Desperately awaiting the release of a jailbreak for Apple TV 3? It may take a while, you know that, right? Meanwhile, how about digging your old, already jailbroken 1st gen Apple TV out of the closet and supercharging it with the newest aTV Flash? FireCore has just released aTV Flash 4.5 for the original Apple TV that includes support for Mountain Lion as well as a handful of general improvements and fixes.

What’s new in aTV Flash 4.5?

• Added support for OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
• Added active memory management (to keep things running smoothly)
• Added ability to copy files between playlists
• Resolved Smart Installer bug
• Other miscellaneous improvements and fixes

FireCore has also said they are still working on a number of additional features for the ATV1 and plan to have additional updates available soon.

Version 4.5 of aTV Flash is available through the Downloads tab in your account. If you’re already running aTV Flash on your Apple TV you can update through the Maintenance –> Manage Plugins menu.

Also read: How to install XBMC 11.0 Eden on first-generation Apple TV

The post aTV Flash 4.5 for 1st generation Apple TV released appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

Wondering how to watch live sport streaming on Apple TV? The answer is easy: XBMC, AirPlay, Mac/PC screen mirroring and, of course, native Apple TV sport apps. Finding football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, UFC, WWF, or anything else on your Apple TV can feel like and impossible task to anyone one who sits down and sees the limited options in Apple iOS interface, with its limited content partnerships. Though it looks bleak there is a very bright cloud to this quandary and that is the never-ending combination of features we can through at this magical little box.

XBMC

If you have read any of my other pieces, you already know that I am an XBMC fan-boy. XBMC is the best thing to happen to the Apple TV for many reasons, the least of which being its ability to stream live sports content. There are many addons that can be found at forums.xbmc.org to fill your gaming needs! Here is a list of the most popular, stable tools:

• SportsDevil

This is easily one of the more popular, and better-known, add-ons when it comes to sports and XBMC. This add-on is great because it works 95% of the time. I have only ever missed one college game with SportsDevil. This add-on is free and there is no charge for connecting to the streams it makes available.

Download SportsDevil addon (note: you’ll need to add the Max Mustermann repository to get SportsDevil working on your Apple TV.)

Read more about SportsDevil

• LiveTV

This is another great source for sporting content. The truth is, if you want to view a LIVE TV event… one of your best bets would be to view it via this Live TV add-on. With in this add-on you are able to choose different categories of TV, specifically Sports. You are then given a large list of links for currently streaming sports channels: ESPN, CBS, NBC, etc. And again… this add-on is free to use.

Download LiveTV addon

• Navi-X

Navi-X is one of the best tools, yet sometimes tricky to utilize. This add-on often has more links than any other source out there for LIVE streaming TV and specifically SPORTS. The trick is finding them. If you are unfamiliar with Navi-X you will simply want to use the search feature found on the main screen. Otherwise, often you can scroll through the MOST POPULAR OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS and you will see all of the Live Sports Streams posted on this page.

Download Navi-X addon

Check out this tutorial to learn how to install XBMC addons on Apple TV (1st and 2nd generation).

AirPlay

If XBMC is the best thing to happen to the apple TV, AirPlay is certainly the second best! Quite often you can find the game you want on apps that are available in the AppStore for you iOS device (iPhone, iPod, iPad). With these apps, or perhaps a webpage link, you are able to AirPlay content from your mobile device’s screen to your Apple TV, or even XBMC on your Apple TV, without skipping a beat.

• Justin.TV (iOS)

Justin.TV is a long time king of live sports streams. Though this app can be more hit and miss than its XBMC counterparts, it does often have what you are looking for. Simply download the app, search for the game, and choose the AirPlay option to through the video to your Apple TV.

• CBS SPORTS (iOS)

Get CBS Sports for iPhone! The app delivers comprehensive news, video and scores for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Golf, Tennis, NASCAR, College hoops and more. Follow your favorite team and sport, and catch up on the latest news, scores, stats and video highlights of the day. Plus, the app offers live streaming College Basketball and Football

• TO MANY TO COUNT (iOS)

To be fair, when it comes to the ability to AirPlay there is a limitless number of options that are available in the form of the AppStore apps. For this reason, here is a link to the AppStore offering all of the apps labeled “sports”.

