Problems With DivX Player & Other Homebrew Dev., Problems that will make it harder Options

[Drakull]

The most important problem is still not about being solved is the problem that i've encountered when planning the ftp server for the xbox that could allow copying any dvd from the xbox through the network:
HOW TO REMOVE THE DVD WITH THE PROGRAM AND INSERT A NEW ONE (in this case a Movie CD).
If that problem is not solved, the only Divx movies that the xbox will be able to play would be the ones recorded on Xbox format CD-RW/DVD's (so you cannot use them with your standard PC programs) and having also the divx player recorded and "set-up" for playing that movie... so if you need watching a movie on your computer & on your Xbox, you'll need two different CD's one for each.
If anyone is having an idea on how to disable the reset when opening the DVD drive on the Xbox... that could help....

Regards,
Drakull

[jubilex]

Interesting. Not knowing anything about Xbox coding, I wouldn't think that would be a problem -- wouldn't it be up to the software to allow or disallow disk swapping? How do the games work that let you use your own mp3s or audio tracks, don't they let you put in an audio or mp3 cd? (I don't have a 'Box yet, so excuse my ignorance).

The Xbox gameshark (not sure if it's out yet, but I know it's on the way) will certainly allow disk swapping, so I guess if nothing else someone just needs to take a peek at their code.

[Tor Landeel]

I hope this will be possible, but frankly I doubt it..
It should be something driven by hardware, and not by software, I hope to be wrong!

[Samsinite]

Isn't divx compression is its own format. As long as you have a mod chip and software on the HD to read the Divx movie you should be able to play it. I dont see why it would need to be in a different format. For example, mp3's will play on windows & linux. Besides emulators can be created.

[Satan00]

dont you have to include the avi file with the divx player?
or maybe the divx player installs itself to the harddrive and you have an option of loading it in the bios?

[krawhitham]

all the programmer has to do is send a disc eject signal to the xbox, Like in windows when you are in my computer you can right click the drive and press eject. the disc is ejected and no button on the drive had to be pushed.


You could have a menu press A to open disc tray, press X to close disc tray. the problem of the pic chip resetting the xbox when the eject button is hit is fixed because you never have to touch a real cd eject button.

[4NIC8TOR]

I would have to agree with krawhitham. Although it would require probably two additional wires and this feature would need to be implemented into the modchip. There is also the very simple option that I still use for my ps2. That is, Create a battery powered switch (2AA's are equivilent to the proper power for the ps2 tray motor) that runs to the actual motor within the dvd-drive that is responsible for ejecting the tray. Then you could eject the tray via a DPDT switch without ever actually pressing eject. Thereby bypassing any eject rechecking protection schemes.

[Squirelly]

I think its a bit trickier than sending an eject signal to the drive, I've tried sending it the standard atapi command for eject disk, and it ignores it.

However it must be possible to tell the box not to reset when the eject button is pressed, because the dashboard does it. When you press eject whilst dashboard is running the console doesn't reset, it must detect the disks itself, and then decide what to do with it depending on the type of disk you insert.

I want to get hold of xboxdash.xbe and dissasemble it to work out what the hell it is doing, but I really don't wanna have to swap trick my HD to get at it. Has anyone got a better/more reliable way of getting at the HD data??

[Satan00]

uh
enigmah announced that they're making their software be copied to the harddrive and you can run off the bios

[pmow]

So the reset signal is HARDWARE? Since we're essentially replaced the bios of the xbox with these modchips, wouldn't the "software" in the "hardware" be able to include NOT resetting when the drive is opened?

I think this can easily be done, as LONG AS the DVD drive itself reads CDs, which it does. It should be a firmware upgrade in a future release of the modchip bios.

If the bios is different (the elemental part of the computer) then loading and hard drive installations would be easy. We could have same as PC OSs, upgrading thru CD images, since we already have bios support. Once the bios supports loading a different xboxdash.xbe, for example, couldn't some crafty programmers simply make a cute little menu screen? This would need to be standardized for both chips, or a version of adding menu options would be made for each.
For example, to add the divx player to the hard drive, we would need to access the program. The easiest way, to forget f***ing around with opening CD drives, etc., is to install on the HD. This would only need an install program (again, with a new modchip bios this could be possible) available on CD, and then a menu option could be added. To play a divx movie on a CD, there would be the "divx program" with browser to see what avis are on the CD. Just a thought =)

[Tommatt]

You guys worry to much

[Squirelly]

I believe this can be done purely in software. I have found some very interesting exported functions in xboxkrnl.lib, but I can't get VC to link to them. Just get 'unresolved external' linker error, even though I know the function is there.

Is anyone on here a real good VC programmer who could possibly help me out???

[Drakull]

If the functions are private ones you won't be able of calling them from outside the object... (so no matter the functions are there, they're only being able of being called from itself...) but... as usual... there's a backdoor... if you make an object who inherits from the object who has the private functions, the new object itself will have those functions too...

[pmow]

Quote (Squirelly @ Jun 3 2002, 09:06 PM)

I believe this can be done purely in software. I have found some very interesting exported functions in xboxkrnl.lib, but I can't get VC to link to them. Just get 'unresolved external' linker error, even though I know the function is there. Is anyone on here a real good VC programmer who could possibly help me out???

Would this be starting with the bios?

[Squirelly]

Managed to get them to work now, I wasn't declaring using an "extern 'c'" round them (doh!).

As for what the functions are, there are loads for talking to things like the SMBus, USB ports etc. I have got a few to work (the ones that don't require parameters) that do things like reboot the box, and turn back on the secure eject system on the drive.

Unfortunately I haven't found the one yet that turns off the secure eject system on the drive, i guess you have to post some values on the SMBus, but I havent worked out what, and what the parameters are yet.

I'm starting to disassemble xboxdash, to try and work it out because it must do it, but its hard work without a disassembler that can handle xbe's.