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XBox Media Center installed on a modded xbox really is all you need. Plug it into your hub/router/whatever, and with a little bit of config you can get it to run directly off of a samba share from your desktop.

Get the DVD package, and you have remote control access. The thing also plays DVDs (I haven't got XBMC doing DVDs yet, but running the xbox dash to watch it isn't bad) so that's most of your video bases covered.

This will get you started.

This is who made the modchip that I put into my Xbox.

I am using Xbox Media Center for all my media playing needs.

While lacking video capture, I don't miss that too much with tv torrents. Really is a bargain for all its capabilities which are always being added to it.

http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/info_project.htm

and with the upcoming native dvd playback on xbmc i can get rid of my dvd player forever. http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/

Factor in the karma burn for owning (nay, touching) an XBox

hah! another clueless moron who's life hasn't yet been enhanced by XMBC. you gain karma for buying the xbox (costing MS money), then chipping it and never letting MS make a cent from game sales.

I have such a device. It's a modded Xbox with a larger hard drive. Attached via the network to my PC, with larger hard drives still. Running Xbox Media Center, I can watch whatever I feel like, when I feel like it. I'm also archiving some of them to DVD-R as DivX for more compact storage.

amen brother!

http://www.xboxmediacenter.com

cheap and effective with the added bonus of being able to play games too (and linux for all you loonie linus lovers ;-)

and of course if you actually want to download XBMC you will be needing none other than XBINS http://www.xbins.org - the definitive homebrew software archive for XBOX enthusiasts!

just to keep you in the loop once you're interested you also can't go past _the_ modding/homebrew news source http://www.xbox-scene.com

Some corrections for this review of XboxMediaCenter that is worth noting:

(I also sent this bellow in a mail to Patrick Schmid and Achim Roos, the authors of the review but I guess they haven't read it yet?)

love the review but I have some corrections for it, (hope I don't come out all defensive):

correction needed on page 01 section The Xbox Mod as sentence Boosting the Xbox' performance and harnessing its potential largely hinges on a modded processor does not fit in on that section at all, if you are referring to a modchip then it should not mention 'performance' as a modchip has nothing do with performance and also modded processor in the same sentence refers to FriendTech's DreamX but putting here sound like it's the modchip, so think you should move that sentence to the FriendTech section on page 02, or alternatively change the whole sentence to something to Unleashing the power of the Xbox and harnessing its potential largely depends on applying a modchip ;-)

Under the picture of the remote control you say is a must for using the Xbox as a media center which is not true, it's not a requirement as you can fully use XBMC with a gamepad, however we recommend a remote control for ease of use

btw, the DreamX are all already pre-modded so no need to open them up, (on a side-note to page 04 new large 7.200rpm harddrives actually run cooler than Xbox default 8GB drives =P )

Personally would have suggested that under Codecs: Divx, Xvid, WMA And QuickTime add link to full official compatibility list: http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/info_project.htm

On page 08 you say Practically all settings on the XBMC are made via an xml file, that is not true, most used settings are done from GUI under Settings, basically only the 'network' and 'shares' settings is in the XBMC and those many end-users don't even have to touch, not if not stream from network anyway.

Reason for the WebServer right now is for remote control and then not from noteboot/laptop editor but ideally from a WiFi connected PDA (there are different skins available that fit PDA's better), in the future full setting/configuration will be added to the WebServer to so there will won't be a need to edit the XML file in a text editor.

Also, you totaly forgot to mention that one can of course use XBMC on a normal retail Xbox (once modded), it's just that one do get the impression from the beginning of this this specific review that it only works on DreamX boxes =(

Finally motion compensation optimizations for better HDTV playback will prorbebely be added to XBMC v1.1 ;-)

again hope I didn't come out to defensive, if so I apologise =)

When the price dropped, I bought one and modded it out. It makes a wicked little living room all in one media center, once you strip out all the MS crap.

If MS dropped the price to drive the sale of games, it didn't work on me, I've yet to play an acutal game on it!

I suppose I should give some props to xbox linux, too. I had it running debian for a while.

Game consoles are supposed to be simple, turn on - insert disc - play game. Sounds like you might as well just buy a computer.

Personally I've taken the most complicated middle road and put a Mod Chip in my XBox, installed the GPL Xbox Media Centre and stuck it on my mixed system home network, so it can now play an crazy number of media formats.

Game consoles are supposed to be simple, turn on - insert disc - play game. Sounds like you might as well just buy a computer.

