using xbox to only watch movies from pc on tv

[skinz]

hi i know this has probably been asked so many times before but there is so much info around so im hoping someone can help point me in the right direction, i guess i will have to softmod the xbox and use xbmc thats what seems to be the best option but what do i need all in all from programs to hardware

i do not have a memory card but i can easily pick one up saying that years ago i have used a soldering iron so i could use the chip method too
i have xp pro installed on pc
i have a belkin router

so for asking such a blatantly slilly question but this is the first time i have even thought about this as i only just remebered i have one lying around, to be honest i was considering buying either an external media center or a new video card for my pc to stream straight to the tv

thanks in advance

noob

 

[Hejira]

I would Highly recommend XBMC.

I used the softmod Method, Made my own controller to usb adapter. The biggest pain was getting the save to a usb stick.

I used AutoInstallerDeluxe after I had the softmod installed.

Very straight forward.

 

[skinz]

thanks for the reply just another question, can you tell me

can i just use the original hard drive basically not change anything except mod it so i can the use it to watch movies saved on my pc (so from pc to xbox to tv) or do i have to get a bigger drive so i transfer the movie from the pc to the xbox and then stream it to the tv

will i still beable to play the original games

 

[wiiman]

yes you can just use the original hard drive, there's not a great deal of space on it after softmod (if memory serves, its about 4 gig), and yes it will play originals.

 

[lagigolo]

Also if your networked up, you can play online too with something like kai.

 

[english]

thanks for the reply just another question, can you tell me

can i just use the original hard drive basically not change anything except mod it so i can the use it to watch movies saved on my pc (so from pc to xbox to tv) or do i have to get a bigger drive so i transfer the movie from the pc to the xbox and then stream it to the tv

u can stream anything (iso,rar,img,ifo,avi,mp3 you name it) to Xbmc (from pc) with CcxGui:

h**p://dwl.xbox-scene.com/~xbox/xbox-scene/tools/streaming/ccxgui_1.41.exe

make sure you set up a Xbmsp (i think) share in Xbmc by going to Videos, add source, browse for server. server has to be running on pc for Xbmc to see it

 

[skinz]

thanks for the replies, i think im going to have to do a lot of reading before i start on this one, i guess softmodding the box is the easiest part of things. By the way i have a spare 10gb hdd, is the on installed in the xbox smaller than this if so is it better to stick the 10gb disk in, does the process of modding it change if i do this

i guess its gonna take some time so ill let you know as i go along whats going on

any other ideas or ways of doing things greatly appriciated

again thanks for the replies guys

 

[alorenz]

be VERY careful of disk passwords ...

skinz, be VERY careful here. Microsoft have made use of the extended security feature of all ATA drives (introduced as at ATA-3 to be precise) which is hardly ever used by anyone else, and which is the single biggest reason why people get in a mess with modding XBOX's.

ATA Security gives a user a password based system to protect their data from unauthorized access. The ATA Security specification describes the use of a user password and master password. The user password is set through most laptop BIOS with the HDD Security option. The master password can be set by the manufacturer or can be set using special software. The ATA Security specification does not require the manufacturer to set the master password. ATA Security has two security levels, High and Maximum. In High Security mode the drive can be unlocked for use with either the user or master password. In Maximum Security mode the drive can only be unlocked with the user password.

Microsoft lock all xbox drives as part of the build process, and the password they set on the drive is derived from 2 things:

1. an algorithm implemented within the XBOX operating system
2. unique variables it takes from the XBOX's EEPROM (i.e. firmware ROM chip)

An unmodded xbox will not accept an unlocked disk; it MUST be locked, and with the right password that it generates. But a modded XBOX will accept locked or unlocked disks.

And there is your conundrum with software modding - your mod is only active by virtue of the disk that you boot the XBOX off. And the only way to get that mod on (easily) is by booting up normally first - using an unmodded, locked disk. The other way is to bypass locking altogether with a hardware mod, but that costs a lot more, and isn't easily removable like a software mod is.

