Modded XBox The Ultimate Multimedia PC?
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Thu May 13, 2004 02:22 PM
from the i-sure-think-so dept.
from the i-sure-think-so dept.
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.
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no question... (Score:5, Interesting)
(Last Journal: Thursday February 19 2004, @04:55PM)
Re:no question... (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://clickcaster.com/)
Re:no question... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:no question... (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.timfarrell.co.uk/)
Is the X-Box designed for playing DVDs? No, it's primarily a game console with a secondary function which allows you to play DVDs - perfect for the kids or those who don't want to/can't afford a separate DVD player in addition to a games console.
For $200 including the console + any mod chips required to make the media functions work - for the average person who wants a simple media machine for the cheap - it's bloody excellent for that price.
Re:no question... (Score:4, Informative)
(http://doghole.blogspot.com/)
Re:no question... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:no question... (Score:5, Informative)
(http://panzanella.net/)
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 [xbox-scene.com].
It makes sense (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Wednesday December 31 2003, @01:25AM)
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.
Re:It makes sense (Score:4, Informative)
(http://www.schmoli.com/)
Re:It makes sense (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.chrisbower.com/)
Launcher/Media Player integration is a big win (Score:5, Informative)
(http://clickcaster.com/)
XBOX os (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:XBOX os (Score:4, Funny)
Come on... that's really "I wanna download X-Box games from P2P on the Internet and be able to run them on my PC."
If you really wanted to wedge X-Box onto a Windows or even a Linux PC... there's a nice open front door to do it through. Just get a PCI-TV card from one of several vendors, and install it. Then, buy a real XBox and plug it into the S-Video and RCA audio inputs on that on that TV card. There you go...
Re:mod - 10000 Unintelligent (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Sunday November 11, @09:31AM)
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.
Re:XBOX os (Score:5, Informative)
You may want to keep tabs on CXBX, the Xbox Emulator. See this [slashdot.org] 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
Coincidence? (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.nostalgicdistortion.com/)
Alternate links (Score:5, Informative)
(http://slashdot.org/)
XBox Media Center's page (googe cache) [66.102.7.104]
There's my karma whoring for the month.
I modded my xbox... (Score:3, Informative)
It's great (Score:4, Interesting)
(http://johnny.chadda.se/ | Last Journal: Thursday March 14 2002, @02:54AM)
The only thing missing is a video-in card. Currently I have to use my desktop PC to record shows and then stream to the xbox. It works, but it would really be perfekt if one could use normal PCI-cards on the xbox.
Anyone know about this problem and if the xbox2 has the same limitations?
I've been considering this (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.gamerspre...tasy_XII_Walkthrough)
For the most part, a modified Xbox would be my "dream TV box". Sit it in the living room (it's about the same size as the DVD/VCR combo machine - thicker, but not as long), and I could have an archive of my legally purchased DVD's. As a guy with 2 kids who are always trying to ruin the DVD's with their grimy little fingers, this would be a great machine for my household.
"Here, kids - want to watch 'Blue's Clues on a Deserted Island and Joe Dies Horribly' again? OK - let me just use the remote on the Xbox." Boom - there goes my XVID ripped DVD movie on. Originals are kept safe, kids are happy.
I'm kind of dissapointed we haven't seen a company come up with a solution like this. A Cappachino sized device with the same capabilities, running Linux so I could FTP/SSH into it for upgrades/other mods would sell like hotcakes. (And as an avid fan of hotcakes, I know what I'm talking about.)
Biggest issue (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Its great (Score:5, Insightful)
My only regret is the xbox can't read DVD+R discs (only DvD+RW) so I end up using more expensive and less permanant media for no good reason whicn I want to archive a show.
Better link (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Question on Using a PC as a PVR (Score:4, Informative)
(http://www.stealthboy.com/)
Yes, and MythTV (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.stealthboy.com/)
However, I'll have to put in the required plug for MythTV [mythtv.org]. 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.
I'm running Xebian on my xbox (Score:3, Informative)
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 [xbox-linux.org] 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
UK: Sainsburys Have Remaindered Xboxes (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.donnacha.com/)
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.
Ummm, no (Score:4, Insightful)
Ummmm, no. Don't you see? The XBox is just the first step of many. Microsoft has the money and the skills to be patient. The home entertainment market is going to be absolutely massive, and Microsoft is going to be in everybody's living room, whether it be the XBox 2 or XBox 3 or 4 or 5. Hell, they're already in many DVD players, aren't they? Even if you hate them, you have to admit they have a bunch of smart sons of proverbials up there.
Cheaper solution (Score:3, Informative)
If you couple this with the WinTV-250btv/BeynondTV bundle for $139 (often on sale for $129) from SnapStream SnapStream Store [snapstream.com], you've got quite a nice little setup for under $250 that supports one television, and numerous computers doing playback.....
No. The Xbox is the wrong answer. (Score:4, Informative)
(http://inoshiro.com/)
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.
Re:No. The Xbox is the wrong answer. (Score:5, Informative)
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 [warmcat.com] ($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.
Re:Another Rip Off (Score:5, Funny)
(http://cosmo7.com/)
Imagine if the wheel had been square when it was first invented. Everything would be terrible. Cars would shake themselves apart. Bicycles would kill their riders. But people would say "don't re-invent the wheel" and so you'd be stuck with it.
Re:Sony PSX is better... (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.mojomonkeycoding.com/)
Re:um.. (Score:4, Funny)
(http://www.grub.net/blog/index.html | Last Journal: Wednesday June 27, @08:48AM)
can something from microsoft really be The Ultimate?
It isn't until you install some free software on it. Think of it as spraying perfume on a pig.
Re:Another Rip Off (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Another Rip Off (Score:4, Interesting)
(Last Journal: Wednesday August 27 2003, @02:48PM)