xbox as sage client?

[Methius]

The problem would then come back to web UI for SageTV.
Then you could maybe watch "Live"TV on your xbox. (Just play the MPEG2 file SageTV creates when watching a channel. SageTV uses the principal of playing a MPEG2 it creates of "LiveTV" if I understand correctly. You would then just have to create a automation for the xbox to pick the MPEG2 with the latest creation date, and switch if a new MPEG2 file is created)

To sum it up:
Yes, it could be done I think on the xbox part. (I'm a professional modder btw, and software hacks don't give the same as a modchip. Modchip = you can turn off for xbox Live, software (TSOP) = non-reversable)
"Just" need to code a Sage Client plugin for XBMC, a web interface in SageTV would help greatly with that.

[falchulk]

Not true, softmods are completely reverseable. As a matter of fact there is one available that gives you the option on bootup as to which dashboard you want to load. Choosing the xbox standard gives you a normal xbox.

[ravenray]

Do you think the mvp sage client could be ported to work with xmbc? I'm not a programmer but I thought I can throw some more suggestions. Yes, if you had a modchip and you tried to play xbox live with it on, you can be banned. But....what if, I was to use the modchip only for as my sage client. When I want to play games, I can easily switch it over to the xbox bios which should mean that it turns my modchip off, right?

[Methius]

Originally Posted by falchulk

Not true, softmods are completely reverseable. As a matter of fact there is one available that gives you the option on bootup as to which dashboard you want to load. Choosing the xbox standard gives you a normal xbox.

Not entirely true. While Softmods are reversable (reflash the original bios onto the xbox), the TSOP on the xbox isn't meant to be flashed 5+ times.
(Would you reflash the bios on your pc's m/b 5-10 times?)
And if it fails even once, you got to get a modchip to get the xbox working again.

The bios is what counts when you go onto X-Live, not the dashboard.
If you have your xbox softmodded, and boot to a selectable microsoft dashboard (you have a modified bios active) the xbox will LOOK like an normal xbox, but it would be running a modified bios that would permit the use of unsigned software and thus banning you from X-Live if you log onto it with that bios active.

You MUST have the original bios (TSOP) in place when you go onto Live. So instead of going through the hassle of reflashing the TSOP (which will get broken after a while), you can build in a chip.

Which works like:

----------------Original Xbox Bios on TSOP
|
Switch
|
----------------Modified Bios on Modchip
Which leaves the Original bios intact (For Xbox Live), and you can switch without any hassle to the modified bios (which permits unsigned software to run) whenever you want.

But to come back onto the topic of this thread,
Webbased GUI has been made by Nielm, so one prob out of the way it seems.
For more information about Xbox Modding: www.xbox-scene.com

To RavenRay:
You could have 3 options:
1: have 1 chip with 2 biosses (per example the Xecuter 2.6b Lite)
Which gives you the option of:
Modchip Off = Save to go on Xbox Live, Play Original Games

Modchip On, Bios 1 (which loads evoxdash.xbe) = Play Backup Games
NOT XBOX LIVE SAFE.

Modchip On, Bios 2 (which loads avalaunch.xbe (rename the default.xbe from XBMC to avalaunch.xbe and put it in C:\ of the xbox)) = Directly boot to SageX Client (or however they are going to call it)
NOT XBOX LIVE SAFE.

2: Have 1 chip with only 1 bios (per example the Alladin chip)
Modchip Off = Xbox Live safe, Play original Games

Modchip On (which loads evoxdash.xbe) = this loads the Evox Dashboard (per example), from which you will select another Dashboard or SageX Client.
NOT XBOX LIVE SAFE.

3: Softmod
Boot to menu in which you get the option of Evox Dashboard or SageX Client (XBMC plugin). NOT XBOX LIVE SAFE.

[ravenray]

Methius,

Yeah, that's what I kind of thought about the switch with the Xecuter 3. I was gonna do something like option 1, but with just one bios and one dashboard and use xmbc with some type of sage client (if there ever is one). So that way, I don't screw up being banned from xbox live. Either I watch tv or Play games (non-backup).

[rsagetv99]

With the recent Linux support announcement will this become more of a possiblilty? I'm not doing it right now, but you can run Linux on XBOX.

[ravenray]

Oh Wow! I didn't even notice that. So I wonder, If you had a modded xbox and running, let say gentoo (I think that's how it's spelled). I wonder if this would function right along side with it. I wonder if both a windows (server side) and linux (client side) can co-exist. I guess we'll find out once this comes out this year. This will definetly be interesting to see once it comes out.

[nigfink]

I modded my Xbox and love to watch recording on it from Sage. The quality of the video is perfect. I record at DVD Extra Long play and connect my xbox to a network with my tv directory shared. Through XBMC I play the files (you have to wait until they are done recording to play them). Like I said, the picture is fantastic and the sound is also great. The only thing I would like is a plugin to read the comskip files and jump through the comercials. An interface to schedule recording and read the recording data would be nice, but I really just want to be able to skip the darn comercials. A modded XBox is amazing for watching downloaded movies, compressed movies (divx and anything else you can through at it), and all types of pictures and sound files. Plus it connects directly to your tv, no hastle, with a great picture and digital sound (with the right cable). We can only hope that there will be some type of port, or plugin coming soon.

[salsbst]

nigfink, sounds nice. can you get a Java Runtime Environment running on your Xbox?

[nigfink]

Not to my knowledge I can't. I'm not sure what language all the software is written in for the Xbox, but I know its not hard to get your hands on the MS developers kit for the Xbox (its not released to anyone but signed companies, but it got leaked years ago and has been all over the internet since).

