Anybody keeping XBMC current on their Xbox?

[shmokes]

I use XBMC on a more powerful box now so I haven't updated the software on my Xbox in ages.  I see that the nightly builds are still available, though.  Anybody know if the new builds are the new XBMC version 10 (Dharma)?  I gave my Xbox to my in-laws and there's an awesome new remote app for the iPod/iPad that I want to set up for them but it only works with XBMC 10.  But I don't want to bother upgrading if it's not 10.

[GuyDanger]

It is not the new Dharma builds. The official team has dropped the xbox from its roster as to focus on higher end technology. The SVN builds that are currently available are being maintained by a group of volunteers. Check out the Confluence frontend...it rocks! You can find them at xbmc4xbox.com.

I personally am still using my xbox with xbmc myself for streaming media. Hopefully with the news of the PS3 being jailbroken, xbmc will make its way onto that platform. XBMC HD streaming would be sweet!

Hope that helps

[shmokes]

It does, thanks.  XBMC HD streaming is sweet, btw.  And there are some way cooler skins than Confluence too.  They just won't run on the Xbox.  Aeon and Alaska are a couple awesome ones.  Check out the Youtube Videos.

[SNAAKE]

Confluence download link? cant find it on "usual" places

[shmokes]

Confluence has been built into XBMC for quite a while now.  It replaced Project Mayhem as the default skin.

[ChadTower]

I'm still using XBMC on regular Xboxes in most of my house.  At some point I'll get around to finding some cheap laptops and put the newer XBMC on those.

[GuyDanger]

Those are awesome skins...xbmc is so far ahead of what anyone else is doing.

I bought a Zalman HD160XT case about 6 months ago off of Kijiji for $100 ( I actually got the seller to go down from $300!) Super sweet deal. But I haven't done anything with it yet. Hopefully soon I will be able to buy the guts and get this thing rigged up with XBMC. Would be nice as it has room for 6 HD's and a comes complete with a 7" touchscreen LCD.

I tend to do that alot...buy things cause its a good deal...then it sits around forever.

[Bootay]

I still rock an Xbox in 3 rooms in my house all with XBMC. I used to use the Transparency skin because I was looking for a skin that separated Movies/TV/Games into their own categories. It got way too resource heavy and slowed down to a crawl the more content I added to it though. I switched to Rapier which is less of a memory hog and still separates the content into the categories I want. Turning off the fanart helps too...while cool, the fanart gets old after a while and uses unnecessary resources.

If I were running XBMC on something better than an Xbox1 I would turn fanart back on. But I would also probably use Aeon because it looks soo good. I tried running it on my Xbox but it did nothing but lock up.

[ChadTower]

Mine are all default skin and don't have any of the meta content in use.  I just browse the filesystem to get to what I want to play.

[shmokes]

At some point I'll get around to finding some cheap laptops and put the newer XBMC on those.

You might consider a nettop rather than a laptop.  There are a few made with HTPC in mind, notably the Zotac Zbox line, but Asus and Acer have similar stuff.  Here's a Lifehacker article about a $200 nettop that works well enough:

http://lifehacker.com/5391308/build-a-silent-standalone-xbmc-media-center-on-the-cheap

It's a pretty old article, so you can probably get more powerful hardware for the same price.  If you feel like spending a bit more, Zotac has a new Zbox arriving soon that has AMD's new APU (CPU/GPU combo) that they've been working on for the last five years.  It's an awesome platform and absolutely destroys Intel's Atom platform in performance and power consumption (and thermals).  It also has a built-in Blu-ray drive.   http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/07/amds-e-350-zacate-apu-finds-a-home-in-zotacs-zbox-ad03-blu-ray/

[Bootay]

Mine are all default skin and don't have any of the meta content in use.  I just browse the filesystem to get to what I want to play.

If it were only me using them I would do the same but my wife and kids use it to watch movies and tv as well so I have to make it dummy proof. 
So they select TV and it displays tv shows, etc etc.

