Xbox Dvd Kit Region Question, help needed :S Options

[Hso]

Hi there
I have a v1.4non-modded PAL/UK crystal xbox.
So, I would like to know if there's any way to watch r1/ntsc DVDs on my xbox?
I read somewhere that the dvd kits are region locked, so if i bought the european kit, i wouldn't be able to watch american dvds, right? is there a way around this, that isn't too expensive?

Cheers!
-Hso

[mantorok]

Well, even more inexpensive than a dvd kit, its softmodding, its like a modchip but in the harddisk. And its region free, try reading about it in the forums. And softmod doesnt cost.

[lordvader129]

provided its never had a dvd kit used with it you should be able to import an american kit (the xbox is locked to the region of thefirst kit used on it)

[Hso]

No, i've never used a dvd kit on the xbox. to be honest, i never touch my xbox U_U i haven't played it for more than 10hours since i've had it, which is about 5-6months now.

Yeah, i've been thinking about softmodding it for the last few weeks, but i never actually read anything about it making the xbox region free.
2-3 nights ago i was thinking about installing Mandrake 9 onto my xbox. I don't use the xbox as a games console anyway. My PC(which died a few days ago, for the 2nd time! damn you windows updates and your corrupted code!) has always used windows, so it would be an interesting twist to use linux. but from what i was reading, you can't reserve the installation unless you have a modchip installed, right? atleast, i think that's what it meant.

[Xombe]

Like lordvader said if you use a N.A. DVD kit then you'll set the DVD region to 1, and thus be able to play U.S. DVDs, but then you can't watch other region DVDs (like your local region).

If you softmod or chip the box, you can do the following:

1) Use Xbox Media Center to play all region DVDs with (or without) the remote.
2) Use DVDx2 to play all region DVDs without the remote (but outdated do to XBMC's DVD playback abilities).

If you were to actually chip the box, you could do both the above PLUS patch the normal MS DVD player to play all region DVDs with the remote kit (softmods can't do this).

As a resident of Japan who games many regions, all-region playback was high on my list when I first started. Now that XBMC has great DVD playback, all the more reason to mod.

Question: Can you clarify "you can't reserve the installation unless you have a modchip installed" please? Little fuzzy there...

Oh, and do yourself a favor and check the gallery in my sig. Now that's a worthwhile Xbox...!

This post has been edited by Xombe: Oct 27 2005, 02:37 PM

[Hso]

Hmm... Interesting.
But could I have both XBMC and Mandrake installed?

Question: Can you clarify "you can't reserve the installation unless you have a modchip installed" please? Little fuzzy there...

... I was talking about removing mandrake, i read(well, this is how i understood it.) that you can't remove it.

Off topic - i was looking at a forum topic on here earlier, i think it was something like "xpod for sale" and it had a list of emulators that were on the console.
The thing that caught my eye was a PSOne emu o_o do you happen to know which topic i'm thinking about?

-Hso

[Xombe]

I don't do much Linux besides Damn Small Linux or some other *nix stuff (but yeah, mandrake, gentoox, whatever). Those however coincide just fine with a normally modded box.

The difference between a full Linux box is that you flash a pure Linux kernel to the mobo, thus no longer being able to run any Xbox games or homebrew apps like XBMC.

With a common mod, you flash a hacked version of the MS bios to your mobo (or load it via a softmod, whatever) and thus can do whatever you please, no restrictions.

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showforum=22

Read the FAQ in that forum. All your answers there.


As for the xpod, I know of it, but you hardly need to buy one. The PSOne emulator is called PCSXbox, an excellent emu port by the very talented Xport.

Read the list: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=267107

There are others, too. Lantus made a great SNES emu port that's in the regular Emulators forum.

All can be gotten for free from #xbins, and installed yourself via FTP.

[Hso]

Hmm... I see. Could I softmod my xbox and install XBMC?

Bah... that psx emulator doesn't play my favourite game properly! *sob* oh well, i still have the original disc for Team Buddies

-Hso

[Hso]

also, what's this "hdd locking" all about? i read a softmod guide a few weeks ago and i remember it saying something about putting a hdd into a pc and "locking" it o.O

[Xombe]

Hmm... I see. Could I softmod my xbox and install XBMC?

Bah... that psx emulator doesn't play my favourite game properly! *sob* oh well, i still have the original disc for Team Buddies

also, what's this "hdd locking" all about? i read a softmod guide a few weeks ago and i remember it saying something about putting a hdd into a pc and "locking" it o.O

Yes, you can softmod and install whatever the hell you'd like to.

The PSX emu is indeed ho-hum at times, but pretty damn slick for a slow-ass CPU like the Xbox has.

Although you could/should have searched about locking, it's like this (this is your one freebie): ATA-3 specs introduced the ability to lock hard drives thus preventing just about any action to be taken on them. MS never wanted us to do what we are doing, so they lock their HDDs to the motherboard they come with.

If you have a hardmod, locking doesn't matter, as the hardmod gives a shit about the drive being locked or not. However, a stock HDD (or reasonable facsimilie) neeeds to be locked to:

1) Go on Xbox Live
2) Boot the MS Dash without the hardmod enabled
3) Use a softmod, as the exploit kicks in after the Xbox boots

So, if you have a softmod, you have to have a drive that can be, and is, locked. All stock Xbox HDDs are such. Damn near all OEM IDE drives can be locked as well, so even softmodders can use 500+GB drives... if they're lockable.

"Locking" is ATA Security Mode: http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/if/ide/stdATA3-c.html

A good list(s) are here: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=137365

[Hso]

OK. Well, this is one of the (spare) hdd's i have laying around doing nothing, according to this link, i can do it, however... i do not know how +_+;
http://xboxdrives.x-pec.com/?p=list&v_bran...1.4&v_postedby=

Also, I don't plan on using xbox live, just xlink kai, however, i might be tempted to use xboxlive on the 360, if team xlink have nothing to show :S

I just read most of http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/lock-hdd.php, but it's rather complex for my noob mind ;(

Are there any easy to follow guides that explain how to lock a hdd?
Ideally, I would like it to have step-by-step images, very little technical jargon and work properly :S

Cheers!

[lordvader129]

the stock HD is already locked, so unless you are planning on upgrading your HD you dont have to mess with locking, just hotswap and use xhdm to load a softmod and xbmc

[Hso]

Ya, I do kinda want to replace the existing hdd with a larger one.
8-10gigs is too small for what i want to use it for.

[Hso]

Another question!

With XBMC, is it possible to use the internet, via any kind of browser and perhaps be able to download stuff like one would on a normal OS?
I've been looking at the PC version of windows media centre, but not a word was mentioned about connecting to the internet... so.... can it be done?
Cheers!

[Xombe]

Well, you can get weather and movie/game trailers, etc. And you can also install Linksboks if you want a simple web browser.

But you're better off just installing a Linux distro on there too. Then you'll have the best of it all:



And check my sig for XBMC screens (though they're kinda old).