UPDATED/REVISED February 24, 2013:
Below is a set of step-by-step instructions to go from an out-of-the-box Apple TV 2 to a jailbroken one with XBMC and several useful plugins installed (Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Free Cable).
I have done this successfully for my two ATV2s running firmware version 5.2.
The process no longer requires use of the command line at all (no need for Terminal!). Jailbreaking an ATV2 is as simple as it has ever been.
"Hulu" plugin enables free Hulu (or Hulu Plus if you are a subscriber) WITHOUT COMMERCIALS via XBMC. It also enables access to all the Hulu content you can get on a PC/Mac. (Note the built-in Hulu Plus feature for Apple TV (green icon) and Roku does not include some content which IS available on PC/Mac, and IS available using this XBMC plugin.)
"Amazon" plugin allows you to watch Amazon instant streaming content if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber.
"Free Cable" lets you watch current-run shows posted at the network websites (including CBS, which does not put its shows on Hulu). The plugin just accesses the network web stream and brings it to your Apple TV running XBMC.
1. Download and install the untethered “Seasonpass” – Latest Version – from http://support.firecore.com/entries/387605-Jailbreaking-101-Seas0nPass. This is the software that will “jailbreak” your ATV, so that you can install non-Apple software on it.
2. Run Seasonpass on your computer and follow instructions at http://support.firecore.com/entries/387605-Jailbreaking-101-Seas0nPass.
If you successfully jailbreak your ATV2 here (which you will know by a temporary Firecore icon on your Apple TV "Settings" icon when you hook it back up to your TV), move on to step 3.
I ran into two problems in this part. If you have either of these problems, see my notes below. (I think they are caused by bugs in SeasonPass. Perhaps an updated version of SeasonPass will eschew these problems sometime soon.)
*Note A: If you have a problem where Seasonpass fails to create the .ipsw file, saying "Filesystem patches failed", then visit this URL for a solution. http://forum.firecore.com/topic/4010?page=2#comment-58963
**Note B: Another problem I ran into: After creating the .ipsw file, when the ATV2 was in DFU mode, Seasonpass said that iTunes would restore the ATV2 using the custom-built .ipsw firmware. Seasonpass said I should just wait for iTunes to do it, but iTunes never did anything. It saw the plugged-in Apple TV 2, but didn't automatically restore it.
The solution: after Seasonpass says that "iTunes will now restore your Apple TV. . .", you should manually go into iTunes and "option + click" on the "Restore" button. This will give you a dialog box. Navigate to your home directory, then Library --> Application Support --> Seas0nPass --> Firmware. Choose the file that looks like: "AppleTV2,1_5.2_xxxxxx_SP_Restore.ipsw" (where xxxxxx is some combination of characters that may be unique). The "SP" stands for seasonpass, which distinguishes it from Apple's official .ipsw firmware.
iTunes will then "restore" your ATV2 using the jailbroken firmware created by SeasonPass. For me, after iTunes was done, SeasonPass was still stuck on the "please wait for iTunes to finish" message. But that's ok. As soon as iTunes finishes restoring, your ATV2 is jailbroken, and you can just unplug the ATV2 and go hook it back up to your TV. You can even click cancel on SeasonPass (I had to to close that program).
Your ATV2 is now jailbroken. (Don’t worry, if you decide you want to go back to the original factory settings, you can always go to “Restore” in the Settings section of your Apple TV.)
3. Hook your ATV back up to your TV and make sure it can successfully connect to the internet and your network via either ethernet or wi-fi. You should see a temporary Firecore emblem on your "Settings" icon, indicating the unit was successfully jailbroken.
4. Now you want to install some software on your jailbroken ATV2. This used to be the "hard" part, as it required the Terminal application and a series of text commands. This is no longer necessary, thanks to an extremely simple GUI called "Nito installer".
(If you do prefer to install XBMC using the command line instead of the GUI approach, simply follow the instructions provided here:
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=HOW-TO:Install_XBMC_on_Apple_TV_2
... and then just use NitoInstaller to install the "popular" plugins as described in Step 5, then continue to Step 6.)
