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The XBox as the Home Entertainment Media Hub
bigcitymike writes "Well it might be vaporware, but it appears Dreamix is trying to turn the Xbox into a PVR with a TV guide like scheduler. They also state PC as well as Mac/Linux support down the road. " Project Dreamix will turn the Microsoft Xbox into the ultimate home entertainment center."
I presume it requires a mod-chip installed." The xbox media player really goes a long way towards this goal already. MSFT may not be the friendliest of companies, but for $200, the x-box makes a helluva stereo component.
You can bet that if Dreamix can introduce Mac/Linux support for the XBox that microsoft will find a way to break that support--either through software or lawyers
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Overview
Project Dreamix will turn the Microsoft Xbox into the ultimate home entertainment center. Right now we are in the alpha phase of course, but below is what we plan to complete before Beta release: -
* PVR Features (Scheduled recording, fast forward, rewind, pause Live TV)
* Video Playback (Based on Linux MPlayer - all popular file formats)
* Audio/Music Playback (Based on Linux MPlayer - all popular file formats)
* Image Viewer (Slideshow + Photo album)
* Setup Menu (All configuration will be done with the Xbox controller and/or DVD Remote with the use of a graphical keypad)
Although Dreamix will be based on Debian Xbox-Linux, all necessary libraries will be included in the distribution of the CD image and will auto-excecute upon being inserted into the Xbox DVD drive. This will allow for a friendly install by the average user.
Note: There will be a need to purchase a hardware add-on for video input since the Xbox gaming console does not currently have video inputs etc.
Why Dreamix?
"For a very long time, I had been developing software called VWare, 2 years ago the project was going well but found myself losing interest, and not having enough time. Now with the Xbox supplying the hardware power needed to take my old VWare project into a new realm, the Dreamix team had the idea, why not Personal Video Recording on Xbox? Ill be honest, I can not stand Tivos, ReplayTVs,Dish Network, DirecTV TV guide systems, menus and what not. I am a very picky person who wants my entertainment and system to give me a feel of power, worth my money. I have spent too many years watching the industry do things wrong and only 'hoping' more would be added. They are slowly getting there but I am personally tired of waiting and the impatient person I am, I am going to do it myself." - Lenn0x
You think that I'm crazy, you should see this guy!
Easybuy2000, the exclusive distributor of the MAtrix no-solder modchip got busted a few days ago. That will be a major stumbling block for people trying to mod their Xboxen.
I assume that also besides a modchip, you'll also need some sort of nonexistant video capture hardware. Last I checked, the xbox didn't come with S-VIDEO inputs...
Wouldn't a TiVO or Replay TV be much cheaper than this? Not just adding in hardware costs, but all the time required to get all this working. It seems to me that the XBox just wasn't designed for this kind of usage.
--sdem
Note: There will be a need to purchase a hardware add-on for video input since the Xbox gaming console does not currently have video inputs etc.
Where is one supposed to get this add-on?
Just think, all that untapped market of people playing games at their desks...
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I know some of the people who are working on the Dreamix, one person is doing the graphics (they look awesome) and another is doing some of the coding (he's a little prodigy). You dont need a mod chip, they're going to be selling a piece of hardware (less than $100) that connects to the box via ethernet. Cable plugs into the small box, is encoded into mpeg2 in real time, and send to the xbox. The software will be free to download and burn. Because the hardware is ethernet-based, it could be used for a PC.. but there just isnt software. Also, they're using linux and under the GPL microsoft can't toucht them, especialy since the software is free.
I don't know about this... One of the reasons for buying a PVR is the simplicity; tell it to record your shows, then pay it no attention 'til you want to watch.
What happens when I come back one night, sit down and get ready to watch the episode of Enterprise I missed... When I discover I forgot to put the Dreamix boot CD back in, and instead turned it off after playing MLB Slugfest last night?
I suppose it might be a good way to recycle the Xbox after one's moved on to newer and better consoles, but I think I'd prefer a dedicated PVR box.
This is just another stupid idea, next please.
Now there is a legitimate use for mod-chips, it should in theory be impossible to shut down mod-chip vendors. But that is theoty...
FRA: STFU GTFO
I don't know why nobody but me sees it, but DVD players are quickly becoming the key component of a "media hub". I mean we've got a shitty cheap Apex, which we cracked for PAL and region free-ness. It's got logos on it for mp3, jpeg, dts, dolby digital, it plays cds and of course dvds. That's a lot of stuff. If someone made a divx playing pvr dvd player that would be the be all end all to home entertainment. All you would need would be digital cable or sattelite, a television with digital in and out, a reciever, speakers, and one of those. Maybe a VCR or a cassette deck or turntable. That's it! Console gaming is a nice thing too, but hey. If you throw like an xbox/ps2 emulator in the box you are the winner. And as other people have stated the XboX just doesn't have the technical capabilities to be this device without some serious additions. And considering price of xbox and add-ons and the limited hard drive space, I think I'm going to get working on this right away!
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
But I really don't want to be limited by the limited hardware. In two years' time, how are you going to upgrade the box ?
I'm working on a similar project myself (A href="http://davedina.apestaart.org/">The Dave/Dina Project), which is a distribution (based on Red Hat) to turn a PC into a media hub. It works, it's in our living room, it has 200 GB of storage space (the 550 albums it has encoded to Ogg to date take about 35 GB of those), it records video (we record about 15 shows each week, all through a web interface), it plays emulator games and even Doom, it shows photos, and s on.
It isn't the prettiest thing in the world (WE NEED ARTISTS !), but it's open, you can swap out components, tinker with it, and help us improve it.
I don't want to be tied to any hardware at all, especially not Microsoft's. How long before a cease-and-desist order is issued ?
Unless you have been sleeping under a rock for the last 12 months, you would certainly know that there are DVD players of comparable quality to the Xbox, at half the price. Also, they don't require a mod-chip to play Divx, MP3, SVCD and VCD in addition to DVD.They also have less moving parts (the Xbox has two fans and a hard disk, in addition to the DVD mechanics) and is therefore more reliable and dissipates less.
Also, the DVD players available today are all multi-region enable-able through the remote. Some will even remove Macrovision with a remote hack. For the Xbox, you will need a modchip to achieve the same.
Oh, and the DVD player comes with a remote, unlike the Xbox.
Sigged!
"Every XBox you buy is helping Microsoft partially recover their losses incurred by manufacturing and development. Did it not occur to you that you are paying Microsoft money for the privilege of using an XBox? Or do you just shoplift them from Best Buy?"
Did it occur to you that some of us want to play games instead of pretending that we're "beatin down the man!"?