[mythtv-users] xbox recommendations

[Brent]

Jeremy Warren wrote:
> http://www.xbox-scene.com/ is a great place to learn xbox modding,  
> the forums and guides are pretty useful.
>
> Me I personally use an application on the xbox called xbox media  
> center in conjunction with a modchip (xecuter 2 modchip - about $40,  
> software is under some sort of GPL license)
>
> There is a plugin for XBMC that works as a slim down frontend for  
> myth - more information can be found at http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/ 
> index.php/Xbox_Frontend, it works pretty well.
>
> You are correct that the xbox is unable to play back HD content (at  
> least i have had limited success) it just does not have the horsepower.
>
> Jeremy
>
> On Jan 21, 2007, at 10:57 PM, Joe Votour wrote:
>
>   
>> I've have the DMS X-B.I.T. modchip in my XBox (a 1.1).  I'm not sure
>> if it's available anymore, but it supports flashing a BIOS via USB,
>> with the XBox turned off.  It also segments the chip (a 2MB, I think)
>> so that you can have multiple BIOS' available, selectable via DIP
>> switches.
>>
>> It's how I loaded Cromwell into my XBox when I was booting into  
>> Linux with it.
>>
>> Some of the modchips use a method like this, some of them use special
>> software that runs on the XBox itself.  In any case, you shouldn't
>> need to do the softmod, so there's no particular versions of games
>> needed.
>>
>> Also, this allows you to revert back to the original XBox BIOS should
>> you need to.
>>
>> I don't think that the XBox is capable of playing back HD captured
>> content (I haven't tried it myself though), and the XBox remote does
>> work under Linux, but the number of buttons is limiting.  I found it
>> easier to use a OneForAll remote setup to look like the XBox, and find
>> EFCs for extra buttons.
>>
>> -- Joe
>>
>> Quoting Jack Madison <jack at webhouse.cc>:
>>
>>     
>>> On Sun, 2007-01-21 at 14:25 -0700, kim gross wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> The mod chip makes it the easiest to install linux, but since you  
>>>> are
>>>> not interested in being able to play xbox games I would suggest just
>>>> flashing the bios on your xbox to cromwell that way it can boot  
>>>> straight
>>>> into linux.
>>>>
>>>> A good place to look for more info on xbox linux  is xbox-linux.org
>>>> They have howto's on how to flash the bios with cromwell, some  
>>>> howto's
>>>> on installing mod chips etc.  I personally have no experience  
>>>> with the
>>>> soft mods.
I personally have two soft modded Xboxs that I use for Frontends.  I run 
XBMC, and XBMCmythtv on them and it works really good.  I think it is 
way more responsive than than booting into Linux and running the front 
end.  XBMC will play HDTV HR Xvids like you would grab off of a torrent 
site or something and they look really good.  Since that is the only 
thing I use to watch MythTV recordings I would like to have my BE 
transcode them down from OTA HD to HR Xvids, and just change the file 
that gets played in the DB, but I don't have that working yet.

Soft mods are cake anymore, if you can find one of those games.  They 
are forever old, so that might decrease the chances you will be able to 
find them, but it will also increase the chances that you can find one 
cheap.  I actually just keep one around in case I need to mod an Xbox.

Hardware Mods are tougher, or maybe it is better to just say more 
stressful.  I have done them though on machines that had some bad piece 
of hardware that I could circumvent by chipping it.

Brent