Popular Science has a short and sweet guide on transforming that old Xbox into an Xbox Media Center (XBMC) – “…unleashing your Xbox’s hidden talents no longer requires soldering skills or Linux savvy. Since we first wrote about modding the console, in May 2004 [“Let Your Xbox Loose”], hackers have devised programs known as softmod installers that make unlocking the box a simple “click Next” process anyone can follow. Once complete, you can copy dozens of applications, including Xbox Media Center (XBMC), from your computer.” – Link.
8 thoughts on “Xbox Media Monster”
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Yeah, this project is totally worth it. I pretty much use my Xbox solely for watching movies and playing music now. It’s so much easier than making a computer and controlling it from your couch. You can use the Xbox DVD Remote kit and program your universal remote (if it has a Microsoft code) to control the Xbox.
I saw this in Pop.Sci yesterday and was very surprised to see this hack in such a mainstream publication, especially since the necessary files are potentially illegal in a number of places (the article references torrentreactor as a place to get the needed software).
Black magic aside, there is simply no better media player program out there than XBMC, which plays any and every format I have ever thrown at it (unlike WMP which is constantly needing a missing codec to play even the most common file types).
Throw in a bigger HDD (the XBOX uses standard ATA 3.5″ drives) — and you’ve got the best media centre / game machine combo in existence. I wouldn’t even consider buying an XBOX 360 unless it could run XBMC.
Anyone interested in this type of project really needs to go to xbox-scene.com
I saw this in Pop.Sci yesterday and was very surprised to see this hack in such a mainstream publication, especially since the necessary files are potentially illegal in a number of places (the article references torrentreactor as a place to get the needed software).
Black magic aside, there is simply no better media player program out there than XBMC, which plays any and every format I have ever thrown at it (unlike WMP which is constantly needing a missing codec to play even the most common file types).
Throw in a bigger HDD (the XBOX uses standard ATA 3.5″ drives) — and you’ve got the best media centre / game machine combo in existence. I wouldn’t even consider buying an XBOX 360 unless it could run XBMC.
Anyone interested in this type of project really needs to go to xbox-scene.com
Dang… double posted. Sorry.