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Two weeks after iOS hacker and Chronic Dev-Team member Pod2g announced an untethered jailbreak for Apple TV 2 running 4.4.3 (and 4.4.4), FireCore made this jailbreak publicly available by releasing an updated version of Seas0nPass that supports an untethered jailbreak of the latest 4.4.4 (iOS 5.0.1) Apple TV software. Obviously, the new Seas0nPass uses Pod2g’s exploit.

All the most popular Apple TV 2 plugins, like NitoTV,  XBMC,  Plex (0.9.0 beta versions only), Remote HD,  Media Player,  Overflow, Couch Surfer, Last.fm, Rowmote, RSS Feeds and Weather are already supported on 4.4.4.

Here is a step by step tutorial on how to jailbreak Apple TV 4.4.4 untethered using Seas0nPass:

Note: If you’re already running a tethered version of 4.4.4 you will need to re-jailbreak using Seas0nPass to take advantage of the new untethered version.

Pre-launch checklist

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes (check for updates through Software Update located in Apple menu).
2. Download Seas0nPass for Mac [10.6 or later] or Windows [XP or later].
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.
4. Disconnect any iPods, iPhones, and iPads from your computer.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Unzip the ‘Seas0nPass.zip’ file and launch Seas0nPass.

Step 2: Select the ‘Create IPSW’ button to start the jailbreak process.

Step 3: The latest Apple TV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom ‘jailbroken’ software file.

Step 4:When prompted, connect your Apple TV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected).

Once the light on the front of the AppleTV begins to flash rapidly, point the remote at the AppleTV and hold both the MENU and PLAY/PAUSE buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Note: This step will require the silver (aluminum) AppleTV remote that was included with the ATV2. The older, white (plastic) remotes will not work.

Step 5: iTunes will open automatically and start the restore process.

Step 6: iTunes will confirm the restore when complete – your Apple TV is now jailbroken. Please proceed to the ‘tethered boot’ section below.

Note: To confirm the jailbreak was successful a (temporary) red FC logo will appear in the lower right corner of the screen – as shown below.

Done!

You may also want to read:
iOS apps running on Apple TV
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge the Apple TV 2
How to install aTV Flash (black) 1.0 on Apple TV 2

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Little by little the apps are coming to the Apple TV. Hacker and iOS developer Steven Troughten-Smith and a hacker called TheMudKip have made it to run iPhone and iPad apps on an Apple TV 2, jailbroken with Seas0nPass. Using @TheMudkip’s MobileX window manager for iOS, and @chpwn’s MobileLaunchpad launcher to go with it, they managed to get multiple iOS apps running natively on Apple TV, without AirPlay. Later on, they even figured out a way to run iPad applications at a full 720p resolution.

Using a custom springboard, the software that powers the app launcher, also allowed for another new feature: side-by-side apps. This lets you see on the big screen all the applications running at a time, e.g. different chat applications.

“Nick had written this amazing window manager for the iPad that replaced the entire homescreen, allowing you to run multiple apps side by side, and I realized this could enable iOS apps on the Apple TV for the first time. We’ve spent the past 2 days modifying everything to work really well on the Apple TV screen size, etc, and getting apps to run,” Troughten-Smith told CNET.

Since the Apple TV doesn’t have a touch screen, the hackers are using a combination of VNC, SSH and the Apple Remote to launch and navigate apps. However, Troughton-Smith said he is working to make it Apple remote-only.

The hack isn’t publically available yet. For any enterprising hackers who want to make a UIKit Apple TV app, Troughton-Smith published an input library needed to get started (to add Apple TV IR input to an iOS app).

You may also want to read:
Apple TV 3 or Apple TV set?
FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge the Apple TV 2
How to install aTV Flash (black) 1.0 on Apple TV 2

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

FireCore’s Seas0nPass has been updated for Apple TV 2 running firmware 4.4.3. It’s still a tethered jailbreak, meaning every time there is a need to reboot your Apple TV, you will have to connect it to a computer. Seas0nPas for 4.4.3 doesn’t support XBMC, Plex client, and Rowmote plugins yet. Supported are Media Player, Couch Surfer, nitoTV, Remote HD, Last.fm, Weather, RSS Feeds and Overflow.

Here is the tutorial on how to use Seas0nPass to jailbreak and tether boot your Apple TV 2 on firmware 4.4.3:

Pre-launch checklist

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes (check for updates through Software Update located in Apple menu).
2. Download Seas0nPass for Mac [10.6 or later] or Windows [XP or later].
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.
4. Disconnect any iPods, iPhones, and iPads from your computer.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Unzip the ‘Seas0nPass.zip’ file and launch Seas0nPass.

Step 2: Select the ‘Create IPSW’ button to start the jailbreak process.

Step 3: The latest Apple TV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom ‘jailbroken’ software file.

Step 4:When prompted, connect your Apple TV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected).

Once the light on the front of the AppleTV begins to flash rapidly, point the remote at the AppleTV and hold both the MENU and PLAY/PAUSE buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Note: This step will require the silver (aluminum) AppleTV remote that was included with the ATV2. The older, white (plastic) remotes will not work.

Step 5: iTunes will open automatically and start the restore process.

Step 6: iTunes will confirm the restore when complete – your Apple TV is now jailbroken. Please proceed to the ‘tethered boot’ section below.

Note: To confirm the jailbreak was successful a (temporary) red FC logo will appear in the lower right corner of the screen – as shown below.

Using Seas0nPass for a ‘tethered boot’

After jailbreaking your atv on iOS 4.4.3 with Seas0nPass your device requires a tethered boot. This means it must be connected to a computer for a brief moment during startup.

