HTML5 – Apple TV Hacks

Dual-screen apps coming to Apple TV (video)

tomek — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:37:50 +0000

“The mythical Apple television set that everyone talks about is already here,” said Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Brightcove, in an interview with The Verge. Brightcove, a provider of cloud content services, has just unveiled the App Cloud Dual-Screen Solution for Apple TV. The new solution enables media publishers to develop apps for the iPhone and iPad that simultaneously control content, data and information presented on an HDTV while displaying synchronized content on the iPad or iPhone.

The dual-screen solution leverages Apple’s AirPlay technology, which allows viewers to use applications that simultaneously present content, interactive options and data on both the touch device and an Apple TV.

Brightcove’s new Dual-Screen App Solution will be included in the new App Cloud SDK and available to the open source community, enabling content owners to build dual-screen apps for Apple TV.

The availability of the dual-screen solution coincides with Brightcove’s introduction of App Cloud Core, a free developer edition, also announced today. App Cloud Core enables developers to build an unlimited number of mobile applications using HTML5 and JavaScript.

Although dual-screen apps for iOS and Apple TV (AirPlay-enabled apps) already exist, thanks to an open source SDK, it will be now easier to create such apps for Apple TV.

[image: The Verge]

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How to install aTV Flash (black) 1.0 on Apple TV 2

tomek — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:55:16 +0000

FireCore has just released an Apple TV supercharger – aTV Flash (black) 1.0, which features a new Media Player, Couch Surfer Pro web browser, Last.fm radio, Weather, RSS feeds and gives you fast access to plugins like nitoTV, Remote HD, XBMC and Plex client. Here is a detailed tutorial on how to install the new version of aTV Flash on both Mac and Windows.

How to install aTV Flash (black) on Apple TV 2:

Pre-install checklist

1. Jailbreak your Apple TV 2 running software version 5.0.1 (untethered)
2. Connect the Apple TV your TV like normal (power, HDMI and wifi/ethernet). An active network connection will be required (the ‘In Theaters’ option under ‘Movies’ should be visible).
3. Enable Home Sharing and AirPlay (Settings -> AirPlay)

Run the installer – Mac

Step 1: Download the latest version of aTV Flash (black) from your account.
Step 2: Open the DMG and double-click the installer.

Step 3: The installer will copy a few small files to your computer (these will then be transferred to the Apple TV).

Step 4: You will then be prompted to select your Apple TV from a drop-down list.

Step 5: The files will be transferred to the Apple TV.

Step 6: When complete, the Apple TV will restart automatically for the changes to take effect.

Step 8: After installation all apps and updates can be installed directly on the Apple TV through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

Run the installer – Windows

Step 1: Download the latest version of aTV Flash (black) from your account.
Step 2: Open the exe and choose a location to save the application (desktop is recommended).
Step 3: Run the aTV Flash (black) program.

Step 4: Select your Apple TV from the drop-down menu.

Step 5: The files will be transferred to the Apple TV automatically.

Step 6: When complete, the Apple TV will restart automatically for the changes to take effect.

Step 7: After installation all apps and updates can be installed directly on the Apple TV through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

You may also want to read:
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass (untethered)
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to install XBMC on Apple TV 2

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FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge the Apple TV 2

tomek — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:20:37 +0000

aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2 is no longer in beta: FireCore has finally released version 1.0 of its flagship product – a suite of applications to enhance the 2nd generation Apple TV. aTV Flash (black) features all-new Media Player, WebKit based browser, Last.fm radio, Weather, RSS feeds and gives you fast access to plugins like nitoTV, Remote HD, XBMC and Plex client. All new features are installed alongside the normal Apple TV features, so things like movie rentals, Netflix, and AirPlay will remain unchanged.

Media Player
The new Media Player included with aTV Flash (black) can access files directly from a Mac, PC or NAS drive without having to use iTunes. It downloads and organizes metadata and covert art automatically and will present media in your choice of a list or grid view. Supported file formats include AVI, FLAC, ISO, M2TS, MKV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, VOB, WAV and many others. Support for AC3/DTS sound, subtitles, DVD menus, playlists and photo slideshows are also included.

Native web browser
Also included is Couch Surfer Pro; a fully featured web browser that includes support for HTML5 streaming music and video as well as easy to use bookmarks and history. The browser can be controlled using the standard Apple TV remote, or the free iPhone/iPad Remote app.

Last.fm
Rounding out the offering is an interactive Last.fm feature that provides access to Last.fm streaming radio. While streaming Last.fm radio (or playing your own music) you’ll have access to artist bios, and a seemingly endless amount of artist photos.

