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XBMC comes to the new Apple TV, we go hands-on (video)
So you jailbroke your new Apple TV, only to realize that there's not all that much to do at the top of Everest except rest and enjoy your accomplishment, eh? No need to trek back down the hill -- there are a great many minds at work to leverage your new-found power into something truly useful. Like what, you say? Take a gander above. An second-generation Apple TV appeared at our doorstep this weekend with XBMC on board -- decoding our 1080p HD content, complete with hardware acceleration, on Apple's ARM silicon, and with only occasional choppiness. If your sense of self-entitlement is wondering what took so long, don't. We're told that this isn't a simple port, as the new Apple TV doesn't share much with its older brother, and is an entirely different animal to develop for. The bulk of the work has been done, though, and as you can see in the video above, once you launch XBMC from the new Apple TV it is the same great experience you've come to love. The difference is, this time, the hardware you're running it on costs just $99. This tiny box is finally beginning to feel magical... now, we're just waiting on a simple installer so we can load it up ourselves. Update: And just like that, the wait is over. If your jailbroken second-gen Apple TV is ready and you have the foggiest idea what "apt-get" does, you can install XBMC right now. Find instructions at our more coverage link below. %Gallery-114545%
Seas0nPass jailbreak app for Apple TV now available
The folks at fireCore have released Seas0nPass, a jailbreak application for the second generation Apple TV. Seas0nPass is a tethered jailbreak solution that requires you to connect your Apple TV to your computer briefly during boot. Similar to the Pwnage tool app, the jailbreak application lets you load custom IPSW files onto your Apple TV. While Seas0nPass is new, fireCore is a name that should be familiar to Apple TV owners. This group also released aTV Flash, a software package that adds streaming services like Last.fm, an HTML 5 web browser and more to the Apple TV. The latest version aTV Flash (black) is in beta and is available as a pre-order for US$19.95. It requires a jailbroken second generation Apple TV. Unlike aTV Flash, which is available for a nominal fee, Seas0nPass is open source and available for free. The tool was designed for the second generation Apple TV only, so please don't try this with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The current version of Seas0nPass is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 or later. A Windows version is under development and will be available soon. Interested Apple TV owners can grab the download and pertinent instructions at Seas0nPass.com. The source code is available here on Github. Remember, jailbreaking is inherently risky and the comments on fireCore's website suggest this tool may be riskier than normal. Jailbreaking is done at the sole discretion of the reader, and we assume no responsibility for bricked Apple TVs.
DVDs are playing back on my Apple TV using AirFlick and AirPlay!
The Unicorn has landed! Rainbows! Starshine! Skittle poo! It's like Christmas in...um...December! So why this exuberance and excitement? My Apple TV is right now, this very second, even as we speak, playing back a DVD of Finding Nemo. It's seriously awesome. Why watch a DVD on a laptop when you can easily stream it to your Apple TV? And it's not even all that hard to do if you're a bit of a do-it-yourself-hacker. Although, seriously, if the command line frightens and intimidates you, it's time to move on to the next TUAW post. Mac aficionado Erick van Rijk figured out how to use VLC to transcode a DVD in real time so that my AirFlick application could play it across to an Apple TV. The instructions, which you are heartily encouraged to follow only at your own risk, follow after the jump. Okay? Deep breaths. Here we go.
Apple TV plays live-converted AVI files using Air Video Server, AirPlayer, and AirFlick
Although I knew that the AirFlick video tool I posted about earlier today could theoretically pass transcoded video streams to Apple TV for playback, my initial attempts with VideoLAN Client transcoding more or less went nowhere. Then, TUAW reader BC reposted a comment earlier this evening that he originally left on the MacRumors forums. In that comment, he discussed how to add live conversion to my AirFlick app by using the server component of AirVideo, a video streaming solution that allows your Mac to serve video to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Although I had previously attempted to play back AirVideo m3u8 playlists on the Mac without success, BC suggested that the Apple TV supported them. He was right. Video proof follows after the break.