• Android 

Though Android devices do not have the iOS 5 feature of AirPlay built in, XBMC does! With this remote installed on your mobile device, you can send any “ONLINE” video content to your XBMC installation on your Apple TV. This is true AirPlay functionality with out the name, or the help of Apple.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

The post How to watch live sports on Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

We all know we can watch live sports online, but sometimes it’s a right mission to get to where you want to go or find a good link to watch live sports right on the Apple TV. Well, this is where SportsDevil, an XBMC addon, comes into its own!

SportsDevil gives you access to thousands of links for all the different kinds of sports. And I mean all! You will be shocked to see how many different varieties of sport that SportsDevil covers. It gives you several internet steaming sites to where you can view sporting events (it seems that it gets updated with new streaming sites every month or so).

There are 6 streaming sites with live sports at the moment which you can choose from, hopefully this list will get bigger to give you more and more options. Not every stream will work, but you normally have 10+ links per streaming of whatever sporting event you choose, and 1 of them will work for you! In my experience, SportsDevil really stands up to its name and I can’t go without this on my Apple TV 2.

List of supported sites:

• Live Sports
  • LiveTV.ru
  • FirstRowSports.eu
  • ChanFeed.com
  • LSHunter.tv
  • RojaDirecta.me
  • Coolsportz.de

• Highlights
  • Goalsarena.com
  • LiveTV.ru

• Blogs
  • Sport1.de (german)
  • Captain-Trikot.de (german)

• TV
  • LiveSportsOnWeb.com
  • Twww.tv
  • PutPat.tv
  • ShadowNet.ro
  • TVEmbed.eu
  • MyPremium.tv

List of supported streams.

Download

IMPORTANT: You’ll need to add the Max Mustermann repository to get SportsDevil working on your Apple TV.

Download SportsDevil addon

Installation
1. Go to addon browser
2. Install from zip or via repo by following this tutorial.

Enjoy!

Need more addons? Check out our list of Top 10 best XBMC addons for Apple TV 1 and Apple TV 2.

iJ0rd8n

The post Watch live sports on Apple TV with SportsDevil XBMC video addon appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

We at Apple TV Hacks have offered many guides that enable you to jailbreak your Apple TV, install XBMC, and even install addons, plugins and extras to your XBMC installation. So, now that we have given you the tools to increase the awesome of your little box, I figured it would only be fair to share with you what addons have proven to be the best of the best. So enough explanation… lets jump in to the good stuff.

Here is the list of 10 best XBMC addons for both 1st and 2nd generation Apple TV.

10.   IceLibrary

• Content Source:
  • Works in conjunction with the IceFilms addon
• Features:
  • Allows users to sync movies and television shows from the IceFilms add-on to their internal library
  • Offers the ability to refresh your library in intervals that you decide.
  • It offers filters so that you can scan for all movies released after a certain date… allowing to you have access to all movies released since 2003, should you desire to.
  • The possibilities are endless, making this one of my favorite add-ons.
• Download & Support:
  • IceLibrary Development and Releases come directly from xbmchub.com, via its development team. This add-ons has gone from a one man team, to a community driven project. You can download IceLibrary addon from here.

9.   HULU

• Content Source:
  • Hulu.com
• Features:
  • Access to all of Hulu’s website content
  • Access to all Hulu + content, for users who have signed up for the service.
  • This add-ons comes with the unique ability to add shows and movies, from Hulu, to your XBMC library. This enables you to do a lot of cool stuff!
  • Allows control of the amount of ads, or pre-roles, displayed.
• Download & Support:
  • HULU ADD-ON Development and Releases come directly from forum.xbmc.org, via its developer bluecop. This developer is known for having some AMAZING addons in his repos! You can download Hulu addon from here.