Note: The Apple TV MUST be disconnected from the computer (for at least a brief moment) after restoring in iTunes for the tethered boot process below to work properly.

Step 1: Open Seas0nPass and select the ‘Boot Tethered’ option.

Step 2: When prompted, connect the Apple TV to your computer via USB. Wait for the rapid flashing light then connect the power. Once both are connected hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 3: Seas0n Pass will complete the tethered boot automatically. Once complete, remove the USB cable and connect the HDMI cable.

Note: Timing is key. Once the you receive the success message shown below, the USB cable should be removed and HDMI cable connected before the light on the front of the AppleTV stops flashing. (Don’t worry there is ample to do this, so you don’t need Superman speed).

Done!

You may also want to read:
Apple updates Apple TV 2 to version 4.4.3 (9A4051)
FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge the Apple TV 2
How to install aTV Flash (black) 1.0 on Apple TV 2
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Firecore has just updated Seas0nPass to support a TETHERED jailbreak of the new Apple TV 4.4 (iOS 5) software (also supported is the 4.4.1 update). A tethered jailbreak means every time there is a need to reboot your Apple TV, you will have to connect it to a computer. The new Seas0nPas doesn’t support XBMC, Plex, Remote HD and Rowmote plugins yet, so think twice before deciding to upgrade to 4.4 and run the jailbreak.

If the support for Media Player, Couch Surfer, NitoTV, Last.fm, Weather, RSS Feeds and Overflow and the new Apple TV 4.4 features, like AirPlay Mirroring, Photo Stream, NHL and WSJ Live are enough to convince you to update, you can then jailbreak your atv following these steps:

1. Download version 4.4 (9A334v) or 4.4.1 (9A335a) and save the IPSW in an easy to find location.
2. Download the latest version of Seas0nPass.
3. Open Seas0nPass then Option + click (Mac) or Shift + click (PC) the Create IPSW button and select the new IPSW file that was downloaded in step #1.
4.  Seas0nPass will complete the jailbreak and restore process automatically.
5. After the restore is complete, move the AppleTV to your TV and follow the steps for performing a tethered boot:

Using Seas0nPass for a ‘tethered boot’

After jailbreaking your Apple TV with Seas0nPass your device requires a tethered boot. This means it must be connected to a computer for a brief moment during startup.

Note: The Apple TV MUST be disconnected from the computer (for at least a brief moment) after restoring in iTunes for the tethered boot process below to work properly.

Step 1: Open Seas0nPass and select the ‘Boot Tethered’ option.

Step 2: When prompted, connect the AppleTV to your computer via USB. Wait for the rapid flashing light then connect the power. Once both are connected hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 3: Seas0n Pass will complete the tethered boot automatically. Once complete, remove the USB cable and connect the HDMI cable.

Done!

You may also want to read:
Apple TV 2 Software Update 4.4.1 – Released and Pulled
Apple TV 4.4 Software Released
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2

Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

Good news for old Apple TV owners (yes, there are still some lovers of the ‘original’ shiny box of joy out there):  App Dynamic, the same company that first brought AirPlay to the old Apple TV has just announced that AirPlay implementation on the 1st generation Apple TV is now complete as they have released a Remote HD update that enables AirPlay audio streaming to the old Apple TV as well as direct personal video streaming from iPhone’s camera roll. The new version also automatically installs Perian on AppleTV’s (if not installed already).

Check out this video for the instructions on how to install Remote HD Apple TV plugin.

More detailed instructions can be found here.

You may also want to read:
Remote HD now supports Apple TV 2
AirPlay Streaming Hacked into the Old Apple TV
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to Install Plex on Apple TV 2G

For those who still have problems jailbreaking Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with SeasOnPass, sn0wbreez is the alternative you should give a try to. The software has been updated to version 2.5.1 just a couple of days ago and it can now jailbreak your atv2 on the latest software in a flash (less than 10 minutes in our case). Considered as the unofficial PwnageTool for Windows, sn0wbreeze works with Windows XP, Vista and 7.

Here is the step-by-step tutorial on how to jailbreak your Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 (Apple TV 4.2.1) using sn0wbreez 2.5.1:

Pre-launch checklist

1. Make sure you’re running the latest version of iTunes.
2. Download sn0wbreez 2.5.1 for Windows.
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Launch sn0wbreeze and click the arrow to continue.

Step 2: Download the latest IPSW or browse for it if you’ve already downloaded it (drag&drop didn’t work for us).

Wait until IPSW is verified and click the arrow to continue.

Step 3: Custom IPSW file will be built (meanwhile, you can play PacMan…if you have Adobe Flash for IE!).

Step 4: sn0wbreez will notify you that the IPSW has been successfully created (and located on your desktop). Press OK.

Step 5: Connect your Apple TV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected).

Step 6: Hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds. Apple TV will enter in DFU mode.

Step 7: Launch iTunes and restore your atv (Shift + ‘Restore’ button) from the custom IPSW located on your desktop.

Done! Your Apple TV is now jailbroken.

What to do next?
1. Install nitoTV or aTV Flash (black) to get the access to further enhancements.
2. Instal XBMC to watch Hulu.
3. Check out Remote HD app and atv2 plugin and control your Apple TV 2 with the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.

FireCore’s Seas0nPass has been updated to provide an untethered jailbreak for the latest 4.2.1 (iOS 4.3) Apple TV2 software. Similar to PwnageTool, Seas0nPass allows you to jailbreak your atv2 by creating custom Apple TV IPSW files and restoring them in iTunes. It’s both mac and Windows and it works like a charm!

