Apple TV reportedly hacked for XviD support

Hacks don't come much quicker than this. Just days after they started rolling out, one early recipient of an Apple TV has already cracked his open and claims to have gotten it to play nice with XviD files, although not without some wrangling. The first step -- and the one sure to stop the more warranty-aware folks among us in their tracks -- involves removing the Apple TV's hard drive, popping it into a USB enclosure, and mounting it on your computer. From there, you simply install the Perian video tool and the Dropbear SSH server in the appropriate locations, along with a script that disables the Apple TV's firewall and opens up the necessary ports -- then put it all back together. It's apparently not quite an ideal solution, however, also requiring the creation of reference QuickTime files for each XviD movie -- although, not surprisingly, they're already working on a tool to automate that process.

[Via Electronista, thanks Jonathan]

[paloooz @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:06PM]

You have to mount it to a computer so you can install the codec. If you'd read it and understood what they did, then you would know that. I don't see you coming out with hacks for the AppleTV after a day or two, so why don't you keep your "thats stupid" comments to yourself.

[JR @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:05PM]

If this materializes into something concrete, count me in.

One of the reasons I'm staying away from the AppleTV is due to my few TBs worth of XviD files sitting on my drive that can't be played back.

[spaceman @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:08PM]

http://filmnut.vox.com/library/post/play-virtually-any-video-format-in-apple-tv.html

Does that work?

[Philster @ Mar 23rd 2007 6:10PM]

@ spaceman
That won't work. The method described in that post works because the codecs are installed on the computer that is playing the files. You can install xvid and divx codecs all day long on your BASE Mac, but it won't be of any benefit to the Apple TV box... which is the machine that is playing the files. You need to have the codec installed on the Apple TV. Which is what this hack is doing.

[Jerry @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:11PM]

I agree, keep such stupid comments to yourself.

Time is only ticking until we get Windows loaded on them... :-)

[dorseto @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:21PM]

LOL!

All this work and you could've just have bought an old school XBox for a lot cheaper, softmod it, and stream all your non-DRM video files to your TV for A LOT cheaper.

And for all those complaining that it can't run 720p most stuff people download are usually not in HD and if you really care about that stuff, XBox360 can play 720p files with a little bit of softmodding and it does a lot more.

[paloooz @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:26PM]

That's is a prime example of one of those stupid comments that you should keep to yourself.

[Chris Schmidt @ Mar 23rd 2007 3:51PM]

Wow. XBMC is great for the kiddies and all, but a silent running OSX/unix system with HDMI, optical audio, wifi, IR, and a usb port has a hell of a lot more potential in my book.

[The Engineering Student @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:25PM]

owned. tip of the hat to the hacker. might actually make this thing worth owning.

[Totalfixation @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:32PM]

Since i couldn't comment in the Apple TV vs Tivo.

I want to say why the hell is everything all over this Apple TV product. I rather get a XBOX 360 that can do the same and then some. IPTV, Gaming, Download, Streaming through Media Center, and eventually DVR.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:47PM]

@Totalfixation: Think from a consumer's point-of-view, not a gadget geek's: It works with iTunes.

No matter what we might think about iTunes as an app or Apple as a company, the reality is that Apple owns the retail digital media market right now and it is not going to want to let go of that. So, for example, other than a TiVo, I, personally, would feel better about setting my mother up with this than MCSE or an Xbox or etc. I might be willing to play with config files and network settings and the like in my house, but I don't want to have to support that at my mother's (know what I mean?).

[jbgx @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:38PM]

theres an easier way to do this. All you need is quicktime pro, then just download the divx plug in for apple. Open your avi file in quicktime, then just select export and there will be a selection to export to apple tv. Did it yesterday and was watching ghost rider on my projector with apple tv.

[Chris Schmidt @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:02PM]

I tried the "export to AppleTV" yesterday. Doubled the size of my file and took forever. I don't want to spend weeks converting every video I've collected over the years and commit to converting 50% of the files I download before I can watch them. The moment they get it to recognize shared folders, I'm driving to the mall and buying one.

[Amber @ Oct 10th 2007 1:18AM]

I was exporting those files directly to apple tv, but some come up as .mov and others as .mv4, I have to drag the .mv4 file over and then it will show on my apple tv. But lately when I export, it won't even show up or the sound is delayed from the picture, partly because I am dragging the .mv4.

