Hey everyone,
Now don't abuse me for posting this....I've been studying my butt off for the past week trying to figure this stuff out. I've kinda hit a wall now and need some EDUCATED suggestions.

I'm thinking of getting an Xbox. With it, I want to be able to watch DVDs, play games, and most importantly: hook up to my Linksys 802.11g wireless hub (with a patch cable) and get Mp3's and WMA's off of my computer in the other room. Then I can hook the Xbox up to my stereo and jam out.

So now, what do I need to make all of this possible? Do I need a modchip? What's a good one for this application? What about XBMC and XBMP....what's the difference? Is modchip and XBMC all I need?

Thanks for the help,
DG

Yes you need:
1) a modchip.
2) a bios and some way to flash the chip. (unless it comes pre-flashed)
3) an FTP program such as evox dash.
4) XBMC or XBMP.
5) a larger HDD if you wan't to put lots of music and/or movies on the beast box.

I live in Melbourne, Australia, and order my chips from Sydney. They come preflashed with a bios (not sure which one) which is illegal, because i can load up evox straight away. Are the laws different in Australia, or is my retailer selling chips illegaly.

sorry, didnt know you were in australia. i really dont know what the laws are in australia, but im in the US and thats what it is here.

So what's a modchip that will fit my needs? Oh, I forgot to mention, I also want to be able to play old NES games and the like.
Thanks,
DG

check the modchip section on xbox-scene.com, they have detailed information on all chips that are made

Yeah, I've been readin through that stuff for a couple of days. For some reason after 3 hours of it and getting nowhere, my head hurts and I feel retarded!!

The chips are reasonably cheap (depends which you get.) These days, most chips will do everything you want. Even the Aladdins are good for what you want, and they are some of the cheapest.
Read through the charts, read people's opinions, then buy a chip. If it isn't good for you, buy another.

An example of what you should be looking at:
Aladdins are good, and they have all the features you need. They are also cheap. However, they are said to be "risky" by some, as they tend to be unstable. Also, unlike the Xecuters, the Aladdin only has one bios bank. This means that if the flash goes wrong, the chip is difficult to repair.
However, i have used Aladdins for ages now, and i swear by them. Never had a single problem. On the other hand, when i worked with the Xecuter, the wiring was broken.
See the contradiction?

What chip you use, is really a matter of opinion, and how much you are willing to pay.

Absolutely any chip compatible with your xbox version, tsop flash, or softmod will allow you to do what you want.

Well let me see if i can offer some help here...You can buy a chip that has been preflashed, it has to be cromwell BIOS though if its a "hacked" cromwell or anything else then it becomes illegal otherwise its ok, and besides most places that sell modchips will have the cromwell BIOS already on it.

DGdaPilot: As far as what u will need to do what you want with your XBOX i will give u my setup since you are kind of wanting to do the same thing so this is what i have.
Xecuter 2.3b pro MOD chip
Western Digital 200GB HDD (when you choose you HDD make sure it is "lockable")
For movies and music to be played on my BOX i use XBMC (XBox Media Center)
To play games online i use XBC (XBox Connect) it allows u to play games online and FREE its also nice if u have games "backed up" on your HDD and want to play them online which is something u cant do with XBL (XBox Live)

With how u want to play games online here is a few things to think about in comparing XBL and XBC to help u decide what u want to do.

XBL
I beleave u will have to be hooked up to your router.
Must have a "lockable" HDD and will have to be Locked to play XBL.
Must have MOD chip turned OFF or u will get baned from XBL
You can ONLY play XBL with ORIGINAL disks.Can not play games that you have saved on your HDD.
XBL does cost money (for most this isnt a problom though)

XBC
Will alow u to Have BOX hooked up to your PC sence XBC runs on your PC.
Dont need to have a "lockable" HDD since it doesnt need to be locked to play XBC.
Can have MOD chip on
You can play original disks or ones backed up on your HDD
XBC is TOTALY FREE

this is just a list of comparasons of things that i know to the best of my knowlege. hope this is of some help to you, and good luck with your box.

Thanks for the patience and help so far. Another question: isn't the OS on the new Xenium Ice legal? I thought I read on their website that it was.....

DG

it might be, if its based on linux. which i think it is but im not sure.

If you are ok with soldering then the choice of modchip is really up to you otherwise if you want to choose a solderless chip then the most popular ones seem to be the Xenium Ice or an Xecuter 2.3B Lite with Xapter. (I have the Xapter in my V1.0 xbox - see my sig)

As for playing your music I would use XBMC. This is simply because I think they have stopped the development of xbmp and are sticking with the more stable and advaced xbmc.

To play nes roms, you will need to get an Emulator like FCE Ultra.

If you want a bigger hdd then it will need to be lockable if you want to use XBL - Just remember that if you try and access XBL with your modchip on you will be banned!!

Evox would be a good dash for a newbie to start off with, its simple to use and easy to edit. Otherwise you could try avalaunch which a lot of people seem to be using.

Hope that helps some for you.