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Modded XBox The Ultimate Multimedia PC?
Anonymous writes "Can a modded Xbox running homebrew software really beat all existing
designed-for-the-living-room multimedia devices hands down?! Tom's Hardware
Guide seems to think so. They reviewed Xbox Media Center
(XBMC) and say the free open source software turn an Xbox into The Ultimate Multimedia Center, the ideal home
playback system for audio and video.
(Apparently there is a PC software version available too:
Media Portal)" The article also explains some of the more convoluted issues surrounding XBMC. But I definitely agree that this is a great system.
Not only does it already have standard PC hardware, letting Linux coders use their previous experience, but it's got some other special things that are also perfect.
It has HD TV-Out (Or RCA cables), and a DVD-ROM drive. A spacious 250GB HD can be installed to save everything under the sun, and after all that, you can still play games on it and not have to worry about viruses and worms, and most importantly, cheaters, playing online. It's cheaper than any hardware of that class should be. Cheap cheap cheap! That's why this is so popular.
Plus, you get the added bonus that you got to do something that Microsoft doesn't want, all while MS makes a loss on the XBox.
- Sherman
I think one of the great advantages of XBox Media Center is that it also doubles as an excellent shell/launcher (especially with its built-in FTP support) and replaces both applications like EvolutionX which was a dedicated launcher and the now defunct XBox Media Player. No other dedicated media device offers such integration between shell/player... on Windows they're two seperate applications which don't seem to integrate particularly well.
Xbox doesn't have Gran Turismo, GTA:VC, nor will it have the new one.
PSX is pretty bad ass, I must say.
Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
XBox Media Center's page (googe cache)
There's my karma whoring for the month.
...now all I use it for is MAME! XBMP rules too, but it is hard to get used to the joystick as a means of controlling it. I should just break down and buy a DVD remote.
Here is a better link to the article. The one in the original post bypassws the RR-mirror selection and goes directly to www6...
You may want to keep tabs on CXBX, the Xbox Emulator. See this story for more details. My computer is not much faster than my XBox and only runs Linux so it is of no use to me.
the_crowbar
Have you read the Moderator Guidelines
A friend of mine has a modded Xbox with XBMC and it is fantastic. Very nice themes have been made, too. Check 'em at allxboxskins.com.
However, I'll have to put in the required plug for MythTV. It does PVR stuff (TiVo), music, videos, weather, etc. I run mine in a little Shuttle XPC that integrates well into my home theater (doesn't look like an obvious computer). I run HDTV resolution out to my Sony TV and get a really stunning GUI.
--- witty signature
I'm still really new to linux, and can't wait to move to linux. But there are still a few things holding me back.
So to get my feet wet with Linux and also to have fun, I installed Ed's Xebian on my xbox. I can boot up the xbox and play all of my normal xbox games. Then if I want to watch a video, I just boot up linux (which is now in the main xbox menu), run mplayer, and off I go.
Although I have had problems playing back certain videos. If the screen get's really complex, like if it's raining, and the video was compressed using dvix, or xvid, it can get pretty chunky.
It's not really a problem, but it happens every once and a while.
The only thing I've lost with running linux on the xbox is that I can no longer use xbox live.
Other then that I love it.
-asoap
Treat me like a marketing stat, and I'll treat your movie like a series of ones and zeros
Readers in the UK should note that Sainsburys (one of the UK's major supermarket chains) are currently selling the old Sega GT/Jet Set Radio Xbox bundle for GBP 75, not bad when you consider that Amazon.co.uk are currently selling the console for GBP 120 without bundled software.
No idea if this applies to all branches of Sainsburys, my local one in Edinburgh had them, phone ahead.
You can also your Xbox on the high street from Game, Dixons etc bundled with more recent games for more money but, hey, if you are going to mod your box, who needs to buy games.
Yes, you can build your own or use something called an "IR Blaster". I use a small circuit (found at lirc.org) with lircd to change channels on my sat receiver box for my MythTV setup. Works like a charm just from a serial connection.
--- witty signature
Music: check
Pictures: check
DVDs: check
Divx: check
Samba support: check
and the check list goes on.