8.   Fast Pass TV

• Content Source:
  • Fastpasstv.ms.
• Features:
  • Though this add-on offers both television and movies. It is known for its movies.
  • Latest movie release are updated to FastPassTV at a rate that is second to none. If there is something you gotta see NOW(!) FastPassTV is a good way to go.
• Download & Support:
  • FastPassTv’s Development and Releases come directly from xbmchub.com, via its developer, who is also a developer for IceFilms. Its actual creator is always open to help with problems.Fast Pass TV addon from here.

7.   Live TV

• Content Source:
  • Combines live tv streams with a handful of 24 hour streams.
• Features:
  • Combines live tv streams with a handful of 24 hour streams of shows like Friends, King of Queens, and more.
  • 24 movie channels including Starz.
  • Live streaming sports
• Download & Support:
  • LiveTV’s Development and Releases come directly from forum.xbmc.org, via this add-ons developer. Its actual creator is always open to help and can be found either at xbmc.org or xbmchub.com. You can dowlnoad Live TV addon from here.

6.   Super TV

• Content Source:
  • Live TV Streams (think antenna TV)
• Features:
  • View live tv via your APPLE TV 1, 2, or 3
  • You can mark channels as broken so that the developer can fix streams if they go down.
  • Live streaming sports
• Download & Support:
  • SuperTV’s Development and Releases come directly from supercloudtv.com, via this add-ons development team. You can download Super TV addon from here.

The post Top 10 best XBMC addons for Apple TV 1 and Apple TV 2 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

The default remote control for your Apple TV is small, slick, and smooth. To many users, of Apple‘s “hobby” device, it is also thought to be too small and somewhat limited in features. For those of you have found the Apple TV to be limited only by its remote… you have likely found the iOS remote to be a decent alternative to Apples’ hardware offering. Though this iOS remote can help fill the void, eventually you will want to control your Apple TV while using your iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod) device for something else.

For years now Apple TV’s have had a simple, yet amazing, ability to use a remote that came with your TV, cable box, or DVD player to also control Apple TV (both 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd generation). Here is how to do this (official instructions from Apple):

Note: If you have an Apple TV (1st generation), update to Apple TV software 2.3 or later.

1. Using the Apple Remote included with Apple TV, choose Settings > General > Remotes.
2. Choose Learn Remote.
3. Set your remote to a device setting that doesn’t control any other devices in the area or identify other buttons that do not already control a function on your TV or other device. Many third-party remotes have an option to control different devices such as a VCR or DVD player, or have an auxiliary (AUX) option for an unspecified device.
4. Start.
5. Apple TV will display icons that represent the six buttons on the Apple Remote with the “Up” or “+” button highlighted first.
6. Using your third-party remote, press and hold the button you would like to use to control the “up” function until the blue progress bar is full, as shown below.

7. Apple TV will then select the next button function. Repeat step 6 and 7 using a different button
8. After you have programmed all six button functions, you can now use your third-party remote to control Apple TV.

Optionally, you can set up specific playback buttons for fast-forward, rewind, next chapter, and more.

You can program additional remotes to control Apple TV by repeating steps 1 through 8. At anytime you can rename, delete or revise your button choices for a selected third-party remote by choosing Settings > General > Remotes and selecting a third-party remote that Apple TV has already learned.

I, personally, encourage you to take the time and give it a go… and post your results below. This little trick can help breathe new life into your little magic box!

umOuch (Andrew Brasher)

You may also want to read:
FireCore: Work is underway on Apple TV 3 jailbreak and Apple TV 2 5.0 untethered jailbreak
aTV Flash (black) 1.5 for Apple TV 2 is live
How to install IceFilms on your jailbroken Apple TV

The post How to control your Apple TV with any third-party remote control appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Just in case you were unaware, XBMC has finally released an Eden copy of XBMC for your old Apple TV (1^st generation). Though this 1^st gen device is not the easiest to load XBMC on to, it is by no means impossible. If you simply follow these steps, from beginning to end, you will be enjoying unlimited multimedia goodness in no time.

