|
As this forum is rarely used anymore, we've locked it. Feel free to browse and read. Questions? Please reach out to us directly. Cheers! |
|
|
 |
|
|
| Author |
Message |
Person99
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 4899
Location: Flower Mound, TX
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 12:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
| JustGreg wrote: |
$200.00 to enable HD DVD playback capabilities on a (HT)PC is dirrrrrttttt cheap compared to stand-alone players! |
OK, I'm just being lazy and not searching, so feel free to ignore me. 
I've not wanted an HTPC until it could really effectively be more than a problematic upscaling DVD player.  Well, that day is almost upon us! With CableCARD support in Vista and eventual HD DVD burners (to replace my D-VHS machines), it is almost a viable option!
So, does this "hack" to get the XBox HD-DVD drive to work in PCs work with Vista (which will be needed for CableCARD support)? How "buggy" is this hack?
Thanks,
Dave
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
JustGreg
Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 3098
Location: Kenosha, WI
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Person99 wrote: | | JustGreg wrote: |
$200.00 to enable HD DVD playback capabilities on a (HT)PC is dirrrrrttttt cheap compared to stand-alone players! |
OK, I'm just being lazy and not searching, so feel free to ignore me.
I've not wanted an HTPC until it could really effectively be more than a problematic upscaling DVD player. Well, that day is almost upon us! With CableCARD support in Vista and eventual HD DVD burners (to replace my D-VHS machines), it is almost a viable option!
So, does this "hack" to get the XBox HD-DVD drive to work in PCs work with Vista (which will be needed for CableCARD support)? How "buggy" is this hack?
Thanks,
Dave |
From what I've learned so far, a simple gender changer is req'd to go from the mini SATA connector on the drive and other end either full sized SATA or ATA...the SATA adapters come in different flavors to suit what your system architecture supports.
The only thing I found that would prevent doing this, or at least reduce the effectiveness, is the CPU horsepower required to process the HD stream. A DuoCore processor of ~3Ghz, 1 GB of RAM, and a good vid card with discreet memory of ~500MB would have no problems. These minimum specs are my own and not realized from testing. Probably overkill but definately can't hurt.
The DuoCore processor ensures the ability to multitask with no negative impact on playback if one ever finds themself in that position.
As far as Vista goes, IF you listen to Microsoft, it's better, but fully backward compatible with existing flavors of XP and XP based apps.
There's a couple Xbox forums with similar posts from people who have done this successfully using beta copies of Vista. Unless something is changed in the final release to plug the loophole (doubtful just to stop a Toshiba DVD driver from working) it (Vista) was shown to immediately recognize the HD DVD drive from the Xbox.
I'm still doing mo' research tho so I'll add/correct as I get it.
Greg
_________________
Greg
"Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care!" --Jimmy Buffett
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Person99
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 4899
Location: Flower Mound, TX
|
| Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks Greg, I may be building and HTPC Q1 or Q2 '07!
Dave
_________________
Dave
A train station is where the train stops. A bus station is where the bus stops. On my desk, I have a work station....
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JustGreg
Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 3098
Location: Kenosha, WI
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 2:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Person99 wrote: | Thanks Greg, I may be building and HTPC Q1 or Q2 '07!
Dave |
NP man. I just wanted to add I've found more info regarding the connectivity of the HD drive to a PC. According to the latest intel, the external USB port of the drive can be used without cracking the seal and going right to the drive to connect; voiding any warranties, if that's of any concern to anyone.
Before I build a dedicated HTPC I'm going to TRY to find a laptop that'll do what I need it to do. Money's tight so I doubt I'll be able to afford one with the nuts I need it to have.
Until then however, I'm picking up the HD drive this weekend at WalyWorld for $170. I'll attempt to get it operational on my desktop PC with less than desired features; (only 2.1Ghz, 256MB DDR2) but I have a Radeon 9700 series vid card with DVI out which should help relieve some processing burdens from the CPU.
The sound card I bought way back when I was thinking of building an HTPC was SUPPOSED to provide me with THX certified sound (Creative Audigy2 ZS) but it's a steaming pile of sh*t. Popping, hissing, stuttering. Turns out from post purchase research into this that those are known issues with it and Creative isn't doing a damn thing to revamp the drivers. So even if I do get the drive working with smooth playback, the sound quality is going to basically negate the effort until I can replace it (again the money thing).
Mo to come.
Greg
_________________
Greg
"Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care!" --Jimmy Buffett
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
AnalogRocks
Forum Moderator
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
When you get the coin check out the Auzen Tech HDA Xplosion. I'm going to put one in a PC eventually ( money thing too, don't have the money to finsih it lol ) IT's had good reviews and you can change out the D/A converters if you want for a much cleaner sound. That is if you are using the analog outputs.
It can also encode yor games into real time DTS or Dolby Digital so you can output to a reciever.
_________________
Tech support for nothing
CRT.
HD done right!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JustGreg
Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 3098
Location: Kenosha, WI
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| AnalogRocks wrote: | When you get the coin check out the Auzen Tech HDA Xplosion. I'm going to put one in a PC eventually ( money thing too, don't have the money to finsih it lol ) IT's had good reviews and you can change out the D/A converters if you want for a much cleaner sound. That is if you are using the analog outputs.
It can also encode yor games into real time DTS or Dolby Digital so you can output to a reciever. |
Awesome. Thanks for the info. I've always been a Creative fan...until recently that is, but they were one of the very first sound card manufacturers so I've tried to remain loyal. Goes all the way back to the Turtle Beach days. Man I'm old!! 
EDIT: Checked out that card Jer...$90.00 US isn't bad at all. I paid $166.00 for the Audigy2 ZS. The one site I found it at is out of stock but I'll keep looking. Damn Christmas shoppers cleaned em out! 
I'm all over the map with this thread but it's difficult to find anyone that's working on or succeddfully integrated a BD ROM for the Xbox360 due to the scarcity of the drives to work with. They're out there...but you wouldn't want to rip into one experimentally....it's too easy to brick the damn things (HD DVD and the BD). So I'll just play around with adapting the Xbox HD DVD ROM for use with a PC until prices for the BD ROM's come down (don't hold yer breath).
By the way Jer....have you had any luck tracking the package with USPS? What a useless tracking system they have. All it's been telling me for days now is that it was received into the PO where I dropped it off. Not a thing more about it's travels. Hopefully it didn't fall behind a shelf overloaded with Christmas packages. That PO was NUTS last week when I was there. Almost 2 hrs of waiting in line with pissed off holiday pkg customers. Let me know if you can see where it is and I'll call the PO and ask why I can't see it's progres.
Greg
_________________
Greg
"Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care!" --Jimmy Buffett
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
voodoo7869
Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 193
Location: Chicago, IL USA
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
|
look it will be possiable once they allow home brew software to run on the 360. Currantly you need to install a driver disk into the 360 for it to use the hd-dvd drive. the problem here is all files run on the xbox 360 need to be signed by a master code that microsoft owns. the cpu has the code imbedded into it at the factory so you cannot extract it by normal means. it would require a cpu and a electron microscope to read the code off of the cpu wafer. They have found a backdoor to run unsigned code but it is not completely ready yet or easy to do. they have lots of info on this subject at xboxscene.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
AnalogRocks
Forum Moderator
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26706
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 2:22 am Post subject: |
|
|
I just plugged the HD-DVD drive into my PC and installed some DVD software and off I went.
_________________
Tech support for nothing
CRT.
HD done right!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
Forum powered by phpBB © phpBB Group
|
|
