gotham – Apple TV Hacks

FireCore releases aTV Flash (xbmc edition) for the original Apple TV

tomek — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 22:45:53 +0000

FireCore has surprisingly released a new version of aTV Flash for Apple TV 1 making it an “all-new platform for running the latest XBMC version 13.2 (Gotham)”. It includes support for the latest video add-ons, 1080p video, and more.

aTV Flash (xbmc edition) is finely tuned, optimized for speed, and provides a complete replacement for the standard Apple TV software.

The new version is different from the original aTV Flash (silver): while the older version installs add-ons alongside the native Apple TV software, aTV Flash (xbmc edition) replaces the Apple TV software entirely.

Each serves a different purpose, but if your main goal is to get XBMC on your Apple TV then aTV Flash (xbmc edition) is the one you want.

According to the developers, installation is done in about 5 minutes using a USB flash drive. They have also built in a special restore option, allowing the original Apple TV software to be easily reinstalled at any time.

By installing a special 1080p video card, the original Apple TV will be fully capable of playing most 1080p formats. 1080p video cards are available as an optional add-on when ordering.

Note: Installing a 1080p video card replaces the standard Apple TV Wi-Fi card. A directly connected ethernet cable or USB Wi-Fi adapter (also available as an optional add-on) will be required for network access.

You can find more details on aTV Flash (xbmc edition) here.

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

The post FireCore releases aTV Flash (xbmc edition) for the original Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

XBMC 13.2 Gotham for Apple TV 2 is out

Roshan — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 16:44:06 +0000

The final version of XBMC 13 Gotham (and in fact the final version of XBMC itself), is now available and ready to sneak into your Apple TV 2. XBMC 13.2 Gotham will be the last update of the popular software to bear the iconic name, as the team confirmed that all future updates will be known by the new name Kodi Entertainment Center.

The update, however, brings only a bunch of bug fixes & stability improvements, and not any new features. And so, you will be able to install it directly on top of your previous Gotham installations. Most of the improvements are directed towards OS X and Android while other general fixes (below) will appear on Apple TV also.

Fixes done in XBMC 13.2 Gotham

Bitstream conversion fix for some BD mkv iso rips

Fix labelcontrols with autowidth set were always marked as dirty (re-render)

Update included PVR add-on

Fix FTP TLS not working

Fix onplaybackstarted event for external players

GetText and delete sound option for add-on developers

Fix wrong sample-rate selection on OSX

Fix overlapping subtitles

Fix accented letters. Example: “VARIéS” rather than “VARIÉS”

Prompt for master pin in case the add-on manager is locked

Update GUI translations

Update included add-ons

Fixed several bugs and memory leaks

Team XBMC has also included an Importance Notice section to the announcement, which we highly recommend you read before updating to XBMC 13.2 Gotham. You can find the post here.

Apple TV 2 users can download Gotham 13.2 here.

Apple TV 1 users can get XBMC 13.2 Gotham via OpenElec.

If you’re a developer or consider yourself a tech geek, you can also check out the Kodi 14 Helix Alpha 2 for Apple TV.

Related posts:

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

The post XBMC 13.2 Gotham for Apple TV 2 is out appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

How to install XBMC 13.0 Gotham on Apple TV 2

tomek — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 15:38:19 +0000

Last week XBMC released the beta 3 of their next major update – XBMC 13.0 Gotham that was released back in March with a support for 3D movies, improved UPnP capabilities, “dramatic” Audio Engine improvements and various visual changes that improve usability and logic (check out the full list of changes). Here is a tutorial on how to install XBMC Gotham (beta 3) on Apple TV 2.

Note: XBMC 13.0 will only works on jailbroken Apple TV 2 (latest jailbreakable Apple TV firmware is 5.3). If you have an Apple TV 1 and want XBMC badly, you can find out how to do it here.

Requirements

Jailbroken ATV 2 running firmware 5.3 or older
Mac computer (use Terminal app) or Windows PC (use PuTTY app)

Step 1: Install the latest stable version of XBMC – XBMC Frodo (12.3). If you already have Frodo installed, go directly to Step 2.

Launch the “Terminal” or “PuTTY” application.
Ensure that your computer and your Apple TV are on the same network.
Connect to your Apple TV via SSH using the following commands.

ssh root@[Your Apple TV’s I.P. Address]

Example: ssh root@192.168.2.18
This can be found under General/Network on your ATV’s main menu

Note: Should you receive an “Authentication Error,” copy and paste the following command into the Terminal window and press Enter, then continue.

rm ~/.ssh/known_hosts

Agree to any security prompts by typing “yes” (without quotations), then press enter.
When prompted for a password, type the word “alpine” (without quotations) then press Enter.