Before we start, there are some basic requirements that are absolutely necessary for this installation process.

• Computer (Windows or MAC)
• USB port and ATV USB Creator  (grab it from the link provided and download it to your machine)
• A Flash Drive (USB Stick) that is a minimum 512MB.
• A 1^st Generation Apple TV that has been updated to the latest software, version 3.0.2!

BE SAFE: To be on the safe side, make sure that you have unplugged all other USB drives from your computer before continuing. USB Creator does erase whatever drive you are using, so you want to make sure there is nothing vital loaded on any devices plugged in once we begin.

1. Download the ATV USB Creator and save it onto your system.

2. Insert your flash drive into your computer and format it to FAT32. Be aware that this step will erase anything located on your USB stick.

3. Open and run the ATV USB Creator software that we downloaded in step #1.

4. Once the software opens up, select the following options:

– Where you see “Choose an Installation” select “ATV-Patchstick”

– You don’t need to do anything for “Download AppleTV Update DMG or Choose a DMG”. ATV USB Creator will automatically download this file from Apple’s servers, so you don’t need to do anything there.

– For “Installation Options” you should not need to change anything. “AppleTV version 3.x” should already be selected, and there should already be check marks for “ssh tools”, “bin utils”, “SoftwareMenu”, and “XBMC/Boxee for Mac”

– For “USB Target Device” select the USB drive you plugged into your computer in step #2. You may need to hit the refresh button for it to show up. Now you can click on “Create Using ->”

– When the USB drive patchstick is done being created you can then remove it from your computer.

5. Unplug your Apple TV and insert the USB drive patchstick into the back of your device.

6. With the flash drive plugged into the back of your Apple TV, plug the power cable back in. As the Apple TV begins to power up it should now be loading from the flash drive. Now we will wait for the picture of a Penguin (Tux) sitting on an Apple TV. If you do not see this picture when you boot up, and the Apple TV 1 just boots up normally, you likely need to create a new USB drive patchstick using a different USB drive (preferably using a different brand). This problem isn’t often, but it does happen.

7. After the installation is finished, the screen will say that you can reboot. When you see this screen, remove the USB drive patchstick and then unplug (& then) re-plug the power chord to your Apple TV. This will reboot your device.

8. You now have ALL KINDS OF GOODNESS installed on your Apple TV. This is most noticeable in the fact that you now have a new option on your HOME SCREEN Menu Bar named “Launcher”

9. From your Home Screen, navigate to the option labeled “Launcher”. Once there continue to “Downloads”, and then select XBMC. This may show more than one entry for XBMC, if so, select the option that says “Stable”.

10. If you are one of the lucky people who have opted to install a new Crystal HD card you should visit stmlabs.com to get more information on Crystalbuntu. It is a different software… that is installed in the exact same manner as the steps listed above.

11. Finally, from the “Launcher” section, head “XBMC” in the sub-menu to start XBMC.

12. Enjoy some amazing new features.

umOuch (Andrew Brasher)

You may also want to read:
XBMC 11.0 Eden for Apple TV 2 5.0 (iOS 5.1) released (+how to install tutorial)
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 5.0 (iOS 5.1) with Seas0nPass (tethered)
XBMC 11.0 Eden for Apple TV – Review

The post How to install XBMC 11.0 Eden on first-generation Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

According to the developer, all existing Remote HD customers get this functionality for free. AirPlay audio streaming will be added soon.

Remote HD’s AirPlay supports:
– Video streaming from YouTube iOS app
– Movies and Podcasts from iPod iOS app
– Photo streaming from Photos iOS app
– Video streaming from iTunes 10.1.

Installing/Upgrading Remote HD plugin manually

Remote HD’s Apple TV plugin must be installed and running on the Apple TV before you can control it with Remote HD. This part explains how to unlock your Apple TV using free opensource tools and install/upgrade Remote HD plugin on it:

Unlock your Apple TV using opensource atvusb-creator.
Step by step instructions can be found here and here.