If you prefer to use the GUI, download Nito Installer to your mac from here:
http://jailbreak-apple-tv.googlecode.com/files/nitoInstaller.zip
More on this:
http://www.jailbreakappletv.com/blo...y-to-install-xbmc-to-your-apple-tv-2-for-mac/
(Thanks very much to Tinmania (comment #214 in this thread) for making me aware of this super-simple solution!)
5. Run Nito Installer on your mac and select your Apple TV (connected to your network via wifi or ethernet) using the center pull-down menu. Then click "Install Nito TV". When that's done and you get a green checkmark, click "Install XBMC". When that's done, click "Install Popular". This last click will transfer some popular XBMC plugin repositories onto your Apple TV 2, including the bluecop repository containing the Hulu, Amazon, and Free Cable plugins we are interested in. These plugins are contained in a .zip file which has now been transferred to your Apple TV's filesystem. However the plugins in that .zip file have not yet been installed in XBMC.
6. Go over to your Apple TV 2. You should now have an XBMC icon somewhere in your 2nd or 3rd row. Select that icon to enter XBMC.
7. Now you have XBMC running on your ATV2. All that's left is to install the Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Free Cable plugins. To do this you must install from Bluecop's repository.
Go to System --> Settings --> Add-ons --> Install from zip file.
This will open up a dialog box which lets you navigate through your Apple TV's file system. From here, go to Home Folder --> Applications.
Here you will see zip files from many different authors. These are the "popular" plugins that Nito Installer transferred to your Apple TV in step 5. Go to "repository.bluecop.xbmc-plugins.zip" and hit select.
You should see a little "add-on enabled" message pop up in the lower right.
8. Now go to "Get Add-ons" --> "bluecop Add-on Repository". Inside, you should see several add-on categories (if you don't see anything in this directory, see my note below).
***Note C: When I entered the "bluecop Add-on Repository", there was nothing visible in the directory at all. I googled around and found that this is a common problem and may be a result of a bug in the latest version of XBMC (version 12, Frodo). Anyway, the solution is simple enough. Just back out one level so that your cursor is on "bluecop Add-on Repository", then hold the Menu button on your remote until a contextual menu pops up. Choose "Force Refresh". Then exit all the way out of XBMC by going back to the main menu and selecting the restart/power symbol in the lower left. XBMC crashed on me at this point and caused my Apple TV to hang. I just pulled out the power cable and plugged it back in. Then re-entered XBMC and returned to System --> Settings --> Add-ons --> Get Add-ons --> bluecop Add-on Repository. If the repository STILL looks empty, do Step 7 again (installing from zip file). For me, this is what finally solved it. Now when you go to "get add-ons" and enter the installed repository, there should be several items listed inside, including Add-on repository, Music add-ons, Program add-ons, and Video add-ons.
9. Choose "Video add-ons". Then select and install "Hulu", "Amazon", and "Free Cable". It will take a minute or two after you have clicked "install" for each of these plugins to finish downloading and get installed. You will see a little message pop up to tell you when each one has been enabled.
10. Once these are enabled, you are done! You can back out to the main XBMC menu, and access Hulu (or Amazon Prime, or Free Cable), by going to Video --> Add-ons. Enjoy!
Optional tips:
-When browsing through the TV shows provided by these plugins, you can hold the Menu button down on a show you like and select "Add to favourites". This will put a shortcut to this show on a favorites list, which is accessible at the XBMC main menu by simply pressing the Menu button. Makes it much quicker to access new episodes of shows you like.
-To disable commercials in Hulu, go to System --> Add-ons --> Enabled Add-ons --> Video Add-ons --> --> Hulu --> Configure. Then go to the "Streaming" tab. Uncheck Network Pre-Roll, and set Pre-roll Ads and Trailing Ads to zero. This way, when you start a show, it will start playing right away and you'll never have to watch an ad again!
-If you would like an alternate method of getting the bluecop repository onto your Apple TV2, you can do it from within XBMC by following these instructions:http://www.xbmchub.com/blog/2012/04/24/fusion-easy-addon-installation-for-xbmc/
It is not as simple/easy as using Nito Installer. But it's always good to know more than one way to do something.