Here are the instructions on how to jailbreak your Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 (Apple TV 4.2.1) using Seas0nPass:

Pre-launch checklist

1. Make sure you’re running the latest version of iTunes.
2. Download Seas0nPass: Mac [10.6 or later] | Windows [XP or later]
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Launch Seas0nPass and select ‘Create IPSW’.

Step 2: The latest Apple TV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom jailbroken software file.

Step 3: When prompted, connect your Apple TV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected), and hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds. Apple TV will enter in DFU mode.

Step 4: A message will appear giving you further instructions.

Step 5: Open iTunes and restore your Apple TV (Shift + ‘Restore’ button) from the created custom IPSW file (located in My Documents -> Seas0nPass).

Done!

What to do next?
1. Install nitoTV or aTV Flash (black) to get the access to further enhancements.
2. Instal XBMC to watch Hulu.
3. Check out Remote HD app and atv2 plugin and control your Apple TV 2 with the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch.

aTV Flash (black) Beta4 for Apple TV 2 has just been released. According to Firecore, in terms of features, this is the most substantial release since Beta1 first became available in early December 2010. The latest version of aTV Flash features an ‘alpha preview’ version of a brand new Media Player that has been under development for the past few months. This player enables the playback of non-iTunes media (streamed from a network source) on the Apple TV with no special software or transcoding required.

What’s new in Beta4?

General

• Added ‘alpha preview’ version of new Media Player
• Added native Weather and RSS apps (will appear under Internet menu when installed)
• Added support for Remote HD iPhone/iPad app
• Added option to restart ‘Lowtide’ via Maintenance menu
• Added support for AppleTV 4.2.1 (iOS 4.3)

Couch Surfer Pro

• Added Google search suggestions to Search menu (iOS 4.3+ only)
• Added ability to delete bookmarks
• Improved animations, HTML5 and CSS3 support
• Improve iPhone/iPad Remote app navigation
• Improved text box handling
• Resolved issues related to Facebook and similar sites
• Many other performance improvements

What can I do with the new Media Player?

What’s included in this version

• Support for many non-iTunes media file types (MKV, AVI, MP4, etc…)
• Native VIDEO_TS (VOB) file playback (with menus)
• AFP network streaming (Mac, TimeCapsule, AirPort Extreme, etc…)
• Automated cover art/metadata fetching
• Basic subtitle support for VOB files
• 5.1 AAC audio
• Watched, unwatched and partially watched markers (includes resume support)
• Volume control (up/down arrows during playback)

Firecore is still working on:

• Better support for HD video files
• SMB network streaming
• 5.1 sound
• Chapter controls
• Video playlists
• Subtitles (.srt)
• Alternative file browsing options
• Photo slideshows
• Improved memory management
• Countless other bug fixes and performance improvements

A brief demo of the Media Player in action can be seen here.

You may also want to read:
Win a copy of Remote HD
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 with greenpois0n rc6

Remote HD, an iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch application and Apple TV plugin that gives you access to your Mac, PC and Apple TV (the same that brought AirPlay to the first generation atv), has just been updated to support the new Apple TV. The feature you’re gonna like the most is RemoteView: it brings atv’s display to your iDevice (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch) allowing you to control your atv from far away, even with the TV turned off.

Among other features you will find:

• Full keyboard support in 3rd party plugins (including in XBMC)
• Global playback controls: skip songs without needing to first navigate to Now Playing.
• Dedicated Now Playing button designed to take you straight to the Now Playing view (pressing the menu button brings you back where you were)
• Easy restart and sleep.

Here are the installation instructions:

1. Jailbreak your Apple TV using greenpois0n or Seas0nPass.

2. Connect to your Apple TV using your preferred SSH client:

Host: apple-tv.local
Username: root
Password: alpine

Here’s an example of how to connect to the Apple TV using Terminal.app on OS X:

ssh root@apple-tv.local
 Password: alpine

(Recommended SSH client for Windows: Pytty)

3. Once connected, run these 2 commands one by one (this will download, install/upgrade Remote HD plugin and restart the Apple TV interface)

wget http://remotehdcdn.appspot.com/Downloads/ATV2/remotehd-atv2_4.3.1_iphoneos-arm.deb;

 dpkg -i remotehd-atv2_4.3.1_iphoneos-arm.deb

Done! You can now use Remote HD to control your Apple TV 2. The app is on sale in the App Store for $3.99 (50% discount).

You’re on Winows and there is no mac around to help you do the job of jailbraking your Apple TV 2 accidentally updated to 4.3? The solution has just arrived: recently released Firecore’s Seas0nPass for Windows can jailbreak your little box running latest firmware and easily go through the tethered boot process if needed. Seas0nPass is free and open source. The application and user guides can be found at Seas0nPass.com.

Firecore has also shared the news that they plan to have a preview ‘alpha’ version of their video player (with NAS streaming support) available next week.

Here is a preview of the video player in action.

(Firecore: In the demo a full DVD (VIDEO_TS) movie is being streamed from a remote AFP based NAS drive over wifi. Playback is handled entirely on the AppleTV, and requires no server-side transcoding. Full 5.1 sound is also supported.)

You may also want to read:
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass (tethered)
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 with greenpois0n rc6

Firecore has updated Seas0nPass to support a tethered jailbreak of the new Apple TV 4.2 (iOS 4.3) software. Seas0nPass allows you to jailbreak your atv2 with the latest 4.2 software by creating custom Apple TV IPSW files and restoring them in iTunes (similar to the existing Pwnage Tool app). It also includes a simple ‘tethered boot’ option.

Seas0nPass is open source (the source code is available on Github) and is available for free. It’s Mac only (OSX 10.6 or later) for now but the Windows version should be released soon.

