Hacking Any DVD5 Rip Relink Tools for RGH/JTAG Consoles

[gbadl]

I would be interested in tools such as this and I have wondered why the scene hasn't made anything like it. The benefit of this is it can compress games a lot for JTAG / RGH.

An example is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. This game has 1.5GB of duplicate data that if relinked would bring the size down to 4.1 GB and allow it to be backed up onto a DVD5 compared to JTAG Rip of the game that is 5.6 GB, this would make the game complete and take up less space with no loss in quality.

Of course if it won't fit on a DVD5, compressing of audio and video is required but no toolkit exists for downsampling media files for xbox 360.

 

[DinohScene]

99% of the times, people just rip the game or convert it to GOD and place it on the HDD.
Using DVD media on a JTAG/RGH is kinda pointless as you can utilize the internal HDD and an external HDD.

 

[gbadl]

99% of the times, people just rip the game or convert it to GOD and place it on the DVD drive.
Using DVD media on a JTAG/RGH is kinda pointless as you can utilize the internal HDD and an external HDD.

I have had bad luck with External Hard Drives, losing a TB of Data pissed me off. I will never go back to USB Hard Drives, planning on upgrading to a Blu-ray burner soon. Xbox 360 4GB with DVD-R is more then enough. Not planning on getting an internal Hard Drive for 360 at all. There is evidence of DVD5 working on Xbox 360 RGH / JTAG see here: http://gbatemp.net/threads/xbox-360-dvd-5-backups-take-a-peek.326351/

 

[DinohScene]

Ofcourse DVD works.
But I'd say and many others will prolly also agree with this.
Just get an 500 GB lappy harddisk and plonk it in the 360.

It's far far easier and quicker then using DVD media.

 

[gbadl]

Like I said Hard Drives are good until they die. I hope someone that has experience with DVD5 on 360 will add to the topic.

 

[DinohScene]

CD/DVD media is only good until it rots away or gets heavily scratched up.
Nothing of data is safe forever.
Harddisks are equally if not more reliable then optical media.

The thing you want to do is just burn a game rip on a 4.7 GB DVD.
It works and Freestyle dash can launch it.
But it's seriously a better idea to just plonk in a harddrive.
Externals aren't a good idea cause they corrupt more quickly then internal ones since FSD won't have to constandly poll the drive, nor deal with slower transfer speeds over USB and constant USB scanning.

You could delete some data like Sysupdates and extra languages from your games.
But I doubt that would make much of a difference.

Me advice, and it's prolly the best one.
Just get a 500 GB 2.5 inch harddisk and plonk it in your console.
That you lost a TB of data can happen.
That's why one should always make backups, but it's no reason to condemn harddisks forever.

 

[gbadl]

I have CD-r's from 1999 that are still working. Hard Drives don't last more then 3 years.

 

[DinohScene]

Then you're either not treating your harddisks well, or you got bad luck with them.
I got a couple of harddisks here from the early 00's that still have some weekly use.
No problem with them what so ever.

But if you feel like spending time burning discs and having space issues, then be me guest.
All you have to do is burn the files on a DVD and plonk it in the 360, then use FSD's file manager to locate the default.xex and boot it.

 

[takieda]

The biggest problem I see with this is just in using the DVD drive itself, not just in the sound, but its eventual death as well. The first proponents for game installation on the 360 all spelled the same story about the eventual death of the drive being much more likely than the death of the hard drive. I can search for articles if you like, but right now I need to head to bed for work tomorrow.

I'd be a fan of doing these rips if for no other reason than reducing file size on my own hard drive, plus it's great to just add to the overall knowledge of the scene. Nothing wrong with this line of questioning, but I'd just warn against using DVDs exclusively at a fear of HDD death.

 

[Sicklyboy]

I have CD-r's from 1999 that are still working. Hard Drives don't last more then 3 years.

I have a hard drive from '98 that still works.

 

[takieda]

DVD-R, DVD+R, and CD+R media has an approximate lifespan of about 12 years. Sometimes this can last longer, sometimes drastically less, but the good overall average is about 12 years. This is true due to the ink that is used to produce the recordable discs (as opposed to metal flake that is used to produce hollywood discs). It is quite possible that a hard drive can go bad before a DVD, as DVD's are fairly stable media (despite that lifespan limitation), but the problem, and subsequent argument, isn't DVD lifespan vs. HDD lifespan. It's the lifespan of the DVD DRIVE that is at issue here. Even IF the DVD drive lasted as long as the HDD, replacement of the hard drive is SIGNIFICANTLY easier than the DVD drive. It's basically just taking apart the enclosure and swapping the guts, then running the proper software on the device via flash drive.

Changing out the DVD drive is something of a Lovecraftian nightmare by comparison, having to go through the process of reading the nand on the current/dead DVD drive (if that's even possible given the fact that it's dead), then finding a new, compatible drive, converting the nand of the new drive to have the keys of the old drive so that the 360 will support it, then hope everything's been done correctly. Given the difficulty, and the tool requirements presented by the latest drives (CK3 anyone?), the HDD is the way to go.

Which brings me back to my other point though, I still support this idea, as I'd love to be able to streamline the GOD files I have, and would not complain of these tools existing.

 

[Kyohack]

I have a stack of several HDDs in my closet that are 17-18+ years old (Seagate Medalist drives are amazing!).

