Apple TV hacked for use with MacBooks and USB drives
It seems like some folks (including us) just can't let their Apple TVs sit quietly next to their televisions, with the temptation for modification overcoming any thoughts of preserving the warranty. Now, those in need of a little inspiration have a pair of new hacks to choose from, neither of which involve minor surgery on the device. While it sort of defeats the purpose of the device, the first mod will let you hook up an Apple TV to your MacBook for a little small screen viewing, requiring only a patch to Apple TV's Finder.app and copying a couple of framework files from the Apple TV to the MacBook. Of course, the necessary patch isn't exactly readily available, with the folks at the appropriately-named Apple TV Hacks saying they're "evaluating the legalities" of releasing it. Also coming to us from the same site is a somewhat simpler mod for booting the Apple TV from a USB drive, which simply requires installing a duplicate copy of the Apple TV OS on the drive, hooking it up, and pressing a button combination on the remote while it boots. As Apple TV Hacks points out, that should open up the possibility of making modifications to the Apple TV without actually having to crack it open and remove the drive.
Read - Apple TV Hacks, "Apple TV running on a Macbook"
Read - Apple TV Hacks, "Booting the Apple TV from a USB drive"