Hope that made sense, I am not a computer guru, but when I do the export to apple like you do, it hasn't been showing up on apple tv. Any help will be great.

[Jason @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:43PM]

Um, some people have absolutely no desire to play video games nor do they want a large, hot, loud video game system sitting near their nice HDTV. Plus, streaming through Media Center doesn't help people who are Mac only, does it?

Besides, this is a gen-one product that is built to do one thing right as soon as you take it out of the box, just like every Apple product - work for what it's made for. It's unfair to compare it to something that has been tweaked and updated for a while. That's like comparing a Zune to current-gen ipods. It's ridiculous to expect it to not have some ground to cover before it can even compete.

Give this thing time. If a hack has already been done, then wait and see what more there is before bringing out the "this is better than that" debate.

[Totalfixation @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:33PM]

@Jason Ya your right about one thing, its the only option for OSX users. I agree that your stuck to one product only (referring to Apple TV), and I agree Mac users deserve over rated products and I agree your left with limitations (as of right now). So ya, totally obliged. I own a XBOX 360. Its not loud when your using it to play DVDs or streaming videos from a computer. Yes its loud when loading games but thats pretty much the gist of it. You can say some don't desire playing games, i can agree with you with that. I own it but rarely do I play it. But if its there its there, I'm not forced to play simply because i bought a 360 for other purposes.

Your comparison with the Apple TV as a gen one product is irrelevant in my opinion. Even though its first gen, its still released after other products have done so. I agree that the Zune is better than the ipod in technical specs. Simply as you stated its released after the ipod. so why cant apple do the same thing after seeing so many other products released?

@Geoffrey Sperl

your right about media rights, cant argue with you there, maybe on music i can, because the other music providers can provide just as much music as Itunes, just not video. Regarding the video, since this is for the living the selection for XBox live media is getting bigger each day.Also, is setting up a 360 that much more difficult then you say? I really doubt it. To play Divx and such maybe, but isn't it just as difficult to do with the AppleTV? Reading that you have to mount the device first in order to hack it to play xivd is by far a lot harder than the 360 with MCE.

This reminds me of the day when i was a SONY fanatic. It left me thinking the same thing with apple. I use to be all over Sony product because of there name recognition, but it left me with sub par products. just like what apple is doing. Its not full filling my ideal idea of a Media center device.

So to reiterate, XBOX 360 does: Games, DVD, Download Movies, Media Center (Music, Movie, Pictures), DVR (eventually), IPTV (end of this year), Voice communication, Stream musics from Media Player, and karoake (im jk kidding, its possible if they add a USB mic to it).

could AppleTV do all this? Ill leave that for you guys to decide.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:00PM]

Oh yeah, the AppleTV (predicted by most analysts to sell around 1.5 million units this year) is SO much more mainstream and non-tech-geek that the 360, which has sold 10 million units already. You know, Macheads really need to adjust their rhetoric when it comes to this market. 79% of people under 50 own some sort of video game console. They are hardly items for tech geeks. They are pretty much the definition of mainstream. The whole "for the rest of us" angle doesn't really work so well when you are competing with something so simple that it is designed to be used by children.

[VJ @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:05PM]

wow

[egotrippen @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:07PM]

hm.... $300 streaming box, or $40 video card? tough call.

is anyone else totally missing the point of this device? wireless isn't worth $250.

[egotrippen @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:09PM]

hm.... $300 streaming box, or $40 video card? tough call.

is anyone else totally missing the point of this device? wireless isn't worth
$250.

[js @ Mar 23rd 2007 4:09PM]

It's an Apple®.

[Xtopher Robin @ Mar 23rd 2007 2:25PM]

Am I the only one that sees the same frame of the same video in a window on his lappy? Just because there's a bunch of cables hanging out of the aTV going behind the lappy doesn't mean crap. I'm just sayin'...

[benedict murray @ Mar 23rd 2007 3:32PM]

Eeeeexcellent

Now lets gets that USB hole working, let the EyeTV software be installed, pop a EveTV hybrid in and I'm sold

[AndyG @ Mar 23rd 2007 3:40PM]

In its current configuration Apple TV is a pointless waste of time.

1st, TV & movie downloads from iTunes look good on an Ipod but terrible on anything larger. In the Apple Store they have Ipods hooked up to larger mac screens playing back movies and the quality is horrendously bad. I can't believe they would even demo them in this fashion. Just about any video format and/or codec I have in my computer plays back better.

