SOAK: Updating XBMC on a hacked Xbox [Archive]

mercurial

02-02-2007, 11:55 AM

I know I've asked this before but it's on the top of my to-do list the next time I work-from-home and I'm sitting next to the old Xbox and can start the process in the background...

So, remind me where the best place to get the latest and greatest XBMC software? Is there a good on-line FAQ/Guide anyone would recommend for installing/updating it? Do any of the current versions have the ability to self-update (i.e. pull down and install a new version off the net)?

Otto

02-02-2007, 12:11 PM

http://xboxmediacenter.com . Try the wiki and the forums. Also, there's a comprehensive user guide. Lots of good info.

Getting the software is easy: http://thepiratebay.org . Search for "XBMC".

mercurial

02-02-2007, 12:23 PM

Don't you have to be a member of Pirate Bay to download from them?

TXS

02-02-2007, 12:29 PM

Its all over the newsgroups

Otto

02-02-2007, 12:37 PM

Don't you have to be a member of Pirate Bay to download from them?
No. It's open to all.

Pendragn

02-02-2007, 06:43 PM

Back in the day I used to get XBMC off of IRC. I can't remember the channel name anymore, maybe #xbins.

tk

mercurial

02-02-2007, 08:13 PM

Yeah, I have Azureus (sp?) setup correctly for torrents so I'm hoping I can find it in that form or on website. I'd rather not have to setup Agent and an NNTP account or get on IRC just for this...

mercurial

02-10-2007, 04:31 PM

Well, that was brilliant. I borked up the XBMC install and now I can't boot into it.. <sigh> I love underground software. I guess it's off to try to figure out how to create a bootable DVD so I can FTP back into the box. Glad this is just in my office and not a box I use every day.

Loosewiring

02-10-2007, 04:45 PM

Doh, that sucks Merc.

Usually what I do is put the new XBMC into a subfolder under Apps and then run it before making it my shell. Just a suggestion for later.

mercurial

02-10-2007, 06:05 PM

Doh, that sucks Merc.

Usually what I do is put the new XBMC into a subfolder under Apps and then run it before making it my shell. Just a suggestion for later.

Yeah- the Wiki wasn't exactly helpful with huge amounts of detail- or they didn't put it in the installation area. Oh well, this will be a learning experience. I'm sure my ancient version of XMBC probably had some residue I didn't remove properly. I think if I can get a boot DVD made that will give me FTP access back, I'll just remove all of XBMC and start from scratch.

It will be finding how to make that DVD that's going to be the problem.

Otto

02-11-2007, 12:15 AM

David

02-11-2007, 12:15 AM

Yeah- the Wiki wasn't exactly helpful with huge amounts of detail- or they didn't put it in the installation area.

Yeah, I love the detail on the "upgrade instructions" on the wiki. It basically says:

1. Find the files.
2. Upload them.

Ummm.... thanks?? :2funny:

Otto

02-11-2007, 06:01 AM

To be fair, that is about all there is to it. There's not really anything else you have to do.

mercurial

02-11-2007, 10:53 AM

Doesn't your dashboard or bios run an FTP server that you can connect to? When I boot mine into the bios, I can set an IP and FTP to the thing without ever running any software at all. Nice backdoor way to fix shit when I break it.

Part of the problem is I didn't to the original hack. A friend of a friend did (I hate soldering). And he never left detailed instructions on how to use to that. It probably supports it (it's an Executer chip and it has a front panel with the status LEDs and some dip switches). It's just an issue of researching it and figuring it out. Which I generally don't have time for... I figure it would be easier to make a boot DVD with a FTP enabled dashboard/backdoor or just pulll the drive into an external enclosure... Both of which also take time I don't have.. Oh well.

