Category: Xbox Tip of the Week

This one is surprisingly simple, but you’d be surprised how many people look right past it or can’t find it. And you would be even more surprised how little information there is on this one online – no YouTube videos, no step-by-step instructions on Support.Xbox.com, nothing! So, if you, like many, still have a few HD DVD’s laying around and want to watch them some time, Microsoft hasn’t taken away your ability to do that.

Simply get to the main dashboard, then use the right bumper to get to the Video menu. Once there, select “My Video Apps.” In there, as long as you have the drive connected, you should see HD-DVD as a menu item. With a disc in, select the the large, green “HD DVD” tile, and the movie will immediately begin playing. Enjoy!

I think by now a lot of people still know the benefits of Xbox Live Gold over Silver accounts… the biggest of which involves actually playing games online! But what are some others? Here’s a quick run down of some of the features you only get by going gold:

• Unlimited online multiplayer
• Access to Instant Watch apps like Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, UFC, and ESPN
• Exclusive deal-priced downloads of Games on Demand, Xbox Live Arcade, DLC, and even movies and music
• Early and exclusive access to game previews and demos
• Access to music apps like Last.FM and iHeartRadio
• Voice and video chat with Xbox Live Vision Camera or Kinect

There are loads of other benefits to going gold, so why don’t you follow the steps in the video above to sign up for Gold? If, for some reason the video changes down the road or doesn’t want to play, I won’t leave you hanging! You can always upgrade your silver account to a Gold account by visiting the Xbox.com Manage Subscription page.

With more an more access to digital game codes to download games, redeem points, or get DLC from Xbox Live – you need to know how to redeem those codes to get your goods! Well, luckily for all of us, it’s not too hard at all. This week’s Xbox Tip of the Week will show you how it’s done.

Microsoft makes it very easy to log in to your Windows Live ID and enter your code on their website at https://live.xbox.com/redeemtoken, but if the computer is all tied up by someone else and you’re on the Xbox, you can enter your code as well. Microsoft has made it simple to enter codes from the guide! Once you’re signed in to the Xbox 360 under your own gamertag, and signed in to Xbox Live, do this:

1. Press the guide button on the controller (the Xbox Logo button)
2. Press the left bumper to get to the Marketplace blade
3. Press down, then “A” to select Redeem Code
4. Enter the 5×5 (5 by 5, 5 sets of 5 characters each, the 25 character code) (the dashes will fill in automatically) and press the Start button on the controller.
5. It will show you what you are redeeming a code for – press “A” to Confirm

And you’re all set! Of course, Supprt.Xbox.com will also always tell you how to redeem Xbox Live codes.

This Xbox tip of the week is a handy one, and surprisingly little known!

Last weekend I was on the road and stayed with a friend. I realized I hadn’t brought along my cell phone charger, but not to worry! Since the majority of phones use a Micro USB cable these days, I found a spare cable of just such size, connected one end to my cell phone and plugged the other end in to one of the USB ports on the front of my buddy’s Xbox 360. Just a few seconds later, even with the console off, the charging indicator light on my cell phone lit up! Crisis averted. Hopefully this one helps you out, some day.