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XBMC

On the software side...how about exploitable buffer overflows on the Xbox ...

Which has led to the creation of an incredible piece of software: XBMC

I'm trying my best not to sound like a Microsoft hater, but the summary/article makes it sound like Microsoft embraces the hacking community with open arms. In the article, reference is made to XNA, which is a framework Microsoft released that allows developers to create games for Windows and the Xbox 360. However, in order to develop for the 360, you need to pay to subscribe to their "XNA Creators Club". XNA also comes with a bunch of restrictions pertaining to the distribution of games created with it.

I don't really see this as "hacking" compared to all the independent work that's been done on the original Xbox. There, you see things like Xbox Media Center, which is something I would consider a cool and useful hack, made by a community of like-minded hobbyists.

The Tivo part of the article was a much better example of the power of the hacking community.

Used XBOX: $80
XBOX Mod Chip: $50
XBOX high-def AV pack: $5
XBOX Media Center: Free.

Besting Apple's brand-spankin'-new media center on 5 year-old technology:
Priceless.

I pretty much came to the same conclusions as to what I think Microsoft should do, but I'm not sure if that's what they will do. It may not be the same, but there's the whole Xbox Media Center thing that Microsoft has not taken advantage of. I have this app installed on my softmodded Xbox.

As one legend goes, somebody showed XBMC to Bill Gates, and he said "Why the hell don't we have anything like this?" (Although this is probably closer to reality.) It would be super simple to make an app like this for the Xbox360, but none has appeared. Instead, Microsoft tries to leverage XP Media Center and hardware addons to the Xbox360. This is bullshit. Give me a simple app, loaded with codecs, with the ability to connect to a Windows/Samba share. That's it. Many are already connected to a network for Live and we don't need a computer to "stream" from; just a slow computer with enough disk space and I/O. Microsoft doesn't seem to realize just how close it could come to being the central hub of the living room if they offered this. I would be getting an Xbox360 in a heartbeat, but instead, I'm looking for another used Xbox for the living room and debating over getting a Wii.

But what could their reasons possibly be? Most likely extraordinary pressure from the MPAA-like organizations that want to make sure DRM is included and all sorts of fail-safes are there to ensure the continuation of their business model, so Microsoft instead . Their XNA studio ultimately may come to pass in a similar fashion, although there are differences. Microsoft does not want to upset the traditional publishers into abandoning its console when the players suddenly choose a $10 downloadable game from Live Arcade, which may offer the better gameplay per buck over a $60 store bought game.

In the end, it comes down to risks. Microsoft could easily create (or hire someone to create) an exact XBMC work-alike for the Xbox360. Would more people buy the Xbox360? Probably. But will enough people buy the XBMC clone (and indirectly, additional games/content) to make up for lost revenue in other areas? My guess is "yes", but Microsoft may not want to risk royally pissing off media companies with such a figurative middle finger. We all see how they are trying to appease them with the associated Zune actions.

That said, I think Microsoft does see the potential here with the homebrew community for themselves and the consumer and I hope they decide to take the risks to bring such choices to the their customers.

The single, solitary, lone reason I own an XBOX is for XBOX Media Center. Nothing else comes close to the TiVo-like integration and Firefox-like expandability.

Unfortunately, the built-in 733Mhz. processor is the limiting factor. Friendtech used to sell a 1.4Ghz. Celeron upgrade, but they don't offer it any longer (if anyone has one of these systems, by the way, I'd be happy to buy it off you). At this point, the XBMC developers are looking at ways to use the onboard GPU to do some of the calculations and take all the heat off the CPU, but this is like looking for breadcrumbs when right next door is a fully stocked kitchen pantry (XBOX 360 or PS3). Instead of wasting time developing for a platform that's basically a dead-end, they could be working on a system that will be able to handle HD content by design.

Would developers have to port MPLAYER to C# in order for this to work? It sounds like the PS3 is a lost cause until someone can whip up some Linux drivers for the graphics system. Does Microsoft have similar restrictions to the hardware?

Get a used XBox, put XBox Media Center on it, and then get back to me if your PS2 is still "the center of all your AV stuff". I haven't turned on my PS2 for months, but I don't really play video games anymore. Both the XBox and PS2 have decent games.

Of course, the average consumer probably won't use XBMC, and the PS2 is a great system. I remember years ago when an acquaintance of mine bought a Dreamcast for his kids instead of a new XBox or PS2. His reasoning was that it was inexpensive and there were still decent games for it. I imagine people now are doing much the same thing, but with the PS2, there are even more games, functionality, and potential with the system.

Obviously, there are consumers that just don't see the reasons for a "next-gen" system right now.