David

02-11-2007, 10:59 AM

I'm in the same boat as Merc-- I didn't do the original hack, so I don't know where any of the files are located. My own fault, I know, but frustrating nonetheless. I'm not even sure WHY I want to upgrade, since everything is working perfectly for me now. But there's a newer version, dammit!! ;)

mercurial

02-11-2007, 11:11 AM

My reason to upgrade was the two-year old+ version of XBMC worked but many of the scripts (like the ones to fetch trailers) had broken...

mercurial

02-14-2007, 11:58 AM

Ok. I found instructions for creating a bootable Avalaunch disk and that should give me FTP access back, but now I can't find Avalaunch anywhere. Most of the torrents seem like 6 months old. Did they abandon development? Ugh..

Pendragn

02-14-2007, 11:59 AM

I'm sure I have an old Slayer bootable DVD that should give you FTP access if you want it. I can put it up on FTP if you'd like.

tk

mercurial

02-14-2007, 12:02 PM

That would be amazingly awesome. Or is slayer something I should be able to search for on the torrents? I never heard of it. I've heard of XBMC, Avalaunch, and EvoX (or however they capitalize it).

BrettStah

03-27-2007, 12:52 PM

Otto

03-27-2007, 01:10 PM

This is semi-related, so I'll resurrect this thread...
A friend of mine has an HTPC, and records HD stuff. He has a front projector, and it looks great. He has an old SDTV in his bedroom, and has some sort of media device that can browse to his HTPC and play back stuff - but not HD content. So he needs to remember to record things in SD as well as HD if he wants to be able to watch something in his bedroom.

So can a modded xbox play back an HD video but output the video with 480i resolution?
Yes. It scales perfectly well. The limitation is in the decoding. It cannot play 1080p content (scaled or not) and it has problems with 720p content in some formats (mostly MP4 formats).

Anything less than that plays more or less perfectly and it will auto-scale down to whatever will fit your screen. I frequently watch downloaded HRHD content on my normal 4:3 TV (at 480i, obviously).

Note that with a processor upgrade hack (not something you can generally DIY), it can play 1080p content without issues. The processor speed is the limitation here.

BrettStah

03-27-2007, 01:26 PM

Yes. It scales perfectly well. The limitation is in the decoding. It cannot play 1080p content (scaled or not) and it has problems with 720p content in some formats (mostly MP4 formats).

Anything less than that plays more or less perfectly and it will auto-scale down to whatever will fit your screen. I frequently watch downloaded HRHD content on my normal 4:3 TV (at 480i, obviously).

Note that with a processor upgrade hack (not something you can generally DIY), it can play 1080p content without issues. The processor speed is the limitation here.

Thanks, Otto! Just to clarify... what about 1080i that's MPEG2-encoded (assuming stock CPU/RAM)?

Otto

03-27-2007, 01:44 PM

Dunno. Have not tried it. I would expect that it would work, since 1080i is basically equivalent to 540p.

Pendragn

03-27-2007, 03:24 PM

Not to "yuck anyone's yum" but I quit using XBMC and after a failed attempt at using MCE I've settled on an appliance from MediaGate to view my video on. Of the three, I'm liking it the best right now. The 350 HD (http://www.airlinktek.com/english/prod_mg350.htm) outputs at HD resolutions and has wireless. I believe the 35 (http://www.airlinktek.com/english/prod_mg35.htm) can play HD content but scales it down. There are three things I like about it over XMBC. First it's less maintenance, which can be good or bad, means fewer updates. It's also much, much quieter than an Xbox as it doesn't have a fan (if it does it's quiet) or an optical drive. Third, you can turn it on with the remote. With the Xbox you don't want it running whenever you don't need it since it's so loud. But you can't turn it on with the remote. That always bugged me.

Anyway, I'm not trying to "Mac-vs-PC" this thread, I just thought I'd throw it out there.

tk

Otto

03-27-2007, 04:13 PM

I've been thinking about sticking a remote capable switch onto the power switch of the Xbox. Seems like a simple enough hack. I might be able to adapt some parts I have lying around the place.

