Apple TV 2.4 Update Now Available, Updated Remote App with Gestures

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/24/apple-tv-2-4-update-now-available-updated-remote-app-with-gestures/)

Apple has quietly released a new software update to the Apple TV which brings the system software up to version 2.4. The exact changes have not yet been listed by Apple so we can't tell you everything that's been changed just yet. Apple typically updates this support document (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3187) with the latest changes. The last update was the 2.3.1 update from February 2009 (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/02/25/apple-tv-2-3-1-update-released/).

One particularly notable feature however appears to be support for the newest version of Apple's Remote app [Free (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284417350&mt=8)] which adds gesture support for controlling your Apple TV.


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2009/06/24/153757-controls_500.jpg


Apple TV's menu options can now be navigated with simple flick gestures. Similarly Video and Audio have new flick gestures that can be used to advance, rewind and replay. See the screenshots above.

Article Link: Apple TV 2.4 Update Now Available, Updated Remote App with Gestures (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/24/apple-tv-2-4-update-now-available-updated-remote-app-with-gestures/)

[markfc]

Woot and I thought the AppleTV was dead.

Updating now...

[slowpoke]

Nice. Haven't seen gestures being utilised like this before.

[TheShinyMac]

Woot and I thought the AppleTV was dead.

Updating now...

yea looks like that magazine article is BS:p

[BryanLyle]

Just glad they haven't forgotten about this product. We use ours all the time.

[Ted13]

How about Front Row support in Apple's remote? Yes it is full of third party FR remotes, but Apple should cover it too.

[uberamd]

Will this break the functionality some of us may have 'added' to our Apple TV's?

[dalvin200]

does the atv update break boxee?

[likemyorbs]

Awesome, now if only they could update the actual appletv itself and make it useful and worth buying, that would just be amazing

[elppa]

Oh no, what dreadful fate awaits the crummy white remote with five buttons and a watch battery.

[calimed]

PLEASE fix audio issues!

[amac4me]

I've been holding out for an updated Apple TV ... hopefully we'll see a new one released in September. :confused:

[fanbrain]

Too bad I just sold my :apple:TV. The ability to stream music to the other room and control it with my iPhone was great. Watching movies was a secondary feature.

[GeekLawyer]

Good news for us AppleTVers. I use mine daily!

(But Apple: don't think I wouldn't like an updated one! Money is ready...)

[Terry W]

I second the user who said he uses Apple TV all the time. I find it much better than netflix. Anyone know if you can now see RENTED movies that are on the Apple TV when viewing using the iphone remote? That's the last thing I need to permanently get rid of that annoying little white remote that my dog keeps finding and chewing to pieces.

[Undecided]

Good, maybe now I won't have to reboot my ATV when I want to purchase something (often, for some reason, I am left with being able to do everything except actually purchase, and must reboot for it to successfully complete a transaction).

[iOrlando]

i dont do apple tv updates because they break boxee and i really dont want to go through the hassle with the usb stick and downloading boxee and all of that.

[the-oz-man]

Awesome, now if only they could update the actual appletv itself and make it useful and worth buying, that would just be amazing

You obviously need to try the "special" ATV setup. Changes the way you watch TV and movies . . .

[TCM333]

I second the user who said he uses Apple TV all the time. I find it much better than netflix. Anyone know if you can now see RENTED movies that are on the Apple TV when viewing using the iphone remote? That's the last thing I need to permanently get rid of that annoying little white remote that my dog keeps finding and chewing to pieces.



Thats really funny, my dog eats mine too. She's addicted to little white remotes

[kugino]

Looks like I'll be spending some ime this afternoon instLling this update then re-installing atv patchstick to get the latest boxee on there.

[sanPietro98]

We use our ATV as our primary TV/Movie watching medium. Can't wait to get home to try this out!

[ichrispod]

that this fixes the constant freezing and lagged responses I have with mine! Anyone else have constant freezes? Random pixels on the screen? Slow remote responses?

Also, when did they dim the little white light in the front?

[alexwaddell]

We use our ATV as our primary TV/Movie watching medium. Can't wait to get home to try this out!

So do we - updating now!

[BeyondtheTech]

Ever since they upgraded to 2.0 it's been sluggish as hell. I've even had the pleasure of yanking out the power cord just to get back to the main menu. Features of 2.0 plus the speed of 1.0 would be fantastic, please.

[aidricksdad]

i wish this update would make my tv a touchscreen i hate using remotes but LOVE watching video thru fingerprints

[PygmySurfer]

How about Front Row support in Apple's remote? Yes it is full of third party FR remotes, but Apple should cover it too.

Yeah I would love to see the Remote app support Front Row - I don't know why Apple hasn't done this.

Remember when Leopard was launched, one of the features was how Front Row was updated to be more in line with Apple TV. Well, since then, Apple TV has been continually improved, and Front Row has been left behind, again.

Will Snow Leopard bring any updates to Front Row to bring it more in line with Apple TV again?

[quid squid]

I've been holding out for an updated Apple TV ... hopefully we'll see a new one released in September. :confused:

I'm waiting on one that does 1080p

[AVonGauss]

I can say there are some changes to TV Shows:

1) The sort has been reversed.
2) It displays the episode number in the list as well as date
3) On the My TV Shows there is a new sort option for Unwatched.

[mckandy]

I've updated and so far it looks like a lot of the lagging and slow remote responsiveness is gone. The gestures for controlling video and music are really cool; I just played with them. The farther your finger goes to the right or left, the faster the fastforwarding/rewinding is. You can swipe through your photos with your finger flicks too. I like the 10 second replay gesture for video feedback. I've been wanting that for a while since TiVo has a button for that and I use it all the time.

[Garemz]

My Podcast menu has changed BIG TIME!!

[nosaj72]

Can anyone check to see if they've added the option to shuffle video playlists?

[Parky]

Here are the release notes

Remote app directional control - Control your Apple TV with simple finger gestures via the Remote app. This feature requires Remote 1.3 running on an iPhone or iPod touch with iPhone OS 3.0.

Flickr Search - Search Flickr photo tags to find recently updated photos of interest. Save searches to quickly find new photos or use as a screen saver for Apple TV.

New view options - View movies By Genre, By Movie, or Unwatched. View TV Shows and Podcasts By Date, By Show, or Unwatched.

Updated transport and chapter modes - During video playback, click right or left to fast forward or rewind. Additional clicks increase the speed. Click down to show chapter markers.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3187

[anonmill]

If someone can run the patchstick successfully after the update please post back here. I am still on 2.2.1 because everything was working great with Nito and Boxee. I don't want to mess that up. But it is probably time for the update. And I agree with others above, this the primary way we watch TV in our house. AppleTV is a great little device, especially after some tweaking and when there is an Elgato tuner in the house.

[kbmb]

The new Remote App with the update is very cool....works pretty good.

-Kevin

[BaldiMac]

Yeah I would love to see the Remote app support Front Row - I don't know why Apple hasn't done this.

Remember when Leopard was launched, one of the features was how Front Row was updated to be more in line with Apple TV. Well, since then, Apple TV has been continually improved, and Front Row has been left behind, again.

Will Snow Leopard bring any updates to Front Row to bring it more in line with Apple TV again?

What would be the point of the Remote App supporting Front Row, when it can already control iTunes directly? I'm asking out of curiosity. :)

[whynot83706]

Will this break the functionality some of us may have 'added' to our Apple TV's?

It did mine, i have ATV installed.

[EarthDawn]

We use our ATV as our primary TV/Movie watching medium. Can't wait to get home to try this out!

As do we... LOVE it !!!

Updating both of mine now :apple:

[d21mike]

Just installed it. In the My Movies it now has a tab bar above the movies list which has By Genre / By Movie / Unwatched.

Next to each movie it has a BLUE DOT - I think it only part blue after you have watch part of the movie. Also, the length of the movie is below the title (not sure if was there before). I thought the length was only on the left with descriptions and other stuff.

[PygmySurfer]

What would be the point of the Remote App supporting Front Row, when it can already control iTunes directly? I'm asking out of curiosity. :)

Most of my media isn't in iTunes, it's just in ~/Movies. Front Row will load those up fine. Plus, it's not that easy to see iTunes from across the room - Front Row has nice big text.

[X38]

So when are they going to add the rumored DVR function already?! I'll buy one the minute the do, but not until then.
And I don't care if they are worried it would compete with TV show sales on itunes - there is still the matter of recording live and local & special broadcast events that will never make it to itunes.

[msprouls]

Just noticed a 1080p option in the Audio & Video setup. I don't remember this before 2.4. Am I missing something???

[ipedro]

Going on 3 years without cable. Keep the tv updates coming.

