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With a simple ssh enabler, it suddenly becomes very easy for anyone to install any additional components that they want, and lowers the barrier to entry for experimentation, and so I see that as the holy grail of AppleTV hacking.
The application has to be able to implement various files into the Apple TV OS (i.e. codec pacs or different video player software like joost) automatically without the user having to fiddle with the OS himself or having to remove the Apple TVs harddrive.
I think the first thing would be to provide an easy (and legal) way to install an SSH-Server and a plugin-architecture to install remotely hosted addtl. packages, that are all integrated into the ATV menu.
This might be reached by offering an installer-package for OS X and Windows, that simply formats an USB stick, puts on the packages needed to boot the ATV from and then automatically installs the above mentioned plugin-architecture.
I am sure everything else will follow shortely after that breakthrough.
I'd be more than happy to be able to throw out my Linux Server and replace it with my ATV. (Apple4Life)
into a computer lab.
I got a limited budget, but
given a nice big room,
1 iMac and 30 AppleTVs,
I could build a nice Mac Lab.
AppleTV ThinClient Software Hack:
1. Runs normal OS X
2. OpenOffice Included (mac version)
3. FireFox Included (and Safari)
4. GIMP Included.
That's it - all the lab needs, all in one
software image update.
Apple could SELL MORE AppleTVs,
than the 100 million iPods,
if Apple positions the product correctly...
Great for PC Mac Labs and Classrooms
for 'lite' computing.
Serious computing requires iMacs or MacPros -
so AppleTV labs do not impact the sales of these much more advanced products.
The AppleTV could become the 'my first mac experience' for many people, who then decide to purchase a full iMac, MacPro, or MacBook Pro.
I'd really like the AppleTV to output to plain old composite video. My meager budget doesn't have room for any HDTVs (or any new TVs at all, for that matter) for the next, oh, let's say 12 years.
Think about it... you could sync your iTunes with the computer in your house wirelessly from the garage!
Oh yea, and also an ability to mount SMB shares.
I guess a real feature I would like to see as asked by some others is the ability to add the support of an external dvd/ hd dvd drive so that you no longer need a seperate dvd player or hd dvd player. This would make the apple tv all you really need (along with pvr recording ability). Let's see what we can turn the apple tv into over the next couple of months. Good start guys!!
Rick
Something to stream a dvd who is played in Mac osx
But isn't SMB mount support already included through the mount_smbfs command? Or has apple disabled this feature? :o
Think about it. Move your entire library to the Apple TV, stream your music and movies to any machine on your local network (even other Apple TV's!) - plus free up gigs of HD space on your regular machine.
Or, at the very least... AFP (or SMB for those whiner PC users) on the AppleTV would let you have a media server... Back up your machine, drag-and-drop media into folders...
-NJ.
2. DVR funcionality via USB
3. Ability to play MPEG2. This is my biggest issue with the Apple TV. Pley MPEG2 for an external HD. I have a long list of movies already ripped on my external HDDs. I do not have the time and patience to put them in the "Apple TV format". I don't buy from the ITS and their selection is extremely limited. And I would like to have the media as well. Just in case my storage stuff all goes to crap one day. I have quite a large number of "non - hollywood crap movies". I like full dvd resolution and I need my various subtitles.
In this way we get all codecs support, networked file sharing support, all audio formats suport and power to decode my H.264 HD movies. Then I'll throw away my xbox and buy an Apple TV! :)
--Woof!
but I REALLY want a way to load alternative resolution settings.
Everything is tall and skinny on my television when using Apple TV (everything-- the menu systems, all videos, etc). I think it is because my JVC set is not quite standardized or something... like it has 500 lines of resolution.
Frustrating. So my wish is for a hack that would provide for other screen resolutions.
d
Such an effort could be used on many NVIDIA equipped Linux boxes, not just Apple TV. I was already thinking of donating $100 to such an effort before this post appeared.
1. OpenGL native support (but if my limited understanding is correct, might still not take full advantage of hardware acceleration for H.264 decoding)
2. Reverse engineer a NVIDIA PureVideo driver and make new open source Linux version (possibly reverse engineer the working Windows drivers, or try to determine what changed between driver versions as PureVideo was introduced [10.8]?)
3. Somehow port one or more drivers (with verified working PureVideo) to Linux.
4. Somehow port (or reverse engineer) the video drivers for the NVIDIA chipset used on AppleTV (which is basically Mac OS X 10.4.7) to Linux? POSIX might make this possible?