[shmokes]

Plus when people come over and see your media center using Aeon and all the artwork your social status goes through the roof.   

By the way, there's a great program for scraping artwork and stuff for all your media called Ember.  It's made specifically for use with XBMC (though it will work well for most other media center apps).  Here's a Lifehacker article about setting it (and other cool stuff) up.

[Bootay]

Plus when people come over and see your media center using Aeon and all the artwork your social status goes through the roof.   

By the way, there's a great program for scraping artwork and stuff for all your media called Ember.  It's made specifically for use with XBMC (though it will work well for most other media center apps).  Here's a Lifehacker article about setting it (and other cool stuff) up.

Yep and the social status thing too. Many times people come over and are in awe and want me to hook them up with one just like it.
I use a program to scrape everything already...I forget what it's called right now and I am not at home but it scrapes it all for me and them I just turn on the Xbox and scan for changes and it pulls it all over.

With my current skin Rapier I just do covers without the fanart because of the reasons I posted above but people are still in awe just over that.

[shmokes]

You should be scraping everything even if you don't use it.  Eventually you will and it's going to be a big job going back through and getting everything in one go.

[Bootay]

You should be scraping everything even if you don't use it.  Eventually you will and it's going to be a big job going back through and getting everything in one go.

Oh I do scrape everything. I just have fanart turned off at the moment. 
And the program I use is called Media Companion

[ChadTower]

No guests have ever looked at anything electronic in my house and seen anything other than "all that stuff Chad is into that nobody else understands".  It actually works as a negative for whatever reason.  I don't anticipate that changing.   

I use Xboxes because they are cheap.  If I were willing to pay $200 for new clients I may as well up the ante to PS3s.   

If it helps none of my TVs can do 1080p so there's no rush to jump to the edge.  Full playback of 720p would be nice, though, as would be the ability to play files over a gig in size.

[Bootay]

No guests have ever looked at anything electronic in my house and seen anything other than "all that stuff Chad is into that nobody else understands".  It actually works as a negative for whatever reason.  I don't anticipate that changing.   

I use Xboxes because they are cheap.  If I were willing to pay $200 for new clients I may as well up the ante to PS3s.   

If it helps none of my TVs can do 1080p so there's no rush to jump to the edge.  Full playback of 720p would be nice, though, as would be the ability to play files over a gig in size.

Not sure what you mean by the last sentence. You can play files over a gig in size on an xbox...or wait, were you referring to the PS3?

[ChadTower]

Not sure what you mean by the last sentence. You can play files over a gig in size on an xbox...or wait, were you referring to the PS3?

Doesn't work for me.  Not exactly sure where the size cutoff is but I know 1.2gig will not play on any of my Xboxes.  It won't even try.  I find the file, try to play it, 2-3 seconds later I'm back in the menu.  One is a pretty old build but the rest are not.  If I have anything over a gig in individual filesize I have to use a converter to split it down to smaller files.  Note that this is streamed.  Nothing is local.

[Hoopz]

Interesting.  I can't recall trying to stream anything over a gig on mine.  I'll try it tonight and see if it works.

[ChadTower]

I could drop some big files into a DVD and see what happens too.  I believe I have something about 4.5g I want to watch but haven't gotten working yet.

[Bootay]

Not sure what you mean by the last sentence. You can play files over a gig in size on an xbox...or wait, were you referring to the PS3?

Doesn't work for me.  Not exactly sure where the size cutoff is but I know 1.2gig will not play on any of my Xboxes.  It won't even try.  I find the file, try to play it, 2-3 seconds later I'm back in the menu.  One is a pretty old build but the rest are not.  If I have anything over a gig in individual filesize I have to use a converter to split it down to smaller files.  Note that this is streamed.  Nothing is local.

Interesting. I stream 3gig BluRay rips every single day on my Xbox1. Maybe it is the version of XBMC?? I don't know. I have always had this ability. And this IS streaming from my computer in the basement to my TV upstairs. Now I know that the Xbox1 won't play HD content. It will play 720p rips but during fast scenes the video will stutter, so I only stream 480p BluRay rips which are better quality than DVDRips. The DVDRips that I stream are usually about 700megs-1.4gigs depending on the movie. But the BluRay rips are all 2-3+ gigs.

