Apple TV Software Updated to Version 5.2.1 with Bug Fixes, Hulu Redesign

[ToddFSU]

Wait wait wait... New Apple TV software and no HBO GO channel?

I guess I was wrong to believe Airplay of the app was released as sign of an office ATV app on the next update.

ATV > my DVR. Game of thrones starts soon. Oh well. I'll survive.

 

[Paradigm]

Wifi

Latest update SUCKS! Keeps dropping wifi signal. I have 100Mb service, iPhone, iPad, iMac, PS3, Xbox360 are all online not dropping wifi. This update is beyond annoying!

 

[mic j]

Wait wait wait... New Apple TV software and no HBO GO channel?

I guess I was wrong to believe Airplay of the app was released as sign of an office ATV app on the next update.

ATV > my DVR. Game of thrones starts soon. Oh well. I'll survive.

Should never assume anything "is a sign". Only setting yourself up for disappointment.

Spoken by a pessimist who is never disappointed because things are always better than I could have ever imagined them to be!

 

[iSRS]

Apple TV OS badly needs "Spotlight" like search across contents from all the channels as well as purchased contents.

I am using remote app for iPad, search great.

Apple is good because of it's ecosystem where devices work together. Perform search using Apple IR Remote would be painful. Well, they deliver it better.

I think by a spotlight search, nut mac means like on the Xbox. One search lists what it finds for rent or free through any service available.

 

[tekboi]

Hmm... yea... well... looks like... using my Xbox for all of this stuff was a good idea to begin with.

 

[engbjm]

I thought you only see the ones in your wireless network... Are you sharing the same wifi connection with your neighbor? Or do you really see any around you regardless?

OMG - Thanks for that! That is exactly why I see his info. We are on the same wireless network! Thanks!! That makes more sense now...

 

[WilliamLondon]

Opposite here, it's great: Netflix, iTunes rentals, Music, PodCasts, YouTube, AirPlay... If it had apps like the other iOS devices it would be perfect.

Same here. My monthly cable bill used to be ridiculous - I had always ordered and paid for all the premium channels (except anything related to sports) and cut the cord shortly after I bought my gen 1 ATV (once I'd figured out how to hack it). Off the shelf it's not enough (especially if you live outside the US), it only really comes to life when you hack it and put software like XMBC or Plex on it. I've since upgraded to a gen 2 ATV, and even though I have freesat and freeview (both), the only device I ever use is my ATV. The initial £99 has paid for itself many, many, many times over.

 

[lyunmac]

The AppleTv is pretty cool if you're invested in iTunes and buy your movies and music there. I mostly use it to stream my photos and movies from my mac mini to the HDTV in the living room. However, my roku has now gotten more use thanks to the Time Warner cable app. I enjoy watching my cable channels through the roku in my bed room. I can even watch the World Baseball classic on mlb tv which is weird because I don't have access to that channel in my living room cable box.

 

[mentaluproar]

aTV Flash (black) is the best $29 i have ever spent.

besides Netflix i dont use anything Apple provides except the hardware. my aTV like my phones now looks like i want and has the features it should have had all along.

once i set my aTV free i loved it so much i got one for every tv in the house

And I just ran the update. Damnit! That looks great.

 

[Joe-Diver]

Hmm... yea... well... looks like... using my Xbox for all of this stuff was a good idea to begin with.

X2....I love my ATV, it's a great device.....and is still way ahead of my 360 for my personal media library. (Managed by iTunes, might be different if it was Media Center)

But the Xbox360 is just leaps and bounds beyond the ATV because of the installable and available apps....there are so many of them now....seems each of the channels have their own apps and more appear every day.

When my DVR runs lean, I've got a TON of on demand programming from the various apps on the 360.

Come on Apple!!! Get the ATV up to speed. You're falling quickly behind becoming a device I only use now for my personal media library and to rent movies from iTunes. It could be SO MUCH MORE.

 

[NOW4REAL954]

Yes you can!

Still doesn't autoplay next episodes

I have to say you don't know what you are talking about. If you use your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch then you can use the remote app and select the TV show and the rest will play in succession until you make it stop or the season is over.

Now what. Just ask instead of being negative and we will teach you.

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And I just ran the update. Damnit! That looks great.

Give it a day or two. I'm sure they will have the update out

----------

And I just ran the update. Damnit! That looks great.

Give it a day or two. I'm sure they will have the update out

 

[rdlink]

We use aTV a lot also. We have several of them and use them mostly for Netflix and MLB.tv (which in my opinion is the best channel app out there, and the future of television if I had my way)...

This. If MLB would allow me to watch my local team while in the local market Comcast would be out about $60 a month at my place. Over 250 channels my a**. There are maybe 5-6 channels worth watching.

 

[jaw04005]

Seriously? Have you ever used BOTH a Roku and an Apple TV?

I have, and the Apple TV's interface is so much better. The killer feature of the Apple TV is to stream movies from your PC/Mac. Roku doesn't even have this feature.

The Roku apps are horrible for the most part too (Netflix is OK and I like the system-wide search feature).

I do like that Roku is continuing to provide Apple some real competition though. Hopefully, an Apple TV App Store is still coming.

My top wish list for Apple TV

1. Amazon Prime
2. HBO Go
3. VEVO
4. Fix AirPlay so video streaming occurs in the background like audio for all apps.
5. App Store

Over 250 channels my a**. There are maybe 5-6 channels worth watching.

The dirty secret about cable TV is the most watched channels (by far) are always your major local broadcast channels (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc) that are likely available for free over-the-air.

 

[NewtonsApple]

Sony Media Player hacks..

