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Xbox Media Player Contest

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the get-your-hack-on dept.

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.

6 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. just a question by quick_dry_3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?

    1. Re:just a question by JBark · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm sure they do, but since they have been hacking at the XBox for quite a while, they probably have one of the first gen modchips that don't support a lot of the newer features available on something like the X2.

  2. Visualizations Smisualizations by tunders · · Score: 5, Insightful
    When it has visualization plug-ins, I think it'll be a great way to put MP3s in your stereo.

    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.

  3. Re:So what? by doofusclam · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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?

  4. Re:Linux? by doofusclam · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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

  5. Re:So what? by FatalTourist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.

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