My XBox RANT

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

DannyD

Good rant.

Quick Question, Do I need a dvd playback remote to play dvds ? I have an xbox but no dvds so I can't test it.I thought I would be able to use the controller to play dvds ? I was under the impression the remote was exactally that, a wireless way to control the xbox.

koneko

I use the Xbox as my main DVD player (just so handy having it there anyway) and I have never had any problems with it... at all.

We recently put a mod chip in there, but even before then we would play DVDs just on the Xbox and it was fine. Strange.

DannyD. You need the remote kit. It's a remote and receiver which functions as a dongle. DVD playback won't be enabled until you use the dongle/receiver.

pugwall

If you install a modchip you will be in breach of your warrenty so i wouldnt advise you to do that. Microsoft offer a free repair if your conole is in warrenty but if they see that it has been modified in any way well then it could be costly.

To play dvds on your xbox you need the kit. The remote only controles the dvd's, it doesnt work with games.

Matt Simis

daveirl,

I think you are ranting about the wrong part in your setup there.

Routing the output from the XB via a VCR will not only degrade image quality but also mess up Macrovision, as your VCR is obviously the cause of the problem. Macrovison is designed to disrupt VCR recordings. This is well documented on the Web and not just with the XB either.

The Xbox DVD playback kit will no doubt work perfectly if you set up your XB and TV correctly, DIRECTLY to each other. I suppose this confirms my opinion of integrated TV&VCR combo units as junk.

Since you didnt purchase the DVD kit direct from MS, its not really surprising that they refered you to the retailer were you did purchase it. Also, the DVD Playback kit is not malfunctioning, your TV merely doesnt support it. Therefore I dont see the relevance in "Sale of Goods Act" references..

I have a mod chip in my XB. They are a little messy and not really as cheap as you would imagine.. I think you would be better off purchasing a decent TV. Not only will you be able to play DVDs, but everything else will be bigger\better too.


matt

Matt Simis

FYI:

http://members.cox.net/xboxfaq/faq.htm#Q5.11

5.11 When I play DVDs, the picture fades in and out. Why
Because your Xbox is hooked up through your VCR. Hook the Xbox directly to your television. The Macrovision encoding on the DVD is confusing the VCR (as it was intended to do). Note that this has nothing to do with Microsoft or the Xbox in particular - Macrovision is on all DVDs and any DVD player will likely give you this problem.

More on Macrovision:

Macrovision is a signal encoded in the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) that confuses the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuit of the VCR. Nearly all VCR's have an AGC. It's purpose is to maintain a high quality image. When the signal is poor, the AGC amplifies it. When the signal is too strong, the AGC attenuates it. Macrovision works by encoding false signals into the VBI (a portion of the video signal that you can't see) and this false signal confuses the AGC and causes the picture to be brightened and darkened improperly. You can defeat Macrovision with a Macrovision removal device such as: http://www.videoguys.com/sima.htm



matt

nesthead

does that mean if you remove the macrovision you can copy for dvd onto VHS?
(que the warezmonkey cards)


not the xbox's fault, its yer crappy combo telly.

think this post is startin to belong on the home entertainment board or whatever.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

tman

I have a mod chip in my XB. They are a little messy and not really as cheap as you would imagine.. I think you would be better off purchasing a decent TV. Not only will you be able to play DVDs, but everything else will be bigger\better too.

yeah, soldering one wire is mighty messy, damn pricey too.

The product says it will playback DVDs on my TV, it doesn't. Therefore I'm allowed a full refund.

tbh, if your tv/video combi unit is fairly new it prolly has a warning about this in its manual

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Doodee

Im standing at a hotel reception typing this and couldnt be arsed browsing but flashing the bios on the xbox might help (not sure) but then again it voids your warrenty, what make/mdole TV is it, might be an idea to check with the tv's manufacturer.

As far as Xbox dvd goes, I have an xbox with dvd dongle, the matrix dvd (and many others) and there was absalutely no problem, I've tried it on a few different TV's (Including a 48" one) and no problems.
I'd like to add that the XboX dvd playback is savage.
Well worth your purchase.
No let the sony fanboys come in and Degrade microsoft more :P

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Dont be at yourself

For those of you considering getting a mod-chip:

Should you eventually go online with your modded XBox via Live!, your XBox will cease to function.

DiscoStu

chipping it would also open up the possibility of emulation on your xbox. how about mame or snes9x running all those classics from yesteryear on your tv again? suits you sir. see there are perfectly legit reasons for chipping.

DiscoStu

Originally posted by NekkidBibleMan
For those of you considering getting a mod-chip:

Should you eventually go online with your modded XBox via Live!, your XBox will cease to function.

im sure a newer mod chip will allow you to to it on or off as you choose. anyway this is ireland with a whopping 0.02% broadband penetration. xbox live will not be available to the majority of the poplulation for a very very long time.

