Slashdot Mirror
Xbox Media Player Contest
mliu writes "Xbox Media Player, the GPL application that turns everyone's favorite hackable console (the Xbox) into a set-top-Divx/Xvid-playing-
Shoutcast-radio-streaming-
lean-mean-Mp3/Ogg-music-playing-all-while- sporting-a-pretty-user-interface-machine is holding a contest. They're in desperate need of help in terms of more developers and are holding a giveaway of 25 top of the line X2 Pro modchips for the 25 best patch submissions between now and March 31. If you don't know what Xbox Media Player is and/or feel the need to ask why bother hacking the Xbox, you have definitely gotta check it out. It turns the Xbox from Bill Gates' insidious plot to get into the living room into a set top box that can play practically everything even while sporting a sleek black look that won't stick out in your home theater system, and a user interface that your grandmother could use. And you can even run Linux on it in your spare time. It's no $100,000 but it's for a cause that is both more practical and useful if you ask me." The X-Box has proven itself an entertaining platform for hackers, and the XBMP is really excellent.
When it has visualization plug-ins, I think it'll be a great way to put MP3s in your stereo.
given that you need a mod-chip in order to run your own code on an Xbox, wouldn't the Xbox hackers that are interested in the contest have chips already?
Is it just me who thinks that visualizations are completely unneccessary? When I am listening to music, I don't want some annoying repetitive picture flickering away in the background. They are an interesting toy, but add nothing to the experience.
Because it now comes with a 20gb drive.
Because it has a 10/100 ethernet port and FTP support.
Because it comes with ALL xvid/divx variants unlike that new Kiss xvid/dvd player which doesn't support qpel and gmc from the latest divx builds.
Because it lets you listen to shoutcast stations.
Because it can stream from smb shares on a pc or linux server
Should I go on?
Does everything have to turn into a religious turf war where MS are concerned?
Listen: XBMP is a damn fine project running on damn fine and CHEAP hardware. It's ideal for running Linux or Win32 ports 'cos its essentially standard x86 hardware and it's officially the coolest way to play *media* (very vague term that) in the living room. You may be an uber-geek but most of us don't want big fat beige PCs from WalMart next to our TVs.
I don't care if MS lose or make money from my purchase - I just want to use the best tools for the job and XBMP on the XBox is this. In my house the Xbox remote control is used as much as the TV remote which says a lot about how useful non-geeks find it.
So is there any chance of quitting this sort of crap? I don't care about kernels, beowulf clusters or Linus I just want to play my media and the Xbox does it magnificently. Credit where credits due eh?
seany
Why bother? The whole reason most people getting in to hacking and fiddling with computers. Because it's FUN.
Getting there is the interesting part.
Escape Pod Films: Sketch Comedy and Web Series
>It turns the Xbox from Bill Gates' insidious plot to get into the living room into a set top box that can play practically everything even while sporting a sleek black look that won't stick out in your home theater system, and a user interface that your grandmother could use.
How about just making a Linux box like that?
Get one of those tiny MiniATX motherboards/cases, pick and choose other hardware and install Linux.
Much more easier than modding an Xbox.
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
Last time I looked, I got the impression you could only compile XBMP using a warezed copy of the Xbox SDK.
At the risk of sounding like an AOLer, I'll chime in with my "me too!".
I agree the XBMP certainly looks neat, and an inexpensive box that can play DivX movies would kick mucho ass, but I don't have the paitence to hunt down a mod chip from a respectable seller, find the proper "warezed" BIOS image I need and then find the binaries so I can burn an XBMP CD.
The mod chips I have seen are also priced a far cry from the original $8 bucks or so I paid for my PS1 modchip back in the day. All costs considered, I could ALMOST buy a PC with TV-out for just about the same price.
Not that this project isn't cool... It's just not really that cost effective.
---
DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
I think it'll be a great way to put MP3s in your stereo.
Since when has this been a problem? Is the minijack to rca converter plugged into the line in of your stereo that shoddy of a setup? Does the numerous articles on putting a computer in your home entertainment center seem "too hard" or "not as cool" ??? As far as mp3's with a set top box, my DVD player, dreamcast, and laptop (which are all hooked up to the entertainment "glop" in my room) all have the ability to play mp3's I don't need another solution.
I'm not bashing the article I'm all about hacking, but the constant fucking comments about "my home entertainment center needs something to play mp3's" has been solved!! I don't know of any reason why anyone would need another solution??
Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I like this solution a whole lot better, philosophically. It's cheap too.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
If you're developing for the Xbox, isn't it pretty much assumed that you HAVE a modchip already? Why would they be giving out modchips to people that are guaranteed to have one? Why not just give out cases of beer or something that the coders really need?