According to Firecore, aTV Flash (black) Beta3 is iOS 4.3 compatible “for the most part”. However, you may see a few oddities with text entry screens in plugins like Couch Surfer and nitoTV. These are relatively minor issues and should be a quick fix. Additionally there are some hardware decoding issues present in XBMC which will take a bit more work for Firecore to get right.

@nitoTV, @DjayB6, @p0sixninja and @msft_guy contributed to this release of Seas0nPass.

Here are the instructions on how to use Seas0nPass to jailbreak and tether boot your Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3:

Pre-launch checklist

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes (check for updates through Software Update located in Apple menu).
2. Download Seas0nPass
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Unzip the ‘Seas0nPass.zip’ file and launch Seas0nPass.

Step 2: If your AppleTV is not yet jailbroken, select ‘Create IPSW’. (if already jailbroken, and you just need to do a ‘tethered boot’ scroll down).

Step 3: The latest AppleTV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom ‘jailbroken’ software file.

Step 4: When prompted, connect your AppleTV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected), and hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 5: iTunes will open automatically and start the restore process.

Step 6: iTunes will confirm the restore when complete – your AppleTV is now jailbroken. Please proceed to the ‘tethered boot’ section below.

Using Seas0nPass for a ‘tethered boot’

After jailbreaking your atv on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass your device requires a tethered boot. This means it must be connected to a computer for a brief moment during startup.

Note: The Apple TV MUST be disconnected from the computer (for at least a brief moment) after restoring in iTunes for the tethered boot process below to work properly.

Step 1: Open Seas0nPass and select the ‘Boot Tethered’ option.

Step 2: When prompted, connect the AppleTV to your computer via USB. Wait for the rapid flashing light then connect the power. Once both are connected hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 3: Seas0n Pass will complete the tethered boot automatically. Once complete, remove the USB cable and connect the HDMI cable.

You may also want to read:
Apple TV 2 Gets Software Update 4.2
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to Install Plex on Apple TV 2G

Firecore has released an updated version of Seas0nPass that includes an untethered jailbreak for the Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.2.1 (Apple TV 4.1.1). It’s Mac only for now (OSX 10.6 or later) but according to Firecore, Windows version is also being finalized with the untether and will be available soon. If you’ve already jailbroken with greenpois0n (RC 6 or RC 6.1) you do not need to re-jailbreak – both Seas0nPass and greenpois0n contain the same jailbreak components.

Seas0nPass is open source (the source code is available on Github) and is available for free.

Here are the instructions on how to use Seas0nPass to jailbreak the Apple TV 2:

Pre-launch checklist

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes.
2. Download Seas0nPass
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Unzip the ‘Seas0nPass.zip’ file and launch Seas0nPass.

Step 2: Select ‘Create IPSW’ (“Boot Tethered” is for old, tethered jailbreak).Step 3: The latest AppleTV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom ‘jailbroken’ software file.

Step 4: When prompted, connect your AppleTV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected), and hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 5: iTunes will open automatically and start the restore process.

Step 6: iTunes will confirm the restore when complete – your AppleTV is now jailbroken.

You may also want to read:
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 with greenpois0n rc6
How to install XBMC on Apple TV 2
Seas0nPass Troubleshooting Tips
aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2G Now Available (+giveaway)

Greenpois0n RC6 has finally been released by the fantastic Chronic Dev Team. This magical piece of software jailbreaks your Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.2.1 (Apple TV 4.1.1) in a flash. And this is untethered jailbreak, meaning you don’t have to connect your atv2 to your mac/pc every time you need to reboot it.

Here is the step-by-step tutorial on how to jailbreak your Apple TV 2 using greenpois0n rc6.

Step 1: Download greenpois0n rc6 for Mac or Windows.

Step 2: Run it and select “Yes” when asked if you’re jailbreaking an Apple TV.

Step 3: Click “Prepare to Jailbreak (DFU)”.

Step 4: Follow the onscreen instructions to enter DFU mode.

Many people report having problems entering DFU mode when following GP instructions; here is the alternative method that worked for me (after 3^rd or 4^th try):

-          Plug USB end power cables into atv before you even run GP.
-          When the program asks you to follow the instructions to enter DFU mode just hold down MENU and PLAY/PAUSE buttons for 17 seconds (7+3+7) (7 second should be enough but it’s better not to release the buttons earlier)
-          Release both buttons when the program says that.

You can find other alternative methods as well, one of them will work for sure.

Step 5: Click “Jailbreak!”. Greenpois0n will now begin jailbreaking your atv. It should not take more than a few minutes to complete.

Step 6: Your Apple TV is now jailbroken.

Note: do not unplug atv for at least 40 seconds to a minute after the “Jailbreak complete!” button appears (greenpois0n may be still finishing the process on your device).

Step 7: Unplug USB cable, connect the device to your TV, navigate to “greenpois0n”, select “Inject Software” and install Cydia package.

Step 8: After the installation is complete press MENU button to reboot.

Step 9: nitoTV will appear instead of “greenpois0n” heading. You can now install third-party software and plugins, such as XBMC, Exposed, Overflow, BTStack, Weather, etc. (NitoTV->Install Software).

Many users report having WiFi issues after jailbreaking. If it’s your case, you can try to fix it by restarting Lowtide (NitoTV->Settings)

(note: greenpois0n commands and onscreen notifications vary between mac and pc versions)

You may also want to read
How to install XBMC on Apple TV 2
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.2.1 with Seas0nPass
AirFlick Streams Non-iTunes Data to Apple TV 2 (video)

We’ve been waiting for this jailbreak since November, but it’s finally here: Chronic Dev Team, with great contributions from nitoTV, has released greenpois0n RC6 that allows you to perform an untethered jailbreak on your Apple TV 2 running iOS 4.2.1. It’s available for both Mac and Windows and can be grabbed from here.

