder view of Photos from MTP Portable Devices
Media – Video
- Added 2 line support for entries in the Video Area of the Media Blade
- Added ability to recognize Colorspace attribute for Video Marketplace Content
- Added fade in transition for start of video playback
- Added full screen buffering animation for streaming videos from Xbox LIVE
- Added Suggestions scene for Video Library area in Media blade of the Dashboard
- Added support for 16x Fast-forward/Rewind
- Added support for AC3 embedded audio (see video faq for full information)
- Added support for enumeration of video files from Zune 2.0 devices
- Added support for Left Shoulder button on controller to chapter skip backward
- Added support for Left Trigger button on controller to rewind
- Added support for moving past the point user has viewed when doing progressive downloads of Video Marketplace videos
- Added support for MP3 embedded audio (see video faq for full information)
- Added support for Mpeg-4 part 2 video files in AVI containers
- Added support for Right Shoulder button on controller to chapter skip forward
- Added support for Right Trigger button on controller to fast forward
- Added support for Zune Podcast video playback from Zune device
- Added support to display metadata and thumbnails embedded in video files
- Added support to enumerate .divx video files
- Added support to group TV shows by Series in Video Library of Media Blade
- Added support to group Video and Game Trailers into same area of Video Library of Media Blade
- Added support to sort Movies or TV Shows by Title or Download date in Video Library of Media Blade
- Added top level support to show expired or soon to expire information for purchased movies from Video Marketplace in Media Blade
- Improve support for “Play Now” calculations with ISP that boost download for the first 20MB of a file
- Improved accuracy of bookmark positions when video player abnormally ends
- Improved accuracy of download progress bar after chapter skipping operations
- Improved auto resizing experience for small (under 100×100) video files
- Improved Bookmark / Resume experience with 60fps Interlaced WMV videos
- Improved bookmark support while progressively downloading videos from Marketplace
- Improved calculations for “Play Now” for Video Marketplace downloads
- Improved deinterlacer support for video playback
- Improved enumeration speed for user-generated video content in Media Blade
- Improved error message support when playing back video files without valid licenses
- Improved error message support when pulling USB drive while playing back video files
- Improved handling for USB memory stick removal while on Video device selection list in Media blade
- Improved handling of video playback when transitioning from 4x FF to Play with MP4 video files
- Improved handling of WMV bookmarks when rewinding and shutting down video player
- Improved info pane timer when playing back DRM’s WMV content from Windows Media Player 11 from Windows PC
- Improved message support for progressive video playback
- Improved overall UI, content descriptions and navigation of Video Library of Media Blade
- Improved performance during Fast Forward to Playback transition when playing back MP4 content
- Improved performance for buffering and playback of streaming videos from Xbox LIVE
- Improved performance for low bandwidth streaming of MP4 videos from Zune PC software v1.0
- Improved performance of skip forward/backward with WMV video files
- Improved performance of trick modes when streaming videos from Zune PC client
- Improved performance of WMV playback for WMV7 & WMV8 encoded video files
- Improved playback experience after extended pauses of video files from Marketplace
- Improved playback experience when resuming from a stopped/paused state
- Improved playback performance for h264 720p .MOV files
- Improved playback performance with 1920×1080 MP4 files
- Improved playback performance with 5Mb h264 encoded video files
- Improved playback performance with 60fps 720×480 MP4 content
- Improved playback performance with h264 files in .m4v containers
- Improved quality for upscaled user videos when played back full screen
- Improved quality of MP4 decoder: Global Motion Compensation and VMX optimizations
- Improved quality of MP4 decoder: improved Interlaced Support
- Improved quality of MP4 decoder: Out of order frame output, bidirectional motion vector handling, etc.