There is another complication for you - the XBOX is only compatible with certain ATA drives (I'm not entirely sure what makes them compatible, but its possibly due to those models supporting the ATA-3 security standard) - but this all means you can't just grab "any old ATA drive", whack it in and expect it to work.


I suggest you do either the following:

a) - stick with the existing disk. Softmodding is easy. once modded, I recommend using XBMC itself as your dashboard, though your softmod will give you an alternative dashboard to use to start with.

b) - buy a (compatible) 200GB+ disk, and do an offline softmod build on it using a freely available tutorial on this site and associated (free) tools

(a) is by far the easiest. (b) is a lot more long-winded, and will require you to do (a) first anyway. This is because you need to get an EEPROM dump off your XBOX in order to generate the correct password with which to lock that new disk as part of the offline build (using a utility which re-implements the Microsoft algorithm I mentioned above - all this and how to do it should be explained in the tutorial). Once you have the EEPROM dump you can remove the softmod, and thus revert your original disk back to its 'expected' configuration as a fall-back in case you have any problems with (b).

hth, best of luck

 

[lagigolo]

Wouldn't bother changing the hard disk for a 10gb one, as depending when you got yours some have 10gb anyway, older ones 4gb. For just watching movies both would be plenty. Open it up to find out.

 

[5 Inch]

Depending on the version on the xbox you can get a no solder mod. I wouldnt bother upgrading the hard drive to that size and you wouldnt really ever need to use space on the hd unless you want to watch something without your pc fans whirring away.

Its pretty simple to upgrade the HD just need to get the HD key and make sure you lock the new one with the same key, not sure if its as easy via the soft mod route.

To stream i'd stick with using samba (windows file sharing) its built in and always running. Never seen the need for the other steaming solutions since they nailed samba.

Hope they sort out the 360 sooner or later i'd love to have xbmc back.

Its all really simple when you get to know whats going on just thing of .xbe's as .exe's and if you flash your bios all you need to know if what file it boots from c: like evox.xbe etc to boot straight to xbmc

 

[AlanFAT]

I went the long way and did the softmod and replaced the harddrive via the external software builkd on a pc and dropped it into my xbox. I only did this so I could dump the large amount of games onto the xbox rather than use dvd's ( I had a spare compatible diskdrive).

Streaming over a home nework is easy as pie and u wont need to replace the disk at all.

 

[XBNormUK]

In response to ur original question, yes, a modded xbox running xbmc is the most versatile, cost effective media centre around today. Its development is daily, new builds are out weekly at the moment, and it has great support from its community. It will play pretty much anything u shot at it. Only downside, not HD.
I also have to agree with the earlier post regarding how much of a pain putting hard drives in softmods are. If cost wasnt an issue, I would rather solder onto my motherboard and install a chip than try and put a HD in a softmod. I have succesfully managed to HD upgrade 2 softmods, but in the process nearly bricked my X3 xbox, and had some hairy moments. I have installed numerous chips, and putting a HD upgrade in those is a 5 minute job.
Regarding whether you even need a HD upgrade, depends on ur usage. If we are talking simply a media player to sit under your tv, then u dont need to, just stream everything. I have streamed wirelessly and wired and both have great speeds. You will have just over 4 gig spare after a softmod, which can be best put to use by storing maybe a few of your favourite albums or photos, so u can access those without having ur network on.
Anyways, hope that helps, any more questions just shout up.

 

[alexh]

Once you have performed the initial softmod and got hold of your all important EPROM key you can fit any size hard drive you like (although it is more tricky to fit boxes larger than 500Gig)

The EPROM key is the information you need to use a bigger drive in your XBOX, it is the key to lock the drive.

Once you have that key you can prep your larger hard drive using your PC and a tool called XBOXHDM.

It's very easy if you dont mind messing around for an hour or two one sunday afternoon.