Copy and paste the following commands into your Terminal or PuTTY app, pressing the Enter key after each. It’s important that you wait for each one to finish before moving onto the next. Don’t worry… you will know when each line is finished.

apt-get install wget

wget -O- https://apt.awkwardtv.org/awkwardtv.pub | apt-key add -

echo "deb https://apt.awkwardtv.org/ stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/awkwardtv.list

echo "deb https://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/atv2 ./" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xbmc.list

apt-get update

mkdir -p /Applications/AppleTV.app/Appliances

apt-get install org.xbmc.xbmc-atv2

mkdir -p /Applications/XBMC.frappliance

reboot

Step 2: Install XBMC 13.0 Gotham beta 3

Launch the “Terminal” or “PuTTY” application.
Connect to your Apple TV via SSH using the following commands.

ssh root@[Your Apple TV’s I.P. Address]

When prompted for a password, type the word “alpine” (without quotations) then press Enter.
Copy and paste the following commands:

rm -f *xbmc*.deb

wget https://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/pre-release/atv2/deb/org.xbmc.xbmc-atv2_13.0-0~b3_iphoneos-arm.deb

dpkg -i *xbmc*.deb

rm *xbmc*.deb

Done! You should now have the beta 3 of XBMC 13.0 Gotham installed on your Apple TV.

To ensure the new build fits your screen:

Launch XBMC from the main menu on Apple TV
Enter the “Settings” sub menu under the “SYSTEM” heading.
Select the “Appearance” tab from the left menu bar.
Change “Settings level” from Standard (default) to Advanced

Under the “Skin” menu,you’ll now want to choose “-4%” for the “Zoom” field so that your XBMC configuration will properly fit your television display.

Depending on the television, you might have to play around with this, but it should work flawlessly at the “-4%” setting. Press “MENU” on your remote to return back one level once this is done.

Congratulations! Your Apple TV now has XBMC 13.0 Gotham installed on it, and fitting on your screen.

Now, check out Top 10 best XBMC addons for Apple TV 1 and Apple TV 2

More on XBMC:

.. and more.

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

The post How to install XBMC 13.0 Gotham on Apple TV 2 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

XBMC 13.0 Gotham Beta 1 is out and ready to sneak into your Apple TV

Roshan — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:16:11 +0000

It’s been a long time since the name XBMC echoed through our corridors. Apple TV 2 owners can start their celebrations as XBMC has released the Beta 1 of their next major update, v. 13.0. After Eden and Frodo, they’ve come up with Gotham as their codename, just to make sure it’ll never get unnoticed by movie fans.

Let’s see what XBMC 13.0 Gotham brings new to the table.

Support for 3D movies: SBS, TAB, anaglyph and interlaced formats are supported but not 3D BluRays
Improved UPnP capabilities: you can now send videos from your tablet or phone to your TV similar to AirPlay or Chromcast
Massive improvements with the Audio Engine: simpler, faster, better quality and lesser breakage
Better user experience with improved settings : categorisation of settings from beginner to expert, comprehensive descriptions with each setting and a ‘Reset to default’ button, in case you mess things up
Better subtitle searches
Better developer tools – means better add-ons in future
Various visual changes throughout the skin which should improve usability and logic
Numerous minor features and bug fixes

I have mentioned only the features relevant to Apple TV users here and in brief. You can read the complete changelog for Gotham here.

Note that Gotham is still in beta, which means it is not free from bugs yet and the public release is still some time away.

Soon, we will have a tutorial on how to install XBMC 13.0 Gotham on the Apple TV.

XBMC and Apple TV

For those who’ve no idea what I’m talking about, here is a little light on the context. XBMC is the major reason why most Apple TVs are jailbroken. It is basically an open-source software media player which can be used to browse and play videos, songs or pictures from your hard disk, network server or even the internet. It is available for all linux based devices, iOS, Mac, Android and PC and supports third party add-ons and skins/themes which makes it quite popular among its users.

Due to the strict guidelines laid down by Apple, it cannot be made available to users in the App Store or Apple TV without dropping some core features. Which is why they’re currently only available for jailbroken devices. Read more – What is XBMC? and Why is it not officially available on App Store?

XBMC 12.0 and above works only on jailbroken Apple TV 2 (latest jailbreakable Apple TV firmware is 5.3). If you have an Apple TV 1 and want XBMC badly, you can find out how to do it here.

More on XBMC:

.. and more.

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

The post XBMC 13.0 Gotham Beta 1 is out and ready to sneak into your Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.