[Methius]

See this thread on the XMBC forum for more info (not much):
Link XBMC forum

[DreamWeb]

Originally Posted by nigfink

I modded my Xbox and love to watch recording on it from Sage. The quality of the video is perfect. I record at DVD Extra Long play and connect my xbox to a network with my tv directory shared. Through XBMC I play the files (you have to wait until they are done recording to play them). Like I said, the picture is fantastic and the sound is also great. The only thing I would like is a plugin to read the comskip files and jump through the comercials. An interface to schedule recording and read the recording data would be nice, but I really just want to be able to skip the darn comercials. A modded XBox is amazing for watching downloaded movies, compressed movies (divx and anything else you can through at it), and all types of pictures and sound files. Plus it connects directly to your tv, no hastle, with a great picture and digital sound (with the right cable). We can only hope that there will be some type of port, or plugin coming soon.

I use this exact same setup. And, I agree, it's terrific. I too wish that I could delete, schedule, comskip, etc. though. That would make it perfect, for me.

ONe thing of note though... I can watch shows on my XBOX before they've finished recording. Not sure why you can't.

d.

[TaskMastr]

Originally Posted by Methius

Not entirely true. While Softmods are reversable (reflash the original bios onto the xbox), the TSOP on the xbox isn't meant to be flashed 5+ times.
(Would you reflash the bios on your pc's m/b 5-10 times?)
And if it fails even once, you got to get a modchip to get the xbox working again.

To be accurate, softmods do not require the TSOP to be flashed at all. The V1.6 XBOX does not even have a TSOP to flash, but is completely soft-moddable and completely reversible.

I agree with nigfink - the modded XBOX is the best home AV player out there... Tom's Hardware Agrees

[insomniac]

someone with a login to that forum might want to post that sage has released their media player source. May light a fire...

I.

[roofus]

This coming from an extremely experienced xbox modder, all we need is the linux flavor of the sagetv client and you can run the xbox as a client. It's as easy as pie. So stop babbling about XMBC plugins and the xbox SDK because linux can run on any hardware, anywhere anytime and so will the sage TV client when they release the linux version.

When it comes out, i will be installing it on one of my xboxes, and i will post the results. *mouth waters* screw the MCE extenders, I love sagetv!

P.S. I love XBMC, but it's seriously lacking in the PVR category, it only loosely supports MythTV and ReplayTV boxes right now. And sagetv on linux would mean a LEGAL solution, as XBMC is compiled with stolen SDK kits and is ALWAYS illegally compiled. Running any home brew software on the xbox except for Linux or the barely working open XDK project is illegal.

[mikejaner]

And sagetv on linux would mean a LEGAL solution, as XBMC is compiled with stolen SDK kits and is ALWAYS illegally compiled. Running any home brew software on the xbox except for Linux or the barely working open XDK project is illegal.

That's wrong actually. Running anything other than Microsoft manufactured game discs on an Xbox is Illegal, and this includes Linux. It's illegal to circumvent the TSOP or use any technique, like gamesave hacks/exploits to get the Xbox to boot anything not intended by Microsoft.
And yes, I have XBMC running on mine

[Naylia]

I think you're using legal in different ways here, in roofus's comment compiling from a stolen SDK is actually breaking the law, while violating the terms of service for xbox live is not breaking the law but allows microsoft to deny you service

Sage on linux would be legal, as in not breaking the law, because it wouldn't rely on any proprietary copyrighted code.

[mikejaner]

I see what your saying, but it's still "illegal" to boot into linux, since it has to rely on code, which either was written by the SDK, or is bypassing the TSOP. You can't just throw a Linux cd in an Xbox and boot it. You have to bypass the security mechanisms designed into system, with either an exploit (illegal), or a Modchip and Bootloader combo (illegal)
I think what is agreed here is, if SageTV were to release a Linux client, then, us hackers could install it on any machine running Linux. Without support of course for those boxes which aren't running a supported flavor.

[src666]

The day we get a Sage client running on an XBox is the day I buy 2 more XBoxes and 3 Sage clients, and put the extender dilemma to rest once and for all. Period. Until then, SageTV is a provisional solution to my PVR needs.

It really seems that Sage severely underestimates how badly the market wants a _full_ function extender. Right now, 98% of my PVR/HTPC investment is hardware that could be used with any software I choose. The only thing that keeps me from moving off of Sage is the functionality. If someone offered equivalent or better functionality with a viable extender, then my ~$100 investment in Sage licenses could be written off in a heartbeat.

[mikejaner]

I think there needs to be a better extender too. The MVP is all but a dead horse at this point. I think it works great now for it's limited capabilities, but I agree there needs to be more. To me it comes down to price if you want to think about extenders.
It also depends on what you consider an Extender.
If your talking about a silent, diskless system which boots directly to a SageTV screen, all that can be accomplished with a NanoITX based EPIA system with a CF for a hard drive. You just have to be willing to fork out $500 and a little time setting it up.

The only other company you can look at with extenders is Microsoft, and their first generation of extenders did the job, but just like the MVP, left everybody wanting for more. The next generation with the Xbox360 is going to make it interesting. Especially with Dual HD and SD tuners availible as an updated to MCE. An extender that not only plays DVD's but plays HDTV along with standard TV and Xbox games, is gonna be hard to beat.
I like the Xbox as an extender, cause it's about to go useless with my purchase of a 360, but lack of HD is the killer for me.