Running Plex on an Apple TV prior to tvOS isn’t something new – people have been running custom Apple TV apps like Plex for years by using custom markup languages and JavaScript combined with simple DNS trick.

Now, that Apple offers customers an Apple TV App Store and Xcode to developers, Plex has released official Plex app.

To run Plex (Player) on Apple TV 4 you need to have the latest Plex Media Server running on a Mac, PC, Linux, FreeBSD or a NAS that can transcode. More info can be found on Plex Support.

Here is my video showing the new Apple TV app with Plex Server running on a NAS.

Also check out: Infuse 4 for Apple TV 4: first look (video)

You can find more videos on my YouTube channel AskUncleDave.

Note that DRM-protected content (such as video from the iTunes store), ISO disc images, and VIDEO_TS folders are not supported in Plex for Apple TV.

Plex app is free in the Apple TV App Store.

Also available in the Apple TV App Store is Simple X – a third party client for Plex Media Server. It can browse and play videos from Plex servers both on the local network and remotely. However, it does not currently support Mucis or Photo sections in Plex.

Also read:

• Apple TV 4 hacked to run a web browser
• New Apple TV hacked to enable app folders
• MAME emulator running on Apple TV 4
• AirParrot 2: the ultimate companion app for Apple TV 4
• Official Plex app for Apple TV released
• How Apple is fixing what’s wrong with console gaming today

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Plex on Apple TV 4 explained (video) appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

After a very long wait, the official Plex app is now available on the Apple TV. Plex for tvOS organizes all of your video, music, TV, and photo collections, and streams them to the Apple TV. With the free Plex Media Server on your home computer and Plex for tvOS, you can watch and listen to all of your personal media on your HDTV.

The app is free in the Apple TV App Store and requires the latest media server (note: you may need to download and install the very latest server manually for now on certain NAS devices).

There truly isn’t any other platform we’ve wanted to be on for as long as we have the Apple TV. Today’s the day, and we’re celebrating.

The instant the fourth generation Apple TV was announced with an app store, we here at Plex pumped our fists in the air with excitement, as we raced to download the new Xcode and read the developer documentation. Our immediate goal was to be on the platform at launch, which means we didn’t have much time. What we did have was a clean modern iOS codebase for our new app.

We formed a small team which combined a handful of engineers and designers across four countries and as many timezones, who literally worked around the clock (thanks, round planet!).

Here is how Plex describes the technical details of their tvOS app:

We had some tough choices to make. The new platform allowed for two very different ways to build apps, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages. The easiest was TVML, which is a custom markup language evolved from the earlier version present on previous generations of the device. TVML is a markup language for media interfaces, meaning that it’s incredibly easy to make the beautiful screens you’re accustomed to seeing in the Apple apps. On the other hand, they allowed running full native code, which was obviously essential for games, and provided the highest level of control.

We timeboxed two days of prototyping using both technologies, and quickly realized that a beautiful native-looking UI build with the native SDK would take much longer than using TVML. On the other hand, the limitations around the TVML media players led us to want to use our native code from the iOS app.

Fortunately, Apple makes it incredibly easy to bridge between the TVML/Javascript world, and the native world. So we worked hard to combine the best parts of both into the nascent app.

The other important decision to make was how we would generate the TV Markup Language. After a bit of experimentation, we settled on a clever mechanism whereby we’d request XML from the media server, and then transform it using XSLT into TVML. Said with fewer acronyms and more gesticulating, we essentially transform the output from a Plex Media Server directly into the beautiful screens you see on the Apple TV. (And yes, we had to make a few small tweaks to the API, which is why we require a brand new media server for the new app.)

Note that DRM-protected content (such as video from the iTunes store), ISO disc images, and VIDEO_TS folders are not supported in Plex for Apple TV.

Also available in the Apple TV App Store is Simple X – a third party client for Plex Media Server. It can browse and play videos from Plex servers both on the local network and remotely. However, it does not currently support Mucis or Photo sections in Plex.

Related articles:

• Pangea releases five tvOS games with support for 3DTV
• MAME emulator running on Apple TV 4
• VLC coming to the new Apple TV
• tvOS not coming to Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3
• How Apple is fixing what’s wrong with console gaming today

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Today’s the day: official Plex app for Apple TV released appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Back in September Plex confirmed that the official Plex app for the new Apple TV was in the works. However, they didn’t say a word on when they were going to relese it. Now, it looks that we will be able to enjoy the app from day one.