Looking forward to 3.0 with
- a better UI
- native iTunes on the device for complete independence from a Mac and ability to deal with large libraries on an external HDD via an the USB port
- ability to selectively sync music to Mac's iTunes library and TV shows/movies to a seperate library on an external HDD. Forced syncing to MacBooks with limited HDD size is not well thought out. :rolleyes:

[BaldiMac]

Most of my media isn't in iTunes, it's just in ~/Movies. Front Row will load those up fine.

That makes sense.

Plus, it's not that easy to see iTunes from across the room - Front Row has nice big text.

You don't need to see iTunes if you are using the remote app! :D

[ipedro]

Just noticed a 1080p option in the Audio & Video setup. I don't remember this before 2.4. Am I missing something???

Always there. The UI can be set to 1080p. Video won't play (and is not available via iTunes) in that res. The tv's specs can't keep up.

[SpeedFleX]

Just noticed a 1080p option in the Audio & Video setup. I don't remember this before 2.4. Am I missing something???

yes it has been there before

[Undecided]

I'm waiting on one that does 1080p

Why? How big is your TV and how far away do you sit when watching it?

[kiranmk2]

It seems to have screwed up cover art for some of my films. Also, in the trailers section, the lengths of trailers have changed from minutes to seconds.

[BaldiMac]

So when are they going to add the rumored DVR function already?! I'll buy one the minute the do, but not until then.
And I don't care if they are worried it would compete with TV show sales on itunes - there is still the matter of recording live and local & special broadcast events that will never make it to itunes.

They already have! They've contained it in an add on box and have released it under the brand name of "Tivo". They also release generic versions through your cable or satellite provider. :rolleyes:

[milo]

So when are they going to add the rumored DVR function already?!

Never. If you want a tuner, just buy a tuner.

[grappler]

What I'd really love to see in Remote is the ability to control another iPhone. Or to put it a better way, to put an iPhone into a mode where it shows up as a library in Remote, like you can do with iTunes and AppleTV.

Then, it'd be a snap to put the 1sthen iPhone I just replaced to work as a stereo. Or maybe even as a super-compact AppleTV :)

[BWhaler]

I hope the AppleTV update fixes the painful bugs. (Notably the grey screen that can happen when downloading a movie requiring a reboot to start playing, not being able to see iTunes libraries, general UI bugginess, etc.)

AppleTV has always been a dubious value proposition to me, but renting movies made it a modest addition to the living room. But the bugs were making it unusable--especially now that Tivo will let me rent the same movies.

I hope this fixes the issues...

[Xavier]

I have always wondered, does the Apple TV do 1080i? I am going to search the internet now to try and find the answer.

I thought that the Apple TV could output 1080i but most content on iTunes was 720p.

And I really like the Remote app now controlling Apple TV. It is another reason for me to write the check to finally own one.

[PygmySurfer]

You don't need to see iTunes if you are using the remote app! :D

Good point! I forgot about that, since I don't use the remote app, what with it not being compatible with Front Row and all :)

[BaldiMac]

What I'd really love to see in Remote is the ability to control another iPhone. Or to put it a better way, to put an iPhone into a mode where it shows up as a library in Remote, like you can do with iTunes and AppleTV.

Then, it'd be a snap to put the 1sthen iPhone I just replaced to work as a stereo. Or maybe even as a super-compact AppleTV :)

I think a simpler solution would be to add the ability stream via Airtunes from an iPhone.

[msprouls]

Always there. The UI can be set to 1080p. Video won't play (and is not available via iTunes) in that res. The tv's specs can't keep up.

Cool, I knew the content was not there. I just did not remember seeing it was an option.

[Phil A.]

I have always wondered, does the Apple TV do 1080i? I am going to search the internet now to try and find the answer.

I thought that the Apple TV could output 1080i but most content on iTunes was 720p.

And I really like the Remote app now controlling Apple TV. It is another reason for me to write the check to finally own one.

It will output 1080 to your TV but the highest resolution content it can play (either purchased or ripped) is 720 so it has to upscale it

[kage207]

I can't find the Controller option for me. Where is it?

[Xavier]

It will output 1080 to your TV but the highest resolution content it can play (either purchased or ripped) is 720 so it has to upscale it

Thank you.

Interesting. Hopefully with the next 'major' upgrade to the Apple TV, 1080 will be possible.

Looks like I am still holding out on an Apple TV

[BaldiMac]

I can't find the Controller option for me. Where is it?

You have to be connected to an AppleTV with the 2.4 update. If you are, it should be the fourth icon in the bottom row.

[Sonicjay]

Cool, can't wait to check it out!

[UMHurricanes34]

Dear Lord.

I updated and my AppleTV has never been so unresponsive and laggy. It's giving about 4 seconds between button press and response.

Tried starting an episode of Top Gear, heard the first note of the intro music and then nothing. Black screen, no sound. 40 seconds later it pops to the place in the episode it would have been by then.

This update worries me.

[fgonz44]

I have 2 ATVs and don't use a DVD player anymore. I am looking forward to the upgrade.
Now, If I could only get a third one, put it in my wife's car, and hook it up to my kids DVD players.

[iLoveMyApple]

Thats really funny, my dog eats mine too. She's addicted to little white remotes

I thought this was only me, who this happened too! My dog always steals the white remote to my iMac!

[blizaine]

I have 2 ATVs and don't use a DVD player anymore. I am looking forward to the upgrade.
Now, If I could only get a third one, put it in my wife's car, and hook it up to my kids DVD players.

I was thinking about getting a second. Does the second one only allow streaming instead of Syncing, like the first?

[BaldiMac]

I was thinking about getting a second. Does the second one only allow streaming instead of Syncing, like the first?

You can sync multiple AppleTVs to a single iTunes library.

[fgonz44]

I was thinking about getting a second. Does the second one only allow streaming instead of Syncing, like the first?

Yes. You can stream to both. I only sync a few movies and mostly stream.

[rexone]

Have downloaded the remote update but the actual ATV update is nowhere to be found????

[WestonHarvey1]

Awesome, now if only they could update the actual appletv itself and make it useful and worth buying, that would just be amazing

I have two, one upstairs and one downstairs, so I must be an idiot.

[kage207]

You have to be connected to an AppleTV with the 2.4 update. If you are, it should be the fourth icon in the bottom row.

I thought I updated but it was just finishing up. Aren't I smart? :rolleyes:

[UMHurricanes34]

Have downloaded the remote update but the actual ATV update is nowhere to be found????

On your AppleTV go to Settings > General > Update

[afd]

I really like the gestures for fast forward and rewind, works very well, a lot easier than with the apple remote. The only thing missing is the ability to switch off the Apple TV from the iPhone remote. It's pain having to switch the telly's input to the Apple TV just to switch it off after it mysteriously switches on.

[Beric]

How about Front Row support in Apple's remote? Yes it is full of third party FR remotes, but Apple should cover it too.

I too am waiting for Front Row support.

[chr1s60]

I love my tv and use it at least a few times a week to watch a movie. I don't really use the photo or music features, but for watching movies and checking out the latest movie trailers tv is awesome. Good to see an update. Did Apple ever allow for YouTube HD? I've been meaning to check, but I keep forgetting. Anyway, I'll be updating tonight.

I really like the gestures for fast forward and rewind, works very well, a lot easier than with the apple remote. The only thing missing is the ability to switch off the Apple TV from the iPhone remote. It's pain having to switch the telly's input to the Apple TV just to switch it off after it mysteriously switches on.

Glad to see mine is not the only one that likes to turn on at random times.

[chrisjarmstrong]

I can't find the Controller option for me. Where is it?

I can't find it either! What's going on? I updated both the phone and ATV

[me.s]

Finally, You can control rented movies!!!

[mdntcallr]

great updating now.

[evilyankeefan]

As my :apple:tv stopped working for me a couple of months ago, I've been on the fence on buying a new one. I like that :apple: is updating it, though I'm not sure if a "bigger" update is coming in the next few months.

I do miss it though I'm getting by with a MBP hooked up to my tv.

[markm49uk]

Wow I am a happy :apple:tv owner now - this works really well indeed !

Goodbye little white remote - I lost you so many times.......

[jaw04005]

I too am waiting for Front Row support.

I'm worried about Front Row. It hasn't been updated in Snow Leopard. They specifically point that out on the Snow Leopard preview page:

"All system applications except DVD Player, Front Row, Grapher, and iTunes have been rewritten in 64-bit."

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/#64bit

I guess we could cling to hope that another team (outside of Mac OS X system apps) develops Front Row, and plans to release an update to the program after Snow Leopard ships.

