How to share files to Xbox 360 without Windows Media Player or 3rd Party Apps

So I did find a way to get this to work without using Windows Media Player (WMP)... however it uses the same Libraries as WMP. If you open "Computer" (aka My Computer), Music, Pictures, ect.. or any folder really... You will notice that there is a "Libraries" folder in which Documents, Music, Pictures, and Vidoes is listed.. this is the same Libraries that WMP uses will you add the its libraries. Right click on any of the above mentioned sub folders in the Libraries folder and select "Properties." In the properties dialog you will find a button that says "Include a folder...," this is where you can select any folder on any drive and the contents of that folder will be shared with Xbox 360, provided that you have allowed it access to your computer via the Network and Sharing Center.

The only catch to this method (because there always is something) is that if you add or delete files in that folder which you added to the Libraries, it seems the library will not be updated with those changes. But if you access that folder via the Lbraries (as you can see all the files from that folder there) and then you add, delete or edit files, those changes are updated. So as long as you always remember to do everything from within the Libraries folder, you should be fine.

This is better than having to open WMP everytime but still seems like I should just be able to share a folder and update files in that folder and have the Xbox access it... but hey its good enough for now. WMP needs some serious help (in my opinion).. wish I could get WMP 11 back on Win7, 12 seems to be missing a lot of features that use to be there.

I use my xbox 360 to watch video content streamed from my PC pretty much every night through a permanent network connection to the xbox. You do not need Media Player or any other 3rd party media app to stream videos IF THEY ARE THE RIGHT FORMAT FOR AN XBOX, you just need the PC set up to stream videos, switched on, and networked to the xbox

It is simple and straight forward, and depending on the content there are two methods I use:

1) As Etzel42 has described - in Windows 7's Control Panel > Network and Sharing Centre, go to Advanced Sharing > Media Streaming, select "Chose media streaming options...". If the Xbox 360 is switched on and set up on the same (Local) network as the PC it will be displayed here but set to "Blocked". Just change it to "Allowed" and click ok. (If you don't see the Xbox 360 listed here then the Xbox and PC can't see each other on the network. You have to sort this out before anything else.) 

Once media streaming is running, the video folders you want to share with the Xbox must be added to the video library. This can be done through going to Computer, Right click on the "Videos" library, go to "Properties" then include the video folder(s) you want to share. As a double check that all the video files are available to the Xbox, open Media Player and see if it can see all the files/folders you've added. Close Media Player now, you don't need it running to watch videos on the xbox

Now go to the Xbox, go to the Dashboard, to My Xbox and to Video Library. You should see your PC's name as a selection. Open it then open the folders you added to the PCs video libraries and again, if the media files are the correct format to play on the Xbox, watch away!

2) Set up Windows Media Centre and set up the Xbox extender, then run Media centre on the Xbox This will allow you to play any kind of media format on the Xbox that you can play on the PC. This is great for playing the formats that the Xbox can't natively open because it's too damn fussy.

In both methods you do not need any app to be running on the PC. You only need it to be switched on and available to the Xbox via the network. The Xbox will do the rest. In fact one cool feature of the Media Centre on the Xbox 360 is if your PC is on standby (Sleep), Media Centre will wake the PC up.