I love the inclusion of smb support since I can access audio/video files from my linux boxes. If really does provode the most bang for the buck IMO.
"Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
That doesn't work for some reason. I tried it with a Playstation 2. It lags input from the controler about 2 or 3 seconds.
What you're experiencing there is a card that MPEGs the video with an A-to-D conversion that's taking far too long. My ATI All In Wonder Radeon card can manage to take in audio/video without a noticiable delay.
Don't try to use any DVR-ish features while playing video games. Simply having the pause button available sometimes indicates that the software is saving the video to the HD and then playing it... and there's your 2-3 second lag right there!
as a developer for it I'm biased ;)
Considering for $149 and $5 to rent Mech Assault you can have your Xbox softmodded and run virtually any media (streaming over the network with several different sharing methods, playing locally off the hard drive, or off DVD/DVDRW/CDRW) it's hard to beat.
If you kept up with the latest builds and news, you'd know that they had to remove the Windows MCE skin because of the usual MS licensing issues. It has beenreplaced with the Dell Media Center look (whose license doesn't have any restrictions on copying it) for quite a few CVS builds now.
Dolby Digital pass through works fine now.
Mine can read DVD+R.
There once were 3 main dvd-players in the Xbox, Thompson Phillips and Samsung (ordering from crappiest to best), but now there are several flavors out there.
Newer xboxes (1.6 recently hacked last week) come with a newer Phillips that reads everything.
I have a first run Xbox with a Thompson which is supposed to suck, but reads DVD-R(W), DVD+R(W), CD-RW but chokes on CD-Rs most of the time.
Of course, it's childs play to replace the DVD-ROM with a PC DVDROM and install a switch. PC DVD-ROMs performance is soooo much better than an XBoxes (16x vs 8x, etc)
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
If you couple this with the WinTV-250btv/BeynondTV bundle for $139 (often on sale for $129) from SnapStream SnapStream Store, you've got quite a nice little setup for under $250 that supports one television, and numerous computers doing playback.....
The CPU and GPU on the xbox share memory, and not in a cheap pc onboard video "8 megs of RAM used as VRAM" way, they can both access the same memory. It can thus do some really cool shit for a PC as "weak" as it is.
All those cool pixel shader effects and bumpmapping in Halo, for instance. The most expensive PCs from falcon northwest choke a little on that stuff, even at 640x480. Because the XBOX cpu can compute textures in RAM, and use them instantly without having to push them over an AGP bus.
The long and short of it is, you'd need an AGP/PCIX bus at least as fast as the Xboxes RAM bus to simulate this.
You could probably get close on current hardware, less taxing games may be emulated more easily.
It's not as simple as porting the "xbox OS", though I do forsee an Xbox emu before a PS2 or GCN emu.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
That's not to mention the fact that a $20 box buys you HDTV component video output as well
Yeah, but in all honestly the video quality of the XBox is not that great. It'll do for a lot of people that don't really care too much, but to call it the ultimate machine for video playback is absolute bullshit.
I've had it playing the same DVD, using the component video out, onto a 53" HD rear projector, next to a Toshiba DVD drive. The difference was, well, enough for me to get the hell back to Frys to return the XBox.
Seriously, there's no need to start a flamewar over this, just if you plan to use this as your DVD player you may want to check out the quality before the 'no questions asked return policy' expires.
It's just a suggestion, do with it as you please.
To clarify, the Toshiba DVD player was an SD-5300.
Not a player to recommend because of it's crapy dual-disk tray which is very prone to breaking. In any case, it's outdated now so you probably won't be buying one anyway.
$150 for the base XBox, but keep in mind you have to buy a modchip as well, and if you're not the type to open up your XBox and install one, you need to pay someone to do that as well.
Still an incredible deal, and as a bonus you can play some great games on it as well.
Actually, you can flash the onboard TSOP or do some other type of software based mod; both don't require a modchip. I don't know if you can do a software based mod (boot off a CD all the time?) and have an upgraded HD. The TSOP mod should work fine but then you can't disbale the mod to play on Live.