Connect to your AppleTV using your preferred SSH client:
Host: appletv.local
Username: frontrow
Password: frontrow

Recommended SSH clients are:
OS X: Use the buit-in SSH command line client using Terminal.app
Windows: Putty Download putty.exe from here

Here’s an example of how to connect to the Apple TV using Terminal.app on OS X:

ssh frontrow@appletv.local
Password: frontrow

Once connected, run these commands one by one.
These commands will download, uncompress, install/upgrade Remote HD plugin and restart the Apple TV interface.

scp ssh.remotehd.com:RemoteHelper.tar RemoteHelper.tar
tar xvf RemoteHelper.tar
./install-RemoteHelper

“frontrow” without the quotes is the default password.
If prompted with a security prompt to confirm connecting, type in yes.

Thats it, you’re done! Now grab your device and have Remote HD scan for available connections. Your Apple TV should show up in the list of available WiFi-connections – just tap to connect!
The default password is empty.

Installing Remote HD plugin using aTV Flash

Looking for an easier install option?

Use aTV Flash to unlock your AppleTV.
Then enable Remote HD from Maintenance > Install Extras.

Get the Remote HD from the App Store ($3,99 with 50% discount).

GIVEAWAY

We have 5 licenses of Remote HD to give away! Follow @appletvhacks, RT and join us on Facebook for your chance to win. There will be one winner each of the next 5 days.

You may also want to read:
AirFlick Streams Non-iTunes Data to Apple TV 2 (video)
How-To: Jailbreak Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1 with PwnageTool
AirVideoEnabler Allows AirPlay Video Streaming from Any App

The post AirPlay Streaming Hacked into the Old Apple TV (updated: giveaway!) appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

To enter the contest follow us on Twitter and retweet the contest message:

Win aTV Flash and supercharge your AppleTV! Follow @appletvhacks and RT for your chance to win https://su.pr/7jR4iq #giveaway

The winners will be announced next Thursday (September 30th).

To increase your chance to win you can post a comment below sharing your ideas on how the old and the new Apple TV could peacefully coexists in your living room.

You may also want to join our Facebook group to be up-to-date with all the latest Apple TV news. 

The post Win aTV Flash – GIVEAWAY! appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

The 4.2 version brings Last.fm to your old Apple TV. “Last.fm for AppleTV is a new, rich, visually engaging way to experience your favorite music like never before.  It provides access to Last.fm radio, artist bios, artist slideshows and allows you to ‘scrobble’ plays (including plays from the built-in music player) back to your Last.fm account,” FireCore said on their blog.

Current users with aTV Flash installed can updated to version 4.2 through the Maintenance –> Manage Plugins menu.  Once updated, Last.fm will appear as an option in the Manage Plugins menu.

Other aTV Flash 4.2 features and updates include:

• Improved weather forecast layout and icons
• Multiple performance improvements
• Sapphire (8.0.5.2) – Improved metadata importing + bug fixes
• nitoTV (0.9.5) – Improved DVD file playback + bug fixes
• Maintenance (4.2) – Improved download/update process + Minor bug fixes
• Other minor bug fixes

FireCore is giving away 50 Last.fm subscriptions. Check out their Twitter page for details.

And stay tuned, we will have a few aTV Flash licenses to give away soon!

Note: Current Last.fm radio streaming is only available to users in the US and UK.  A Last.fm subscription will be required to stream Last.fm radio.

The post aTV Flash 4.2 Brings Last.fm to Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

But before that happens, let’s focus on what we know about the second generation Apple TV so far.

The box

• 3.9 inches (98 mm)x3.9 inches  x0.9 inches (23 mm); 0.6 pounds (1/4th the size of existing ATV)
• built-in power supply
• no power button

Connectivity

• HDMI (cable sold separately)
• Optical audio
• 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
• Micro-USB (for service and support); loses host USB
• Built-in IR receiver

Wireless

• 802.11n Wi-Fi (a/b/g compatible)
• 2.4GHz and 5GHz

Processor
Apple A4 chip (replacing Intel Pentium M that powered the old ATV)

Storage
No internal storage – instant online streaming (iTunes, Netflix, Flickr, Mobile Me, etc.) and local streaming (from your mac or pc via iTunes).
But Steve only said there will be no “storage management”, no details were given on what exactly is inside the box, no details on RAM.