Note: make sure you restore to fresh 4.2.1 before running greenpois0n rc6.

Let us know in the comments if you have any issues. A detailed how-to tutorial will be posted soon.

You may also want to read:
Patchstick.ca to Release Installer for Apple TV 2
How to install XBMC on Apple TV 2
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.2.1 with Seas0nPass
How-To: Jailbreak Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1 with PwnageTool

XBMC has finally been released for the new Apple TV. Here you have all the instructions you need to get it working on your device.

NOTE: the following HOW-TO requires you to have Jailbroken ATV2 version 4.1 or 4.2.1.

Here is how to jailbreak your ATV2:
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.2.1 with Seas0nPass
How-To: Jailbreak Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1 with PwnageTool

Installing XBMC

Step 1 (accessing the Apple TV): in the Terminal application on your Mac, enter the following:

ssh root@AppleTV.local

or

$ ssh root@<your ATV2 IP adress>

if AppleTV.local doesn’t work (find your atv IP address in Settings ->General -> Network).

Use “alpine” as your password if you haven’t changed it already.

• If you named your Apple TV something other than “AppleTV” then you need to replace the text above.
• The first time you do this, it might take a few moments to establish a connection.

Step 2: Paste the following code into Terminal (line by line; hit Enter after each line)

$ echo “deb http://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/atv2 ./” > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xbmc.list

$ apt-get update

$ apt-get install org.xbmc.xbmc-atv2

After XBMC is successfully installed, Frontrow (ATV2 home screen) will restart and you will see XBMC in it.

Here is how to get XBMC if you have already installed aTV Flash or nitoTV:

• aTV Flash: download XBMC via Maintenance –> Manage Extras.
• nitoTV: install the latest nitoTV to auto-install XBMC

You may also want to read
XBMC for Apple TV 2 now available
How to Install Plex on Apple TV 2G
AirFlick Streams Non-iTunes Data to Apple TV 2 (video)

Seas0nPass is a new jailbreak tool designed by FireCore specifically and exclusively for the AppleTV 2 (no other iOS devices support). This magic piece of software allows you to jailbreak your atv2 with the latest 4.1.1 (iOS 4.2.1) software by creating custom AppleTV IPSW files and restoring them in iTunes (similar to the existing Pwnage Tool app). It also includes a simple ‘tethered boot’ option which aids in using newer AppleTV firmwares when an ‘un-tethered’ jailbreak is not yet available.

Seas0nPass is available for free, and is open source (the source code is available on Github). It’s Mac only (OSX 10.6 or later) for now but the Windows version should be released soon.

Here are the instructions on how to use Seas0nPass to jailbreak the Apple TV 2:

NOTE: users are experiencing many kinds of problems with jailbreaking using Seas0nPass. Read the comments on FireCore’s blog before you decide to try the software on your own device.

Pre-launch checklist

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes (check for updates through Software Update located in Apple menu).
2. Download Seas0nPass
3. A micro USB cable will be required to complete the jailbreak.

Jailbreaking

Step 1: Unzip the ‘Seas0nPass.zip’ file and launch Seas0nPass.

Step 2: If your AppleTV is not yet jailbroken, select ‘Create IPSW’. (if already jailbroken, and you just need to do a ‘tethered boot’ scroll down).

Step 3: The latest AppleTV software will be downloaded and used to create a custom ‘jailbroken’ software file.

Step 4: When prompted, connect your AppleTV using a micro-USB cable (leave power disconnected), and hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 5: iTunes will open automatically and start the restore process.

Step 6: iTunes will confirm the restore when complete – your AppleTV is now jailbroken. Please proceed to the ‘tethered boot’ section below.

Using Seas0nPass for a ‘tethered boot’

Some AppleTV software versions require a tethered boot. This means the AppleTV must be connected to a computer for a brief moment during startup.

Note: The AppleTV MUST be disconnected from the computer (for at least a brief moment) after restoring in iTunes for the tethered boot process below to work properly.

Step 1: Open Seas0nPass and select the ‘Boot Tethered’ option.

Step 2: When prompted, connect the AppleTV to your computer via USB. Wait for the rapid flashing light then connect the power. Once both are connected hold both the ‘MENU’ and ‘PLAY/PAUSE’ buttons for 7 seven seconds.

Step 3: Seas0n Pass will complete the tethered boot automatically. Once complete, remove the USB cable and connect the HDMI cable.

You may also want to read:
How-To: Jailbreak Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1 with PwnageTool
AirPlay Streaming Hacked into the Old Apple TV (updated: giveaway!)
AirFlick Streams Non-iTunes Data to Apple TV 2 (video)
AirVideoEnabler Allows AirPlay Video Streaming from Any App

Old Apple TV is not dead! Remote HD has just released a new plugin for the old Apple TV that adds the missing AirPlay functionality. AirPlay can now be added to any first generation Apple TV by installing the Remote HD plugin and activating it using Remote HD iOS application. Once the plugin is activated, any AirPlay enabled application can be used to stream video and photos to the Apple TV.

According to the developer, all existing Remote HD customers get this functionality for free. AirPlay audio streaming will be added soon.

Remote HD’s AirPlay supports:
- Video streaming from YouTube iOS app
- Movies and Podcasts from iPod iOS app
- Photo streaming from Photos iOS app
- Video streaming from iTunes 10.1.

Installing/Upgrading Remote HD plugin manually

Remote HD’s Apple TV plugin must be installed and running on the Apple TV before you can control it with Remote HD. This part explains how to unlock your Apple TV using free opensource tools and install/upgrade Remote HD plugin on it:

Unlock your Apple TV using opensource atvusb-creator.
Step by step instructions can be found here and here.