I also stream DVD ISOS which are 4+ gigs. So again I am not sure why you can't and I never heard of this being an issue as I have several friends with the same setup as me streaming the same files with no problems.

Has anyone else ran into this?

[shmokes]

Yeah . . . I've streamed hundreds of 1+ gig files on my Xbox.  My DVD rips average about 1.2-1.5 GB apiece.  What Xbox doesn't handle well is the .MKV container, which is pretty common with HD rips, but even non-HD .MKV files don't work well on the Xbox.  

Also, the PS3 is a wretched media player.  Moving to a PS3 would be upping the ante in terms of videogames, but it would be a decided downgrade in your media center.  You'd gain HD capability (which doesn't even matter to you yet), but lose in every other department.

[ChadTower]

Moving to a PS3 would be upping the ante in terms of videogames

Yeah, and I don't have any interest in Sony as a gaming platform, so it's of no use there.

[Bootay]

Oh...I don't play .mkv on my xbox. I didn't even know they worked. I strictly play either Xvids or Divx files or sometimes I will backup a dvd I own to ISO and play it from the Xbox. But mostly Xvid. 720p Xvids will play but like I said...fast scenes or scenes with a bunch of stuff going on in the background will stutter. I no longer bother with them and stick to 480p rips. They look good enough for me and my family anyway. A friend of mine has a WDLive that was pretty neat and could stream HD content but the interface isn't that good. I like how XBMC looks even while in the default skin better than anything else I have ever seen.

[wp34]

Is it possible to access Hulu with XMBC on a modded XBOX?  I'm looking for a cheap way to get Hulu on my TV and this sounds interesting.

[severdhed]

hulu works fairly well using PlayON on your pc.  it has its moments when it doesnt work, but other times when it does.

however rumor has it that Hulu support is coming to the 360, but i'm not sure when.



as for xboxes running xbmc...i have 3 of them right now, but they aren't getting as much use as they used to.  i recently setup a pc with xbmc and i love it....it has all the great features of the xbox version, but without the limitations.

[wp34]

hulu works fairly well using PlayON on your pc.  it has its moments when it doesnt work, but other times when it does.

however rumor has it that Hulu support is coming to the 360, but i'm not sure when.



as for xboxes running xbmc...i have 3 of them right now, but they aren't getting as much use as they used to.  i recently setup a pc with xbmc and i love it....it has all the great features of the xbox version, but without the limitations.

Glad to know PlayON works as I have considered that option.  I just don't have a dedicated PC I can install it on. 

If you subscribe to Hulu Plus you can stream to PS3 and XBOX 360 among others.  You also get access to more content.

[Hoopz]

Its been awhile since I looked but Hulu didn't have a plug in or script for XBMC on an Box. Unfortunately. 

[shmokes]

If you're running XBMC on a PC you can set it up to launch Hulu Desktop, which works perfectly with a remote and is optimized for TV screens.  If you're running it on a PC and using a Harmony remote I can show you a REALLY graceful way to switch between Hulu Desktop and XBMC at the touch of a button.

[wp34]

Its been awhile since I looked but Hulu didn't have a plug in or script for XBMC on an Box. Unfortunately. 

I wondered about that.  I saw some mention of a plug-in for XBMC when I Googled but could not tell if it worked on the XBOX.  Also could not tell if Hulu detected the XBOX as a PC or an XBOX.

If you're running XBMC on a PC you can set it up to launch Hulu Desktop, which works perfectly with a remote and is optimized for TV screens.  If you're running it on a PC and using a Harmony remote I can show you a REALLY graceful way to switch between Hulu Desktop and XBMC at the touch of a button.

That's probably what I'll end up doing.  I've been kicking around building a HTPC but saw this thread and wondered if a used XBOX would be a cheaper alternative.  Sounds like a PC is the way to go.
Thanks for the feedback.