Doodee

Is that legal for microsoft to do?

well, considering that there is a fine line between modding your X-Box for piracy, r for using linux and such on it.

I know that your breeching the terms of contract but is it entirely legal for microsoft to do it? Rob?

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Kevok

Give out...not so much. They basically robbed us of participating in the beta.

And me with Broadband an all.

elmer

I feel your pain - but if you plug any dvd player in you'll get the same problem(unless macrovision is disabled)

I don't see xbox live being a problem tbh - most modchips can be disabled with not too much hastle - some have different dip switch options to boot normally every second time and stuff like that

Matt Simis

Originally posted by tman
yeah, soldering one wire is mighty messy, damn pricey too.

Well smart a$$, I have a Matrix Mod chip, which involves no wires. Id suggest you check out the Matrix Mod forums and see the many problems with it.

Heres what I experienced:
- The flashed FW starts to degrade from the mod chip within minutes of disconnecting it from the power to install it, leading to frantic attempts to screw it down.

- You have to align it using 3 dots as a guide to a 1/2 mm diameter dot (pivot point) on the motherboard. The 3 holes in the matrix PCB that you look through are far too big (dots are about 1/4 the size of the hole)

- One screw holds the whole thing down, yet the springs were too tight on mine, leading it to be completely lob sided. Correcting this by further tightning led to stripping of the enamal covering on the Xbox motherboard.


I got it working by repairng the striped area of the mobo and then purposely stripping the trace going to the "pivot point" and then mounting the Matrix on the traced pivot point. A very frustrating and annoying affair.

I now can do the following thanks to the mod:

Run MameX - 3000+ Games! Have every NeoGeo game on the XB hdd.
Play Quake2X, the homebrew port of Quake2 to XB.
Play multiregion DVDs, MP3s and Divx's
Install Linux (if I want).


Yeah, works at the end of the day, but the poor design of the unit nearly led to disaster. If you have a 1.1 XB, all of these problems are amplified due to the HW changes.


DaveIRL, Im sure you can get your money back from the retailer (definately if it was Game), but I dont think you have any reason to rant. Ranting over a product because it doesnt do something if always iffy, especially when its rather obvious and well documented on the web. As has been pointed out already, a standalone DVD player would do the exact same. If it or the XB didnt, then they would be breaking the law (you could just record the signal as it went thru to the TV).

You got screwed on the TV, not the DVD Kit. MS even gave you the right answer, get a good TV.



matt

elmer

I reckon if you can't handle soldering 1 wire you shouldn't be thinking about or trying to mod things

strange indeed - i flashed my matrix the night before i plugged it into the console - no probs there

i also unplug the console regularly, once it was for 5 days, no probs

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Shinji

Few things...

Firstly, blaming the Xbox for the shortcomings of Macrovision is pretty unfair. You'd have experienced the same problems with ANY Macrovision supporting DVD player.

Secondly, Macrovision is the spawn of the devil. Its the one thing that DVD companies do to their discs that actually has me utterly furious; you have a perfectly good quality DVD, so they build in a system to screw the quality up such that it can't be recorded onto VHS. Now, ignoring the fact that you'd want to be a total idiot to want to record DVD to VHS in the first place... There's the simple point that Macrovision also BREAKS a number of TV systems. My LCD projector screws up with Macrovision - I get the transitions from light to dark and back that were described elsewhere in this thread. Most back-projection TVs and plasma screens have the same problem.

Thirdly, yes, Microsoft are locking modded Xboxen out of Xbox Live and they are totally within their rights, legally, to do so. The way it works is simple; when you install Live, it flashes your BIOS, and if it discovers the wrong kind of BIOS there in the first place, it refuses to flash it and registers your XBox on the network as a hacked one.

This last bit is important. You know those chips which can be turned on and off? Great idea in theory, but in practice if you connect even ONCE to Live without remembering to turn off the chip, your Xbox will be permanently banned from the system.

(Which isn't to say that there aren't workarounds. Some more modern chips have a hacked version of the new Live bios rather than the old non-Live bios, so they'll work on Live. However, Live gives Microsoft an edge; they can change how the authentication of the BIOS works at any time without warning, and kick off anyone using a chipped box. Personally, should I want to use Live, I'll buy a second Xbox and leave it unchipped, but cost reasons mean this isn't exactly an option for everyone...)

Dave Roe

Was interested in what an earlier poster said the Matrix modchip did for him.
I note he just said, play multiregion movies - but not games. Is that right? The only reason I'd want to mod chip the box is to buy US games (cheaper and newer) Will a mod chip do that for me?

elmer

it depends on the bios you load on the matrix - anything that isn't a really early release will do both

DannyD

With a chip for your xbox your can also download software which will enable dvd playback withOUT the need to purchase the remote.However I believe the remote is nice and handy still though.