What jurisdiction does the FCC have over the internet?

If users are not tech savvy enough to use Firefox & Permit Cookies, then they get exactly as much protection as they deserve. Cookies aren't the problem, stupid users are.

Here's where I go slightly off topic. Stop reading if you want.

I accept that advertisers are scum and will do whatever they can to make money off of me, so I fight back. I use Firefox, Permit Cookies, Flashblock, Adblock Plus, and Filterset.G Updater.

I no longer have cable (tv) - the only things I watch are things I downloaded and then put on my XBox with XBMC. I'm happy to say that commercials are no longer a part of my life! After shutting off cable for a while I can't stand to watch the TV in the break room or a friend's house because there are so many commercials. You don't realize just how many there are until you stop seeing them for a while. Try it! I do not subscribe to any advertisement packets calling themselves magazines. I use Gmail almost exclusively for personal mail and it's spam filters are pretty good.

I recommend trying all of the above.

http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/ - You mean like this?

...for people to circumvent a piece of hardware's embedded security system in order to run pirated copies of software?

The software isn't good enough to pirate. Some of us just want to eventually run Linux (et al) on it and/or write some homebrew games.

There are more uses for mods than pirating games. I have my old Xbox (v1.0) mod'd, but it acts only as a media center running XBMC.

This has much less functionality than xbox media center (http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/) and is nowhere even remotely CLOSE to throwing mythtv on one of your obsolete computers. And seriously guys, releasing a DVR in 2006 without HD? Just lame.

I realize bashing MS around here scores you points, but please be knowledgeable before you try to bash them.

http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/

For people with a modded Xbox, other than lacking TV tuner support it's a pretty full featured system.

I should mention, XBMC = XboxMediaCenter. An open-source app for the XBox.

http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/

That's probably because we're talking about two different media center programs. I didn't even know MS made a media extender for the original XBox until today. I'm surprised the offical MS media extender makes you run the software from the CD. I'd figured MS would have the program would update the dashboard to enhance its functionality.

Anyway, I thought you were talking XBox Media Center or some homebrew app for modded XBoxes. XBMC is pretty much the standard for media playing programs on the XBox. It supports most common video/audio/picture formats(more than the XBox360 supports), allows python scripting to allow internet audio/video functionality(among other things), runs a FTP/HTTP for remote access, plus other little goodies. In my mind, it's much more useful than what the XBox360 is capable of when it comes to media center capabilities.

Seriously, it's probably the simplest, cheapest route to go. You can get an XBOX for a hundred bucks. A modchip for another fifty. That's all you need. Download the latest version of XBOX Media Center (screen 1, screen 2, screen 3) and configure it for your network (a couple lines in an XML file).

It couldn't be easier.

This won't record video, which is the real reason for using MythTV, but if you just want to watch networked videos/listen to music/play old games (see also: MAMEox), this is the way to go. If you look carefull at those screenshots, you'll notice that XBMC integrates perfectly with IMDB (for reviews & details) and Amazon (album art, tracks, etc.)

it may be offtopic, but in europe xbox1 gets modded a lot. And IMHO it's about 5% modding it for playing "pirated games".

Again: In general you mod xbox'es _not_ for playing pirated games.

You mod it for this:
http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/

and for this

http://www.xbox-emulation.co.uk/

"I can put anything I can get from the internet on to the ipod video and watch it on my telly in my living room."

Alternatively, for half the price of the 30Gb iPod, you could get a chipped Xbox with Xbox Media Center, and have effectively the same setup, except streaming video straight from your PC to the Xbox, rather than having to copy it to the iPod, then connect it to the TV each time. Not as portable, true, but a lot more convenient for general home use IMO.

The XBMC guys just recently (past couple months) added the incredible Milkdrop viz.

It's one of the best vizes ever! If you don't like it, you can choose from 10 others.

If it was only made opensource recently, how was it released for the Xbox Media Center a couple months back?

I currently have the Qcast player sold by GameShark (not bad for $8, I think the shipping was free even). Unfortunately the PS2 does not have enough juice to decode HDTV files ganked from the net, but it does support DivX.

However XBMC looks promising, since it's OSS it's extensible and supports a lot of stuff. I may have to spring for a used x-box so I can play Dr. Who on my TV and not have it be choppy.

I'm not so sure it is the cheapest solution, but it sure is the most flexible!

An xbox coupled with xbmc (xbox media center) is the shizznizzle!

URL: http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/

(I just _know_ that any geek thats used xbmc will concur)

There are plenty of LCD's available for $200 now. Granted, that definitely won't work in the living room, and may or may not work in the bedroom, but it'll definitely work in the bathroom, kitchen, and computer room anyway.