Fan noise doesn't bother me. I plan on eventually sticking all the gear into a closet or enclosed cabinet, if and when. I set XBMC to keep the unit under 135 degrees and it rarely gets very loud at all. Although I put it on 100% for fun one day to see how low it would go. Answer: About 115. If I examined the layout, I could probably improve airflow, or replace the fan with a low noise one without too much trouble.

And I've not updated my XBMC version yet, since my initial receipt of it in December. Although I'm thinking about installing the March version, since it has support for a new type of skin that looks similar to the Apple TV interface. Might be neat. But anyway, my point is that just because a new version comes out every week or so doesn't mean you need to update to it. These are usually working betas. The latest official stable version is still the one I installed back in December.

Edit: Some google searches show people who have hacked their Xbox switches using el-cheapo battery powered wireless doorbells. The receiver they wire into the switch and into DC power from the board itself. The transmitter is just a button, obviously, but attach it to the remote or use a RF remote capable of learning it, and you're good to go. I'm thinking about how some of my extra X10 gear works now...

BrettStah

03-27-2007, 05:44 PM

I'll point my friend to the MediaGate 35 link, pendragn... thanks. That could be the solution to his problem.

Regarding the power on/off problem, thanks to some googling and Otto's post above, I found this:
http://xir.us/xirbeta.aspx
http://xir.us/xir_img/xir-easy1.jpg
Features of Easy Kit:
- Turn ON and OFF Xbox with Xbox DVD Remote
- No External Power Source Required
- Enable/Disable LPC Modchip (Controls D0) - Soldering required
- Standard Install Requires No Soldering
- Especially Imported Sockets and Headers from japan
- Easy Install - Only a Screwdriver is needed to dissasemble Xbox.
- Possibility to Enable/Disable LPC Modchip (Requires soldering)
- LED for visual inspection of operation

Cost: $23.00

David

03-27-2007, 08:09 PM

The MediaGate 35 is an excellent solution-- it takes about five minutes to install, and it's worked perfectly for me.

Otto

03-28-2007, 03:18 AM

Regarding the power on/off problem, thanks to some googling and Otto's post above, I found this:
Nice. I ordered one. I'll let everybody know how it works.

Otto

05-09-2007, 09:37 PM

Regarding the power on/off problem, thanks to some googling and Otto's post above, I found this:
http://xir.us/xirbeta.aspx
I actually received this in the mail last month, but it sat on a shelf for a few weeks until I got around to installing it yesterday. It works perfectly.

Hardest part was running the IR sensor out of the case. Connecting the board itself was a trivial, solder-free installation. Just connect a couple of wires to the 3.3v power leads (these power the board itself), and plug it inline with the power button connector thingy. Done and done.

It makes the "Display" button on the XBox remote turn the unit on when the unit is off. The rest of the time, it's just a normal display button. The thing is programmable if you want to change the IR command, but you do need a special cable to reprogram it. I'm not going to bother.

David

05-09-2007, 11:09 PM

Yeah, figuring out the best way to run it out of the case was the hardest part for me, too. I've always meant to get some double-sided tape and fasten it down, but it's still just hanging loose in front.

Otto

08-03-2007, 03:32 PM

I updated to the latest XBMC build, courtesy of t3ch (http://t3ch.yi.se/), and noticed that it now supports TV episode listings that it can get from tv.com or thetvdb.com. Very cool. Bit hard to use, but the library feature and automatic banner/episode pictures makes it kinda sorta worth it. I'm still getting used to it.

While the current "stable" version doesn't have these things, it lacks a lot of things overall, so I highly recommend updating to the latest SVN version. It's solid so far for me, the fan noise is lower since there's some cpu idle improvements, and it's overall better. Only thing I don't like is the new font, but I imagine it would be better on a high def screen.

mercurial

08-05-2007, 11:22 AM

Which reminds me. I need to find someone to do the update for me. I never got a boot disk to work and I don't feel like pulling the drive to screw with it... But it would be nice to use as a media extender for watch TTG shows in the MBR.