2nd, I would never buy an Apple TV unless it could playback all video formats. This thing will never sell in its present form - a definite money loser.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Mar 23rd 2007 3:49PM]

So are there going to always be three AppleTV stories on the font page until Apple releases a new product?

[Jeff @ Mar 23rd 2007 4:03PM]

Also looks like the VNC hack should be working soon.

[JP @ Mar 23rd 2007 4:34PM]

cool

[Jeff @ Mar 23rd 2007 4:44PM]

You could hack your Apple TV to play xvid, or, you could just buy one of these:

http://www.mediagateusa.com/html/mg350.html

and have xvid support built in, along with 1080p and as big a hard drive as you want. For the same price.

I know which direction I'd go.

[Jeff Foster @ Mar 23rd 2007 7:17PM]

@ Jeff "You could hack your Apple TV to play xvid, or, you could just buy one of these:"

Guess which one will sell 10,000% more units in the next year.

also, that silly little competitor you point to doesn't even have HDMI out. give me a break.
It also has 1080i (NOT 1080p, as you claim) and doesn't even have draft 802.11n.

I, also, know which direction i'd go.

[Alexis @ Mar 23rd 2007 4:59PM]

As an owner of XBOX360 and a PC running MediaCentral I can say that the Apple TV would be an ideal solution if they can find an easier way to add support for all of the different codecs out there. The XBOX360 even when not spinning a DVD is obnoxiously loud, and although MediaCentral is nice on my PC, the interface leaves something to be desired. Also even though it plays all of my videos, its iTunes support is not the greatest. Here's hoping that rev2 of the apple tv adds more codecs and also some sort of HD-DVD or BluRay support.

[pwfletcher @ Mar 23rd 2007 7:17PM]

Well, I just tried HD streaming and it worked flawlessly ... although it takes a bit of effort. Here is how I did it ...

1. I recorded an OTA 720p HDTV broadcast using my El Gato Hybrid;

2. I exported the program from EyeTV 2 as a Quicktime 1280x720 HD file;

3. I then opened the exported QT file in Quicktime Pro and exported again again using "Movie to ATV" (I had to do this because the original QT file would not stream);

4. I dropped the converted file in to iTunes, and streamed it to the Apple TV playing on my 44" 720P HDTV.

Final Streamable File Specs: 960 x 540 ... I am not sure why QT Pro converted the original 1280x720 file to the lower res, but it did and the file streamed and looked GREAT.

Results: I must say ... IT LOOKED SPECTACULAR. Somewhere between OTA HDTV and DVD ... just like sat and cable HDTV. I am a bit surprised given the low-end specs of the ATV. No dropped frames, no glitches, no hiccups. If they offer HD movies on iTunes, they are going to look GREAT!

The Downside: It took FOREVER to convert the 4 minute HD QT file using QTPro.

[h0mi @ Mar 23rd 2007 8:44PM]

Nice proof of concept at the least... this shows the apple tv is hackable.

[Totalfixation @ Mar 23rd 2007 11:26PM]

@Chris Schmidt.

You are mistakenly wrong if you think xbox media center is for kids, the system in itself is by far the best around. I don't even know what your talking about. Do you even own one to say otherwise?

[mark @ Mar 24th 2007 8:34AM]

I'd like to see a AppleTV drive cloned to an external drive, hook it up and startup holding the option key. These would mean you can hack a second device without opening it.

I'll probably buy one to use it as an file server/bittorrent server/apple tv.

[Daikon @ Mar 25th 2007 8:19PM]

I've been playing XVids stored on my PC wirelessly on my IOData AVEL Linkplayer 2 for over a year now.
Works like a charm (and Mac server software is also available).

Why Apple would ship their boxes without XVid support (or why anyone would buy one without it) is beyond me. It would be like selling a car which can't drive on roads.

[John @ Mar 26th 2007 1:56AM]

Is there a reason no one is using iSquint to convert their xvids into itunes playable files? Works fine for me...

[willyboy @ Mar 26th 2007 12:39PM]

Uh, just use Visual Hub to transcode your videos (About every codec you can think of) to H.264 for the TV.. They look great and will play nice with your iPod Also too, Visual Hub is pretty fast...I love It!!!!.

W