However, I wouldn't count on it. They've moved on to Apple TV.

[rhett7660]

Can't wait to update it when I get home..... Hopefully it goes smoooooth.

[the-oz-man]

I must say that I don't watch live TV anymore with the exception of sports. I have 1 ATV in the living room and 1 in the bedroom both synced to the same iTunes library. After successfully modding both devices with a 2TB HDD, this is (dare i say) my favorite Apple product even better than the iPhone. With the 7200 RPM and 32 MD cache, no lag or glitches. No more need for a DVD or Blu-ray player. Everything is digital at a great resolution and 5.1 sound. Thank you Apple!

[jaw04005]

My Apple TV seems snappier. Also, it doesn't freeze or restart between changing modes using the iPhone app anymore. Before if you were in music, and picked a movie using the iPhone app — the Apple TV would reboot.

[rapidj]

Is it possible to get Hulu on Boxee for the Apple TV again. I had it months, but of course they blocked it. Has that changed with the new update?

[chrisandersen]

Is it possible to get Hulu on Boxee for the Apple TV again. I had it months, but of course they blocked it. Has that changed with the new update?
The update wiped out my Launcher, Boxee, XBMC, etc. Just ATV left.

[eldervovichka]

I love my AppleTV and wish I had a couple more.

Can't wait to see the update after work today!

Jeff

[parkds]

Finally TV shows are listed the way they were in the 2.0 version of the software. With version 2.0 TV shows were listed by the Show Name field in iTunes. Somewhere around 2.1 this method of listing was abandoned in exchange for listing by Artist, which never made sense to me. Great to see a return to the logical method of listing!

[p0intblank]

Well this is a nice surprise! :)

[Bevz]

Good point! I forgot about that, since I don't use the remote app, what with it not being compatible with Front Row and all :)

This made me LOL ;)

Updating ATV now... Looking forward to checking out new remote! :)

[Aldaris]

1080p has been around at least since the last software update. However it is only listed as an HDMI option, so all of you using those little component cables are out of luck.

This is not a listed spec on Apple's site, as it probably would confuse the average consumer who couldn't figure out why one cable would support a higher res than the other, especially when one cable has one cable and the other had between 3 and 5.

Test it out before you claim shananigins!:p

[jettredmont]

The update wiped out my Launcher, Boxee, XBMC, etc. Just ATV left.

You'll need to plug your patchstick back in, reboot, wait for the patchstick to install Launcher, reboot again, then update Launcher and Boxee to the latest releases (Boxee just put out a new release last night too).

OTOH, I haven't seen any positive reports on forum.boxee.tv about upgrading to ATV 2.4 and getting Boxee working again.

IMHO, I haven't been using Boxee much since Hulu had its dust-up, so I'll be upgrading the ATV and then Boxee. If it doesn't work, I'll monitor and try again next week; if it does work, I'll play around with the new apps Boxee's lined up. I find the ATV's new remote gestures significantly more compelling right now than Boxee.

[Nicolasdec]

Boxee users, Has this update broken Boxee????

[pubwvj]

Apple has their Remote App for iTunes. What I would really love to see is a universal remote App that would control the Mac DVD player, iTunes, QuickTime and the mouse in general. It's a natural.

[anonmill]

You'll need to plug your patchstick back in, reboot, wait for the patchstick to install Launcher, reboot again, then update Launcher and Boxee to the latest releases (Boxee just put out a new release last night too).

OTOH, I haven't seen any positive reports on forum.boxee.tv about upgrading to ATV 2.4 and getting Boxee working again.

IMHO, I haven't been using Boxee much since Hulu had its dust-up, so I'll be upgrading the ATV and then Boxee. If it doesn't work, I'll monitor and try again next week; if it does work, I'll play around with the new apps Boxee's lined up. I find the ATV's new remote gestures significantly more compelling right now than Boxee.

Have you tried Nito? I am with you, I liked Boxee, but after the whole Hulu drama I haven't used it much. I DO however use Nito to mount the USB drive on my Airport and pull movies from there, any luck getting that installed again?

[andrew0122]

I wonder if this programing can be ported across to make an app that would allow for the user to control their Mac or even iTunes or Front Row. . . ?

Someone should do that. I really want gestures to allow me to remote Swipe across spaces on my Mac. I think it'd be cool. . .

[jontucker]

Loving the ability to use the iPhone keyboard for searching YouTube!... :)

[MattG]

Uggh...Now I want a Touch more than ever. That little white remote sucks, and the universal remote I have just doesn't do well with it. Using it with the Touch would probably be great.

[Beric]

I'm worried about Front Row. It hasn't been updated in Snow Leopard. They specifically point that out on the Snow Leopard preview page:

"All system applications except DVD Player, Front Row, Grapher, and iTunes have been rewritten in 64-bit."

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/#64bit

I guess we could cling to hope that another team (outside of Mac OS X system apps) develops Front Row, and plans to release an update to the program after Snow Leopard ships.

However, I wouldn't count on it. They've moved on to Apple TV.

Wow, that worries me. Hadn't noticed Apple isn't doing updates to those apps in SL. :confused:

[rapidj]

You'll need to plug your patchstick back in, reboot, wait for the patchstick to install Launcher, reboot again, then update Launcher and Boxee to the latest releases (Boxee just put out a new release last night too).

Can you post a link to the most up-to-date instructions on how to hack the Apple TV with the newest Boxee software

thanks

[ricosuave]

Loving the ability to use the iPhone keyboard for searching YouTube!... :)

Yes I love this feature. Although it has been there for a while.

[Clauie]

Most important new feature:

The update has now enabled the use of the on-screen iPhone keyboard for text input on the ATV! Praise Jesus!!

[temtexdent]

I know everyone doesn't get it, but the AppleTV just fits our lifestyle perfectly. Its a dream come true for me. Stream our entire music collection to it, about 7000 songs...

Just glad they haven't forgotten about this product. We use ours all the time.

[ricosuave]

Wow, that worries me. Hadn't noticed Apple isn't doing updates to those apps in SL. :confused:

I didn't realize iTunes will not be 64bit. I was hoping an improvement in speed with the release of SL.

[jontucker]

Yes I love this feature. Although it has been there for a while.

How could you do it before the update?

[ricosuave]

How could you do it before the update?

When you go into search in youtube, the iphone will turn into the keyboard.

I believe it was part of the appletv 2.0 update. I'm not sure.

[DELLsFan]

Nice ... I'll have to update the ATV and Remote App later tonight. Maybe the update corrects an issue where the box comes out of standby for some strange reason. :p

Question: Which is a better encode via handbrake: .mp4 for XBOX 360 play or .m4v for the ATV?

[toonzes]

Anyone know if you can now control playback of shared movies that are on your Mac (but not synced to the ATV)? You used to have to use the white remote for that.

[asazad]

After updating, my slideshows that i have worked so hard to perfect no longer play music (that i have specifically assigned using iphoto).
The only way to get ANY music is to go into settings under photos in apple tv. but this sucks because you can't assign a particular song to the slideshow from the apple tv. you can only pick a playlist of songs and that same playlist plays for every slideshow!

Can someone confirm this? How how about those of you that have updated to the iLife 09? I still have the old version of iphoto

Is so, i am sooo bummed. One of the best things about apple tv in my opinion is the ability to play slideshows with specific music assigned for that particular slideshow on my big screen tv. everything from my daughter's newborn baby pictures to trip to the beach were assigned appropriate music.

[EarthDawn]

Anyone know if you can now control playback of shared movies that are on your Mac (but not synced to the ATV)? You used to have to use the white remote for that.

yes it does

[ipedro]

Now that iPhone/iPod Touch is essentially a trackpad for the tv, Apple now has the ability to introduce Safari for tv and other widgets that may have required a trackpad.

[thomasfxlt]

Just downloaded both updates and the multitouch features work great. Shadows of things to come I think....

[chrysrobyn]

I'm running 2.0, and there was some way to disable updates because of all the hacks I've installed. I thought I'd find their update server in /etc/hosts, but it wasn't in thre and looks like the newest file in my /etc was from April 12. Anybody have another idea how to disable updates, so I can go re-enable them?

[LurchNC]

Anyone know if you can now control playback of shared movies that are on your Mac (but not synced to the ATV)? You used to have to use the white remote for that.

I was able to do this before. I always stream and have been using the remote app for a while.:confused:

[NativeTexan]

I'm waiting on one that does 1080p

It already does 1080p

[cflat]

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=178883&stc=1&d=1245889435

Updated 2.4 features:

Remote app directional control
* Control your Apple TV with simple finger gestures via the Remote app. This feature requires Remote 1.3 running on an iPhone or iPod touch with iPhone OS 3.0.