In terms of what current hardware can and can't do, please read this. XBox, with a 733Mhz Intel Pentium-III, can decode and upscale to 1080i lots of stuff with no problem. However, it can't decode full-bandwidth (eg. 19 - 25 mbps) 720p or 1080i video. If you want to make sure you don't run into some video streams in the future that are too dense for your hardware, you simply want to get XBox2-era hardware.

Wow. Although some of us have had this for like two years already :-)

An XBOX as entertainment centre can be done today using the XBOX Media Centre. It can play pictures, movies, music, start games, XLink access, karaoke, manage your hard drive. As far as I know, It cannot yet function as DVR.

If this is what you want, you can do this today with $200.

When XBOX 360 comes out, check to see if the XBMC is good enough for what you need before paying $500-$800 (guesstimate). I would also wait to see what GameCube 2.0 and PlayStation 3 have to offer before buying an XBOX 360.

If you are a pirate. You have to use XLink to play games because XBOX Live detects modded xboxes. Currently, on PS2, there is no Play Station Live. Every company has its own servers, and they are not as draconian.

Use Xbox Media Center. It lets you aggregate all of the content from all over your LAN using SMB and view it on your tv. You can even view it in HD if you have the advanced HD pack for your tv and your TV supports HD.

This is what I do, and I download all of the CSI HD rips and other HD rips and watch them in pefect hd progressive scan on my 97" projected image.

Needless to say, DVDs look perfect from it too. I can't imagine having an xbox without modding it and using xbox media center. I have one for the livingroom and one for my small 27" in my bedroom, all on the lan, all having the same content available to them.

"as a crude media player"

Maybe you should take a look at XBMC (Xbox Media Center) before you dimiss it as crude. It's one of the slickest homebrew applications I've ever used and works great for video, audio and image playback. No, it's not a PVR/DVR but it beats the pants off of commercial hardware media streamers.

To be frank, both the Xbox and the Mac Mini can make great media boxes. They both have different benefits as well.
To address the parent:

1. Xbox noise: I haven't noticed it to be noisy at all. Even with the additional fan a added to help cool the upgraded drive it is still quiet.

2. Both Xbox and Mac Mini video cards are decent for a media box. Both can be output to HDTV. The Xbox can also output 480p and 1080p to VGA monitors with a special cable.

3. The Xbox requires some hacking to get it to become a media pc. This may either be considered a pain in the ass, or fun depending on your view. The modchip solder job is not all that complex (say compared to a PS2). There is no option for video recording on an Xbox this can be a down side. The Xbox has a remote as well.

Since we all no the Mac Mini's benefits - what can you do with an Xbox?
You can swap in a large hard drive (I went with a 160GB, you can go higher) for media storage.
Install Xbox Media Center (XBMC) which gives you:

audio playback (I'm not sure what codecs, MP3 of course)
video playback (DVD, MPG, DIVX, XVID, Quicktime etc.)
picture viewer
Internet streaming audio support
The current weather report
Streams all media types off of Samba shares on the network if you don't want to put them on the local Xbox hard drive.

XBMC is a slick menu driven application which is very simple to use while sitting on the couch. In depth configuration is accomplished through easy to edit XML files. It is also skinnable, so you can make the interface match your living room decor. It integrates all of your media access into one nice program.

If you want more information check out:
www.xboxmediacenter.de

So what else do you get with a modded Xbox? Well, the big thing is games. There are emulators for just about every old console and computer system available for Xbox. So if playing Atari's Adventure or Super Mario Brothers on your big old HDTV sounds good - this is the way to go. Plus you get to play Robotron with two joysticks just like back in the arcade. All of the emulators work nicely with the standard controllers - so there is no question of while my controller work properly with this emulator (as occurs int the PC world).
If you are interested in seeing what kind of Emulation is available for the Xbox check out:

Xport

The Xbox itself has a huge library of games which you can still play on your modified Xbox. Xbox live might be iffy though.

You can of course also install a full blown Linux installation on the Xbox if you like (as you can on the Mac although you hardly need to).
For information about Xbox Linux check out:

Xbox Linux

How much does this all cost?
$150 Xbox unit
$30-$70 Mod chip
$100-$150 Hard drive
You figure on spending about $300 or so for the modded setup.

One thing should be mentioned. Modding the Xbox is illegal, using emulators is pretty iffy too and certainly against copyright law if you don't own the ROMs etc. Most Xbox applications are illegal as they are built with Microsoft's SDK but are not licensed from Microsoft. You can't even download the apps off of a web page. You need to go to the super secret (not really) IRC channel to get the super-secret (not really) access to get the files.

