Tutorial: Installing Boxee on your Apple TV

Last month we told you about Boxee, software for Apple TV that will allow you to stream Hulu content on your Apple TV.

If you've got an Apple TV, there's no reason not to have Boxee since it really opens up the availbility for lots of free streaming content. If you're ready to install Boxee, we found a great tutorial to help you get the most out of the software over at Gizmodo. The tutorial starts out:

What You'll Need:

• Apple TV with software version 2.0 or higher

• A USB flash drive 512MB or larger

• ATV USB Creator [download: 1.0.b7 version - Mac only, for now]

• An invite into Boxee's semi-public alpha (use this link especially for Giz readers to jump the line a bit)

Prepare Your USB Drive

Just like the iPhone, the Apple TV is basically an OS X computer (running a 1GHz Intel processor), so Boxee installs just like a regular desktop app in the Applications folder, which is hidden normally. Why Apple hasn't opened up the Apple TV to third party developers is anyone's guess, but thankfully, with a prepared USB stick it's all pretty painless.

So what's the future of Boxee? According to the tutorial:

Eventually, Boxee wants to be in set top boxes and on every platform (Windows is coming before the end of the year)--since it supports practically every audio and video codec known, it's aiming to be the Firefox of multi-platform connected AV setups, featuring plug-ins and add-ons of its own. It doesn't support DRM of any kind, so don't hold your breath for Boxee to be picked up by any of the majors. Fine with me.

At Gizmodo.com [image: Gizmodo]

Apple TV at Amazon

Boxee Makes Hulu Streaming to Apple TV Official

This morning we told you that Boxee's media center app for Apple TV is going to support streaming TV from Hulu.

we just released a new alpha version of boxee that includes:

• streaming TV shows, movies and clips from Hulu, CBS, Comedy Central and MySpaceTV (we integrated their players into boxee)
• major changes to the UI
• web interface to adding RSS feeds
• improved performance

... and yes the new version is also available for Apple TV (click upgrade and its there).

Very cool. If you're using Boxee on your Apple TV, let us know what you think.

At the Boxee Blog

Hulu Streaming Coming to Apple TV?

There's a rumor out there that today Boxee's media center app for Apple TV is going to support streaming TV from Hulu. According to Mac Soda:

Alright everyone, listen up. Mac Soda has heard reliable word that Boxee is going to announce on Moday at CEA i-Stage that their popular media-center app, which is available for the Apple TV, is going to now support streaming videos from Hulu.com.

That's great news for Apple TV owners. We'll let you know if and when the info from Mac Soda is confirmed from Boxee.

At MacSoda.com

Apple TV at Amazon

Apple Releases Version 2.2 Firmware Upgrade for Apple TV

Apple TV owners listen up, you can finally download HD TV shows with a new firmware upgrade for Apple TV. There also quite a few new features with the upgrade which you can see from the screenshot below (click image to expand):

If you haven't updated your firmware yet, follow these steps (according to Apple's website):

1. Select Settings > General using your Apple Remote.
2. Select Update Software.

At this time your Apple TV checks to see if an update is available and a Download Now message should appear.
3. Select Download Now to start the download process.

When the update has finished downloading, an Update Now message should appear.
4. To start the update process, select Update Now. During the update process, your Apple TV will conduct a restart which is followed by the Apple logo and a status bar.

Note: On some TVs, the screen may display black for up to 15 minutes and the Apple TV may flash an amber light; this is expected behavior. Do not unplug your Apple TV during the update process.
5. After the final restart, your Apple TV plays the opening video and returns to the main menu.

At Apple.com

Apple TV at Amazon

Are HD TV Downloads Coming to Apple TV Soon?

We've never had any doubt that HD TV shows would eventually make it to the Apple TV but MacNN states that Mac is working on how to deliver the content:

Apple is already at work on an update to deliver HD TV shows to the Apple TV, anonymous sources claim. The release of iTunes 8 brought with it HD-quality shows, which can be viewed either on a computer or an Apple TV; the latter device cannot download HD shows directly however, despite supporting the option for movies. A software update for Apple TVs is said to be in progress, which may be necessary for multiple reasons.

We'll keep you posted when we here any more news on streaming HD to your Apple TV

At MacNN

Apple TV at Amazon

Top 20 Hacks for Apple TV

One of the great things about devices that run on mainstream operating systems is the awesome ability to add features or "hacks". The Apple TV is one of those great devices that has plenty of hacks to get the most out of your device and an article at the Top 100 Directory list the top hacks and plugins for Apple TV. Here are a few of both categories:

Plugins:

• Apple TV RSS Plugin - Configure and read various RSS feeds right on your Apple TV.
• ATVLoader - Install many plugins from a large database. This one is great for those that want a simplified and easy way of installing plugins without a lot of hassle.
• nitoTV - The biggest and best plugin of them all. Network and USB mounting, mplayer, and DVD playback with VIDEO_TS files or ISO files.

Hacks:

• Firefox - This hack shows you how to get Firefox up and running on an Apple TV, step by step.
• Component to RGB - How to convert from component to RGB for TVs that don't have component ports.
• How to Play DivX From a NAS - Explains how to play DivX files on your AppleTV from a network storage device.

So if you're looking to tweak the heck out of your Apple TV, be sure to check out the complete list.

At Dir100.com

AppleTV at Amazon

Apple TV vs. Roku Netflix Payer - Can They Really be Compared?

Lately there's been several articles on Apple TV vs. the Roku Netflix Player. The strange thing is that almost all of them come Mac based websites which usually clues you in to which way the article is going to lean. MacNewsWorld has an article that pits the two against each other that actually doesn't slant too far in the Apple TVs favor. The problem is article starts by stating the services can't really be compared by saying:

Comparing the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) TV to the Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) Player by Roku is like comparing two wildly different kinds of automobiles -- like a Chevrolet Camaro vs. a Ford F-150 pickup.

Sure, the Camaro and F-150 are both automobiles, and they can take you places you've never been before, but it's their differences that define them more than their similarities.

Then the article goes on to comparing the two devices and finishes up:

Basically, it comes down to this: If you want fresh HD quality content downloadable for immediate TV viewing, your best choice is the Apple TV, hands down. The only catch is you have to be willing to pay for it each time you rent or buy a movie or TV show.

If you gravitate toward an all-you-can-eat buffet, Netflix, with its mail-order DVDs and bigger streaming library, will at least keep you full.

We'll start by saying that we think both the Apple TV an the Netflix Player are incredibly great products. Our concern is that the last sentence in the quote above is never keyed on enough when you compare the two products. Comparing a service that charges for every download against a service that gives unlimited downloads for as low as $8.99 per month just doesn't work.

Anyway, we still suggest reading the article because it does point out the key features of each device.

At MacworldNews.com