Below is a set of step-by-step instructions to go from an out-of-the-box Apple TV 2 to a jailbroken one with XBMC and several useful plugins installed (Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Free Cable).
I have done this successfully for my two ATV2s running firmware version 5.2.
The process no longer requires use of the command line at all (no need for Terminal!). Jailbreaking an ATV2 is as simple as it has ever been.
"Hulu" plugin enables free Hulu (or Hulu Plus if you are a subscriber) WITHOUT COMMERCIALS via XBMC. It also enables access to all the Hulu content you can get on a PC/Mac. (Note the built-in Hulu Plus feature for Apple TV (green icon) and Roku does not include some content which IS available on PC/Mac, and IS available using this XBMC plugin.)
"Amazon" plugin allows you to watch Amazon instant streaming content if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber.
"Free Cable" lets you watch current-run shows posted at the network websites (including CBS, which does not put its shows on Hulu). The plugin just accesses the network web stream and brings it to your Apple TV running XBMC.
1. Download and install the untethered “Seasonpass” – Latest Version – from http://support.firecore.com/entries/387605-Jailbreaking-101-Seas0nPass. This is the software that will “jailbreak” your ATV, so that you can install non-Apple software on it.
2. Run Seasonpass on your computer and follow instructions at http://support.firecore.com/entries/387605-Jailbreaking-101-Seas0nPass.
If you successfully jailbreak your ATV2 here (which you will know by a temporary Firecore icon on your Apple TV "Settings" icon when you hook it back up to your TV), move on to step 3.
I ran into two problems in this part. If you have either of these problems, see my notes below. (I think they are caused by bugs in SeasonPass. Perhaps an updated version of SeasonPass will eschew these problems sometime soon.)
*Note A: If you have a problem where Seasonpass fails to create the .ipsw file, saying "Filesystem patches failed", then visit this URL for a solution. http://forum.firecore.com/topic/4010?page=2#comment-58963
**Note B: Another problem I ran into: After creating the .ipsw file, when the ATV2 was in DFU mode, Seasonpass said that iTunes would restore the ATV2 using the custom-built .ipsw firmware. Seasonpass said I should just wait for iTunes to do it, but iTunes never did anything. It saw the plugged-in Apple TV 2, but didn't automatically restore it.
The solution: after Seasonpass says that "iTunes will now restore your Apple TV. . .", you should manually go into iTunes and "option + click" on the "Restore" button. This will give you a dialog box. Navigate to your home directory, then Library --> Application Support --> Seas0nPass --> Firmware. Choose the file that looks like: "AppleTV2,1_5.2_xxxxxx_SP_Restore.ipsw" (where xxxxxx is some combination of characters that may be unique). The "SP" stands for seasonpass, which distinguishes it from Apple's official .ipsw firmware.
iTunes will then "restore" your ATV2 using the jailbroken firmware created by SeasonPass. For me, after iTunes was done, SeasonPass was still stuck on the "please wait for iTunes to finish" message. But that's ok. As soon as iTunes finishes restoring, your ATV2 is jailbroken, and you can just unplug the ATV2 and go hook it back up to your TV. You can even click cancel on SeasonPass (I had to to close that program).
Your ATV2 is now jailbroken. (Don’t worry, if you decide you want to go back to the original factory settings, you can always go to “Restore” in the Settings section of your Apple TV.)
3. Hook your ATV back up to your TV and make sure it can successfully connect to the internet and your network via either ethernet or wi-fi. You should see a temporary Firecore emblem on your "Settings" icon, indicating the unit was successfully jailbroken.
4. Now you want to install some software on your jailbroken ATV2. This used to be the "hard" part, as it required the Terminal application and a series of text commands. This is no longer necessary, thanks to an extremely simple GUI called "Nito installer".
(If you do prefer to install XBMC using the command line instead of the GUI approach, simply follow the instructions provided here:
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=HOW-TO:Install_XBMC_on_Apple_TV_2
... and then just use NitoInstaller to install the "popular" plugins as described in Step 5, then continue to Step 6.)
