Optional Media Update tied to Live account = ridiculous

[cncb]

What is Microsoft thinking with pairing the Optional Media Update to a Live account? I returned a previous console due to a loud power supply but before I did I removed my Live account and wiped the drive. On the new console I have downloaded the update but now I am required to log in to my Live account every time before I can play files that require the update presumably since that account+update is still tied to the previous console. On the previous console I was able to play the files that use the Media Update without being logged in. So, now if our internet is down we won't be able to watch some MP4 files? Why on earth is this not treated properly like a "system update"? How stupid.

[STC]

Because clues they have are none.

2c.

[holidayboy]

I remember somebody posting about a sort of workaround I think:

If you delete the update, sign up for a new silver live account and then download the media update using it, you should be able to playback files when offline?

[shoffert]

I'm pretty sure you have to be signed in to your local machine, but you don't have to be logged into xbox live.

[cncb]

If you delete the update, sign up for a new silver live account and then download the media update using it, you should be able to playback files when offline?

That's what I did before with the previous console but it is pretty silly to have to create extra bogus silver accounts for this purpose. If they are going to inexplicably tie this update to your Live account then there should be a way to "unpair" the update+account from the console.

[cncb]

I'm pretty sure you have to be signed in to your local machine, but you don't have to be logged into xbox live.

Do you mean if there is no internet connection the update will still be functional?

[shoffert]

Do you mean if there is no internet connection the update will still be functional?

That's my understanding. I've never personally tested it. But you should be able to just log in locally without internet (once the account has been set up). That was one of the things the xbox one wasn't going to let you do and everyone made a stink about it, so Microsoft backed off that requirement.

I'm not quite sure how you're going to keep your tv guide up to date without internet.

The only time I've had trouble with the media update is when my wife would sign in under the same account on another xbox in the house. Then if I can't sign in, it won't play that content. So I just made another basic account for the one xbox and I don''t have conflicts anymore.

[blueiedgod]

I don't think you need internet connection for the update to work, but you have to be logged in as the xbox user who installed the update for it to work. If you have multiple XBOXes on at the same time, you would need to create multiple accounts, with multiple Live Silver accounts to install the update, and then you can log out of the silver account.

[cncb]

Last night, for some reason my XBox thought my internet connection was out even though it was not. In any case, when I went to play an MP4 video it wouldn't let me claiming that I needed to install the Optional Media Update! So, it does appear that some of my local videos are not playable without an internet connection. Wow, how stupid...

[walshy002000]

You should be able to play MPEG4 without installing the optional update providing you're signed into Live. Optional should work offline. For my new 360Es I got at Xmas, the one I set up at Xmas works fine with the update, the other one I tried setting up this week, no luck. Not sure if something isn't working on the live side or what. At one point even with it installed and logged into live, it still prompted me to install it, but the download button was disabled.

Not sure if there are issues with the 2008 vs 2011 updates. The 2008 doesn't even show a download button for me :/

[Kaptain]

Can anyone confirm that they can play an MP4 video with their xbox 360 offline with or without the optional media update? All 3 of my 360's have the update and are logged into live (silver) if I block access to live with my router I cant watch movies. I am just wondering if I have something setup wrong or maybe I should change something.

[IownFIVEechos]

Can anyone confirm that they can play an MP4 video with their xbox 360 offline with or without the optional media update? All 3 of my 360's have the update and are logged into live (silver) if I block access to live with my router I cant watch movies. I am just wondering if I have something setup wrong or maybe I should change something.

I can do it. But what I did was create separate accounts. You do not want an account linked to each one otherwise you get the effect that you described. I would factory reset each xbox and then create separate accounts and log them on one at a time. Hope that helps.

Edit: Each download of the optional media pack needs to be associated with a different account, they tag it somehow and so if that account is not online and you downloaded it to a second xbox, that xbox will always need to be logged in as the original user that got the file first. One of your xbox's should be okay (the original installed one). That should have the embedded information stored locally.