Personally I've taken the most complicated middle road and put a Mod Chip in my XBox, installed the GPL Xbox Media Centre and stuck it on my mixed system home network, so it can now play an crazy number of media formats.

I got an Xbox for my birthday. It sat in the box for about a year until I got a mod chip and installed Xbox Media Center. Now I use it every day.

Your looking for the Xbox Media Center, it runs Linux but caters to Windows with a Windows app for streaming video to it.

If you want to wait for Microsoft Announceware, you could get the Windows Media Center Extender for XBOX and use the XBOX to stream video to your TV.

Or install modchip and do it today.

Or get an Xbox and stream video and audio to it using Xbox Media Center. It's cheaper than a SqueezeBox and has a far better UI.

At ~$150 you also could buy an Xbox to play video and music with Xbox Media Center. Cheaper yet.

Streaming MP3s wirelessly is cool. Using this device as a remote control for a video player that still requires a seperate link to move the video to your TV is just lame! For about the same price, I can mod an XBOX with Xbox Media Center that WILL do what this hack attempts to do. (and a WHOLE lot more)

It has great TV-out, an expandable hard disk, a 100 MBit ethernet port, available remote control, and is very rugged and portable. Not to mention the availability of emulators for MAME, PSX, N64, SNES, GameBoy, etc. And of course there's native Xbox games, which can be played right off the hard-disk!

BTW, M$ takes a loss on each one.

I guess it still won't playback DivX, XviD, RealPlayer, Quicktime, OGG/Vorbis, AAC, OGM, Matroska, SRT/VobSub subtitles etc etc etc etc like XBMP and XBMC..

Why don't they give their customers what they obviously want instead?

BTW, No, I didn't read the article, this post is based on my previous experience with Microsoft. :)

Porting things to the Xbox does make it better. I use Xbox Media Center, which is based off both Xine and mplayer. It's great for watching movie rips.

I actually removed GentooX (Xbox Gentoo distro) because I found Xbox Media Center more suited for my Audio/Video needs. It plays almost every movie format, excluding Quicktime, Windows Media 9, and some others. But it 's played every bootleg movie I've ever gotten. Ogg Video, DiVx, Xvid. I'm sure there will be modchips for the PSX.

This has been already done on the Xbox. Aside from playing awesome PS2 games, a modded Xbox can beat the PSX hands down, at 1/4 the price.

And it has a big hard drive
You can add any size IDE drive to a modded Xbox w/ one of the more recent modchip Bios', 120gb with an older Bios

a network port
Xbox has an nForce chipset. Networked by default.

Divx/OGG from LAN
Already done.

games from LAN
Get PSOne, PS2, and Xbox games from Sharereactor (and Roms).

DVD ripping to HD
Use Dvd2Xbox to rip games.

streaming video via VLC type app
Again, use XBMC

My Xbox has a "Trusted Computing"-style BIOS and OS (the dashboard). That didn't stop me from modding it and being able to play videos/photos with Xbox Media Center, a kind of homebrew version of XP Media Center Edition for Xbox. Yes, I know the Xbox is a poor example because it's a homogeneous platform. But as long as there is demand for non-TCP motherboards, manufacturers will build boards without DRM. And as far as I'm concerned, the whole idea of TCP becoming mandatory by law is BS. Yes, the assbags in Washington could pass a bill like the DMCA for DRM-loving corps, but has the DMCA really stopped the spread of DeCSS or the Diebold memos?

So I can't watch DVD's in my Mandrake box? Or in my Xbox Media Center (should I decide to build one)

Oh my! What should I do about all these awful copies of DeCSS all over the Internet?

Um, so sorry, but no one is going to tell me what I can or can not do with property that I posess. It's mine, I paid for it, I traded CASH for property. I buy property, I don't license it. Licenses are invalid and un-enforceable anyway, just ask SCO. I'll take any and everything apart I own and study it and tell people about it as I see fit.

I always have and I always will.
When I was 5 years old a kid game me a 9 transistor pocket radio circa 1966 that was broken. I fixed it by taking other radios apart and seeing how they were put together.

This DMCA is bullshit designed to keep the elite few at the top in total control.
It stiffles innovation and creativity.
A hell of a lot of inventions were the spawn of someone trying to improve upon an existing design. You stop people from doing that and you are killing progress.

DMCA is a draconian and oppressive tool that keeps the rich, rich and the dumb, dumb.

It's all about the almighty dollar. Greed makes the world go around..