Otto

08-05-2007, 07:35 PM

I'm not sure what your version supports, but the version of XBMC that came with mine was at least that old and it was running an FTP server whenever XBMC was running. It's a built in part of XBMC. I updated XBMC via FTP while XBMC was actually running. Had to do a hard reboot, but it worked nevertheless.

There *must* be an FTP server on the box. Try FTPing to the box's IP using xbox/xbox as the login/password.

mercurial

08-05-2007, 08:20 PM

I tried that and wasn't able to get in. I think I really screwed something way back when I did my upgrade. I just don't have to time to play with the hardware (i.e. pulling the drive).

mercurial

08-13-2007, 07:45 PM

With Kiyo's help I got a bit further. By holding the white button while booting (which I didn't realize you could do), I could get into the modchip's BIOS (which wasn't properly setup- it had static IP setup with a different sub-net than I use). From there I could switch it to boot Avalaunch and that came up. I was able to get Avalaunch to self-update and it will see the XBMC that I installed and I can run it as an app from f:\apps\xbmc\default.xbe but if I try to execute c:\xbmc.xbe it goes to a black screen and hangs.

Next time I have a minute, I need to try to copy the f:\apps\xbmc\default.xbe to c:\xbmc.xbe and see if it will work. And, if not, I *thought* I saw where you might have to patch the executable you put on the C: drive to point to the the actual dash on another partition...? I need to dig back through the XBMC docs now that we have a pulse (sortof).

Now if I can get this up and configured to talk to my NAS properly and the great DVD ripping project starts, I might need to pick up another one or two to use as media players in the kid's playroom and maybe the master bedroom.

Otto

08-14-2007, 10:55 AM

This is worth a read: http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/wiki/index.php?title=As_a_Dashboard

Pendragn

08-15-2007, 12:14 AM

Now if I can get this up and configured to talk to my NAS properly and the great DVD ripping project starts, I might need to pick up another one or two to use as media players in the kid's playroom and maybe the master bedroom.
If you do, let me know. I have two that I'd get rid of.

tk

mercurial

08-15-2007, 09:04 AM

PM me about what'd you want for them and the "specs" (which mod chip and if the HD is updated) and I'll get back to you. I should know by next week if I can get this where I want it.

Otto

08-15-2007, 11:06 AM

Do any of the current versions have the ability to self-update (i.e. pull down and install a new version off the net)?
Just saw this question in the original post... The latest version I installed from t3ch has a script on it that claims to do just that. I have not tried it yet though.

mercurial

08-15-2007, 12:34 PM

Just saw this question in the original post... The latest version I installed from t3ch has a script on it that claims to do just that. I have not tried it yet though.

Once I get this working, I may try to get that version installed then.

BrettStah

08-15-2007, 12:50 PM

mercurial

08-15-2007, 12:59 PM

I don't know what happens, if anything, if you try to install the same version on top of itself.

Total protonic reversal.

Otto

08-16-2007, 09:50 AM

IIRC, the t3ch script will simply search for and then offer to install the latest version, even if you're already running that version. I don't know what happens, if anything, if you try to install the same version on top of itself.

Yeah, but t3ch has a new build from SVN every week. So it's not like there's not going to be a new version, the real question is what has changed...

mercurial

08-17-2007, 11:10 AM

Sucess! I guess the shortcut was screwed up when I tried the reinstall. I guess if I knew the white-button to X3 BIOS trick I could have fixed that ages ago but all's good now. So, next project is to get the version updated to the Otto and an Brett are talking about (t3ch? anyone have a good link to that) then I won't have to worry so much about updates in the future.

Also, I don't see a way to set remote folders on my SMB shares to show up in the list. In otherwords, instead of going to Video->SMB Workgroup->Thunderclap->My Videos every time, is there a way to make My Videos show up in the list? You'd think there'd be a button to press when you were browsing the folders to do that but it doesn't seem to be possible. In the really old version I had, there was an XML file you edited to specify that sort of thing but I don't see that in this install from my limited poking about.

Of to PM Pen now...