I would add the following costs though:
- larger HD. 120GB costs ~$60 after rebate
- IR remote control: $30 (not needed but nice)
- Samsung DVD-ROM ~$50 (not needed but nice)
A note about the DVD-ROM. The XBox can have one of the following type of DVD-ROMs: Samsung, Philips, or Thomson. Only the Samsung will read CD-R's though. You can either try to trade someone $50 plus a Philips or Thomson drive, or there is a retial Samsung drive that can be flashed to work in the Xbox. Details of this are at xbox-scene.com.
Check this...
e va luation/devices/xboxextenderkit.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/
"overlooked" no more
There are at least 4-5 completely different ways to mod an xbox. Everything is in detail here. TSOP-flash requires: a.) soldering of two points, millimeters apart, to write-enable the bios b.) Action Replay or Mega-x-key(plenty of sites sell these) To let you integrate Raincoat into a save game. c.) Mechassault or Agent Under Fire Rental from blockbuster, hollywood video, etc. d.)Tutorials Grand total including xbox: approx. $185 Then there are mod chips, which you can turn off to use Live. They cost anywhere from $30~$60 depending on the number of features you want and whether you want to solder 7 or 0 wires. Various Other exploits. Buying a $450 Xbox modded or not is paramount to playing $6.00/gallon (in the US) for gas and saying you got a deal.
Absolutely! I like to say that XBMC is the "killer app" for the Xbox :) Don't even need a big hard drive in your Xbox, because you can watch movies, listen to mp3's, look at pictures, etc, all over SMB! And w/an AV adapter, you can get 5.1 out of it too.
:)
XBMC was a little flaky a few months ago when it first came out, but they have made leaps and bounds lately. Kudos to the team that's working on the project, because they are constantly and actively working on it.
I still haven't really found much that I can throw at it that it won't play!
It just kicks ass
Place sig here.
Actually, it is a step above the GF3.
To mod your xbox all you need is a copy of mechassault/splinter cell/007 agent under fire (you could rent it if you dont have it), a memory card, and some means of copying a saved game from your PC to the memory card. I just spliced an old USB plug into my controller cable (it can now be used on the PC and XBOX).
Once you've got those things, modding your box is a simple matter of copying the saved game to your xbox's hard drive and opening it from within the corrolating game.
Check out http://www.xbox-scene.com for all the details (the forumsn are a great help too, look under gamesave and dashboard exploits).
" why hasn't anyone taken the XBOX os and put it on a PC?"
Probably for the following reasons:
- TV's nice to play on.
- Games can potentially be 9 gigs.
- You lose the controller, and ya kinda need it.
- XBOX's are only $150.
- Emulators are fun to tinker with, but it takes a a long time to make one work that is relatively reliable. They don't really get interesting until the system's out of production.
"Derp de derp."
I agree. The DVD drive in the XBox is not progressive, so you really don't get any benefit by using it as a player for an HDTV.
:)
On my DLP set, the XBox does very well on divx playback. I use XBMP instead of XBMC most of the time, because it seems slightly more stable. The only issues I've run into are sync issues in a few movies, which seems to happen in both players.
Either way, anyone playing back downloaded movies on their XBox will find it to be a very pleasing experience compared to sitting in front of a monitor. Yeah, it's not "the ultimate", but it's chick-friendly easy and is a whole lot less hassle and cost compared to setting up a media PC. Oh, and it is free with a modded Xbox.
#xbins on efnet
It's not the DVD Drive that determines if a system supports progressive scan or not, it's just a data delivery device - it's the output from the video encoder chip.
If you hook a component video cable to the Xbox, it does indeed drive a 480p display.
XBMC is the newer version of XBMP - it's not quite as stable, but new builds are released VERY often, and it gets better and more stable with every release.
Modding my Xbox was the best possible thing I could've done for it. Microsoft is incredibly foolish not getting on-board with an "official" application like XBMC for people who wish to have run it on Xboxes that aren't modded. It would be very popular.
N.
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
THIS (download legal) patch can be applied over DVD-X to enable Progressive output.
The best thing you can get is a model 50001 PS2 with network adaptor, a memory card, and GameShark MP3 player (a licenced form of the BroadQ QCast software easily available at video game stores).