@reneritchie Count us in on the Apple TV launch

— Plex (@plex) October 21, 2015

But if you are a developer who was lucky enough to get the Apple TV Developer Kit, you can already check out a POC standalone Plex Client for tvOS written by Plex Forums user Eric Yanush (it is basically PlexConnect written in javascript, which generates TVML).

Also check out: How to get Plex working on Apple TV 3

The new Apple TV is coming next week – orders start on Monday, Oct. 26, with the device shipping later that week.

Giveaway: Win a brand new Apple TV 4!

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Official Plex app for Apple TV 4 available from day one appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Although it has been possible to use Plex on the Apple TV for years now, it has never been simple to get it working on your device: you had to either jailbreak your Apple TV 2 and use an unofficial Plex client, or hack a non-jailbreakable Apple TV 3 using PlexConnect and hope that you won’t lose the hack with the next software update.

It looks that with the new Apple TV, everything will be much easier for Plex fans.

ITWorld reached out to Plex via email and Scott Olechowski, the co-founder of Plex replied, saying that the official Plex app for the new Apple TV is actually in their plans:

We are very excited to have a crack at bringing our users Apple TV. It’s been a long requested platform and we’re excited to work on it. We want it, our users want it…

There is no question we will be able to offer Plex on the platform. There are multiple ways to go about it, based on the tvOS SDK we now have access to. We are now evaluating the best path for Plex and will begin work in earnest once we have evaluated the options.

Plex iOS app is already in the App Store, so it looks that there will be no reason for Apple to reject an official app for tvOS when Plex submits it to the Apple TV App Store.

Check out: How to get Plex working on Apple TV 3

Apple TV 4 will be available at the end of October starting at $149 for a 32GB model and $199 for a 64GB model.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Official Plex app is coming to the new Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

Though Apple TV 7.0 software update is one of the most evident overhauls the set-top box has received lately, most users are a bit skeptical about it. Especially those relying on OpenPlex and PlexConnect to broadcast Plex from their Mac or PC, fearing that the hacks would be patched in the update. In fact, most of the comments and mails we received after the 7.0 release, were regarding Plex.

It has been confirmed short after the release of Apple TV 7.0 that OpenPlex and PlexConnect are working on a new firmware. However, while Trailers and WSJ channels work well just as they worked on the previous software versions and can be hijacked as usual to serve Plex streams, hijacking iMovie Theatre doesn’t work anymore in the common way.

Fortunately, @Baa, the developer behind PlexConnect, has already updated GitHub with the latest fix, so if you were hijacking iMovie Theatre to access Plex, the best way to get it working again after 7.0 update is to restore your Apple TV and install Plex by following on of these tutorials:

• How to install Plex Apple TV 3 – Mac tutorial
• How to install Plex Apple TV 3 – Windows tutorial

Learn more on Plex working on Apple TV 7.0 on the related thread on the official Plex forum.

In short, the happy days of Apple TV Plexing are not over yet. All you Plex guys can breathe, as you’ll be able to enjoy all your 1080 movies via PlexConnect and still get the latest Apple TV firmware.

Go ahead and hit that update now or read more about the new changes in Apple TV 7.0 here.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post How to get Plex working again on Apple TV 3 after the 7.0 update appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Yesterday’s Apple TV update broke the awesome PlexConnect hack that allowed a fully-functional Plex client on non-jailbroken Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3. It seems that Apple fixed the Trailer app vulnerability. According to Cult of Mac:

Apparently, the reason PlexConnect worked was because, uniquely on the Apple TV, the Trailers channel piped all of its video over HTTP, not HTTPS. By just adding an ‘S’ to the end of that protocol, PlexConnect was seemingly broken for good.

Fortunately, a security developer Paul Kehrer posted a detailed tutorial on how to fix the broken PlexConnect hack. You will need a micro USB cable to attach to your Apple TV and the Apple Configurator (Mac) or iPhone Configuration Utility (Windows or 10.6 Snow Leopard).

You can also check the Plex forum for mas info.

