One of the most amazing features of having a modified Xbox surprisingly has nothing to do with gaming. One of the most amazing features of a modified Xbox is Xbox Media Center, a homebrew application which is simply so professional, so easy to use and so powerful it'll leave you wondering, "Why didn't Ido this a long time ago?".

Media Centers are currently taking off around the world as more and more people want their music, movies and pictures available in every room of the house. Microsoft recently released 'Windows XP Media Center Edition' which once combined with a Media PC will set you back around $2000 and allow you to run you media from your lounge.
Apple is also getting in on a good thing with their new Apple Remote and 'Front Row' software allowing you to sit back, relax and access your music and movies from a couch. Again, an iMac with this configuation would cost around $2500.

These options are perfect for those of us who want to blow $2000+ on these kinds of features. However for the rest, there is an alternative. You can get all of these features for under $100, simply by adding them to your existing Xbox console.

Homebrew software is a wonderful thing. To begin with, it's free - yes, you heard correctly... FREE. Secondly, anyone, anywhere can work on it, make it better, make it their own. Thirdly, homebrew softwares primary means of transport is via the internet, meaning you don't even have to leave your house to get it!

Xbox Media Center is a homebrew application. It has been designed by talented individuals who generally are earning nothing from it's production other than the satisfaction of knowing they sparked a revolution. Xbox Media Center is a program designed and released simply to take your Xbox as you know it, and transform it into a powerful multimedia station.

Xbox Media Center (XBMC for short) is a program which is able to do an enormous number of tasks:

Music;
XBMC can run a huge array of files. Unlike iPod's or Windows Media Player your not limited in codecs and media types. Among the many file extentions XBMC can run are; .mp3 .wav, .wma + virtually anything else you can think of.
Aswell as that, XBMC can rip CD's, edit/move/rename tracks and even Stream Music (more on this later).

Video;
Again, you have a huge range of supported file types:
.mpg .avi .vob .rm .mov + many others.
You can also use XBMC to rip DVD Movies to the hard drive so you can play them without the risk of scratching the disc. Perfect if you have little kids who just love to anniahilate your DVD collection. Again, video is stream capable

Pictures;
.jpg .gif .bmp etc - all able to be viewed, and even turned into a slideshow presentation so you can kick back, relax and remaniss about your latest adventure.

Streaming via Network:
This is quite possibly the greatest feature that XBMC has to offer.
Until now you may have been thinking, "Yeah - Well thats all great but I'm going to need a huge hard drive, right?"
Wrong
XBMC has the ability to connect to any existing home network and access the data in shared folders. Say for instance you have all of your music on your home computer. To access it on your Xbox all you need to do is right click it, select 'Share this folder' and then it's available for your Xbox to see and use on the network!
Maybe you have downloaded the latest episode of Scrubs and want to watch it from your Xbox; No Problem. Again, simply select it from your Xbox and begin watching!
This is perfect for having get togethers or party's at a house. All you need is your Xbox in your living room and you have access to all of your music!

Other amazing features:
More features? Yeah, the guys that made this really do like to 'show off'.
XBMC has a built in HTTP server (website) which you can access from any Web Browser (Mozilla or IE) and use to build playlists and select tracks; giving you full control when your not even near the Xbox! This is perfect if you have the Xbox setup in a room where there is no TV.
Aswell as that, XBMC also has a program called XLinkKai embedded in it, allowing free online gaming.

So, how do you get it?
Well, becuase Xbox Media Center is a homebrew application, it will only run on a modified Xbox. If you want to do this as cheaply as possible then we have the Duo X2 with Installation available for just $65 (how does that compare to $2000?). If your confident in your soldering ability then the Duo X2 itself is just $25 and XBMC is very easy to install. All you need to do is download it and copy it onto the Xbox - checkout the tutorials section for more information on that.