Connect to your AppleTV using your preferred SSH client:
Host: appletv.local
Username: frontrow
Password: frontrow

Recommended SSH clients are:
OS X: Use the buit-in SSH command line client using Terminal.app
Windows: Putty Download putty.exe from here

Here’s an example of how to connect to the Apple TV using Terminal.app on OS X:

ssh frontrow@appletv.local
Password: frontrow

Once connected, run these commands one by one.
These commands will download, uncompress, install/upgrade Remote HD plugin and restart the Apple TV interface.

scp ssh.remotehd.com:RemoteHelper.tar RemoteHelper.tar
tar xvf RemoteHelper.tar
./install-RemoteHelper

“frontrow” without the quotes is the default password.
If prompted with a security prompt to confirm connecting, type in yes.

Thats it, you’re done! Now grab your device and have Remote HD scan for available connections. Your Apple TV should show up in the list of available WiFi-connections – just tap to connect!
The default password is empty.

Installing Remote HD plugin using aTV Flash

Looking for an easier install option?

Use aTV Flash to unlock your AppleTV.
Then enable Remote HD from Maintenance > Install Extras.

Get the Remote HD from the App Store ($3,99 with 50% discount).

You may also want to read:
AirFlick Streams Non-iTunes Data to Apple TV 2 (video)
How-To: Jailbreak Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1 with PwnageTool
AirVideoEnabler Allows AirPlay Video Streaming from Any App

After releasing an application called AirPlayer that allows you to stream video to your mac from your iPad using Apple’s built-in AirPlay services, TUAW’s Erica Sadun has now released AirFlick that transmits data to any Apple TV 2 outside of iTunes. According to Erica, AirFlick offers the potential of real-time transcoding of otherwise unsupported file types into Apple TV-compatible data. It also allows you to open videos located on the internet by pasting a URL and clicking the play button. Erica was able to watch a number of Internet Archive (archive.org) mp4 videos on a big screen TV by browsing that website, selecting URLs, and opening them with AirFlick.

This is how she explains how the AirFlick works:

AirFlick works by transforming your Mac into a web browser, the same way AirPlay works on your iPhone or other iOS device. For Mac-based files, AirFlick tells your Apple TV to connect to a local URL and serves the data that the Apple TV plays back. So long as those files are in a supported format such as mp4, m4v, mp3, etc, the Apple TV can read and display the file data.

Download AirFlick for Mac

[source: TUAW]

You may also want to read:
How-To: Jailbreak Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1 with PwnageTool
AirVideoEnabler Allows AirPlay Video Streaming from Any App
Groovy Brings Grooveshark to Your Apple TV

iOS 4.2.1 brought only some minor bug fixes related to resolution and download problems, so if you updated to 4.1.1 you are still able to jailbreak your Apple TV 2G with PwnageTool. All you’ll have to do is to use new PwnageTool bundle to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 instead of iOS 4.2 PwageTool bundle. Note that this jailbreak is also tethered, which means you have to connect your Apple TV 2G with PC and use Redsn0w or PwnageBundle to boot it.

Here are the instructions from nitoTV

Disclaimer:
If you do not have your SHSH blobs backed up for your AppleTV at 4.1 I HIGHLY advise avoiding any upgrading whatsoever, tethered or not, until a real proper jailbreak is available.

If you don’t understand the above GO BACK NOW, do NOT attempt the following.

Made it this far? Another warning:
If you aren’t a developer or someone trying to tweak iOS 4.2.1 the following jailbreak is STRONGLY discouraged. Booting tethered on the AppleTV is an easy process, but it is still a PITA that a casual user would probably not have the desire to put up with.

Read the ENTIRE documentation at least once before running through the process.

You will need a computer that is close enough to your AppleTV that it can be plugged into USB, power and HDMI without any major movement of the AppleTV itself), if you don’t meet this requirement the following is impossible, unless your microUSB cable is REALLY long.

Required:
A MicroUSB cable
An Intel Apple laptop Running Snow Leopard (I say laptop because of reaching distance for the USB, power, HDMI)
AppleTV 4.2.1 ipsw AppleTV2,1_4.2.1_8C154_Restore.ipsw
PwnageTool 4.1.2 or 4.1.3
PwnageTool 4.2.1 Bundle for Apple TV 2G

1. Move this entire folder to the desktop and replace “AppleTV2,1_4.2_8C150.bundle” subfolder with this “AppleTV2,1_4.2.1_8C154.bundle” subfolder.

2. Open Terminal app (if you don’t know where this is, you REALLY shouldn’t be doing this.

3. Run the following commands (this will fail if you didn’t move this folder to the desktop, PwnageTool almost MUST be in your /Applications folder)

cp -r ~/Desktop/tethered/AppleTV2,1_4.2.1_8C154.bundle/Applications/PwnageTool.app/Contents/Resources/FirmwareBundles/

cp ~/Desktop/tethered/Info.plist /Applications/PwnageTool.app/Contents/Resources/CustomPackages/CydiaInstallerATV.bundle/Info.plist

4. Run PwnageTool on the 4.2.1 ipsw (if you don’t know how to do this, again you REALLY shouldn’t be here) saving into the ~/Desktop/tethered folder with the default name PwnageTool gives it (AppleTV2,1_4.2.1_8C154_Custom_Restore.ipsw

5. Back in the terminal run the following:

unzip -j ~/Desktop/tethered/AppleTV2,1_4.2.1_8C154_Custom_Restore.ipsw Firmware/dfu/iBSS.k66ap.RELEASE.dfu kernelcache.release.k66 -d ~/Desktop/tethered/

6. Restore the AppleTV to the ~/Desktop/tethered/AppleTV2,1_4.2.1_8C154_Custom_Restore.ipsw firmware (your AppleTV SHOULD be in DFU mode after finishing up with PwnageTool)

NOTE: Do not install any packages through cydia in expert mode, this produced very unpredictable results.