Here are our tutorials on how to install Plex on Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3: Mac/Windows.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

The post How to fix broken PlexConnect Apple TV hack appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

It is always nice to get more out of our hockey pucks called Apple TV. And that, too, without a jailbreak. Cherry on top. Making this possible is a hack claiming to bring Russian subscription service Unlimovie.tv to the Apple TV. Though this Russian movie service may not be of much relevance in other parts of the world, the discovery of such exploits can open doors to providers in other countries too.

This is a simple hack. In the Trailers app, you change the automatic DNS to manual and enter their settings. And tada! You’re streaming Unlimovie. The hack is still in its beta and all the channels are presently free. The final paid version is said to be in works, for launch this September. We wouldn’t count on that as Apple will be quick to patch this in their next update.

Besides the fact that this uses a hack to get into your Apple TV, the service is legal as it holds all the rights to its content. The only downside is that you wouldn’t be able to use the official Trailers app simultaneously, until you change back the settings.

The hack currently supports the first and second generation Apple TVs and as this tweak gains popularity, many will surely stop missing their jailbreaks.

It is worth noting that, the popular media service, Plex had made it similarly into the Apple TV, couple of weeks back.

The post New channels make into Apple TV with a simple hack, no jailbreak required appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Update: Latest Apple TV update broke the Plex hack, here is how to fix it.

Last week we reported that Plex now runs on non-jailbroken Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3 thanks to PlexConnect, a clever little hack that allows a fully-functional Plex client on non-jailbroken ATV2 and ATV3. We also posted a tutorial on how to get it working on your little black box using a Mac. Below is an installation guide for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

(via PlexConnect wiki)

Note: This guide can also be used with firmwares prior to 5.2 and those with Apple TVs on wireless connections, just use some common sense for changing the DNS on the ATV and leave the subnet mask and router settings as they are (the screens are slightly different for this bit only).

• Ensure that your PlexConnect machine always has the same IP address

In order for PlexConnect to work the Apple TV has to have its DNS server changed to that of the ATV. In order to ensure that the device’s IP does not change you need to need to either set a DHCP reservation or static IP in your router for the device and then make a note of it. Click here for a Lifehacker guide on how to set this up.

• Configuring your ATV

1. On your Apple TV, go to Settings -> General -> Network -> Ethernet (if you are connected via wireless select that instead)

2. Make a note of the current DNS server (you will need to add this into your PlexConnect settings later) and then click on the ‘configure DNS’ button:

3. On the ‘configure DNS’ screen click on the ‘manually’ button:

4. On the ‘configure DNS’ screen change the IP address to that of the local IP of the device that you are running the PlexConnect application on and then click on the ‘done’ button (if you are using a firmware prior to 5.2 and it asks you to configure the IP address of your router and the subnet mask, leave them unchanged):

5. It should return you to the previous network configuration screen, check that the DNS server is set to manual and that the IP address is now that of the machine that you are running PlexConnect on:

• Downloading, installing and configuring PlexConnect

1. Download Python 2.7.x from here and install it (PlexConnect is not designed to work with Python 3.x. so please ensure you install the correct version)
2. If you are running a firewall (Windows or otherwise) ensure that you create a rule for python.exe
3. The developers will be releasing point versions (e.g. v0.1, v0.2 etc) of PlexConnect but until then you can always download the latest zip from Github here (do not expect support on any branches as they are either running test or outdated code)
4. Once you have downloaded the zip file, place it in a directory of your choosing on the machine you wish to run PlexConnect on and unzip it.
5. Double-click the “PlexConnect.py” file to start PlexConnect
6. You should see output in the command window as PlexConnect starts.
7. Open the Trailer application on your Apple TV and you should see the PlexConnect interface appear.
8. Enjoy!

Note: WHS requires some extra steps:

1. Go to IIS Manager, under ‘sites’ make sure there are no sites running on port 80.
2. Go to Windows Firewall and create a new ‘Inbound Rule’ for python.exe to allow it access to the internet.

The post How to install Plex on non-jailbroken Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3 [Windows tutorial] appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

Update: Latest Apple TV update broke the Plex hack, here is how to fix it.

Earlier this week we reported that it’s now possible to run Plex on non-jailbroken Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3, as group of devs (Baa, roidy and f00b4r) has released a PlexConnect, a little hack that allows a fully-functional Plex client on non-jailbroken ATV2 and ATV3. You can find more details here.

