My dlink dsm320 supports mpeg, avi, and xvid. Just wondering what the difference between the different formats are, and what you guys are recommending. I plan on ripping my dvds (im currently using dvd decryptor and dvd shirnk) to my hard drive so I can use the dlink in 1 room and my xbox in another for playback from my computer. Also I have a TV tuner (hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2) which saves my TV shows as an mpeg, should I leave this as is or should I convert them as well.

Google the various formats and you should find articles comparing and/or extolling the virtues of each.

Hi,
Good question about which format to use.
http://www.deliveryourmedia.com/article-basic-formats.html
The above link is only one of many on the web, explaining the differences between the various formats. If you wish to view it, on the left will be links to explanations of the various color ratios, quality, etc.
My own experience is limited to Windows Media Player, and I am sure others here will be able to give you some more insight.
I do wish you the best.

I'm sorry but that web site didn't really give me what I was looking for. I can't believe there aren't others out there on this board that aren't doing this same thing? Maybe with different hardware, but still something similar

Did you try googling as was suggested? Im sure there are many sites that compare formats.

I don't know enuf about XBox to know whether you can use it to stream video to a TV from a hard drive. I do kinow that several people sell media extenders (including D-Link and Linksys) that can be hooked into a network and connected to a TV to allow you to view content on a PC on the TV.