Anything can die, though. I generally dislike optical media because scratches are a pain to deal with. If you use your optical media enough, scratches are inevitable no matter how careful you are. It's up to your preference, but I prefer HDDs for space reasons and the convenience of data accessibility (I don't like swapping a dozen things out of my disk drive if I need to backup a few TB of data). If you want to be sure your data will stick around, keep redundant backups regardless of storage medium.

But in your defense, disc media is actually the cheapest per gigabyte. Consider a basic cost comparison:
$0.11 per GB: Western Digital 500GB USB 3.0 External HDD ($59.99)
$0.04 per GB: 100 pack of 4.7GB Verbatim DVD-R discs ($20.99)
$0.03 per GB: 100 pack of 25GB Phillips BD-R discs ($76.99)

 

[DinohScene]

DVD's laser/assembly mechanics will burn out/wear out before the PCB itself dies.
All you need to do is read it (and probe it if it's a Phat liteon) to extract the DVD keys.

GOD files can be streamed via SMB share.
As for tools compressing 360 data.
There's none to me knowledge.
Not only that but the 360 has to decompress and decrypt it, increasing stress on the system which will make it heat up more.
Performance wise, it'll also be impacted.
You can modify the ISO's by deleting language files and system update files.
You might even be able to delete unneeded videos etc.

I hope OP realizes that using an internal HDD is far more convenient (no need to fuck around with DVD's and no need to use an external)
Just FTP into the box or use an USB drive to transfer the files to the internal HDD and everything is done.

$0.11 per GB: Western Digital 500GB USB 3.0 External HDD ($59.99)

Aren't 2 TB USB 2.0 drives equally if not a bit more expensive?

For real storage purposes, I'd prefer a 2TB drive then a 500 GB one.

 

[Sicklyboy]

DVD-R, DVD+R, and CD+R media has an approximate lifespan of about 12 years. Sometimes this can last longer, sometimes drastically less, but the good overall average is about 12 years. This is true due to the ink that is used to produce the recordable discs (as opposed to metal flake that is used to produce hollywood discs). It is quite possible that a hard drive can go bad before a DVD, as DVD's are fairly stable media (despite that lifespan limitation), but the problem, and subsequent argument, isn't DVD lifespan vs. HDD lifespan. It's the lifespan of the DVD DRIVE that is at issue here. Even IF the DVD drive lasted as long as the HDD, replacement of the hard drive is SIGNIFICANTLY easier than the DVD drive. It's basically just taking apart the enclosure and swapping the guts, then running the proper software on the device via flash drive.

Changing out the DVD drive is something of a Lovecraftian nightmare by comparison, having to go through the process of reading the nand on the current/dead DVD drive (if that's even possible given the fact that it's dead), then finding a new, compatible drive, converting the nand of the new drive to have the keys of the old drive so that the 360 will support it, then hope everything's been done correctly. Given the difficulty, and the tool requirements presented by the latest drives (CK3 anyone?), the HDD is the way to go.

Which brings me back to my other point though, I still support this idea, as I'd love to be able to streamline the GOD files I have, and would not complain of these tools existing.

Granted, those are all pretty much moot issues with OP. OP has an RGH'd 360. If his DVD drive dies, he can just throw another DVD drive in there. If his HDD dies, he can just throw another one in there. So at this point you're looking at longevity of integrity of data on the medium and I would say yes, DVDs may have the upper hand there (but don't always). However on that note also consider my anecdotal experiences saying that burned DVDs are much easier to scratch than pressed ones.

Past that though you do need to take into account that hard disk storage is, roughly, $0.05/GB a little higher than I though, seems to be about the same as DVDs, 8 or 9 cents/GB whereas DVDs are (again, roughly) $0.08/GB. They do cost a bit more, are a bit more time consuming to utilize (both write and read speeds), and are a fair bit less convenient than a hard drive. Personally I'd say a hard drive wins there but I'm not OP.

Also, most DVD drive deaths I've seen on the 360 are just dead lasers. $8 part, about 20 mins to install from teardown to reassembly of the console, less or more depending on the drive and console model. Fried PCBs DO happen but considerably less frequently.

 

[Kyohack]

Granted, those are all pretty much moot issues with OP. OP has an RGH'd 360. If his DVD drive dies, he can just throw another DVD drive in there. If his HDD dies, he can just throw another one in there. So at this point you're looking at longevity of integrity of data on the medium and I would say yes, DVDs may have the upper hand there (but don't always). However on that note also consider my anecdotal experiences saying that burned DVDs are much easier to scratch than pressed ones.

Past that though you do need to take into account that hard disk storage is, roughly, $0.05/GB whereas DVDs are (again, roughly) $0.08/GB. They do cost a bit more, are a bit more time consuming to utilize (both write and read speeds), and are a fair bit less convenient than a hard drive. Personally I'd say a hard drive wins there but I'm not OP.

Also, most DVD drive deaths I've seen on the 360 are just dead lasers. $8 part, about 20 mins to install from teardown to reassembly of the console, less or more depending on the drive and console model. Fried PCBs DO happen but considerably less frequently.

Well, the cost would depend on how much data you're talking about. Buying in bulk is better. If you want to get a good deal on some optical discs, grab a 100-pack. For HDDs, I'd grab an external drive that has at least a few TB of space. HDD cost per GB varies drastically with the HDD capacity. Depending on your situation, discs may actually be cheaper.

DinohScene:
Depending on the space, yes 2TB will have a different cost than 500GB. Western Digital sells some 2TB USB 3.0 external drives for $119. This is about $0.06 per GB with a 2TB drive as compared to $0.11 per GB with a 500GB drive. And of course, if you don't mind using an internal drive, you can save a bit more.