- Improved quality with non-square pixel video files
- Improved responsiveness of trick mode controls for video playback
- Improved robustness during chapter skipping of h264 video files
- Improved robustness for streaming problematic video files from Zune PC Software 1.0 or Windows Media Player 11
- Improved robustness of video player when playback catches up to downloads in progressive playback scenarios
- Improved robustness of video streaming when network congestion / stalls occur
- Improved robustness when closing video player after attempting to play a video file that would not open
- Improved robustness when entering and exiting video playback on a portable device repeatedly
- Improved robustness when exiting video files encoded in h264 and playing back from attached USB HDD
- Improved robustness when playing back Mp4 video with consecutive bad aac samples encoded into it
- Improved robustness when shutting down console during h264 video playback
- Improved robustness when trying to play a video recently moved from MU to HDD or vice versa
- Improved robustness with video player when exiting player via Xbox Guide button -> Y
- Improved support for AAC-LC 2 channel encoded audio in MP4 video files
- Improved support for chapter skipping during progressive downloads of Marketplace Video content
- Improved support for MP4 video files with discontinuous time stamps encoded in
- Improved support for MP4 video playback from burned optical dvd-r’s
- Improved support for resuming downloaded videos after reaching end of an uncompleted download
- Improved support for resuming partially downloaded videos from Marketplace
- Improved support for using Big Button controller during video playback
- Improved support for Video bookmarks when playing MP4 videos from USB portable hard drives
- Improved sync of video display and info pane display when rewinding
- Improved text for Windows Media Center setup instructions
- Improved Trick mode support when streaming videos with AAC embedded audio
- Improved video performance for 60fps interlaced WMV videos
- Improved Video performance with 15Mbs 1080i 24fps WMV video files
- Improved video playback for Fast-forward and immediate exit usage with h264 video files
- Improved video playback of MP4 content from Zune PC Software v1.0
- Improved video playback when source content has incorrect sync samples encoded
- Improved video quality for SD Composite AV pack displays of the on-screen display for video controls
- Improved video support for chapter skipping of MP4 videos
- Improved Videotrick mode support with 24fps 1080i WMV video files
- Improved visual display of WMV video files while rewinding
- Improved WMV Playback performance for 60fps and 1080i 30fps videos
- Improved WMV7 performance with VLC encoded content
- Removed occasional purple flickers in video playback when transitioning between FF and RW
- Removed potential 9 second delay when rewinding WMV video files
System
- Added fade out transition when powering down console
- Added fade out transition when launching games
- Added support for browsing XNA games within the Games blade
- Added support for video playback from UDFS formatted USB devices
- Added support for XNA Game Studio Express V.2
- Added support to connect to Apple Extreme routers in 802.11a/n mode
- Added support to pause background downloads when streaming full screen videos or ads
- Added support to retrieve game thumbnail directly from XNA game package
- Added system wide support for Simplified Chinese language
- Added text to explain flashing LED in the Ring of Light during background download low power mode
- Addressed rare case where game disc would spin in the DVD drive while playing HD-DVD Movie in external HD-DVD drive
- Disable Optical audio output when in low power background download mode
- DVD player no longer converts to YCbCr709 when output is over HDMI
- Improved auto sign-in to Xbox LIVE with Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter
- Improved clock accuracy for S/PDIF optical streams
- Improved compatibility with NEC WR8400N WiFi routers
- Improved download speeds when in low power background download mode
- Improved DVD Tray State notifications immediately after application of System Update
- Improved Forced Aspect Ratio Changes via HDMI output (including DVI)
- Improved handling when ejecting game disc during game start
- Improved handling when removing MU after sending Arcade game recommendation to friend
- Improved localization text for Wifi setup in German
- Improved performance for Game Titles to reboot in backcompat scenarios
- Improved performance of Xbox Guide during Messenger signin
- Improved robustness when ejecting game disc when prompted for game title update
- Improved robustness when inserting two MU’s at the same time on the device selector scene
- Improved support for 3rd Party Controllers
- Improved support for Buffalo WiFi routers
- Improved support for Creston AV receivers with HDMI
- Improved support for JPN Corega CG-BARFX network router
- Improved support for signing into Xbox LIVE with Big Button Controller
- Improved support for starting console with Big Button Controller when console is charging attached Wireless Controllers
- Improved Xbox guide performance ~2x
- Removed “Windows-based PC” from Computers area in Systems blade
- Removed option to “Turn off Controller” when using Big Button Controller
- Resync the Ring of Light pattern to the boot audio/animation
- Updated copyright dates for 2007