Review: Kaico Xbox HMDI Cable + Optical


A small white box with HDMI and optical outputs. There's a short lead with an Xbox connector.

A few days ago, I posted about my quest to find a decent HDMI cable for my original XBox. The good folks at Kaico Labs were kind enough to send me a demo unit of their new Xbox to HDMI + Optical cable. I agreed to give them feedback - and they were happy to let me blog about it. It is important to note that this is a demo unit. I don't know how much, if anything, will change before it gets…

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Original Xbox to HDMI


A connector which has a micro USB port and connects an XBox to a TV via HDMI.

I know what you're going to say - the Xbox has HDMI. Well, modern ones do. The Xbox 360 and its successors all have crisp digital outputs. But I'm talking about the original Xbox. This bad boy: Mmmmm! Chunky! The OG Xbox's AV connector is... Let's be charitable, a bit weird. The console was released a few months before HDMI - so it isn't surprising that it doesn't feature that particular…

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Raspberry Pi Zero Hidden In An Xbox Controller


I like to tinker. My wife picked me up the new Raspberry Pi Zero. It's an ultra small and ridiculously cheap computer. How small and cheap? They give it away free on the cover of magazines... Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentIf you hurry down to WHSmith in Oxford, there are still a few @TheMagP1 copies left.❤️ 3💬 0🔁 208:10 - Fri 27 November 2015Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentReplying to @eden…

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Xbox 360 - Confessions of a First Time User


After an entertaining discussion at BarCamp Berkshire about video games, I decided to treat myself to an Xbox 360. After several happy years with a Nintendo Wii, I was keen to see what the new state of the art was. I picked the current top pick console and, I must say, while the games are great the console is somewhat of a disappointment. I picked the limited edition Xbox 360 320GB Star Wars…

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Split Personalities of Windows Phone 7


I've just come back from a chat with Paul Foster of Microsoft. We were discussing Windows Phone 7 - its promises and its problems. I remain convinced that Windows Phone 7 (WP7) will be a hit. There are so many delightful touches in the operating system that I won't be surprised if it is ripped off before it is fully launched. I was given an excellent overview of the software and proposed…

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Hate Microsoft - Love Windows Phone 7?


A Windows 7 phone.

I'm not the biggest fan of Microsoft. Both my original Xboxes now run Linux, I've converted my laptop and computers to Ubuntu, and I generally laugh in the face of Microsoft's increasingly desperate attempts to stay relevant. So it was with great mirth that I went along to a BizSpark event a few weeks ago. Microsoft were going to be showing off their latest "innovation" - Windows Phone 7. I…

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Repairing an Xbox's DVD Drive


For the last four years, I've been using a chipped XBOX as my media centre. Running XBMC, it has managed to play everything I've thrown at it. Recently, though, it has had a real problem playing standard DVDs. Aside from percussive maintenance, the only way that I know to fix something is to crack it open and have a fiddle! I've opened my Xboxes several times before - if you're new to it,…

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Building the ultimate Xbox Server


An original xbox with its case off.

I've been playing around with Linux on the Xbox for a while. I finally decided to stop piddling about with the stock drive and create a fully featured network server. I shall call this beast.... The xNAS! While doing this, I found a lot of badly presented and conflicting information. This is my attempt to right that wrong. I've attempted to add some of these steps to the Wiki, but it's not …

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