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HTPC xbox 1 with xbmc questions

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by needmorstuff, 12 May 2007.

  1. needmorstuff

    needmorstuff What's a Dremel?

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    Hi all,

    I have a networked dvd player (ziova cs505) but it is having trouble reading my .isos - whilst lookign about i came across the xbmc project. It looks interesting (and xboxes are dirt cheap)

    couple of q's though...

    1, what is the startup time from cold
    2, is it stable
    3, is it very easy to use once configured (will be for my 6 year old)
    4, can you play "real" dvd's form the drive - as in one you have just bought from hmv
    5, are they noisey? if so how easy is it too get them quiet?

    think that's it for now...
     
  2. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    Xbox boot up is 10-15 seconds. XBMC is stable and you can get other programs to play DVDs on the Xbox if XBMC doesnt, but I'm sure it does.
     
  3. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

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    1. What bindi said
    2. Yes
    3. Yes, just click on what you want
    4. Yes
    5. Not really
     
  4. needmorstuff

    needmorstuff What's a Dremel?

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    nice replies gents. thanks very much... next question - where can i buy a premodded crystal xbox with a remote ;-)
     
  5. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    Ah, crystal? You'll be lucky, they go for a large premium. Modding an Xbox costs very little and is very easy, as is replacing the case.
     
  6. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

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    Dunno how much the rules prevent me from saying this but PM me and I'll tell you.
     
  7. Tomm

    Tomm I also ride trials :¬)

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    The more recent versions of XBMC (I.e. within the last year) have DVD playing built-in which is much simpler than using a separate app.

    As for simple, I always find myself going videos > SMB network share > (my workgroup) > videos > TV > whatever.

    Does anyone know how to put a shortcut to this destination rather than going through all that?
     
  8. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    Has the latest XBMC updated SMB shares to be native? That was the only problem with my (now very old) build: getting it to see a network was almost impossible.
     
  9. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

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    SMB works fine now
    even with Vista.

    You have to have a username and password though. SO I just set up an xbox acct.
     
  10. Tomm

    Tomm I also ride trials :¬)

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    Yeah, it tends to work fine, although I get a 'workgroup not found' message relatively frequently (maybe one time in ten) which is pretty annoying. Though that may be my router being slow.

    I don't think you need a password though?
     
  11. craigey1

    craigey1 Minimodder

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    Also loads of other fantastic updates. Including scraping on tv.com etc & some new views which are brill for tv shows in the media library. Well worth an update. :thumb:
     
  12. riggs

    riggs ^_^

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    Do they? I picked up an unboxed Crystal for £15 (with pad + cables) from Cash Converters - reckon I could sell it for more?

    I plan on sorting out my xbox this month (chip, HDD swap & XBMC)...just out of interest, anyone know what video streaming is like over a 54g WiFi connection? Or alternatively, anyone have any ideas on how to set up flash drives/USB HDDs? Don't you need to use some kind of wierd disk format (FATX or something)?
     
  13. d3fiant

    d3fiant What's a Dremel?

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    I run a crystal v1.6 with an X3 and LCD, I run XBMC (latest tech) with the MC360 skin. I stream straight from my Vista PC over 54G wireless with no problem whatsoever practically every night. I also have a second modded xbox upstairs in the same config. Cant beat it, although if ur looking to watch HD content then the xbox is not really for you
     
  14. Tomm

    Tomm I also ride trials :¬)

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    I occasionally stream over 54g but it's not as reliable as cables. If I've got a big file with a high-ish bitrate then it can struggle a little bit. It usually only requires pausing for a minute or so while it buffers but it's not perfect. But for most of my stuff it's fine.

    I agree with d3fiant, modded xboxes are so completely cool.
     
  15. RickDawson

    RickDawson Minimodder

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    I wouldn't bother with 54G for streaming.
    I ethernet wired the whole house, after having reliability problems streaming over wi-fi.
     
  16. d3fiant

    d3fiant What's a Dremel?

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    very true, wireless is totally dependent on ur environment, for me it works flawlessly as 1 xbox is line of site, no wlls, and the second is directly above so only floorboards. Older houses will suffer more as walls are thicker. If cat5 is not possible look at ethernet over ur mains, it has come a long way since the early crap
     
  17. needmorstuff

    needmorstuff What's a Dremel?

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    wireless just can't handle video streaming especially iso's - i have liad cat5 to lounge and bedroom now.. power over ethernet is much better - with the 85mbs though i was having issues, maybe the 200 is better? although there is nothing like a good old cabe

    good to hear ppl happy with xbox/xbmx - i got one form another forum..

    crystal xbox
    xecutor3
    80gb disk
    crystal controller
    dvd remote and eye

    £85 delivered.. hopefully it'll be as good as expected.
     
    Last edited: 16 May 2007
  18. BlitzenWagon

    BlitzenWagon What's a Dremel?

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    oh it is totally worth it. pm me if you need help with the software setup ;-)
     
  19. needmorstuff

    needmorstuff What's a Dremel?

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    thanks m8 - i may just take you up on that :)
     
  20. d3fiant

    d3fiant What's a Dremel?

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    it can handle it just fine, its down to environment, I dl on average one Tv episode an evening from usenet which is stored on my PC, I watch them on the xbox over wireless with no issues what so ever, havent even needed to up the cache. Generally I dl the 800MB xvids with 5.1 which look crystal clear on my LCD. Last night I was extracting some isos from my PC directly to the xbox and it happily chugged away at 2mb which while not the 8mbish you would see with 100Mb cat5 still isnt bad.
     
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