Modding The Xbox Into The Ultimate Multimedia Center

Video Playback

A click on the video function and the XBMC opens the relevant submenu practically right away. From here, the data source is first selected: a DVD, a file-sharing protocol in the network or the local hard drive (videos). Display and sort order can be adapted as needed, as in all the other submenus.

If a DVD is selected as the data source, the XBMC first distinguishes between a data CD containing film files (for display see below) and a film DVD, which is played directly.

We downloaded a few official movie trailers for our tests and copied them to the computer with our network protocol. In order to give the XBMC access to this protocol, it has to be entered in the configuration file XboxMediaCenter.xml.

Suffice it to say, it can play back images in all the usual formats.

Switching to the network share provider is almost instantaneous. The file display for the hard drive would look exactly the same.

The stack function is useful: it automatically recognizes logically linked titles...

... and groups them together as a new menu item. This actually only becomes apparent when you deselect it or undo the action by choosing "unstack."

Codecs: Divx, Xvid, WMA And QuickTime

This is no joke: the XBMC can even play video files in .mov format. However, it failed to play a file in QuickTime 6, which means that only Version 5 and previous versions are supported.

Latest in Overclocking
Overclocking Arrow Lake
Overclocking Arrow Lake: How I set world records, plus simple tips to push your Core Ultra to the limit
Diabatix's LN2-optimized CPU cooler.
Diabatix and Asus hit new overclocking records with LN2-optimized heatsink – Intel Core Ultra 9 285K hits 7.448 GHz
OC world record chart noting the eight years of fastest progression before the long stall pre-9 GHz.
Raptor Lake 9.1 GHz overclockers share secrets behind eclipsing a 17-year-old CPU frequency world record
Elmor Labs' OC Panel
New third-party OC panel allows on-the-fly tweaking, monitoring and diagnostics for OC-capable Asus ROG motherboards
14900K at 7.7 GHz
14900K at 7.7 GHz: How I Set 50 Overclocking Records with Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs and Plenty of Liquid Nitrogen
Core i9-14900K
8 GHz Core i9-14900K Sets New Record in CS2 With 1,310 FPS
Latest in Features
Free Alternatives to Photoshop
Five Best Photoshop Alternatives Tested: Image Editing for Free
Awekeys Antiques Metal keycaps
Awekeys Antiques Metal keycaps are Viking-themed luxury for your fingertips
The Gigabyte X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7
Get the most out of your processor with this motherboard's Turbo Mode
AMD RDNA 4 and Radeon RX 9000-series GPUs
AMD RDNA 4 and Radeon RX 9000-series GPUs start at $549: Specifications, release date, pricing, and more revealed
MSI Prestige GPU
Tested: Intel's Arrow Lake 140T iGPU mostly maintains an edge over AMD's older 880m
MechBoards Hyper7 R4
I’m typing this on the world’s largest keyboard, a 178-key beast designed to make you more productive