So Mac Mini vs. Xbox? If you like hacking around, don't mind the legality issue, are comfortable with using FTP and whacking XML config files, have a strong interest in gaming (both current and historical) and don't need DVR functionality, the Xbox is a really fun and extremely hackable little computer.

Myself, I think I want both of them.

Wired or wireless shouldn't make any difference, as you can use a wireless to ethernet bridge for any "wired" device. I had my house built within the past year, and made sure every room was wired. Here is what I used to get music to every room:
xbox media center Optical out, lots of other options.
Rio receiver running yarrs I have been using this for years, just a small device to play mp3's off of the network. You can hook speakers up to it directly or just use it as a component.
qcast lets you stream mp3's to your playstation 2. Not as useful or functional as the xbox media center.
netjuke this let's me stream music to any other computer in a nice and tidy web interface.

you can also go with a squeezebox but I have no experience with it. The rio is much less expensive.

I know there is Xbox Media Center http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/ but i'd like to have something (easier for me) in Python like this to work on and not something depending on the copyrighted Xbox library... Linux can run on an Xbox, can Freevo too ?

XBMC

If you want an inexpensive set top box for playing DVDs, Xvids, Mp3s, and even games, you are better off getting an Xbox for $99 to $150 and doing a software hack on it (no mod chip needed). Then run Xbox Media Center, which is free and open software. The Mac has no equivalent to XBMC. You can use a remote control to easily browse movies and music that you are sharing and streaming over home's wifi network, and it also supports web radio!

With the Mac Mini you will pay nearly 5 times as much money, and then you will have to find a piece of software that is similar to XBMC. Considering that XBMC is based on mplayer, there is a chance that it could be ported to the Mac... but why wait? Save yourself some money and hack an Xbox.

Of course, if you want to do something other than set top movies, music, and games... choose something other than an Xbox. You know, its all about the right tool for the right job. Don't kid yourself, the Xbox is the king of set top boxes, assuming you hack it, of course :)

I modded my xbox with a sodderless chip (Spider), bought a remote control, and installed XB Media Center.

Now I can play all of the movies (almost any format), mp3s, and images (slideshows with Ric Burns effects), all on my TV over my LAN (shared via SMB). All with a SLICK interface.

This is a real killer app. All told, under $200. (I hear that MS sells the Xbox as a loss-leader, profits come from game licensing.)

If you decide to do this too (which I STRONGLY recommend), you'll find literally thousands of others trying to do the hacks as you work your way through it. It's a bit of a pain to get compiled binaries of the software, and you'll wonder just how clandestine an act it all is.

In fact, the whole process has an underground, illegal feel to it. When you show your non-techie friends what you've done, they're strangely unimpressed, seeing the results as completely logical and mundane, not a leap in technology. They'll slightly mock your tales of illegality as well, thinking that you're overstating the case (how could something like this be illegal?).

The Xbox2 will no doubt, have media-playing powers, and it will be easier to set up than the Spider/XBMC. But it will come at the price of not letting you play certain files, and/or not letting you use non MS servers, and/or making you watch various ads...

Er, well you forgot the main reasons people like the Mac Mini: small size and the svelte, elegant design of the hardware, software, and GUI.

X-Boxes aren't small?

And I'll humbly offer up this interface to kick the pants out of any interface you can find for an OSX media machine. Remember, we're talking about media systems here. Readability and simplicity in user interface is key.

Microsoft never could figure those parts out.

As if this was a Microsoft vs. Apple issue. The guys that coded the link above have it running off of a Linux distro.

That's the crazy part about Apple fanatics: they fail to realize that people who don't agree with them aren't by default Microsoft fanatics. If I could have OSX running on my AMD system, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately this would kill Apple.

also, let's not forget the relative big success of the opensource software xbox media center http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/

• Home of all xbox knowledge: XBox Scene
  
• Being a cheapass, I use cheap modchips. You can get an Aladdin XT for $11 from RobotPig. They're in the UK but they ship quickly worldwide. Good shop and cheap! The $60 modchips come with loads of neat but ultimately entirely useless features.
  
• If you're scared of a soldering iron, here's a solderless solution for all versions of the xbox: The Spiderchip. I've never used one of these things and I've never purchased anything from this shop so take this as a suggestion and not a recommendation.
  
• Here's a great introduction to softmods. Again, despite what all the softmoddie guys say a chip will always be a better solution.
  
• If you buy a new XBox, you'll be getting a 1.6 version and your modding options are somewhat limited. You're voiding the warranty anyway so you might as well pick up a used box. Here's how to tell which version XBox you're getting. Print it out and take it to the shop with you.
  
