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Took the Plunge Apple TV 1st Gen.
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<blockquote data-quote="Lifeisabeach" data-source="post: 1173532" data-attributes="member: 38864"><p>I used to have the original Apple TV. Hated it. Honestly, I thought it utterly sucked. You can make a Patchstick and add in XBMC and whatnot. That will help play files unsupported by the ATV's native interface, but streaming in those 3rd party apps can be glitchy.</p><p></p><p>A little over a year ago I switched from an ATV to a late '09 Mac mini to use as an HTPC, and liked it better, but with all the hassles involved, I finally gave up and grabbed an ATV2 last weekend. So far, much more satisfied with that.</p><p></p><p>Oh yes… back to your question. Make yourself a Patchstick to add on extra functionality.</p><p><a href="http://code.google.com/p/atvusb-creator/" target="_blank">atvusb-creator - Project Hosting on Google Code</a></p><p></p><p>What to actually add depends on your wants. XBMC will play pretty much any video codec and stream videos from your Mac. But streaming HD video in particular can be glitchy. I forget what all is supported on the ATV. I'd strive for local file storage or an external drive if possible. The nifty thing about XBMC is that it will download the metadata for any videos you add to its library and store it in its own database. Downside is that the interface in setting up the library is wholly unintuitive. I suggest practicing with it on your Mac to get acquainted with how it works first.</p><p></p><p>Boxee lets you grab videos off the internet. It's actually a fork of XBMC iirc. It's kinda like Hulu I suppose. But you can't use without setting up a user account and logging in, again iirc.</p><p></p><p>One other nice trick. If you can do without the internal wi-fi card, you can add the Broadcom Crystal HD hardware decoder card and have buttery smooth 1080p playback via XBMC.</p><p><a href="http://xbmc.org/davilla/2009/12/29/broadcom-crystal-hd-its-magic/" target="_blank">Broadcom Crystal HD, It`s Magic. | XBMC</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lifeisabeach, post: 1173532, member: 38864"] I used to have the original Apple TV. Hated it. Honestly, I thought it utterly sucked. You can make a Patchstick and add in XBMC and whatnot. That will help play files unsupported by the ATV's native interface, but streaming in those 3rd party apps can be glitchy. A little over a year ago I switched from an ATV to a late '09 Mac mini to use as an HTPC, and liked it better, but with all the hassles involved, I finally gave up and grabbed an ATV2 last weekend. So far, much more satisfied with that. Oh yes… back to your question. Make yourself a Patchstick to add on extra functionality. [url=http://code.google.com/p/atvusb-creator/]atvusb-creator - Project Hosting on Google Code[/url] What to actually add depends on your wants. XBMC will play pretty much any video codec and stream videos from your Mac. But streaming HD video in particular can be glitchy. I forget what all is supported on the ATV. I'd strive for local file storage or an external drive if possible. The nifty thing about XBMC is that it will download the metadata for any videos you add to its library and store it in its own database. Downside is that the interface in setting up the library is wholly unintuitive. I suggest practicing with it on your Mac to get acquainted with how it works first. Boxee lets you grab videos off the internet. It's actually a fork of XBMC iirc. It's kinda like Hulu I suppose. But you can't use without setting up a user account and logging in, again iirc. One other nice trick. If you can do without the internal wi-fi card, you can add the Broadcom Crystal HD hardware decoder card and have buttery smooth 1080p playback via XBMC. [url=http://xbmc.org/davilla/2009/12/29/broadcom-crystal-hd-its-magic/]Broadcom Crystal HD, It`s Magic. | XBMC[/url] [/QUOTE]
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Took the Plunge Apple TV 1st Gen.
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