Flickr Search
* Search Flickr photo tags to find recently updated photos of interest. Save searches to quickly find new photos or use as a screen saver for Apple TV.

New view options
* View movies By Genre, By Movie, or Unwatched. View TV Shows and Podcasts By Date, By Show, or Unwatched.

Updated transport and chapter modes
* During video playback, click right or left to fast forward or rewind. Additional clicks increase the speed. Click down to show chapter markers.

[dbwie]

Uggh...Now I want a Touch more than ever. That little white remote sucks, and the universal remote I have just doesn't do well with it. Using it with the Touch would probably be great.

The Harmony 550 remote works great with Apple TV, and even turns it on/off when not using it.

[dbwie]

Now that iPhone/iPod Touch is essentially a trackpad for the tv, Apple now has the ability to introduce Safari for tv and other widgets that may have required a trackpad.

Yes! I'm also wondering that since the mlb.tv app can stream to the iPhone (no flash on iPhone), perhaps mlb.tv will come to :apple:TV, as it apparently has come to Boxee...

[evilyankeefan]

Yes! I'm also wondering that since the mlb.tv app can stream to the iPhone (no flash on iPhone), perhaps mlb.tv will come to :apple:TV, as it apparently has come to Boxee...

I just saw that the new Boxee did MLB.tv. Now I'm starting to get the itch now. I have no problem hacking to put Boxee on there. Hmmm.

[Adrian3300]

Good, maybe now I won't have to reboot my ATV when I want to purchase something (often, for some reason, I am left with being able to do everything except actually purchase, and must reboot for it to successfully complete a transaction).

I use to have this problem as well and it was VERY aggravating. When my wife and I finally had time to sit and watch a movie, the damn thing wouldn't work. The solution that helped me:
-From itunes unauthorize the computer associated with the ATV, then re-authorize it. Not sure why this works but it's what the apple rep told me to do, and it worked!

[bhob]

I am hoping this will fix my apple TV - haven't been able to sync movies, tv shows or music to it since the last update, only pictures. Even with streaming I don't have access to my music playlists.

Anyone else have this problem

[kakgungor]

I cannot for the life of me get the control functionality to work. I have updated AppleTV with v2.4 and then downloaded the remote update. I launch the app, connect to AppleTV in the Remote app and then expect to see the "Control" button at the bottom of the screen. But I don't. I only see the buttons that were there in the old version. I've tried rebooting AppleTV and I've tried syncing my iPod Touch to iTunes, but nothing seems to get the buttons. Anyone else experience this problem? I've checked the "About" info on AppleTV and it says "2.4" so I'm at a total loss. Help!

Thanks,
Kent

[mrgreen4242]

Looks neat. Love my Apple TV... we don't have an TV service (no cable, no sat, not even an antenna) and we barely touch our DVD player anymore. Everything through the ATV. Only thing I'd like is faster streaming (going over .11g right now, need to upgrade to .11n or just run some cat5 to it), a way to easily rip BluRay to 720p24 ATV compatible files, and a little more stability and responsiveness from the ATV itself. Only one of those is an Apple problem, though.

On a related note, can someone tell me how I can access playlists of movies on the ATV? I've never been able to see them on it, even though I think I am supposed to be able to?

[freediverdude]

Ok i give up. I've updated both the remote app on my iPhone 3G and the Apple TV. Now they don't see each other. The "add remote" under ipod touch and iphone remotes in the menu on the Apple TV is even grayed out, can't even use it. Very frustrating. Any suggestions?

Edit: solved. The Apple TV was looking at an old network name.

[TwinCities Dan]

Very cool ripple-effect of 3.0! I thought we'd have to wait until September to have anything to talk about on this front. ;)

People who come to my house still can't believe the awesomeness that is the :apple:TV. Can't wait to show people my new remote! :cool:

Still hoping for a hardware revision in September though... ;)

[srl7741]

I cannot for the life of me get the control functionality to work. I have updated AppleTV with v2.4 and then downloaded the remote update. I launch the app, connect to AppleTV in the Remote app and then expect to see the "Control" button at the bottom of the screen. But I don't. I only see the buttons that were there in the old version. I've tried rebooting AppleTV and I've tried syncing my iPod Touch to iTunes, but nothing seems to get the buttons. Anyone else experience this problem? I've checked the "About" info on AppleTV and it says "2.4" so I'm at a total loss. Help!

Thanks,
Kent

Go to Settings on the aTV and scroll to the Remote section. Click to add the iPhone. Then add the TV to the iPhone Library on the phone. Enter the 4 digit code on the iPhone screen onto the aTV using the apple remote. Then it should work from now on using the iPhone.

If i confused you read here (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1947).

[asazad]

I cannot for the life of me get the control functionality to work. I have updated AppleTV with v2.4 and then downloaded the remote update. I launch the app, connect to AppleTV in the Remote app and then expect to see the "Control" button at the bottom of the screen. But I don't. I only see the buttons that were there in the old version. I've tried rebooting AppleTV and I've tried syncing my iPod Touch to iTunes, but nothing seems to get the buttons. Anyone else experience this problem? I've checked the "About" info on AppleTV and it says "2.4" so I'm at a total loss. Help!

Thanks,
Kent

Remember, in order to take advantage of the new features of v2.4 and remote 3.0, you must also have upgraded to iphone software version 3.0. That means if you have an ipod touch, you need to pay the $10 to upgrade

[Michael CM1]

Awesome, now if only they could update the actual appletv itself and make it useful and worth buying, that would just be amazing

Why can't they use some modified version of OS X like they do for iPhone? The Apple TV OS/UI is just not very powerful because it seems to be based around that crappy $19 remote. Create a REAL remote and make it more feature-friendly like a BD player or TV remote.

[cubbie5150]

[sigh] I was hoping against hope that this update would magically resolve my issues w/ ATV dropping out of my iTunes devices list... Sadly, my hopes were dashed and ATV just won't stay connected to iTunes (been having this problem since updating Leopard to 10.5.7; yeah I know, makes no sense).

[srl7741]

[sigh] I was hoping against hope that this update would magically resolve my issues w/ ATV dropping out of my iTunes devices list... Sadly, my hopes were dashed and ATV just won't stay connected to iTunes (been having this problem since updating Leopard to 10.5.7; yeah I know, makes no sense).

It doesn't help but I will say mine has been doing the same thing. Before that update I never had any issues and it never dropped off. Now about every 20-30 minutes it's gone unless I'm watching a Movie or listening to Music.

[kakgungor]

Remember, in order to take advantage of the new features of v2.4 and remote 3.0, you must also have upgraded to iphone software version 3.0. That means if you have an ipod touch, you need to pay the $10 to upgrade

Where does it say that you need iPhone OS 3? I was able to download/install the new version of the remote app without any problems, whereas other apps that I have tried to install give an error when OS 3 is required.

Thanks,
Kent

[mex4eric]

The 2.4 update works fine for me, just took 6 minutes to download and another three with installs, restarts and then the big curtain of screens with loud sound.

Can't see much of a difference and I use my Harmony remote rather than the white one or my touch, but will try the touch later.

[mwp98223]

I just went to update and the message says "no update" try again later. Is there a server issue? I have the aTV hack installed, does that prevent me from manually getting the update? (I know, this update will break the hack, but I'm ok with that for now)

Edit: Yes, it is the aTV hack that has updates disabled, even manual updates.

[drober30]

The new iPhone remote functionality is very sweet!

[TwinCities Dan]

Where does it say that you need iPhone OS 3? I was able to download/install the new version of the remote app without any problems, whereas other apps that I have tried to install give an error when OS 3 is required.

Thanks,
Kent

I don't know if it's a typo or if the gestures are only usable with 3.0? This says you need 3.0 but then at the bottom it says only 2.2 is required. :confused:

[chaosconan]

I just don't understand with the huge success of iPhone and iPod touch why don't they model Apple TV around it :confused:

Apple TV:
1. add a modem to use like a phone, fax machine, or an answering machine
2. add support for a usb printer so that the fax software can print to it
2. add voip so that you can call anyone on the internet
3. add webcam support so that you can do video conferencing with voip.
4. add file server support
5. add app development support like iphone and ipod touch
6. add game development support like iphone and ipod touch
7. add game console with joysticks and motion sensor sticks like they have for wii and ps3.
8. add server app support so that developers can develop web servers, game servers, app servers on it (it would be cool to run a game server on it and have all my friends using iphone or ipod touch play mmorpg on it together. :)
9. and on and on...

With iTune app store you can buy all the games online or even rent them. No need for DVD games or blue-ray games.