Such an effort could be used on many NVIDIA equipped Linux boxes, not just Apple TV. I was already thinking of donating $100 to such an effort before this post appeared.
Just to give more food for though, there might be multiple ways to get H.264 hardware acceleration working:
1. OpenGL native support (but if my limited understanding is correct, might still not take full advantage of hardware acceleration for H.264 decoding)
2. Reverse engineer a NVIDIA PureVideo driver and make new open source Linux version (possibly reverse engineer the working Windows drivers, or try to determine what changed between driver versions as PureVideo was introduced [10.8]?)
3. Somehow port one or more drivers (with verified working PureVideo) to Linux.
4. Somehow port (or reverse engineer) the video drivers for the NVIDIA chipset used on AppleTV (which is basically Mac OS X 10.4.7) to Linux? POSIX might make this possible?
I would also like the ability to plug my set top digital TV box and Satellite TV box straight into Apple TV so that I can record TV shows off satellite or digital TV.
I'd happily contribute some money towards that too.
Keep up the good work!
Wouldn't it be more efficient to concentrate on iTunes and Quicktime to make plugins for the AppleTV. It would be astonishing (and I would pay for it), when the AppleTV box was able to play my DVD collection on my HD instead of two devices in my livingroom (DVD player and AppleTV). Everyone could store their DVD's on an external HD of the streaming computer (maybe in the Home office) and watch all movies and DVD's via 802.11n wireless technologie and AppleTV in the livingroom. I am not so skilled that I could make such a plugin but if it is possible and if iTunes and Quicktime can enhanced by plugins, pleeeeease make it. I'm sure a donation for that would be no problem. However. AppleTV playing DVD's an HD stored as VIDEO_TS folders would be the best.
I think the greatest thing would be SMB file share support. Mac OS has already SMB support, so I guess it can't be so difficult.
Second, enable VLC support from frontrow (and remote control). VLC is a great player and has support for many codecs (oh yes, it HAS support for H.264, VOB, DivX, Xvid, MPEG2/4, streaming radio...) already working out of the box on Mac OS: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html.
So... AppleTV + SMB + VLC: the perfect next-gen video player.
I'm all yours if you want me to be the first awarded...
after awarding me, if you wanna spare another grand, my suggestion is a plugin that will allow one to watch videos in full screen from any page that may contain a video as Youtube, GoogleVideo, iFilm, DailyMotion, etc., on Apple TV.
The ideal plugin would be one that is not restrained to a bunch of video sites in particular, but one that allows one to enter in any page that has a video and see it full screen on TV.
the thumbdrive hack is of the utmost importance to avoid warranty issues - but is there not a potential wireless solution?
to make the apple tv more of a home base there needs to be:
- wireless backups of laptops to NAS or something
- its own connection to browse and buy from itunes store and distribution to household laptops
- ability to download its own podcasts and content for display and distribution.
- family message board (possibly integrated in screensaver)
- passively viewable widgets / screensaver (I would love to have a couple of pages of displayable info, weather, stocks, calendar events, email preview, RSS etc)
- some home and appliance networking options (how about a pop up that tells me my dryer is done? - Turn on the Roomba!)
- if I would be so lucky to have a few widescreens and apple tvs around the house, how about some apps that would be tailored to the kind of room - my cooking app in the kitchen - the alarm clock and home security app in the bedroom
Obviously I would like to be wired to the gills
Next, we all know that Apple makes money on the harware and not the content
- of course different formats need to be able to be played but what of other internet AV options?
- Netflix streaming, You tube?
Rogue ameoba makes air foil - an app that sends any sound from any app to airport express. We need the video version.
Hack the AppleTV link in iTunes software.
so that plug-ins could be installed by dropping them in a folder on the linked machine and restore software would move it to the AppleTV.
No need to open the box, on need to own any of the additional hardware needed
So 2 things to do:
1- plug an external USB TV Tuner
2- add recording and timeshifting
Bounty !!! ;oP
Of course, being able to use the included USB port combined with the EyeTV software which could be executed in full screen mode from the Apple TV Menu would be fantastic.
Keep up the great work!
It would be possible considering how simple is to share a connection creating a wireless network on OSX
1) Internet Radio. ITunes can do it, why can't AppleTV?