[ChadTower]

Got the chance to do a little bit of playing around with this last night.  Of course, I couldn't reproduce it entirely as I remember.

Old build:  played 1.6g divx avi, did not even try to play 4.5g mkv
Recent build:  played 1.6g divx avi, 4.5g mkv froze the xbox

That's all I had on hand for files of that size since I've been working around having them for years.  Now that I'm trying to make it happen I can't seem to do so.   

Who knows, I'll keep poking at it.  Maybe it was a 1g+ file inside a split rar.  I know there was some case where it consistently happened on things I was downloading.

[Bootay]

As far as I knew the Xbox1 can't handle .mkvs. I know for a fact that it will play Xvid and Divx files of any size though. 720p Xvids will sometimes play with stutter, but sometimes will lock the Xbox depending on how much available resources. I find that if I just watch a movie and then start a 720p Xvid the Xbox will freeze. My advice it to not bother with 720p Xvids though and stick to 480p and you will never have any problems no matter how large the file.

As for Hulu I never seen a plugin or script for it, but the scripts and plugins are often buggy so I don't bother with them.

[GuyDanger]

The Xbox will handle .MKV files and almost any file you throw at it. Where it does bottle neck though is video and audio bitrate. The processor is just to slow to handle high bitrate files. You are pretty safe if the files are around 1100 - 1350 kbps. This is ofcoarse dependent on the video resolution, audio mix, and file container. I have never had a problem playing large files (2gb+) Just as long as the bitrates were acceptable.

On the other hand...if you can wait on buying that HTPC, the news on the PS3 Jailbreak hopefully means that some form of XBMC will be coming to PS3 in the near future. The PS3 is a pretty powerful system so it should be able to handle pretty much anything and everything. For the time being I use my PS3 with PS3 Media server to push most of my content across. Its a nice little program but somewhat buggy a times. Doesn't hold a candle to XBMC though.

[Bootay]

Thanks for clearing that up on the mkvs. I never tried them but what told they didn't work. But I have tried most other file formats with success.

[shmokes]

It's best to think of .MKVs as not working at all, frankly.  When you're downloading files in .MKV format you usually have no way of knowing their bitrate.  Its pretty clear that nobody here who is having trouble is ripping their own .MKV files.  And 9 times out of 10 if an .MKV will even start on an Xbox, it will play unacceptably badly.  The Xbox technically supports .MKV, but in practice it doesn't.

[ChadTower]

The software supports it but the horses dun like it.

[DJ_Izumi]

It's best to think of .MKVs as not working at all, frankly.  When you're downloading files in .MKV format you usually have no way of knowing their bitrate.  Its pretty clear that nobody here who is having trouble is ripping their own .MKV files.  And 9 times out of 10 if an .MKV will even start on an Xbox, it will play unacceptably badly.  The Xbox technically supports .MKV, but in practice it doesn't.

Oh no, the Xbox1 running XBMC fully supports the MKV and will run any MKV you throw at it... Unless the CPU demands are too high.  The vast, vast majority of encodes use MKV so they can use the MPEG-4 AVC/h.264 video codec and the AAC audio codec.  These are about as complicated as video can get and AVC/h.264 has various 'profile' of which features are enabled which determin how much CPU power is used.  Those encoders, targeting PCs for decoding your video, set it to High Profile, if not higher, to maximize encoding efficency at an expense of CPU time needed to decode it.  The MKV itself is just fine, it's the fact that most 480p h.264 content, especially scenes with a lot of motion will burry the needle on the CPU.  Try to run 720p stuff?  That's just flat out not happening.

There's nothing with with MKV and if you load DivX/XviD into an MKV container and it'll run perfectly on the Xbox1.  h.264?  No, it's a box with a 733Mhz Celeron in it, what do you expect?  And XBMC is NOT a happy camper when it's CPU hits 100% at all times.  It wigs out rightously.  This would not be a problem on a more powerful box.  And that's why my current desktop, an Athlon 64 that's being replaced in the summer, is being made into an XBMC box to replace the Xbox1 i currenty use

[shmokes]

In plain English what he's saying is that it's best to think of .MKVs as not working at all on the Xbox. 