[Wolffie]

TIRED... so this maybe incoherent...

When did Learn Remote make an appearance?
It existed before I updated my ATV to 2.4. [My iPhone has wifi issues so I had to add a iPod Touch]

I was able to program my DirectTV remote to control the ATV. I used the DTV remote, because AV1 and AV2 had issues.
No problem I just power down the DTV box.
Works wonderfully!

Now if I could just rent what I wanted to watch.

Nice update and no need for that white remote!
My dog eat everything but the white remote, but he will sleep on top of a remote or three and a bone.

Thank you for the update Apple.

[GeekLawyer]

The new iPhone remote functionality is very sweet!

Agreed. I love the little keyboard the comes up for YouTube or Flickr searches. Some say that was there before, but I never saw it until today.

I can't imagine why Apple doesn't port Safari over. Seems like with the mouse functionality and a good way to input text, the device is ready for that step.

I keep my iTunes library on a 1TB drive connected to my iMac (in the bedroom). It's so nice to have my movies, tv, and music out on the plasma in the living room. I don't know what I'd do without my AppleTV.

And whoever said they wished AppleTV ran a version of OSX -- it does. It's based on Tiger, as I understand it. (Which is why you can technically install Tiger on the machine as the hacker community has done. I run mine pure.)

[esquared]

Works ok except I can't control volume when playing a video, weird.:confused:

[jaykk]

very nice update.

1) The keyboard functionality is really neat, no more typing using white remote

2) PatchStick still works, at least I can ssh to my appletv. Didn't test any other functionality.

[cubbie5150]

It doesn't help but I will say mine has been doing the same thing. Before that update I never had any issues and it never dropped off. Now about every 20-30 minutes it's gone unless I'm watching a Movie or listening to Music.

Yeah, other than a few minor hiccups when I first got my ATV in May 2008, I've never had issues until updating Leo. I used to stream via wifi (AEBS non-gigabit router), and didn't re-boot my MBP for months at a time with zero issues. Them BAM!! 10.5.7 update and nothing works--I even have ATV connected via ethernet now, still doesn't stay connected to iTunes. It's kinda frustrating, and I use my ATV less now than I did before.

[kakgungor]

I don't know if it's a typo or if the gestures are usable with 3.0? This says you need 3.0 but then at the bottom it says only 2.2 is required. :confused:

Installed iPhone OS 3.0 and everything now works. Thanks for the tip, even if it set me back $10!!!

:-)

[stenackj]

Anyone else notice that you can no longer skip chapters by just clicking the arrow botton on the remote? It just fast forwards now on mine after the update. I hate it!

[twoodcc]

very nice! makes me want an appletv now. seems like a very good idea here

[skellener]

Apple would sell a lot more media if they could get rid of the DRM on the tv and movies like they did with music. I'd love to buy content from iTunes and watch it on my XBOX 360. I watch podcasts I download on my Mac on the 360 now (with Connect 360) and they work just great! The selection of stuff on the 360 is paltry compared to iTunes. Netflix is fantastic, but it would be great to get current TV shows as well.

[asazad]

sorry to repeat post but i still haven't gotten a response to this question

After updating, my slideshows that i have worked so hard to perfect no longer play music (that i have specifically assigned using iphoto).
The only way to get ANY music is to go into settings under photos in apple tv. but this sucks because you can't assign a particular song to the slideshow from the apple tv. you can only pick a playlist of songs and that same playlist plays for every slideshow!

Can someone confirm this? How how about those of you that have updated to the iLife 09? I still have the old version of iphoto

Is so, i am sooo bummed. One of the best things about apple tv in my opinion is the ability to play slideshows with specific music assigned for that particular slideshow on my big screen tv. everything from my daughter's newborn baby pictures to trip to the beach were assigned appropriate music.

[digitalbiker]

Why is Apple even selling ATV any more?

It is so much cheaper and easier to run windows Media Center on a cheap PC or use the Xbox. Both can be obtained with HDMI out, full blu-ray support and capable of running boxee, or hulu or whatever you want. And all for much less money and more versatile.

Apple needs to get on board and really innovate the ATV or drop out from the entire market. ATV is just an embarrassment to Apple fans.

Even the die hard ATV users have to mod the standard config ATV to make it usable and then they are afraid to update it because Apple breaks all their changes.

[Scarpad]

Does the remote only work with controlling the Apple TV if you Sync to it? I've never been able to get it to work when streaming. Sure I can control whats playing on the Itunes Library it's streaming from, but not to get it to change whats on the TV.

[Scarpad]

yes it does


How exactly I can never get that to work.

[theheadguy]

Why is Apple even selling ATV any more?
...
Apple needs to get on board and really innovate the ATV or drop out from the entire market. ATV is just an embarrassment to Apple fans.

Because people still buy it. You are acting like they "care" about what you "want". They don't. If wallets are open, they will continue to sell. Computers, cell phones, they update those on time because the market forces them to. ATV, the market is not the same and they can keep the same crap and sell at lucrative price points...

Look no further than the positive/negative rating of this article. Apple threw a morsel to the masses and they are loving it!

[X38]

They already have! They've contained it in an add on box and have released it under the brand name of "Tivo". They also release generic versions through your cable or satellite provider. :rolleyes:

Never. If you want a tuner, just buy a tuner.


Have y'all already forgotten this?
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/13/apple_tv_dvr_interface_revealed_in_patent_filings.html

Like I said, I'll buy an Apple TV as soon as this version is available, but not until then.

[Billy Boo Bob]

Why is Apple even selling ATV any more?

It is so much cheaper and easier to run windows Media Center on a cheap PC or use the Xbox. Both can be obtained with HDMI out, full blu-ray support and capable of running boxee, or hulu or whatever you want. And all for much less money and more versatile.

Apple needs to get on board and really innovate the ATV or drop out from the entire market. ATV is just an embarrassment to Apple fans.

Even the die hard ATV users have to mod the standard config ATV to make it usable and then they are afraid to update it because Apple breaks all their changes.
Well, my old dad finally got comfortable with ATV... There no way in hell he would ever "get it" with XBMC or Boxee or anything else. I think they still want to do things in the mode of "so easy a child can use it" (or an old fart). Granted, two modes (basic / advanced) might not be a bad thing, though.

[gr8tfly]

...
Even the die hard ATV users have to mod the standard config ATV to make it usable and then they are afraid to update it because Apple breaks all their changes.

If using my :apple:tv daily or multiple times daily makes me a die hard user, then I am. I use it for movies (HD, SD - HD looks fine, not Blu-ray, but fine), my own ripped movies and tv shows, YouTube, and my entire music library - even streaming radio/scanners (no hack- works through iTunes just like any other media file). I have media synced and streamed, depending on what it is.

I also am thinking about experimenting with XMBC and Boxee, for the fun of it, but it's not necessary at all. The only "mod" I've made is an upgrade to a 250MB drive.

I guess I don't get why just because it's not the end all uber configurable hack box, doesn't mean it's not a very useable device. It's also the most elegant of the interfaces I've used, though something like Hulu isn't too bad. (I did try the Panasonic VieraCast - it's a joke, to put it mildly.)

[Cubert]

This is SAWEEET!!! Apple isn't getting rid of the AppleTV. They are waiting until all the technological pieces are in place AND more of the general public will want a centralized TV/Movie/Music/?DVD? device.

[slicecom]

Damn. No Front Row support. :(

[zag]

Anyone else notice that you can no longer skip chapters by just clicking the arrow botton on the remote? It just fast forwards now on mine after the update. I hate it!

You can skip chapters, they have just changed it. First you have to click down arrow (the one with minus character) and after that you can skip chapters.

[corinhorn]

You can skip chapters, they have just changed it. First you have to click down arrow (the one with minus character) and after that you can skip chapters.Yeah, I noticed that, kind of janky if you ask me. I skipped chapters more often than I FF so the added button click to move chapters is kind of annoying. Oh Well.

I also hate the revamped UI of this version, it looks a lot less clean and more Microsoft-like.

[BillyBobBongo]

Woot and I thought the AppleTV was dead.

Apple TV....it'll never die! :D

This is a great update. Navigating the menu is now so much nicer and faster to do with the iPod Touch.

[DinoMachino]

because its not made to, i know, but wouldnt that be cool?

it already does the auto fade away thing when starting a movie.


also: apple tv prediction: literally an apple tv. why the heck not, they already make the cinema displays pretty big, why not 42 inches? 48? 52? build in the :apple:tv with the tv, its simple.

think about it.

begin drooling.