:)
This nets you the ability to play progressive scan DVDs, a remote that can power on and eject the drive on your media device, the ability to play back MP3, OGG Vorbis, OGM, DivX (3.11, 4.x, 5.x), AC3 audio, JPEG, PNG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and more via updates. The PS2 itself will play burnt backup DVDs. The server-side software's in Java and runs on Mac OS X, Linux, and even Windows!
The total cost for this is way less than your Xbox, with no modding required, and gives you a much quiter machine that can be controlled via a simple remote (I use my Sony RM-VL700 which "learned" the PS2 remote's signals).
Spend an extra couple of dollars on a PS1 memory card, and suddenly you can play PS1 in addition PS2 games as well. The only thing you're missing out on is Xbox Live!, but you can't use that with a modded Xbox anyways
The config is way cheaper, quiter, and lower maintenance than my old Windows PC setup. The only thing I really miss is the ability to play VCDs directly, but I can rip those onto a media share in seconds with xreadvcd. It's just so quiter and easier to use, I don't know why you'd go to the hassle of an Xbox that doesn't let you completely control every by IR remote, and also requires you mod it.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
you need the prog scan patch for the ms dash!
:)
otherwise it will run interlaced.
also, xbmp runs native HD, so it'll look great.
you're stupid
The cables included in the Microsoft HD pack are light gauge cables. However, unlike the Monster solutions I've seen, the cables aren't important. The A/V box is separate, allowing you to use whatever high-quality cables you please. Microsoft did the Right Thing (tm) here, compared to Nintendo's integrated component cables (GC adaptor on one end, YPrPb RCA plugs on the other, light gauge crappy wire). The price would be much more than $20 if they had included good cables, but if you care you can simply go and buy a better set of cables.
Also, if you're going to spend $80 on cables, at least go to a good Hi Fi store (ie, not Circuit City, Best Buy, CompUSA, etc) and buy a good set of cables (Monster cables are typically overpriced for the quality; I personally prefer Audioquest/Cinemaquest cables). And don't forget to get a good optical audio cable while you're at it. DD 5.1 is a must-have feature for games, IMHO!
This nets you the ability to play progressive scan DVDs,
The Xbox can do this easily. There is a one bit flag in the dvd player executable that turns it to progressive.
a remote that can power on and eject the drive on your media device
You can power off (or reset) the xbox via remote thru XBMC also. And eject implies that you'll have to get up and switch/insert discs anyways, so why do you need it on your remote?
the ability to play back MP3, OGG Vorbis, OGM, DivX (3.11, 4.x, 5.x), AC3 audio, JPEG, PNG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
so XBMC can play all that, and more. XVID, QT5, AAC, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Did you even RTFA?
The total cost for this is way less than your Xbox
Wrong. I bought a new xbox ($150), modded it with a homemade cheapmod ($7.50) and simply use the stock hard drive since I stream all my media from my fileserver anyways, thru Samba. I bought a cheap 3rd party remote, ($15) which brings my total to $172.50. Oh, and a simple switch to turn off the mod chip, and I play xbox live games till the cows come home.
I don't know why you'd go to the hassle of an Xbox that doesn't let you completely control every by IR remote, and also requires you mod it.
I dont know why you think this- I can do everything I need thru the xbox remote.
Get your facts straight next time.
Yeah. That would be, well, all of them. Every software DVD player outputs progressive (hint: your monitor is a "progressive scan" device). The key, of course, is the output from the PC to a [HD]TV. I don't know about Nvidia, but ATI's cards (at least the ones with an option for component output - of particular interest would be the All-In-Wonders) support the various HDTV signals (480p/720p/1080i).
However, watch out about the DVI input on your HDTV. Many don't officially support Computer DVI imput and while you might see the signal, the resolution may be really whacked up. Case in point, my Sony KF50WE610 Rear Projection LCD, when displaying from my G4, shows only 640x480 or (when forced into a reasonable 1024x768, a shrinked and panned picture.
http://chrono.posterous.com/
If you don't want to buy it, go to the local Borders and read it in the cafe'. :)
Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
You can use an XBox as a MythTV frontend. There is even a bootlable CD with it IIRC.