AirFlick turns Macintosh into an AirPlay data server
If you own a Macintosh and an Apple TV, I have created a new tool that allows you to stream data outside of iTunes. It's called AirFlick, and it's now available in alpha form for download and testing. Last week, I put together a related application called AirPlayer that allows you to stream video from your iPad using Apple's built in AirPlay services and demonstrated it on TUAW. AirPlayer works by emulating an Apple TV using your Mac's built in Bonjour networking capabilities. Below is a description and brief video explaining how it works. Update: TUAW reader BC adds: How to Add Live Conversion to Erica Sadun's AirFlick App Ok, by doing this hack, you can stream ANY video format sitting on your Mac to your AppleTV. I'm testing out an mkv file right now, and it works like a charm! Download the unofficial Mac AirVideo client here. Start playback of a video using live conversion from within this unofficial client, it should hand off the streaming video to Quicktime X. Inspect the stream by viewing the Movie Inspector (check the "Window" menu for Quicktime). Write down that url. Paste that url into Erica Sadun's Airflick app and boom now your AppleTV can basically play any video you throw at it! Looking forward to someone streamlining the process into a neat little app. OPTIONAL One extra little note: you don't have to necessarily download the unofficial Mac AirVideo client above. You can instead begin playback of a video from within the AirVideo iphone app, then go to the mac serving up the stream, and type "ps ax | grep ffmpeg", and grab the alphanumeric string following the --conversion-id flag. Then paste into AirFlick the following: http://[YOUR-SERVER'S-IP-ADDRESS]:45631/live-playback-2.4.0/index_[CONVERSION-ID].m3u8
How would you change the second-generation Apple TV?
No one said that hobbies were easy to throw away, and it's pretty clear that the Apple TV still holds a dear piece of Cupertino's heart. In fact, we'd argue that the box's streaming abilities now tie into Apple's overall mission more than ever before, and with iOS 4.2.1 for the iPad (and the accompanying introduction of AirPlay), it's feeling less like an afterthought and more like a focal point. That said, we're curious to know if early adopters feel satisfied by their $99 box. Have you found it to function as-advertised? Still fuming over those output and / or color issues? If you were given the keys to the design kingdom, how would you turn the Apple TV into your perfect media streamer? Ditch the iTunes integration? Offer access to more content portals? Paint it pink and line it with LEDs? It only costs $0.02 to play, and the deposit slot's just below.
Apple TV 4.1 update is apparently resulting in loss of 720p output for some unlucky souls
We've been monitoring a growing thread on Apple's support discussion forums where users are complaining about their recently acquired Apple TV only outputting 480p after updating the OS to 4.1 last week. That's obviously a big step down from the 720p resolution touted at launch, and if the plight of these posters is indicative of anything, it seems the perpetrating update has somehow changed the HDMI resolution negotiation of the device -- which rears its ugly head in specific setups. Speaking of setups, though the issue was originally shared by a user who directly connected the device to their TV via HDMI, it appears the vast majority of posters are using an HDMI-to-DVI cable. This latter complaint offers an easy out for Cupertino since the Apple TV's fine print clearly states DVI isn't supported -- meaning if it worked perfectly with the previous OS, it was just a lucky coincidence. So how bout' it readers? Are any of you experiencing this issue with your shiny new hockey puck without involving DVI? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple TV Hacking: Spelunking into the AirPlay video service
When Apple announced its new iOS 4.2 feature set, Apple TV's AirPlay video service really caught our attention. That's why we were particularly disappointed when 4.2 debuted on Monday -- only Apple's own applications could ship video from iDevices to the 2nd generation Apple TV; third party applications were limited to audio transport only. We contacted Apple PR to ask for a statement about that, asking why the feature shipped without third party support -- and whether it had to do with performance licenses or similar legal matters. TUAW has not yet heard back from Apple at the time this post went live. Mike Rose asked if I could poke into the situation and see what's going on under the hood. Here's what I found. Big Massive Update: Thanks to Steven Troughton-Smith, the code has been reduced to a single line with no YouTube work-arounds needed. Details appended to the bottom of the post...
Apple TV hacking: Wiimote footage
Do you remember about a year ago when we showed you a Wiimote working as an iPhone input device ? Jump forward to the new era of Apple TV 2. Developer hacker Tom Cool from the #awkwardtv channel on irc.moofspeak.net has cross-compiled that demo for the ATV 2. You can see it in action in this newly posted YouTube video. Like the keyboard hack we posted about a few days ago, this mod is based on activating a custom stack (via Matthias Ringwald's BTstack implementation) that enables the Apple TV's built-in Bluetooth functionality. The Wiimote communicates over Bluetooth to the Apple TV unit, and displays a virtual representation that concurrently mimics the Wiimote's orientation. We're still a bit ways off from full Wii-style gaming on the Apple TV 2, but it's getting closer every day as this demo shows.