[nüb]

I've noticed something:
I purchased Californication Season 2 HD last night on my AppleTV. Today, I open up my laptop at home, open iTunes and it is automatically downloading Californication Season 2 to my MBP from the iTunes store. ...So, that means I won't be syncing the info off my AppleTV and then having to sync it back on to watch it!

Is this feature new? I haven't noticed it before!!!

[TwinCities Dan]

Look no further than the positive/negative rating of this article. Apple threw a morsel to the masses and they are loving it!

Yup, and it's quite tasty! ;) :cool: :D

[Slurpy2k8]

What an incredible update. This just made the remote 10X more useable, and the ATV 10X funner and easier to use. No more switching between the ****** apple remote and the iPhone to do the simplest tasks. The app can now control everything, and how! Watching photos slide perfectly in realtime on a 50' HDTV in sync with your swipe feels so incredible and natural. Everyone should try swiping in the photo album, its really something.

[Billy Boo Bob]

Yeah, I noticed that, kind of janky if you ask me. I skipped chapters more often than I FF so the added button click to move chapters is kind of annoying. Oh Well.

I also hate the revamped UI of this version, it looks a lot less clean and more Microsoft-like.

Well, I like the idea of being able to do both... Yeah... You could hold down the button for FF, but I think I like this better... Would be nice to have an option to switch the modes, though, so you could make chapters be the default and use down -> right to FF.

I just hope I don't still get Finder restarts after trying to rewind now. That may have been a patch issue, though. Dunno.

[walter99]

I wonder if this programing can be ported across to make an app that would allow for the user to control their Mac or even iTunes or Front Row. . . ?

Someone should do that. I really want gestures to allow me to remote Swipe across spaces on my Mac. I think it'd be cool. . .

It's already been done - search for pearPad on the AppStore. There's a free lite version to give it a try.

[BuddyTronic]

FANTASTIC!

I have long been a big fan of the Apple TV, and this update and iPhone remote app update together are absolutely incredible for the Apple TV.

Before I was using a Logitech Harmony 890 remote for my TV and system, and I still do for most stuff, but navigation was always a bit slow on Apple TV. But Now - mama mia it's fantastically fast!

You can scroll through movie rentals super blazing fast, and the gestures are all intuitive on the iPhone remote app (of course).

Apple TV is the biggest sleeper for Apple I have ever seen. It's so awesome, but so many people just don't want it. I find Apple TV is awesome for showing off my vids and photo's, and I always found it worthwhile for that. It's also good for playing tunes through the home cinema thing (I have a Bose setup that rocks pretty good), but now I have been renting movies more and more from Apple TV, it's so convenient. And now with this remote enhancement, it's really super good guys. Try one out and I'm sure you'll want to get one.

WooHoo!

[iSlicer]

Awesome, now if only they could update the actual appletv itself and make it useful and worth buying, that would just be amazing

I find the Apple TV to be very useful, I don't require to apply "add on's" to its feature set. I sit down, turn on my tv and go to a movie or tv show that I have and I watch it. Not too difficult. Actually, it is easier than getting up and putting a DVD in. I also found that it was worth buying as, if you read what I have just written, it serves its purpose of supplying tv shows and movies to my TV when I want to watch them. WOW, it is just amazing.

[gr8tfly]

FANTASTIC!

......

Before I was using a Logitech Harmony 890 remote for my TV and system, and I still do for most stuff, but navigation was always a bit slow on Apple TV. But Now - mama mia it's fantastically fast!



+1

My IR remote will now sit and collect dust. I've also been using my Harmony 550, but now it'll just be to change "activities" and master volume. Very intuitive and clever use of the iPhone interface. Thanks Apple!

[windywoo]

I don't see the appeal of Apple TV. Isn't there anything in America like Sky Plus or Virgin Digital? You pay your monthly fee for television and you can set it to record whatever you want, set it to record whole series, listen to radio, watch something else while recording, record something else while recording (record two things at a time.) You only pay extra for some extra channels or to rent movies.

Seems to me with Apple TV I am paying the price of 4 or 5 months subscription to digital TV and then I don't get anything else on top of that, I have to pay for the music, TV episodes, movies and don't get a choice of when to watch them either.

[SpeedFleX]

I don't see the appeal of Apple TV. Isn't there anything in America like Sky Plus or Virgin Digital? You pay your monthly fee for television and you can set it to record whatever you want, set it to record whole series, listen to radio, watch something else while recording, record something else while recording (record two things at a time.) You only pay extra for some extra channels or to rent movies.

Seems to me with Apple TV I am paying the price of 4 or 5 months subscription to digital TV and then I don't get anything else on top of that, I have to pay for the music, TV episodes, movies and don't get a choice of when to watch them either.

Why do you think these are all people in America lol... I think they have this thing called TIVO there not sure if its the same thing..

I got the ATV because of the small form factor and boxee support, and I have a Popcorn Hour. Both are very nice devices

[steve-p]

I just wish they would fix the reason it keeps forgetting about the WiFi network and needs the password re-entering every couple of weeks. And why it comes out of standby on its own not long after putting it in standby. Maybe they have, I haven't installed the update yet, but I'm not hopeful.

[locust76]

... set it to record whole series, listen to radio, watch something else while recording, record something else while recording (record two things at a time.) You only pay extra for some extra channels or to rent movies.


Yo dawg, I heard you like recording TV, so we put a DVR in yo DVR, so you can record while you record!

[redgaz26]

anyone else having problems updating??

mines says cant install try again later??

[MikeDTyke]

I find the note at the bottom of this page very interesting.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/#64bit

Now grapher was always a bit of a skunkworks project and i could see it falling by the wayside. But iTunes, Front Row and DVD Player not being updated to 64bit? That doesn`t ring quite right to me.

I suspect Apple has new plans in regards to these 3 applications, potentially collapsing them into 1 app. However i can`t really imagine them dumping the iTunes brand.

Either way i think we`ll know more in September as it`ll most certainly be revealed alongside the new ipod range.

M.

[dogtanian]

I find the note at the bottom of this page very interesting.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/#64bit

Now grapher was always a bit of a skunkworks project and i could see it falling by the wayside. But iTunes, Front Row and DVD Player not being updated to 64bit? That doesn`t ring quite right to me.

I suspect Apple has new plans in regards to these 3 applications, potentially collapsing them into 1 app. However i can`t really imagine them dumping the iTunes brand.

Either way i think we`ll know more in September as it`ll most certainly be revealed alongside the new ipod range.

M.

I've always suspected that fact, I am thinking you may have just unearthed something..... :eek:

You are right about iTunes brand, the awareness is off the chart. There would *have* to be a major re-branding marketing effort on the new app.

[Digitalclips]

Awesome, now if only they could update the actual appletv itself and make it useful and worth buying, that would just be amazing

Strange comment? We use ours all the time. How do you define useful? We watch HD movies (720p) every weekend from iTunes Store (way nicer than using FiOS system), we stream music to living room Hi-Fi system. We stream pictures and movies we shoot to large HD TV from Mac's iTunes... what's not to like and all wireless.

[tjpyles]

I haven't noticed anyone mention that you can now use the keyboard on iPhone to enter objects you are searching for. The one thing I hated more than anything on my AppleTV was trying to enter a movie by name with that goofy on screen keyboard using your remote. Now you can just type on your phone and shows up on the AppleTV.

[steve-p]

I haven't noticed anyone mention that you can now use the keyboard on iPhone to enter objects you are searching for. The one thing I hated more than anything on my AppleTV was trying to enter a movie by name with that goofy on screen keyboard using your remote. Now you can just type on your phone and shows up on the AppleTV.
That's worked since the previous update at least, maybe since the one before that.

[joshb111]

updated to 2.4

ran the patchstick...everything works fine until i try and stream video via boxee...just crashes :(

[ss957916]

I just desperately want to be able to easily increase the capacity to 1TB+.

[locust76]

I haven't noticed anyone mention that you can now use the keyboard on iPhone to enter objects you are searching for. The one thing I hated more than anything on my AppleTV was trying to enter a movie by name with that goofy on screen keyboard using your remote. Now you can just type on your phone and shows up on the AppleTV.

That's worked since the very first version of Remote.

[Coroe]

Looks like they haven't forgotten about the existence of the AppleTV. I hope there will be a refresh coming soon with 1080p support and (at least) a DVD-drive with the ability to rip directly into iTunes.

This would sell like crazy and I see no reasoning against such a functionality.

[Antoni Nygaard]

how can i turn off the Apple Tv? nothing happen if i hold down the Play button on the apple remote

[bowzer]

I just desperately want to be able to easily increase the capacity to 1TB+.

Just hack it, using the patchstick method, then you can enable external usbdrives. I have a 1tb plugged in, works great.