7. Unplug and then replug the USB, after the AppleTV has finished started up (will be blinking steadily), plug in the power cable

8. Run the following commands in terminal:

cd ~/desktop/tethered

./tetheredboot -i iBSS.k66ap.RELEASE.dfu -k kernelcache.release.k66

NOTE:  it will loop a complaint re: DFU mode, just ignore this, once you are finished getting in DFU mode tetheredboot will take over.

9. MANUALLY put the AppleTV in DFU (*DO NOT USE PWNAGETOOL*)

DFU Mode:
Hold Menu for 7 Seconds
Without releasing menu, press power for 7 seconds

Successful output from tetheredboot looks like this:

Initializing libpois0n
No matching processes belonging to you were found
Waiting for device to enter DFU mode
Device must be in DFU mode to continue
opening device 05ac:1227…
Found device in DFU mode
Checking if device is compatible with this jailbreak
Checking the device type
Identified device as AppleTV2,1
Preparing to upload limera1n exploit
Resetting device counters
Sending chunk headers
Sending exploit payload
Sending fake data
libusb:error [darwin_transfer_status] transfer error: timed out
Exploit sent
Reconnecting to device
Waiting 2 seconds for the device to pop up…
opening device 05ac:1227…
Uploading iBSS.k66ap.RELEASE.dfu to device
[==================================================] 100.0%
libusb:error [darwin_reset_device] ResetDevice: device not responding
libusb:error [darwin_close] USBDeviceClose: no connection to an IOService
Waiting 10 seconds for the device to pop up…
opening device 05ac:1281…
Setting to configuration 1
Setting to interface 0:0
Uploading kernelcache.release.k66 to device
[==================================================] 100.0%
libusb:error [darwin_transfer_status] transfer error: device not responding (value = 0xe00002ed)

10. if all went well, unplug USB and plug in HDMI and your AppleTV should be ready to go. You will need to repeat 7-9 every time you restart your AppleTV, this isn’t a convenient process by any stretch!

11. To get nitoTV installed (I couldn’t get the cydia, or custompackage sot work in PT)

apt-get install wget
wget -O- http://apt.awkwardtv.org/awkwardtv.pub | apt-key add -
echo “deb http://apt.awkwardtv.org/ stable main” > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/awkwardtv.list
apt-get update
apt-get install com.nito.nitotv

[source: @nitoTV]

Fire Core has finally released the first beta version of aTV Flash (black) for the Apple TV 2G. It gives you a web browser with HTML5 support (not all HTML5 sites are supported yet), a Plex client that lets you stream nearly any kind of video from Plex Server running on your Mac, Last.fm access and some info on demand (current weather and news feeds). Fire Core promises to enable additional media formats such as AVI, MP4, MKV, DVD files and to support media streaming from most NAS devices (including Airport Extreme and Time Capsule) in the near future. You don’t need to be worry about the original Apple TV features, they will all remain fully operational.

The new aTV Flash is compatible with the 4.0 Apple TV software only. The new 4.1 software requires a few adjustments and the company plans to have compatible version available soon.

Currently the software is for Mac only. Windows compatible version is expected to be available within the next few days.

For the current users aTV Flash is available as a free upgrade.
(Some instructions from the developer: After logging into your account you will have an extra download link for aTV Flash (black). Your normal aTV Flash license and download links will remain unchanged. Additionally any available renewal specials can also be found in your account.)

For the new users the software is available at the discounted price of $19.95 during the beta (pre-order) phase. Once the final version is ready for release the price will return to the normal level of $29.95.

The original aTV Flash is also being reduced to $39.95.

GIVEAWAY

We have 10 licenses of aTV Flash (black) to give away! Follow @appletvhacks, retweet the contest message and join us on Facebook for your chance to win. The winners will be announced on Monday (December 6^th).

Related news
AirVideoEnabler Allows AirPlay Video Streaming from Any App
Apple TV 2G Gets 4.2.1 Software Update
Groovy Brings Grooveshark to Your Apple TV
How to Install Plex on Apple TV 2G

It’s been a few days since this hack came out, but there is a chance you’ve missed it focused on your Thanksgiving and Black Friday activities: a jailbreak app called AirVideoEnabler can push out video from any iOS app (including Safari) to the Apple TV 2G via AirPlay. Developed by TUAW commenter Zone-MR, the app runs on every jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iOS 4.2 (or greater) installed and can be downloaded from Cydia for free. According to Lifehacker, you may need to restart your iOS device for the hack to work, but then you can stream supported video (meaning most MPEG4/H.264 files) from any app that supports video out. Users report that thanks to AirVideoEnabler they were also able to stream live TV to the Apple TV via AirPlay.

Here is the AirVideoEnabler in action

And here is live TV being streamed from FilmOn.com app running on the iPad

This is just awesome: iOS hacker quiqueck made it to install Plex on the jailbroken Apple TV 2G. Based on the open-source XBMC, Plex now works as a client for your ATV and lets you stream nearly any kind of video from your server (read your Mac). Plex for ATV2 is just a “proof of concept” so it is still buggy, tricky to install and limited to video playback (no music files, no images, no App-Management) but anyway, this is looking really good for the future of Apple TV2 applications (after the Weather app, this is the second iOS app that works on the new Apple TV).