[DJ_Izumi]

In plain English what he's saying is that it's best to think of .MKVs as not working at all on the Xbox. 

No.  h.264 is the problem.  The video format could also be contained in MP4's and other containers.  Remember, MKV isn't a format, it's a container of formats.  You can put DivX and MP3 in an MKV even, which was popular in the anime piracy scene before h.264 got popular, because it could hold soft coded subtitle formats and multiple audio streams unlike the AVI container.

I even have a range of MKVs with h.264 with resolutions below 480p that will run fine.  This isn't about the container but it's about CPU load.  And this is the problem with using the Xbox1 as a media center, it's old hardware and it's slow as snot.

[severdhed]

just for the record, i watched a 7.4gb 1080p h.264 .mkv file tonight on xbmc on my pc and it works beautifully...the xbox just can't handle that. 

[Bootay]

just for the record, i watched a 7.4gb 1080p h.264 .mkv file tonight on xbmc on my pc and it works beautifully...the xbox just can't handle that. 

Severdhed: Yea...we know that any file format will play on a PC running XBMC. We are strictly talking about Xbox1.

DJ: While it is interesting to know that an mkv is just a container and you could drop any files in them like that, the majority of mkvs that are downloaded are 720p or 1080p videos that will not play on an Xbox. So potentially it will work if someone drops a 480p dvdrip xvid in an mkv container, but realistically I never seen anyone do that, or seen any available for download like that.

I do have a question on the mkv container though. Since you could drop Xvids in an mkv container, could I take xvids that are split into cd1 and cd2 and drop them in a single mkv container so that they are 1 file instead of 2? I know that if they are named properly XBMC will read them as 1 file. But if I ever decide to switch from the Xbox to another device that doesn't support XBMC, it would be nice to have an option to make these 1 file.

[shmokes]

In plain English what he's saying is that it's best to think of .MKVs as not working at all on the Xbox. 

No.  h.264 is the problem.  The video format could also be contained in MP4's and other containers.  Remember, MKV isn't a format, it's a container of formats.  You can put DivX and MP3 in an MKV even, which was popular in the anime piracy scene before h.264 got popular, because it could hold soft coded subtitle formats and multiple audio streams unlike the AVI container.

I even have a range of MKVs with h.264 with resolutions below 480p that will run fine.  This isn't about the container but it's about CPU load.  And this is the problem with using the Xbox1 as a media center, it's old hardware and it's slow as snot.

You're right, of course.  But the reality is that nobody encodes Divx or Xvid to MKV, they use AVI.  So if you're watching movies on the Xbox it's best to just treat MKVs as incompatible, cos they almost certainly are, whereas an AVI will play 99 out of 100 times.  Xbox supports MKV files, but in practice it never plays them.  You're right about the reason, but the reason is secondary to the fact that they don't work.

[DJ_Izumi]

I'm playing an MKV with h.264 and AAC on my Xbox1 right now.   Though it's at 640x352 widescreen, instead of 720x480, so there's less blocks for it to decide.  It's using 90% or so of the CPU but it's just fine.  Resolution is probably the biggest factor in CPU demand.

[GuyDanger]

Just released today, XBMC for AppleTV2, Ipad And Iphone4 (although its been said that it is a little frustrating on the Iphone 4)!

Just thought you would all like to know that the guys at XBMC are at it again. Apple TV runs XBMC!!!

The Apple TV can handle 1080p video no problem (Although it was originally set to 720p by Apple). So HD streaming is built-in right out of the box. They have also reported that XBMC is fully functional once installed. The sweetest part of this whole thing...you can pick up an Apple tv for...wait for it...wait for it...$99!

http://xbmc.org/

Check out thier official site, its pretty big news!

P.S. I think they have wireless N built-in too. Someone may want to confirm this.