Plex arrives on jailbroken Apple TVs (video)
Boxee might get all the attention but Plex is without a doubt one of our favorite Mac media center apps. So it's with wide-eyed interest that we tell you about the Plex client making its first tentative steps onto the second generation Apple TV platform. Naturally, Cupertino's not behind the initiative to replace Apple's own "Lowtide" 10-foot user interface -- this work is being done by the Apple TV jailbreak community. The ATV2 build is still just a proof of concept so it's buggy and limited to video playback (no music, images, or app management) for now. But hey, it's another iOS app for ATV2 and it does work as evidenced by the video after the break. Man, we're getting all tingly at the thought of scattering a few $99 boxes around the house to serve up the wide variety of codecs supported by Plex in addition to Apple's more limited AirPlay.
Pwnage tool 4.1 released
Pwnapple heads rejoice. The iPhone dev team has just released PwnageTool 4.1 for Mac OS X. Updated to use the recent geohot limera1n exploit, the new tool provides 4.1 jailbreaks for the Apple TV 2G, iPad (3.2.2), iPod touch (3G, 4G), and iPhone (4, 3GS, and 3G). For download details, please hop over to the team's announcement post to grab a copy of the official torrent or to find an unofficial mirror. Thanks to Brad for the heads-up.
Apple TV Hacks: Ports and wikis
The Apple TV jailbreak community remains in a holding pattern. As yet, the greenp0ison and limera1n jailbreak tools do not install command-line/full file access to the box, a precondition for most kinds of application development. That doesn't mean there aren't interesting events going on, however. If you're a hardware hacker, iFixit has a great DIY project for you. Step 8 of their teardown suggests that it shouldn't be hard to solder on a standard iPod docking connector. Over at the #awkwardtv channel of irc.moofspeak.net, hobbyist davilla (of atv-bootloader/atv-creator fame) is attempting to make that hack a reality. We'll report back on its success, should he succeed. The default Apple TV hardware does not allow you to use the HDMI port and the micro-USB port at the same time. Adding an iPod dock to the side of the enclosure will bypass this hardware restriction, allowing both hacking and viewing. In other news, the AwkwardTV Wiki has a new Apple TV 2 page, which is just getting started. This will provide a central knowledge gathering point for anyone working on ATV 2 frappliances and custom applications. Interested developers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with previous ATV development. A sample frappliance template has already been added, along with headers and a link to Dustin Howett's beigelist project. While not a lot has happened over the last week or so, interest in the Apple TV platform remains high, and TUAW will continue to keep you posted. Thanks, davilla, Kevin "nito" Bradley
Apple TV hacking update: Bluetooth, white lists, ports, cables
We continue to keep track of Apple TV's hacking potential; here's another quick update of the new hardware. iFixit confirms that there's an on-board Bluetooth chip: "The Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG 802.11n Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM chip on the Panasonic board is exactly the same as the one we found on the iPad." iOS developer Matthias Ringwald tells TUAW that it shouldn't be hard to get his custom Bluetooth stack running on Apple TV once it's openly jailbroken. "I managed to hook the communication between BlueTool and BT chipset before, so I can record that exchange on iPad which sets up the Bluetooth chipset and just do a playback. Chances are good." Read on...
Confirmed: Apple TV can play 1080p content from iTunes, but still only outputs 720p
The header says it all folks. We just ran some tests on the AppleTV's playback limits by streaming 1080p movie trailers in iTunes and managed to verify murmurs saying the device can accept 1080p content. Unfortunately, output is a different story, since it downscales the image back to 720p on your display. Yes it's a little frustrating -- especially since it's predecessor was up to the challenge -- but it should at least comfort those with a massive library of 1080p videos who were worried about reconverting for their new black box. Considering the hardware gems discovered in the AppleTV teardown however, we're still holding out for the jailbreak community to let us play our 1080p files, and display them too. Oh, and if they could get to work on Super-Hi Vision support at some point, well, that'd be just dandy.