• All versions of the XBox except the 1.6 can be TSOP flashed, which is just write enabling the onboard BIOS flashrom and flashing a mod bios to it. Cheap, relatively easy, and every bit as good as a chip. The only drawback to a TSOP flash is that you can't easily disable it unless you have a 1.0 or 1.1 XBox. Here is a pretty complete guide to TSOP flashing.
  
• Here is the homepage for XBMC. They're hosted on sourceforge, so you can checkout the CVS and compile your own copy if you have VS.NET 2003 and a copy of the latest XDK.

But let`s be honest. 99% of modded Xbox and PS1/2 serve a lone purpose : playing games without paying for them.

Honestly...I don't know why someone would waste their perfectly good modded xbox playing games (pirated or otherwise) when they could use it to run XBMC 99% of the time.

Zilch.

Let me tell you something, XBMC is perhaps the best program an XBox can run, seriously, I hardly play games at all, and I even own them.

XMBC is without doubt one of the most userfriendly useful programs I have ever seen, my father can use it, and that is saying a lot. I bought an Xbox for the express purpose of letting him watch movies and play music whenever he wanted.

Couple that with inbuilt Xlink Kai functionality and there is no need to pay for Live anymore. If you haven't already I suggest you try it.

I modded my xbox with just the X3 chip, not a hard-drive, and installed Xbox Media Center on it so i can access all my (legal) music on my network.

Now, after a year of my xbox gathering dust, i'm finally getting some use out of its digital audio outputs and decent graphics capabilities. i have no intention of copying xbox games and it's not because they all pretty much suck. (ok i heard halo2 was ok but for xbox live only). it's possible that i'm in the minority here, but i doubt it. in fact, i'm going to buy another xbox on ebay to mod so i can add music to another room.

I hear the new Xbox won't have a harddrive in it and will be much harder to mod. in that case i won't be buying one becuase the games would have to be unbelievable - which, they won't be. i'll be getting the PS3...

By the way, you can make XBMC be the default program when you boot the Xbox, if thats all you want to use your console for.

You can still use your XBox to play games if you use XBMC as your dashboard. All you have to do is modify your xboxmediacenter.xml file, which can be found on the C: drive, to point to your games. You can rename all of the links on screen in XBMC to say what you want, and also (obviously) modify where they point. There is also a "default" tag for each section which will tell XBMC what to load first when you select each menu item.

As for getting the files, as another poster mentioned, use the #xbins on efnet --> xbins method. That way, you will should always be able to trust the source.

non-Microsoft? If that weren't a requirement use a modded X-box for $150+mod, and XBMC (X-box Media Center) http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/ which is quite slick.

Inside Akimbo one can find a 733 MHz Celeron, 64 MB of SDRAM, 80 GB hard drive and Windows CE.

Sounds an awful lot like my XBox.. but with a smaller HDD.. and no MS software!

http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/

Yes, MS centric as well, but with a twist that Slashdot readers seem to relish.

Damn, I thought it was actually going to add some sort of TV tuner to the xbox. This addition is basically what XBMCalready does and has done for over a year now.

Cool, now maybe some tivo functionality can be added to XBMC

A $150 soft-modded XBox pre-installed with the more capable XBox Media Center, and a $100 gift certificate with the money left over? :)

--

+ DVD kit

+ Modchip

+ Large HDD

+ Xbox Media Center

= Cheap, quick booting media PC

Gives the ability to play pretty much any type of media, can read media file from HDD or across a network.

Plays video as well as audio, can also play shoutcast streams.

This player will play almost any format you can throw at it, and in addition, will play/record shoutcast streams, can connect to SMB/Samba servers, and various other networked devices for streamed media. Hell, it even gives you a weather forecast at the click of a button, and the ability to check the IMDB database about a movie before you view it. Also you can use sync correction for any files that are slightly out of sync. All of these things are just off the top of my head, but there are many more such as HDTV support, etc. And all you need to do is add a on/off switch to the modchip and you can play any xbox games, including on Xbox Live.

To answer your question about larger harddrives, the xbox can handle any size hard drive you want to throw at it. It was once limited to 137GB but this has since been corrected in the newer bioses.

Other good resources for information: http://xbox-scene.com/ http://www.xbox-linux.org/

Now please clean up your mess ;)

DD

There exists some piece of software that would make you happy. And the base skin looks pretty like WinXP Media Center, I think...

That why I want to turn my XBox into a Xbox Media Center :D

Mod an Xbox!
Get Xbox Media Center!

???

Profit!