And here is a tutorial on how to get it all working using a Mac:

(via PlexConnect wiki)

Note: This guide can also be used with firmwares prior to 5.2 and those with Apple TVs on wireless connections, just use some common sense for changing the DNS on the ATV and leave the subnet mask and router settings as they are (the screens are slightly different for this bit only).

• Ensure that your PlexConnect machine always has the same IP address

In order for PlexConnect to work the Apple TV has to have its DNS server changed to that of the ATV. In order to ensure that the device’s IP does not change you need to need to either set a DHCP reservation or static IP in your router for the device and then make a note of it. Click here for a Lifehacker guide on how to set this up.

• Configuring your ATV

1. On your Apple TV, go to Settings -> General -> Network -> Ethernet (if you are connected via wireless select that instead)

2. Make a note of the current DNS server (you will need to add this into your PlexConnect settings later) and then click on the ‘configure DNS’ button:

3. On the ‘configure DNS’ screen click on the ‘manually’ button:

4. On the ‘configure DNS’ screen change the IP address to that of the local IP of the device that you are running the PlexConnect application on and then click on the ‘done’ button (if you are using a firmware prior to 5.2 and it asks you to configure the IP address of your router and the subnet mask leave them as they are):

5. It should return you to the previous network configuration screen, check that the DNS server is set to manual and that the IP address is now that of the machine that you are running PlexConnect on:

• Downloading, installing and configuring PlexConnect

1. Download the latest zip from Github here.
2. Place it in a directory of your choosing on the machine you wish to run PlexConnect on and unzip it.
3. Open the “Settings.py” file using TextEdit
4. OPTIONAL: edit the line “return ‘8.8.8.8’ # google public DNS”, replacing the “8.8.8.8” with your DNS server, the one you noted down from the ATV before you changed it (if this was your gateway you can instead choose to use your ISP’s DNS server).
5. Save the file
6. Open a terminal window and change its directory to that of the PlexConnect folder (either by typing “cd”, without the quotes, hitting space and then dragging the folder to the terminal window and hitting return or by enabling the really useful ‘new terminal at folder’ right click command).
7. Type “sudo ./PlexConnect.py”, without the quotes and hit return.
8. It will then ask to enter your password for your Mac, so enter this and hit return (it will not show anything as you type!).
9. You should see output in the terminal as PlexConnect starts.
10. Open the Trailer application on your Apple TV and you should see the PlexConnect interface appear.
11. Enjoy!

Note: if you have any issues please refer to this before posting.

Specific guides targeting the different firmwares and wireless connections will follow.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

The post How to install Plex on non-jailbroken Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3 [Mac tutorial] appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Plex client has been available for Apple TV for a few years now, but it only worked on jailbroken Apple TV 2. What’s more, it wasn’t compatible with the latest Apple TV software versions. Well, that has just changed as a group of devs (Baa, roidy and f00b4r) has released a PlexConnect, a “super clever little hack which allows a rich, fully-functional Plex client on un-jailbroken ATV2 and ATV3 (1080p!) devices.” Here is how it works:

Essentially, you run a program on your computer which masquerades as the Trailer app. Next, change one setting on the ATV, and you’re up and running.

The developers claim it takes only a few minutes to install and get it running.

PlexConnect already uses the new transcoder (which means great support for subtitles), and it is supposed to support myPlex soon as well.

In the PlexPass preview release of the media server, it also supports AC3 5.1 (remuxing and transcoding from DTS), as well as iTunes DRM’ed video files.

Unlike the other Plex client for ATV2, this one uses XML and Javascript, which means it’s super easy to develop for.

You can install the official version from here, or if you’re running v5.2 of the firmware or later, you can try this version, which has a few tweaks featured in the photos below.

Supported devices and firmwares:

• Apple TV 2: firmwares 5.0 – 5.2.1
• Apple TV 3: firmwares 5.0 – 5.2.1

The original, silver Apple TV  will not work with PlexConnect.

The developers warn that these are early days still, so “you’ll need to know your way around a Terminal”, but they expect a “more polished” installer isn’t far off.

Check out PlexConnect wiki for more information.

Note: the current release does not yet run on Synology boxes, which is apparently a limitation of the bundled Python.

Stay tuned – we will have a install guides for Mac and Windows soon.

Here is a tutorial on How to install Plex on non-jailbroken Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3 [Mac tutorial]

Here are a few screenshots:

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