[Bootay]

I'm playing an MKV with h.264 and AAC on my Xbox1 right now.   Though it's at 640x352 widescreen, instead of 720x480, so there's less blocks for it to decide.  It's using 90% or so of the CPU but it's just fine.  Resolution is probably the biggest factor in CPU demand.

I believe you, and I believe that Shmokes believes you too. The point we were both making is that typically mkvs are HD resolution and the xbox cannot handle it. I fully believe that a 480p mkv will work...but typically mkvs are not 480p when you find them online. I am sure there are a few but the vast majority of them are HD. So that is why Shmokes said that it is best to just consider mkvs not working. It is just too much work to download one and hope that it is encoded in a resolution low enough for the xbox1 to handle when you already know that Xvids will work just fine. For every mkv rip there is an Xvid rip of the same content, so why not just get the Xvid instead and skip the dice roll?   

[SNAAKE]

can you transfer files to this appletv thing and also add a bigger hard drive? 2.5 sata?

[GuyDanger]

can you transfer files to this appletv thing and also add a bigger hard drive? 2.5 sata?

The Apple TV is probably best served as a streaming device. I think it has 4gb of internal memory. It is literally not much bigger then a hockey puck so you wouldn't be able to add a hard drive to it. Now it does note that it has a micro usb input but in brackets it states (service and support). So I am not sure if the Apple Tv would recognize an external hard drive from it.

It does include:

•HDMI2
•Optical audio
•10/100BASE-T Ethernet
•Built-in IR receiver
•Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, or n)

For the price of this little system, it is packed to the tits! Add the xbmc remote app to it (if you own an Iphone or Itouch) and you are rockin' one serious entertainment hub!

[Bootay]

can you transfer files to this appletv thing and also add a bigger hard drive? 2.5 sata?

The Apple TV is probably best served as a streaming device. I think it has 4gb of internal memory. It is literally not much bigger then a hockey puck so you wouldn't be able to add a hard drive to it. Now it does note that it has a micro usb input but in brackets it states (service and support). So I am not sure if the Apple Tv would recognize an external hard drive from it.

It does include:

•HDMI2
•Optical audio
•10/100BASE-T Ethernet
•Built-in IR receiver
•Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, or n)

For the price of this little system, it is packed to the tits! Add the xbmc remote app to it (if you own an Iphone or Itouch) and you are rockin' one serious entertainment hub!

This really does sound interesting since it runs XBMC. Currently my Xbox1 is still doing what I need it to and I do not care about HD content much. I have a 42" HDTV and have played HD content on it and although HD looks good and I can see the difference in quality, it never really blew me away to the point that I have to have it. Now don't get me wrong, if I upgrade to hardware that can handle it, I would probably start getting HD content.

[newkillergenius]

My $0.02 on XBMC:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[ark_ader]

I use MameMKV, and it doesn't work out of the box for the Xbox1.  I have to convert the rip to Divx5.  If I keep the conversion process that  MakeMKV provides, not only does it stutter, but I lose sync with the audio track.  You can make the video player decode at a lower resolution and that works.  If I want to watch any conversions I have to button menu every movie?  I don't think so.

Yes it is a PINTA, but if all your gear plays SD, what is the point of making multiple HD versions for one or two devices?

OK I'm cheap, but I see the Xbox1 residing under my TV for a few more years yet.

[Bootay]

I use MameMKV, and it doesn't work out of the box for the Xbox1.  I have to convert the rip to Divx5.  If I keep the conversion process that  MakeMKV provides, not only does it stutter, but I lose sync with the audio track.  You can make the video player decode at a lower resolution and that works.  If I want to watch any conversions I have to button menu every movie?  I don't think so.

Yes it is a PINTA, but if all your gear plays SD, what is the point of making multiple HD versions for one or two devices?

OK I'm cheap, but I see the Xbox1 residing under my TV for a few more years yet.

Ark, I feel the same way....
And dude...please remove the annoying black bars...the protest is over. LOL Save that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- for the Mame/720 controller thread.