If you prefer to use the GUI, download Nito Installer to your mac from here:
http://jailbreak-apple-tv.googlecode.com/files/nitoInstaller.zip
http://www.jailbreakappletv.com/blo...y-to-install-xbmc-to-your-apple-tv-2-for-mac/
(Thanks very much to Tinmania (comment #214 in this thread) for making me aware of this super-simple solution!)
5. Run Nito Installer on your mac and select your Apple TV (connected to your network via wifi or ethernet) using the center pull-down menu. Then click "Install Nito TV". When that's done and you get a green checkmark, click "Install XBMC". When that's done, click "Install Popular". This last click will transfer some popular XBMC plugin repositories onto your Apple TV 2, including the bluecop repository containing the Hulu, Amazon, and Free Cable plugins we are interested in. These plugins are contained in a .zip file which has now been transferred to your Apple TV's filesystem. However the plugins in that .zip file have not yet been installed in XBMC.
6. Go over to your Apple TV 2. You should now have an XBMC icon somewhere in your 2nd or 3rd row. Select that icon to enter XBMC.
7. Now you have XBMC running on your ATV2. All that's left is to install the Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Free Cable plugins. To do this you must install from Bluecop's repository.
Go to System --> Settings --> Add-ons --> Install from zip file.
This will open up a dialog box which lets you navigate through your Apple TV's file system. From here, go to Home Folder --> Applications.
Here you will see zip files from many different authors. These are the "popular" plugins that Nito Installer transferred to your Apple TV in step 5. Go to "repository.bluecop.xbmc-plugins.zip" and hit select.
You should see a little "add-on enabled" message pop up in the lower right.
8. Now go to "Get Add-ons" --> "bluecop Add-on Repository". Inside, you should see several add-on categories (if you don't see anything in this directory, see my note below).
***Note C: When I entered the "bluecop Add-on Repository", there was nothing visible in the directory at all. I googled around and found that this is a common problem and may be a result of a bug in the latest version of XBMC (version 12, Frodo). Anyway, the solution is simple enough. Just back out one level so that your cursor is on "bluecop Add-on Repository", then hold the Menu button on your remote until a contextual menu pops up. Choose "Force Refresh". Then exit all the way out of XBMC by going back to the main menu and selecting the restart/power symbol in the lower left. XBMC crashed on me at this point and caused my Apple TV to hang. I just pulled out the power cable and plugged it back in. Then re-entered XBMC and returned to System --> Settings --> Add-ons --> Get Add-ons --> bluecop Add-on Repository. If the repository STILL looks empty, do Step 7 again (installing from zip file). For me, this is what finally solved it. Now when you go to "get add-ons" and enter the installed repository, there should be several items listed inside, including Add-on repository, Music add-ons, Program add-ons, and Video add-ons.
9. Choose "Video add-ons". Then select and install "Hulu", "Amazon", and "Free Cable". It will take a minute or two after you have clicked "install" for each of these plugins to finish downloading and get installed. You will see a little message pop up to tell you when each one has been enabled.
10. Once these are enabled, you are done! You can back out to the main XBMC menu, and access Hulu (or Amazon Prime, or Free Cable), by going to Video --> Add-ons. Enjoy!
Optional tips:
-When browsing through the TV shows provided by these plugins, you can hold the Menu button down on a show you like and select "Add to favourites". This will put a shortcut to this show on a favorites list, which is accessible at the XBMC main menu by simply pressing the Menu button. Makes it much quicker to access new episodes of shows you like.
-To disable commercials in Hulu, go to System --> Add-ons --> Enabled Add-ons --> Video Add-ons --> --> Hulu --> Configure. Then go to the "Streaming" tab. Uncheck Network Pre-Roll, and set Pre-roll Ads and Trailing Ads to zero. This way, when you start a show, it will start playing right away and you'll never have to watch an ad again!
-If you would like an alternate method of getting the bluecop repository onto your Apple TV2, you can do it from within XBMC by following these instructions:http://www.xbmchub.com/blog/2012/04/24/fusion-easy-addon-installation-for-xbmc/
It is not as simple/easy as using Nito Installer. But it's always good to know more than one way to do something.
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