The Xbox as a Streaming Media Platform - Part IV

I've found the solution to my streaming media problems!

While the Xbox 360 was a complete flop when it came to streaming media, a device that was just sitting in my closet gathering dust came to my rescue. The ORIGINAL Xbox is a FANTASTIC media streaming platform. But it doesn't do it natively, you first have to mod it and then load the Xbox Media Center (XBMC) ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBMC ) software that does the streaming and playback.

The modding step is the trickiest one but by following these simple directions, lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/transform-your-classic-xbox-into-a-killer-media-center-299809.php or these www.productwiki.com/microsoft-xbox/article/how-to-go-from-xbox-to-xbox-media-center-in-30-minutes.html

you'll have it up and running in no time.

What the mod does is use a fake save game file for a specific game which actually is software that exploits a security hole in the xbox software. Once you download the mod, you have to move it to the Xbox. There are a couple of options which those websites discuss but I chose the easy one, buy an Xbox Action Replay ($25) which moves the saved game onto an Xbox memory card and then by running the original game (I used MechAssault, $1.99 at my local Gamestop), it loads and executes the exploit. After you reboot the box you are presented with a new desktop. You then FTP over the XBMC software, setup your media locations and you're done!

This is a great use of a piece of hardware I was never going to look at again. For those of you who sold or gave away your original Xboxes, Gamestop was selling them for only $49. So for about $75 you can have a streaming media device. That's a few hundred bucks less than current solutions.
The only limititation that I can see is that because of the older HW and low RAM, XBMC is unable to play HD videos. If you want that then you might want to investigate building a media center pc and putting XBMC for Windows on it.

Now the only thing I have left to do is get an XBOX DVD remote (Gamestop, $10) and use it to train my universal remote so I can put the controller away.