2) I like the RSS reader. Haven't tried it, but I think that was huge.
3) Some kind of automated system to have "non-supported" formats (XVID, etc) appear in the appropriate (not an extra) menu. Frankly, my wife won't understand why she has to look in more than one place for a TV show. The easiest way would be to hack iTunes into accepting these formats (easiest? Ok, maybe "the cleanest.")
4) People want a mythtv frontend. Maybe this solves some of the problem. I dunno. I never got my myth system up and running. But, I think for people using mythtv, connectivity would be nice.
5) However, for people like me that don't use myth, there are some neat tricks that would be nice: weather, webmail are my top picks.
Yep, then in the morning I can wake up, start the coffee, read my mail, and check the weather and news
I don't really see the need for PVR functions. I suppose it would cut down on the equipment (change a big ugly box for a small one), but I'm not sure that's really possible. I think without a fan and with limited RAM and processing power, you'd burn the thing up.
I can understand not supporting composite and S-Video, but not all TVs with component inputs have a 16:9/widescreen mode.
Point to a website (such as the plugin section of appletvhacks.net) and select from all available downloads. Install or uninstall.
Sorry you feel that way - we are trying to resist posting 'filler' content and at the moment no big breakthroughs are being achieved.
I'm wondering.....
Could we put a list together of top requests and people could donate to create a fund? I personally would put $50 in for EyeTV - hardware and software.
Any thoughts?
Yes - I've given a lot of thought to starting a public fund for a hack, and I've also been tinkering with a 'Poll' add on for the site.
I was holding off to see if the $1000 bounty got claimed, but I guess we could have multiple bounties at once. :)
I'll try to organise something for this weekend.
If someone could get USB external storage recognized and running at all I, for one, would be a very happy camper.
After they get USB storage working in the first place, then there could be another bounty for doing it without opening the box
Visually I want the appletv to appear to be one library combined from all attached libraries and select the streaming source when I select the video to view.
I have several itunes machines connected, one which downloads podcasts daily, two I use for tv and movies and one I use primarily for music and photos.
Moving between the different content is very cumbersome as is.
[image]http://iphone-scene.com/system/files/u1/turbo264_hardware.jpg{/image]
[image]http://iphone-scene.com/system/files/u1/turbo264_hardware.jpg[/image]
A close second is the ability to have a video playlist. I'd like to be able to rip lots of short video snippets (sketches from the Muppet Show, individual Animaniacs or classic Looney Toons shorts, Schoolhouse Rock videos, etc.) to put into a series of playlists for better Saturday Morning TV viewing for the kids.
I'd like really much that Apple TV could display webpages with a modified version of Safari for instance. And in complement, a gaim client using growl and maybe adapted to a media player (i.e. display chat as a kind of subtitle), for the last with the use of a keyboard.
1. EyeTV Streaming!!!!!!
I have tons of EyeTV-Recordings on my MacMini, which I use as a MediaHub. But exporting to H.264 or at least MP4 ... oooohhh, I don't have so much time!!!
So, as EyeTV Recordings are MPEG-2-Streams in an Special "Container", it should not be so difficult to get AppleTV into streamig the films directly.
1. Adding a ZOOM function
Lots of my films are in 4:3. Normally, my TV is able to zoom this to 14:9 or 16:9, cutting the upper an lower "stripes" of the picture. EyeTV can do this as well.
But when using AppleTV ... no possibility! I have black stripes on the right and on the left. :o(
I'd love something like AWAKEN on my AppleTV - a little app, that will wake up the device and start a special Playlist on the time I programmed.
:o)
http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?...
So - what is the status folks?
I would also like to see a DVR/USB tuner hack, the XBOX360 HDDVD drive hack.
2) Visualizer - okay, maybe it doesn't have the processing power for a 30 fps Visualizer, but a Visualizer Lite AT LEAST. For parties, you could crank up a killer playlist and start the visualizer on your 62 inch HDTV.
Like getting Ubuntu working 100% - sound, video, wifi/wired networking etc
Would open the door correctly to having XBMC working on the AppleTV
I dont understand why Apple didnt add this by them self - except I guess its because they wnat people to by TV throug Itunes store instead of recording it. Personally I think this two things could easyli co-exist.
I've got the USB drive mounted and see it within my ATV mounted volumes list - however it's not selected as the media location.
What file(s) should I edit to select this?
thanks
den