Apple tv would be (at least - for me), completely useless without boxee or xmbc. The ability to play divx, xvid, and well, just about any video format is what makes it a real media center.

[imacdaddy]

The new Remote App with the update is very cool....works pretty good.

-Kevin

+1

The ATV menu scrolls like butter!!! Much love!

[redgaz26]

how can i turn off the Apple Tv? nothing happen if i hold down the Play button on the apple remote

theres been a standby option for a while within settings, if you really want to turn it off unplug it.
the update is nice, new features off remote are brilliant

[ibglowin]

If you stream (like I do) there is nothing on the :apple:TV and thus nothing to control or watch according to the remote. You have to connect the remote to your library that you stream from (set speakers to :apple:TV from within iTunes) and then you can switch to your :apple:TV and control and watch it from your main TV with your remote app. I have to admit that I have only done this with music and not a movie but seems like it should work for either if it works for one. Just look for the "Now Playing" icon in the submenu and it should show you whatever is playing from that iTunes library. This works really well for pumping music out to the backyard when having friends over. The "wow" factor usually is pretty large since you can see the album artwork on the remote and then hit a button and instantly switch to a new track.

Does the remote only work with controlling the Apple TV if you Sync to it? I've never been able to get it to work when streaming. Sure I can control whats playing on the Itunes Library it's streaming from, but not to get it to change whats on the TV.

[andrew0122]

I've noticed something:
I purchased Californication Season 2 HD last night on my AppleTV. Today, I open up my laptop at home, open iTunes and it is automatically downloading Californication Season 2 to my MBP from the iTunes store. ...So, that means I won't be syncing the info off my AppleTV and then having to sync it back on to watch it!

Is this feature new? I haven't noticed it before!!!

Apple has been doing this for a while. I'm pretty sure since the introduction of iTunes 8. They download a Standard Def copy of the HD so that you can sync it with your iPod or iPhone.

[RogueWarrior65]

It would be really entertaining if you could reprogram it to respond to a jacking-off motion whenever some politician is giving a speech and Apple TV would chyron spooge on the screen. :D

[HudsonsHalfHour]

enlighten me if you can, but I didn't really feel this enhanced the userbility of the apple tv interface, any more than using the little white stick. the response times for the fast forward/rewind were too laggy to be useful and the menu movements were nothing to fax home about. if they could display the apple tv menu on your iphone, as you see it on tv, then that could be cool.

and why hasn't apple enabled streaming of content from itunes to your iphone yet? I want to do away with my stupid sling box.

[Wolffie]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

Has anyone noticed while playing content you can search the rest of your library. I was playing a podcast and was able to search for a movie rental. Previously once you left theenu of type of content the item would stop playing. AppleTV is becoming a much better iPod.

[srl7741]

how can i turn off the Apple Tv? nothing happen if i hold down the Play button on the apple remote

Hold down the Menu button at the same time hold the play button. The will do the trick i think?

[stuuke]

We love our Apple Tv. It's great if you have kids. We put all of their dvds on it and don't have to worry about them destroying the disc. I wish they would come out with an app store for it. It seems like the Apple Tv has so much more potential.

[gcmexico]

Hold down the Menu button at the same time hold the play button. The will do the trick i think?
*
that will reboot the ATV not shut it off...only way is to unplug it

the remote is sweet!!! nice little update...they need an app store for the ATV:)

[HudsonsHalfHour]

theres been a standby option for a while within settings, if you really want to turn it off unplug it.
the update is nice, new features off remote are brilliant

people use standby on ATV?! I just leave it running all the time, whoops. You think i've buggered it up leaving it on 24/7?

[steve-p]

people use standby on ATV?! I just leave it running all the time, whoops. You think i've buggered it up leaving it on 24/7?
Not really, mine always comes out of standby anyway all on its own after a few minutes, so it's pointless.

[Avatar74]

I love the AppleTV. Sure it's a work in progress but with user feedback they have chipped away at some of the concerns with rather thoughtful solutions instead of slapdash ones.

Being a big junkie for Remote.app, using it with all my music, movies, etc. I am very happy they revised this to include gestures. That was the one thing I was waiting for. I find their implementation more elegant than simply having a bunch of "soft buttons" to push.

The new chapter selection is really cool. More like a DVD menu but still easier to control with finger scrolling than pushing buttons.

The AppleTV is in fact my primary media interface. Prior to that I had used the Airport Express for streaming music since it came out. I haven't purchased a CD or DVD in a few years now. I don't pirate... I just mean I buy them from legitimate online retailers like iTunes.

[Tweeksy]

Just hack it, using the patchstick method, then you can enable external usbdrives. I have a 1tb plugged in, works great.

Apple tv would be (at least - for me), completely useless without boxee or xmbc. The ability to play divx, xvid, and well, just about any video format is what makes it a real media center.

How easy is this, and does it cause any problems?

My main wish would be to be able to directly correct my 1TB USB drive with all the vid files on.

[Chris Blount]

Why is Apple even selling ATV any more?

It is so much cheaper and easier to run windows Media Center on a cheap PC or use the Xbox. Both can be obtained with HDMI out, full blu-ray support and capable of running boxee, or hulu or whatever you want. And all for much less money and more versatile.

Apple needs to get on board and really innovate the ATV or drop out from the entire market. ATV is just an embarrassment to Apple fans.

Even the die hard ATV users have to mod the standard config ATV to make it usable and then they are afraid to update it because Apple breaks all their changes.Because Apple TV is easy! The average user can walk out of the Apple store, plug it into their system and it's good to go. No PC knowledge required.

[Elbon]

We've been waiting how long for an AppleTV software update, and this is what we get? Now I can use the iPhone or iPod Touch that I don't have to control it? Awesome. Sign me up.

[sebfrey]

I think the update and the new remote are awesome. It now makes it really easy to find stuff on YouTube just typing in with the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, and the responsiveness of the ATV interface is much improved.

[Scarpad]

If you stream (like I do) there is nothing on the :apple:TV and thus nothing to control or watch according to the remote. You have to connect the remote to your library that you stream from (set speakers to :apple:TV from within iTunes) and then you can switch to your :apple:TV and control and watch it from your main TV with your remote app. I have to admit that I have only done this with music and not a movie but seems like it should work for either if it works for one. Just look for the "Now Playing" icon in the submenu and it should show you whatever is playing from that iTunes library. This works really well for pumping music out to the backyard when having friends over. The "wow" factor usually is pretty large since you can see the album artwork on the remote and then hit a button and instantly switch to a new track.

I have tried numerous permutations of the settings to accomplish this and I cannot get it to work.

[scotthayes]

I actually like the little white remote but I will be giving the remote on my iPhone a try.

I'm not holding out much hope that this update will fix the rather annoying problem I have with using it through an HDMI switch box. My TV only has one HDMI input so I tried connecting the :apple:TV through a switchbox. My SkyHD box work fine through it, my PS3 has no problems, my HD video camera works a treat but the damn :apple:TV will not play ball. The only way I can get it to work through the box is to turn it off, make sure the port it is using on the switch box is selected and then turn it on. This I have to admit is a real pain in the arse and takes away a lot of the enjoyment of the :apple:TV. Any suggestions on how to get it working would be most appreciated.

Rant over.

[randy98mtu]

I love my ATV. I've been working on encoding all my DVD's and I love the new HD movies in iTunes. Hoping to see the selection there increase soon. I agree the ATV has a lot of potential. While it has been a long time, I am really happy to see this update. It's not earth shattering, but I think it's a sign of things to come. As people have speculated using the iPhone as a controller for games and more on the ATV, I think this is kind of a test run to see how the phone works for controlling the ATV. Sure they had it before, but that was a very simple interface. They've taken it to the next level.

Like others, I think this is a positive sign that they have something in the works for September. Hopefully this little update is just to tide us over and test the response to this type of control interface. I'm pretty anxious for September now!

[scotthayes]

I actually like the little white remote...

That little white remote is useless :D

Just downloaded update for :apple:TV and remote for iPhone... WOW... who the hell comes up with these ideas. This may even get me to buy a iPod Touch just to use as a remote. Hugely impressed.

[dalvin200]

just installed the 2.4 update...
also ran the atv patchstick (1.0b10) and boxee and all media is there..

about to use the iPhone app and check out the awesomeness :0

[Mike Teezie]

Excellent.

I use my :apple:TV's everyday, and my iPhone to control them both.

Glad to see Apple is still developing for the little boxes, I absolutely love mine.

[Novaoblivion]

Sorry if this has already been posted and I missed it.

Does anyone know if this update fixes the problem of audio dropping out when using the ATV airtunes feature? It really drives me crazy how it does that all the time!