Weather, RSS feeds
RSS news feed and iIntuitive weather forecast options are also included. Your current weather location will be detected automatically, and other locations can be easily added as well.

aTV Flash (black)1.0 is available now for $29.95, which includes updates for one year. You can download it from here.

Those who pre-ordered the beta can download the new 1.0 version through the Downloads tab in their account. Note: Those wishing to update from an early version will need to run the 1.0 installer from a Mac or PC.

aTV Flash (black) 1.0 can be installed on AppleTV 4.2 and later. Before installing, the AppleTV will need to be jailbroken. Read How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered or How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass (untethered).

MacUpdate has aTV Flash (black) 1.0 for the sale price of $19.99 today only.

You may also want to read:
Apple TV 2 price drops suggest Apple TV 3 is coming soon
aTV Flash 4.4 for original Apple TV now available
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
Apple TV 4.4 Software Released

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aTV Flash (black) Beta6 for Apple TV 2 Now Available

tomek — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:44:02 +0000

aTV Flash (black), Firecore’s flagship product for the 2nd generation Apple TV, has been updated to Beta6. According to Firecore, Beta6 includes “huge improvements” in playback performance that come by way of a brand brand-new, lightweight player that has been built from the ground up specifically for iOS. This new player is said to empower Apple TV 2 to play a wide variety of media formats “without having to sacrifice the simplicity of the native Apple TV interface.”

What’s new in Beta6?

General

Added show/hide options for standard Apple TV menus
Added option to manually install if no Apple TVs are detected
Improved auto-update disabling
Improved installation error handling
Minor UI adjustments

Media Player

Added new lightweight player
Added recently played items to ‘Top Shelf’ in main menu
Added Favorites to main menu
Added option to manually mark files as watched/unwatched
Added ‘Test Connection’ option for AFP/SMB shares
Added support for DVD subtitles
Added support for multiple DVD audio tracks
Added basic support for MT2S files
Improved overall video playback (especially HD video files)
Improved thumbnail generation when cover art is not available
Improved FF/RW controls
Improved DVD menu and video playback
Improved DVD playback progress reporting
Improved memory management
Improved AFP/SMB streaming
Improved error handling for invalid files
Resolved most video stuttering issues
Resolved energy saver mode issue
Resolved issue that resulted in some DVDs being displayed in (squished) 4×3 mode
Resolved numerous DVD playback issues
Resolved flickering when navigating through certain menus
Resolved additional conflicts with XBMC
Reduced number of network connections used
Minor UI and other miscellaneous fixes

Beta5 is available through the Downloads tab in your account. If you’re already running aTV Flash (black) on your AppleTV all the new features can be installed through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

You may also want to read:
Real Racing 2 HD First to Support Wireless Gaming over AirPlay on Apple TV 2
aTV Flash 4.3 for 1st Generation Apple TV Now Available
AirPlay-Enabled Apps: Web Browser, Camera and Videos for Apple TV, TVOut Genie! (review)

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aTV Flash (black) Beta5 for Apple TV 2 Now Available

tomek — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:42:06 +0000

aTV Flash (black), Firecore’s flagship product for the 2nd generation Apple TV, has been updated to Beta5. This time the developers’ main focus has been on building and improving the Media Player feature: according to Firecore, the Media Player has received a “big boost” in Beta5, but is still under heavy development with many more features and improvements still to come.

What’s new in Beta5?

General

Added AppleTV 4.2.2 compatibility
Improved installer routine
Improved handling of failed installations
Improved error handling
Minor UI adjustments

Media Player

Added SMB streaming
Added photo slideshows
Added basic video playlists
Added ‘Favorites’ section
Added individual photo browsing and viewing
Added support for ‘xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/folder’ shares
Added support for guest/anonymous NAS logins
Added volumes list sorting
Added option to disable metadata fetching
Added option to hide file extensions
Improved handling of HD video files
Improved memory management
Improved DVD file detection
Improved remote share folder browsing (root folder issue)
Improved Remote.app support
Resolved artifact issues (green line near bottom of screen)
Resolved rare crashes related to AFP streaming
Resolved issues in share navigation resulting in incorrect ‘menu’ button handling
Resolved issues resulting in incorrect video playback after rewinding on ‘fastest’ speed
Resolved issues related to removing saved shares
Resolved duplicate AFP share entries
Resolved conflicts with XBMC
Minor UI fixes
Other miscellaneous fixes