Video formats
H.264 (up to 720p, 30 fps)
MPEG-4 (up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 fps)
Motion JPEG  (up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 fps)

No 1080p, only720p!
According to Engadget, Apple felt that using 720p allowed them to strike a balance between quality and bandwidth.
In comparison to old, hacked ATV, the new device looses 1080p

Audio formats:
HE-AAC (V1), AAC, protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV;
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through

Photo formats
JPEG, GIF, TIFF

Controller

• Aluminum Apple Remote (included)
• iPhone or iPod touch running Remote app (free). Not so comfortable as Apple Remote device, but facilitates writing: use your device’s QWERTY keyboard to quickly tap out the title instead of clicking letters on the Apple TV screen.

OS
No details on the OS are given by Apple. According to Boing Boing, an Apple spokesperson said that the new Nano and Apple TV don’t use iOS, but other sources reports he has only confirmed that the new Nano doesn’t use this OS.

Since the second generation Apple TV is powered by A4 chip, like other iOS devices, it probably runs some form of iOS, just not identical as iPhone or iPad.

Content

• Movies

–          iTunes rentals available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom:
–          HD: new releases – $4.99, library titles – $3.99
–          SD: new releases – $3.99, library titles – $2.99
–          instant access; you have 30 days to start watching, and once you begin, you can watch as many times as you want in 24 hours
–          availability: often the same day they come out on DVD
–          searching by top movies, title, or genre; trailers, reviews, Rotten Tomatoes rating

Older Apple TVs will continue to work as they have been working up to this point, and they will continue to be able to purchase movies and TV shows even though the new Apple TV is rental-only.

• TV Shows

–          iTunes rentals only available in the US
–          titles from: ABC, ABC Family, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America
–          commercial free
–          99¢ per episode (HD and SD)
–          once you rent an episode, you have 30 days to press Play. Then it’s yours for the next 48 hours
–          Apple TV keeps track of your favorite shows so the next time you turn on your TV, you can see which season you’re watching and which episodes are new

• Netflix

–          only available in the US
–          Netflix subscription required
–          watch your content right away or add it to your instant-watch queue

• Mobile Me (access to Mobile Me galleries)
• Fickr
• YouTube
• Slidshows (various slideshow themes, music from your iTunes library)
• Internet radio
• Local streaming

–          music, videos and photos streamed from PCs and Mac
–          iTunes 10 required

Coming soon: streaming from iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to the Apple TV with AirPlay, a new feature that will come with iOS 4.2 in November. There will be no need to rent or buy a movie or TV show again if you already have it on one of your iOS devices.

Price and availability
Apple will start shipping the new Apple TV at the of September/beginning of October for $99.

Sadly, there will be no updates for current ATV.

Possible hacks
Hacking the new Apple TV will be much more difficult since it has no USB host (no patchstick, no external hard drive) and hard drive (no room for additional files). “The hacking will probably have to be done via hooking the AppleTV up like a hard drive, and I doubt it will be as easy as the original one,” thinks NitoTV. And if the device is truly based on some form of the iOS, we will rather have to talk about “jailbreaking”, not “hacking”.

But we are sure that together with the great and creative ATV Hacks community we will soon make the new device more “usable”. “We’re committed to developing for the AppleTV platform, and will continue to do so once these new models are available,” said Firecore, the developer behind aTV Flash. Fingers crossed!

Interesting comment from our Facebook page:
“The real question is whether app developers will be able to utilize “air play” for their apps.. If so then apps like HuLu+ pandora ect will be able to work on the new aTV that way and apps like stream-to-me and airVideo will be able to deliver any video codec from your Mac or network storage drive (if you have an iOS device).”

Hands-on
Engadget
WIRED
Ars Technica
Boing Boing

The post New Apple TV: What We Know So Far appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.