[mscabot]

My :apple:tv used to drop out of itunes all the time too. I set it up to use a static ip address versus DHCP and that fixed it. 2.4 update is awesome.

[d21mike]

how can i turn off the Apple Tv? nothing happen if i hold down the Play button on the apple remote

You have to be at the main menu. It puts into standby mode.

[ogee]

:(

I updated to the new software yesterday. I no can no longer watch HD trailers or movies. Downloaded trailers in HD take upto 20 mins to down load a 2 min trailer and then when it starts to play it stops and re-downloads 45 after seconds. Standard def. reload after 90 secs.

My synced content got corrupted. I had to restore to factory defaults deleting everything and re-update and resync. So far 1 hour to sync two 30 min tv shows.

Not impressed. previously I had excellent performance, now its not usable

:(

[brendon2020]

can't wait to try this, have a few things on apple tv i have to watch.

[delroy666]

Updating to 2.4 seems to have broken my Apple TV's Perian codecs. When playing non-iTunes format video like DivX, I get no sound. Anyone else have this problem?

[BuddyTronic]

I don't see the appeal of Apple TV. Isn't there anything in America like Sky Plus or Virgin Digital? You pay your monthly fee for television and you can set it to record whatever you want, set it to record whole series, listen to radio, watch something else while recording, record something else while recording (record two things at a time.) You only pay extra for some extra channels or to rent movies.

Seems to me with Apple TV I am paying the price of 4 or 5 months subscription to digital TV and then I don't get anything else on top of that, I have to pay for the music, TV episodes, movies and don't get a choice of when to watch them either.


Indeed you are probably missing the point.

I have a tivo-like box on my Canadian cable subscription, and that thing rocks too - I really like it. I can also get some new release movies through that - for a few bucks more than apple TV movie rental, and the selection is limited to typical hotel new release type stuff. But Apple TV is different than my Motorola "tivo" PVR thing.

Apple TV is really about showing off your photo's and your own videos to family. It does music also which is nice for the home entertainment system. It also can rent movies - very easily, without the hassle of having to do anything but click a button. If you are a bachelor who never takes photo's, the whole Apple TV thing will go right over your head and you won't get it.

Some guys will say "I can do all that cheaper with a cheap PC box thingy", and to them I say - is it ever working longer than a month before the thing craps out? Other friends of mine say - I download all the torrents I want and so forth and am covered for movies. But these guys don't really value their own time very much, downloading and handling tons of files - whereas I do value my time. So I pay my 6 bucks or whatever, and get a movie and that's it, I am happy. When the relatives come over, I show them some iPhone slide shows. Easy. Also my wife doesn't complain that I am taking over the livingroom decor with some noisy cheap windows box or worse yet, a hacked X-box, like another friend of mine has with the wireless keyboard (which is all crap in my opinion - not worth having junk like that).

Apple TV has some critical good stuff in it, If you can figure out that you'd appreciate any of the key features, it's really worth it. I like it for movie rental and iPhoto mainly.

Oh - Youtube - I forgot about that. My 10 year old and his friends love the Youtube function - so much better to watch them on the flatscreen than have sweaty kids breathing all over a laptop.

[BOTLY]

Dang, wasn't goingn to bother updating the software on my gen 1 iPod touch but alas Apple has gotten another $10 out of me. :rolleyes:

[Audiofyl]

I made a video of this yesterday. the new features are quite impressive.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IJurbC9-To

[Goona]

I made a video of this yesterday. the new features are quite impressive.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IJurbC9-To

Seems nice. I see a big future for Apple TV using the ipod touch/iphone.

[EarthDawn]

I made a video of this yesterday. the new features are quite impressive.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IJurbC9-To

nice quick video showing how resposive it is.

I really like the remote app as well

[JoseJ]

Updating to 2.4 seems to have broken my Apple TV's Perian codecs. When playing non-iTunes format video like DivX, I get no sound. Anyone else have this problem?

Yeah me too. :confused: Had to factory restore back to 2.3.1 and reinstall codecs to get working again.:mad: If anyone has a fix for 2.4 that would be great. Seems to be an issue with the A52Codec.component (at least that where I think I have narrowed it down to) as picture is fine once video codecs are reinstalled.

Want to use the remote app but also want to view my videos and at the moment my videos is winning. Though iPhone control would be nice.

[delroy666]

Yeah me too. :confused: Had to factory restore back to 2.3.1 and reinstall codecs to get working again.:mad: If anyone has a fix for 2.4 that would be great. Seems to be an issue with the A52Codec.component (at least that where I think I have narrowed it down to) as picture is fine once video codecs are reinstalled.

Want to use the remote app but also want to view my videos and at the moment my videos is winning. Though iPhone control would be nice.

I'm thinking it's A52Codec.component also. I tried a couple older versions of this file, but still no audio. Did your AppleTV go right to 2.3.1 when you restored it? Or did you manage to re-upgrade to that version? Mine factory restored to 2.0.1.

[ipedro]

Indeed you are probably missing the point.

I have a tivo-like box on my Canadian cable subscription, and that thing rocks too - I really like it. I can also get some new release movies through that - for a few bucks more than apple TV movie rental, and the selection is limited to typical hotel new release type stuff. But Apple TV is different than my Motorola "tivo" PVR thing.

Apple TV is really about showing off your photo's and your own videos to family. It does music also which is nice for the home entertainment system. It also can rent movies - very easily, without the hassle of having to do anything but click a button. If you are a bachelor who never takes photo's, the whole Apple TV thing will go right over your head and you won't get it.

Some guys will say "I can do all that cheaper with a cheap PC box thingy", and to them I say - is it ever working longer than a month before the thing craps out? Other friends of mine say - I download all the torrents I want and so forth and am covered for movies. But these guys don't really value their own time very much, downloading and handling tons of files - whereas I do value my time. So I pay my 6 bucks or whatever, and get a movie and that's it, I am happy. When the relatives come over, I show them some iPhone slide shows. Easy. Also my wife doesn't complain that I am taking over the livingroom decor with some noisy cheap windows box or worse yet, a hacked X-box, like another friend of mine has with the wireless keyboard (which is all crap in my opinion - not worth having junk like that).

Apple TV has some critical good stuff in it, If you can figure out that you'd appreciate any of the key features, it's really worth it. I like it for movie rental and iPhoto mainly.

Oh - Youtube - I forgot about that. My 10 year old and his friends love the Youtube function - so much better to watch them on the flatscreen than have sweaty kids breathing all over a laptop.

That's a great summary of the usefulness and the intended purpose of tv.

I'm a bachelor however, and I find all its features useful.

I cancelled cable when tv came out (about 3 years now). I figure that instead of paying $100 per month to have 200 useless channels, HD channels and a PVR, I buy an tv once and then 3 or 4 times a year buy a $100 iTunes card to subscribe to my fav tv shows, rent movies and buy music.

In the end, I'm not submitted to endless crappy tv shows. I watch only what I want and I'm not paying for tv that I don't watch.

The key item that you touched on is that TIME=MONEY. My time is worth much more to me than a few bucks to rent a movie or buy a tv show episode. I toyed with the idea of torrents for a grand total of 1 week. Many burned hours and brain cells later, I found the tv model to work so much better. I value my time. I don't want to spend hours managing my library. I want it to just work from the comfort of my couch.

The only major function missing from the tv right now is live tv like news and sports. If Apple can ink a deal with CNN and other 24hr news stations and with the different sports leagues, then I can finally also drop Over The Air tv and rely on tv 100% for my tv viewing needs.

[JoseJ]

Did your AppleTV go right to 2.3.1 when you restored it? Or did you manage to re-upgrade to that version? Mine factory restored to 2.0.1.
Its only about 4 Weeks old so it must have had the 2.3.1 firmware as the factory settings. Going to keep my eyes peeled this weekend for a fix will keep you posted if I find anything:) I have all my videos in Apple TV containers in iTunes I don't use XBMC or Nito as I prefer the Apple GUI (after seeing the 2.4 its even better). These videos were made using VideoDrive, after adding the codecs by ssh the audio is now not working does the A52codec need to be installed in a new location to get this working again?

[tdotto]

Most of my media isn't in iTunes, it's just in ~/Movies. Front Row will load those up fine.. care to elaborate, sounds interesting?!

[jscottbarnes]

When trying to create a Boxee/XBMC patchstick...?

Unable to mount image: hdiutil: attach failed - Resource busy
install_recovery failed
Failed! (0:00:40)

No matter how many different USB drives i try, or how many different time I download the correct files, I can't create a new patchstick.... :confused:

Any help is really appreciate... thx