XBOX 360 now trumps Apple TV!

In the latest dashboard update, Microsoft has improved the 360's video playback capabilities.  So how does it compare to the Apple TV? according to a series of test's that engadget has performed, it appears that the 360 is the clear winner:

Technically speaking the Xbox 360 now officially beats out the Apple TV in the digital video arena, both in resolution and bitrate. (At best the ATV only does up to 720p at 5Mbps, while the Xbox does 1080p up to 10Mbps; neither supports higher than stereo audio.) In other words, if you're an Xbox owner thinking about an Apple TV for playing back video in your living room, you might want to think again.

The following is a list of what engadget tested:

Microsoft added

• H.264 video support: Up to 10Mbps peak, Baseline, Main, and High profiles with 2 channel AAC LC.
• Added MPEG-4 Part 2 video support: Up to 5Mbps peak, Simple Profile with 2 channel AAC LC.
• PlaysForSure (did not test)

Tested, worked

• H.264 / 720p, MPEG-4 container, AAC stereo 48kHz, ~1.1MBps
• H.264 / 1080p, MPEG-4 container, AAC stereo 48kHz, ~5.5MBps
• MPEG-4 / 720p, AAC stereo 48kHz, ~1.1MBps
• MPEG-4 / EDTV, AAC stereo 44.1kHz, ~1.5MBps

Tested, didn't work

• MPEG-4 / 720p, QuickTime container (.mov), AAC 5.1 48kHz, ~6MBps
• H.264 / 1080p, QuickTime container (.mov), AAC 5.1 48kHz, ~9.8MBps