Gaming PS3/Xbox 360

Nintendo Wii Homebrew Soft Hack

Posted by robwillisinfo on January 14, 2013
Posted in: Blog, Gaming PS3/Xbox 360. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment



Hack an old Wii?

     So I was bored one weekend and decided that I finally wanted to try and modify an old Wii to play some of my old favorite N64 games, like Mario 64 and GoldenEye 007. After searching the net, I found tons of useful information and a few youtube videos but some of it seemed drawn out and took forever to get to the point. So I decided I would do my own spin on this. In approx 9 minutes you can have all of the information you need to get emulators and homebrew software up and running on your Wii, everything you need to play your old favorites!

     The best part is you do not have to completely modify the Wii software you just add an additional channel, everything else works the same. As far as getting ROMs you are on your own, but for the N64, googling around should find you some results (usually in the .n64 or .z64 extension.) After you find some all you have to do is copy and paste them to your SD card and you should then be able to see them from the emulator manager.

Requirements for this hack:

  • Wii
  • Computer with Internet and a SD Card Reader
  • SD Card (I used a 2 Gb)
  • GameCube Controller, *not required but makes N64 gameplay considerably easier

The software you will need can be downloaded from the following sites:

Homebrew Channel/LetterBomb
Homebrew Browser

Serviio.org Media Server Install and Video

Posted by robwillisinfo on September 14, 2012
Posted in: Gaming PS3/Xbox 360. Tagged: , . 1 comment



The search for another Media Server

     At this point I think I have tried out the majority of the top media servers out there, and there are a lot of good options available. Finding the one that fits your needs and particular setup can be a bit of a challenge though. For me I want something fast, lightweight, customizable and most importantly free. The PS3 Media Server Project was the first media server I tried, but I ran into a few play back issues that I could not seem to resolve frustratingly enough. TVersity was the next one I tried and I really enjoyed it’s sleek interface and great play back. The only reason I got away from TVersity was due to the fact that they seem to have gotten away from the free version and you now have to buy a basic or pro license.

Serviio

     With media servers there is always something new out there and the scene changes quickly. After already running the PS3 Media Server and TVersity, I did some research and had seen a few people suggest Serviio Media Server. It was not one I had tried before so I gave it a shot. The install was a breeze, but does require Java similar to the PS3 Media Server. Overall I am very happy with the results and can definitely say I recommend Serviio to anyone looking for a solid free media server option.

How-To: Setting up a PS3 Media Server

Posted by robwillisinfo on March 4, 2012
Posted in: Gaming PS3/Xbox 360. Tagged: , , . 4 comments



Intro:

In this video I demonstrate how to set up a PS3 Media Server on a Windows 7 x64 machine. The PS3 Media Server is a small Java application that will enable a pc to stream local media files to a PS3 on the same network. PMS also is able to decode and stream formats the the PS3 is not normally able to play. As far as the setup goes all you need is a spare computer or laptop running windows XP or higher, the better the specs the more quality you’ll get out of it. Next we’ll need network, I recommend wired gigabit but wireless will work. You’ll want the gigabit throughput for HD content, though. Lastly the software for PS3 Media Server from http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/, and we’ll need the latest Java from http://java.com/en/.

My Setup

For my setup I will be running this in a virtual machine, on an VMWare ESXi 4 Server. The host will be alotted 1 virtualized core from an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.93 GHz and 2 Gb of RAM. My network is all wired gigabit. This is very similiar to the setup I normally run. With this I can play full 1080p content with 6.1 audio with no issues/stutter/lag. Note that bugs seem to be introduced from time to time as new firmwares come out, Java updates, and so on. Should you run issues, first thing I would do is make sure your up to date with your PMS and Java software. Also if your running an Anti-Virus/Firewall, make sure you allow PMS and Java full access to your local subnet inbound and outbound. Failure to do so will result in the computer and PS3 not being able to communicate with each other.

How-To: TVersity Media Server

Posted by robwillisinfo on March 4, 2012
Posted in: Gaming PS3/Xbox 360. Tagged: , , , . Leave a Comment

Intro

One of my latest projects was to see if I could find a single solution to stream media to all of my consoles. I already have a dedicated Playstation Media Server, but I really wanted to be able to stream to my Xbox 360 and maybe some other DLNA devices. I also wanted a solution that wasn’t Java based, like the Playstation Media Server. Don’t get me wrong I like Java, but handling large media files on the fly is just not its best usage.

TVersity

The solution to all of my problems? TVersity. With its clean Flash based interface that’s highly configurable yet easy to use, it really is the perfect solution. Not only can it stream to the PS3 and Xbox 360, but any DLNA device including cell phones and other media players. TVersity will stream and encode all of your audio, video, and pictures. The App itself is a free download, but there is a premium pay-for version available.

My Setup

My Rig for this setup is a Windows 7 x64 VM on ESXi 4. I gave it 1 core on a Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.93 Ghz, 2.5 Gb of DDR2 800Mhz RAM, and 128 Mb of video memory. My network is all wired gigabit, and all devices are using HDMI on a Samsung 46″ LCD. I highly suggest using a wired network vs wireless for streaming. Streaming media is one of the most demanding tasks for a network to keep up with, even more so with HD content. You can easily exceed the amount of throughput your wireless network is capable of. Wireless is fast, but not that fast yet. Wired will offer a rock solid connection with ultimate performance.

The Verdict

I am now completely switched over to TVersity, it really is a great application. Not to say the Playstation Media Server project isn’t worthy, TVersity just fits my needs a little better. I have been using it for a few months now, and have streamed hours and hours of content with no issues. I have found that while both the PS3 and Xbox 360 are good at playing streaming media, there are some noticable differences. The Playstions menu makes it simple to get to your TVersity Server and find the content you want to play. On the Xbox it’s still easy, but takes a few extra steps to get to your server. When it comes to playing the content, the PS3 excels, handling HD content much better than the 360. 1080p MKV playback was flawless on the PS3, but unwatchable on the Xbox 360.