Here are the detailed instructions given by quiqueck and a step-by-step video tutorial brought to you by iphoneblogr.com

Prepare the Media Server

Before you install the actual plugin you need to prepare the Plex Media Server (it needed some tweaks before it would talk to the ATV). Since those changes are considered ‘beta’, you need to tell your PMS to download beta plug-ins, by enetering the following URL in a Safari running on the same machine as the media server: http://localhost:324…s/set?AS_BETA=1

After that start Plex and check for updates in the PlexOnline section.

Enable a higher Quality (optional)

This part is optional, but if you feel like experimenting a lot, you might want to install a testing built of ffmpeg, that enables higher bitrates for the (currently) highest available quality (which is the only quality your ATV will use). This will also increase the image quality on other iOS devices, however you will need a potent Mac for the encoding! So If you still feel like installing use the following two commands in a Terminal on the Mac running your Media Server:

curl http://ambertation.de/downloads/PLEX/ffmpeg > ~/Downloads/ffmpeg
cp ~/Downloads/ffmpeg ~/Library/Application\ Support/Plex/Plex\ Media\ Server.app/Contents/Resources/

If you not use this, the plugin will still work, but the image-quality might not be on par with what you expect.

Install the Plugin

First off: you need to Jailbreak your Apple TV. A nice little instruction can be found on awkwardtv.org. I suggest you use the Pawnage method. For the sake of the following instruction I assume thet the IP-Address of your ATV is 169.10.11.12, and that you can log in using ssh.

• Start your ATV and log in to your ATV using ssh
  

  ssh root@169.10.11.12

  
  It will ask you for your password, which (if you did not change the default) is alpine. (I strongly suggest you change the password using the passwd command!!!)
• In that ssh session, you need to add new cydia sources using
  

  echo "deb http://apt.awkwardtv.org ./" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/awkwardtv.list
  echo "deb http://www.ambertation.de ./downloads/PLEX/" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plex.list

• Now update your cydia database using
  

  apt-get update

• Install the plugins (and its dependencies like beigelist by DHowett) with
  

  apt-get install plex-client-plugin

• Restart the GUI and hope that it comes back
  

  killall Lowtide

  
  If the UI does not come up again, you probably have to restore your ATV!

That is it. You should see the PLEX menu item now. If you experience any problems (which you almost certainly will ) just report back here. But remember the ATV is just a hobby.

Updating the Plugin

Once in a while I might release an updated version for the plugin, so once in a while you might want to check for updates and install them. Here is how that will work:

• Start your ATV and log in to your ATV using ssh
  

  ssh root@169.10.11.12

• In that ssh session enter
  

  apt-get update
  apt-get upgrade

Known Issues
The Software so far is nothing more than a proof of concept, which isn’t tested at all. However there are some known issues:
- “Local Servers” screen does only update when you press the up or down button on your remote
- Larger Sections timeout while they are loaded and do never show up
- Only Video playback is working (no music files, no images, no App-Management)

[via Plex Forum, iphoneblogr.com]

We don’t want to enter “Jailbreak Wars”, so we will stick to the facts: geohot, a developer who released limera1n jailbreak for iOS 4.1 devices, has just updated his page to announce that “AppleTV is technically supported, but theres no apps yet.” TUAW’s Erica Sadun confirmed that when she put her atv2 into DFU mode she was able to jailbreak it. “But since no AFC services or OpenSSH were installed (let alone APT), there’s nothing that really can be done with it at this time,” she said. Chronic Dev team, that was supposed to release its greenpois0n jailbreak on Sunday, said they will have to delay the release in order to have time to integrate the exploit used in limera1n into greenpois0n to “save SHAtter for future devices that may still be vulnerable to it.”

Gizmodo reports that iPhone developer Steven Troughton-Smith has found out that iOS apps can be “easily” installed on the new Apple TV. He discovered that “if you give an app a UIDeviceFamily of 3 it will install on it when signed.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean we can run our apps on the new atv right now: according to Steven, “while you can install apps after modifying its type, you just can’t launch them – there’s no built-in facility to do that.” Someone has to find out how to do this but we don’t expect it will take long.

Steven also has some interesting thoughts on how developers are going to write apps. “The only option I see is UIKit,” he says. “UIKit is familiar to all iOS developers, is very Cocoa-like, and very powerful. In fact, since iOS 3.2, 1280×720 is a supported resolution for developers, mainly for those creating TV-out UIs in iPad apps. Developers have already started crafting ten-foot-UI experiences in existing iOS apps, so it would be a no-brainer for that to translate over to AppleTV wholesale.”

According to him, to make it work, Apple would have to build remote control support into iOS. “But hold on a second, Apple already added that in iOS 4! Effectively, all the pieces are in place to build a remote-control driven 720p iOS app. All Apple needs to do is build the distribution mechanism and open the floodgates, and ‘Universal’ apps would be a definite possibility,” he concludes.

That’s a great news: several TeamXBMC/Redhat developers and the Broadcom Media PC Group made it possible to play 1080p content on Apple TV! It is called Broadcom Crystal HD and it’s a cross-platform hardware decoding of mpeg2, h.264 and VC1 video content up to 1080p.

It will be coming to XBMC on OSX, Linux, and Windows via the Broadcom Crystal HD Hardware Decoder (BCM970012). It is available now in a mini-PCIE card with ExpressCard and 1X PCIE form factors.

Good news is that it has a common programming API and it’s an open source solution with full source code for driver and library available for OSX and Linux under a GPL/LGPL license. Go ahead, 3rd party developers!

The Windows driver binary, as well as the Linux source code for the driver and library can be found at the Broadcom web site. For OSX, the binaries and source code for the driver and library will be hosted at google code. Users in the USA can purchase the Crystal HD mini PCIE card from Logic Supply for $69, and of course there’s always ebay for those outside the USA.

Source: XBMC