Couch Surfer Pro

Added HTML5 audio support (for sites like https://tv.tunein.com/)
Added EyeTV streaming
Improved web pages scrolling and layout handling
Improved iOS-optimized JavaScript support
Improved highlighting of large web elements
Auto-complete history is now cleared when clearing history
New SSL indicator
Other minor bug fixes

Weather

Added 5-day forecasts
Added location search option
Added automatic location detection (if no saved locations exist)
Added day/night weather forecasts
Added ‘Feels Like’ temperature info
Minor UI fixes

Last.fm

Added lightweight audio streaming player
Improved memory management

What Firecore is still working on

New lightweight audio/video player
Additional codecs
DVD chapter controls
AC3/DTS (5.1 surround) sound
Subtitle support
Multiple audio track support
Improved UI and file browsing
Better memory management

You may also want to read:
Apple Updates Apple TV 2 Firmware to 4.2.2, Untethered Jailbreak is Already Out
SHOUTcast Radio App Updated to Support AirPlay
AirPlay Implementation on the Old Apple TV is Now Complete
AirPlay-Enabled Apps: Air Video (review)

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aTV Flash (black) Beta4 for Apple TV 2 Now Available

tomek — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:08:54 +0000

aTV Flash (black) Beta4 for Apple TV 2 has just been released. According to Firecore, in terms of features, this is the most substantial release since Beta1 first became available in early December 2010. The latest version of aTV Flash features an ‘alpha preview’ version of a brand new Media Player that has been under development for the past few months. This player enables the playback of non-iTunes media (streamed from a network source) on the Apple TV with no special software or transcoding required.

What’s new in Beta4?

General

Added ‘alpha preview’ version of new Media Player
Added native Weather and RSS apps (will appear under Internet menu when installed)
Added support for Remote HD iPhone/iPad app
Added option to restart ‘Lowtide’ via Maintenance menu
Added support for AppleTV 4.2.1 (iOS 4.3)

Couch Surfer Pro

Added Google search suggestions to Search menu (iOS 4.3+ only)
Added ability to delete bookmarks
Improved animations, HTML5 and CSS3 support
Improve iPhone/iPad Remote app navigation
Improved text box handling
Resolved issues related to Facebook and similar sites
Many other performance improvements

What can I do with the new Media Player?

What’s included in this version

Support for many non-iTunes media file types (MKV, AVI, MP4, etc…)
Native VIDEO_TS (VOB) file playback (with menus)
AFP network streaming (Mac, TimeCapsule, AirPort Extreme, etc…)
Automated cover art/metadata fetching
Basic subtitle support for VOB files
5.1 AAC audio
Watched, unwatched and partially watched markers (includes resume support)
Volume control (up/down arrows during playback)

Firecore is still working on:

Better support for HD video files
SMB network streaming
5.1 sound
Chapter controls
Video playlists
Subtitles (.srt)
Alternative file browsing options
Photo slideshows
Improved memory management
Countless other bug fixes and performance improvements

A brief demo of the Media Player in action can be seen here.

You may also want to read:
Win a copy of Remote HD
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 with greenpois0n rc6

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aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2G Now Available (+giveaway)

tomek — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:16:15 +0000

Fire Core has finally released the first beta version of aTV Flash (black) for the Apple TV 2G. It gives you a web browser with HTML5 support (not all HTML5 sites are supported yet), a Plex client that lets you stream nearly any kind of video from Plex Server running on your Mac, Last.fm access and some info on demand (current weather and news feeds). Fire Core promises to enable additional media formats such as AVI, MP4, MKV, DVD files and to support media streaming from most NAS devices (including Airport Extreme and Time Capsule) in the near future. You don’t need to be worry about the original Apple TV features, they will all remain fully operational.

The new aTV Flash is compatible with the 4.0 Apple TV software only. The new 4.1 software requires a few adjustments and the company plans to have compatible version available soon.

Note: before installing aTV Flash (black) your atv will need to be jailbroken!

Currently the software is for Mac only. Windows compatible version is expected to be available within the next few days.

For the current users aTV Flash is available as a free upgrade.
(Some instructions from the developer: After logging into your account you will have an extra download link for aTV Flash (black). Your normal aTV Flash license and download links will remain unchanged. Additionally any available renewal specials can also be found in your account.)

For the new users the software is available at the discounted price of $19.95 during the beta (pre-order) phase. Once the final version is ready for release the price will return to the normal level of $29.95.

The original aTV Flash is also being reduced to $39.95.

GIVEAWAY

We have 10 licenses of aTV Flash (black) to give away! Follow @appletvhacks, retweet the contest message and join us on Facebook for your chance to win. The winners will be announced on Monday (December 6^th).

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