I really enjoy Sony Media Player. What it lacks in interface, it makes up for in functionality. My only real complaints are the tiny font on screen and the horrible search function. Playstation is actually much more user friendly as a media player. Does anyone know any good hacks for SMP? My brother said the Apple TV jailbreak makes it a real powerhouse of a media player. Any thoughts on that?

 

[johnjamesjacoby]

Safari feels snappier.

Am I doing it right?

 

[Globuze]

Apple TV Software Updated to Version 5.2.1

For 6 months, Apple updates are terribly boring and without consistency for EU users.

 

[The-Pro]

That was a change that caused files that 2 audio tracks selected as default not to play. I believe it was an intentional change and not a "problem", except for those who were unaware of what they were doing and selected AAC stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 to be selected during the remuxing process. So I don't think you will ever see that "problem" solved as the aTV plays files correctly.

Yes true, it does play them correctly. However, we could not change the way handbrake did the audio tracks, so im calling it a problem because it led to no audio being played for a lot of people.
My question was more related to did apple change it back to the way it was by any chance. I guess not

 

[fpnc]

I guess I'm not understanding the original reports concerning the Hulu Plus redesign. I'm still running the OLD 5.2 Apple TV software and yet I appear to have the new Hulu interface. I've checked and my version of Hulu Plus seems identical to all of the screen shots showing the new interface. And yet, my Apple TV version is still 5.2 (6010.96) and my iOS version is 6.1 (i.e. the old software).

Furthermore, when I ask the Apple TV to check for updates it comes back and says an update IS available (so my Apple TV has not yet been updated).

The only thing I can think of is that the changes to Hulu were made on the server side of the connection and that the new functionality was just pushed out to all of the compatible Apple TVs (i.e. the changes to Hulu were not part of the firmware update).

Thus contrary to the original report, the updates to Hulu really had nothing to do with the new version of the Apple TV firmware (although the two events must have happened at about the same time).

 

[dnjmarlboro]

@Apple
My Wishlist for next Update:

1. 24p Output
2. Show all Episodes as one Show
3. App Store

Thanks

Edit: 4. Play my m4v Files direct without having iTunes Server running

 

[bob1459]

Haven't updated yet, so has anyone noticed if the screensaver has been fixed? Will atv now show all photos in photo album or does it still only select about 200?

Not sure why it cannot be like the screen saver on the atv1. The hard drive cannot be the reason.

 

[almirb]

@Apple
My Wishlist for next Update:

1. 24p Output
2. Show all Episodes as one Show
3. App Store

Thanks

Edit: 4. Play my m4v Files direct without having iTunes Server running

My Wishlist is:
1. Add option to change subtitles (cc) size.

It isn't too much, It is?

 

[DudeDad]

I find the interface slow and cumbersome ... it feels like I'm using WebTV (do you remember that?), especially when it comes to typing. I feel like it would be great if the interface was more gesture. It would also be nice to have apps.

Mine is quite responsive! Typing is slow when you use a remote, but if you use the iOS remote app, it's quick and easy. I do think that apps are coming, and possibly gaming, which would be interesting. For $99, I find it a good investment. I don't have netflix because I find the selections stale, so once or twice a month we rent a movie from iTunes -- works very well.

 

[macleod199]

Has anyone here experienced the bug where Apple TV won't start up, because it can't set the Date and Time? It only affects people with certain routers. My neighbor's AppleTV is plagued by this bug, with a Cisco/Linksys router, but when I bring it over to my place, it works fine with my Apple Time Capsule / Airport router. I'm wondering if this update fixes the problem, although I've been hoping that for the last couple of updates. The problem didn't start until 6.0 was released. Anyone?

I see this sporadically. I've got an AEBS behind a BellAliant FibreOP router. It's not chronic, thankfully. Been using this setup for about six months, maybe seen it twice (and I turn off the AppleTV with a power bar when I'm not using it, so it reboots a lot).

 

[shalliday]

Opposite here, it's great: Netflix, iTunes rentals, Music, PodCasts, YouTube, AirPlay... If it had apps like the other iOS devices it would be perfect.

Couldn't agree more. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. Use it for accessing Netflix and our rather large iTunes collection via a MacMini server. Airplay and iCloud media integration also works great! Its become an integral part of our home media system and has proven to be worthwhile investment. Being able to add additional apps, ideally through an ATV app store, would be icing on the cake!

 

[macleod199]

I guess I'm not understanding the original reports concerning the Hulu Plus redesign. I'm still running the OLD 5.2 Apple TV software and yet I appear to have the new Hulu interface. I've checked and my version of Hulu Plus seems identical to all of the screen shots showing the new interface. And yet, my Apple TV version is still 5.2 (6010.96) and my iOS version is 6.1 (i.e. the old software).

Furthermore, when I ask the Apple TV to check for updates it comes back and says an update IS available (so my Apple TV has not yet been updated).

The only thing I can think of is that the changes to Hulu were made on the server side of the connection and that the new functionality was just pushed out to all of the compatible Apple TVs (i.e. the changes to Hulu were not part of the firmware update).

Thus contrary to the original report, the updates to Hulu really had nothing to do with the new version of the Apple TV firmware (although the two events must have happened at about the same time).

I'm in Canada so can't verify this, but the way I read the article is it's a bit of both. The interface look is probably server-side, but note this statement:

Users are now able to hold down the "Select" button to access the Subtitles and Audio menu for captioning, and pressing play on a TV show will play the latest episode. This new functionality is reliant on the Apple TV 5.1.2 update.

The change to how the button presses work is perhaps what requires the update.