$1000 Bounty for External USB Drive Hack

by editor @ AppleTVHacks.net on April 8, 2007

AppleTVHacks.net and FatWallet.com have teamed up to offer a $1000 bounty for the first team to get an Apple TV to use an external USB drive for storage.

The bounty will be won by the first team to submit a verified process and patch, within the rules:

  • Patch must allow a USB hard drive, plugged into the Apple TV’s USB port to act as the default and primary storage for the Apple TV.
  • The Apple TV must still boot from the internal drive and cannot use a complete replacement OS (the kernel may be patched, and additional kexts added).
  • Patch must allow the media to be accessed as it would be were the internal drive being used (i.e if you couldn’t see their was a USB drive attached you wouldn’t know).
  • Patch must be able to be applied without opening the case.
  • Patch must be able to be removed (and the Apple TV to original configuration) without opening the case.
  • No commercial files can be used asides from those found on the Apple TV or Mac OS X Intel. All others must be freely and legally distributable.
  • The process cannot have been previously published, or demonstrated / distributed publicly.
  • Judges decision is final.

As usual entries should be made to submissions@appletvhacks.net, with the subject “USB Bounty”. Questions in the comments, please.

To get started, take a look at the USB page over at the AwkwardTV Wiki, ask questions at the Hackint0sh forums or in IRC at #awkwardtv on irc.moofspeak.net.

FatWallet.com, sponsors of the bounty, offers Cash Back shopping and Coupons for many of the best online stores, and is home to one of the leading shopping forums on the web. Big thanks to them!

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  • As to the contest for the usb external drive, I currently use an external usb drive which contains all my media. What I had to do to recognize it was very simple. Using ATVfiles which looks in the Movies folder for local content, so in the Movies folder I created a symlink (with Xray-free/shareware) to my external media. Everything works perfect.
  • nathan
    so... can i assume that this patch will work for a firewire hard disc as well as usb?
  • Knut
    If you say "A" you have to say "B":
    Where can we/I get this hack :-)
  • luck
    Dr. Macenstein, this hack came out almost 6 months ago.
  • So, what's the deal here? Any official word on progress?
    -The Doc
  • dave
    I currently use an external usb drive with Apple TV, which contains all my media. What I had to do to recognize it was very simple. Using ATVfiles which looks in the Movies folder for local content, so in the Movies folder I created a symlink (with Xray-free/shareware) to my external media. Everything works perfect. As far as syncing to the external I have never had the need as it is already full, so have never attempted it. Hope this helps someone out there!
  • C.Greene
    So apparently Nick was lying because the bounty is still unclaimed and I have heard nothing of any way to use an USB HDD for storage on ATV without installing a full version of OSX.

    It can't be that hard, people have done other hack which I would think would be more difficult.
  • Max
    Nick,
    By all means, please share your knowledge with us! We're not all hackers, I think that's the point of the bounty.
    At the very least, send me instructions. :)
  • Richard Fish
    Ah, yeah, of course! The little hacking virus! Why didn't I think of that?!

    Oh yeah right, because I don't have plenty little hacking viruses in my purse that do everything I want them to do. That's why I post here to ask others to create that virus/application for me!
  • Nick
    USE THE HEAD!!!
    you can do a billon and one things using your brain!
    Ive already have finished it but my camera is at the store so i have no proof,
    all you have to do is take the ethernet port and distribute a small hacking virus into the appleTV and viola instant acess via lan, from the host computer hack into the ATV and insert The usb drive file from a regular mac into the tv's servicies folder, plug it in and youve got yourself an exended ATV, you can probally even have OSX on the External drive :-)

    im geussing that is the whole damm pointof this contest. especially since opining the conosole up voids the warantee and i dont think anyone here wants their ATV going up in flames and not have it covered
  • akria
    i think u would just plug it in daaa
  • james allan
    Am I missing something about AppleTV? Good question. No. Its $200 cheaper than a Mini Mac, its smaller and i don't want to burn DVDs. I use Wifi as the transport mechanism. A Myth TV and Joost integration would be perfect.
  • Gerric Chaplin
    Erm, I do no have a apple TV yet but this doesn't seem hard to do. Just create a symbolic link to the external drive.
  • Scott yang
    Well, the 120gb drive wasn't enough- full of Jimmy Neutron and Pokemon. Now I definitely need to upgrade to 160gb. A USB ext drive would be great with 500 gb. I may just consider drilling a whole behind the AppleTv and connect a 2.5" to 3.5 inch adapter to an external USB 2.0 drive. That should add an extra 1 terabyte of disney and sponge bob movies
  • I would love to be able to use an external usb drive with Apple TV...
  • Conner
    I have to say, being able to hack the apple tv really opens up possibilities and options. Myself, though, doesn't really want the Apple TV because it is missing some things I think it needs.

    I have a Mac Mini that I was going to use as a mediacenter, and that could easily use an external harddrive, bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and apple tv OS.

    But, I think having a seperate Apple TV would be nice. I would buy it if you could dual boot OS X and the apple tv OS, be able to use a bluetooth keyboard in mouse (in OS X, if it's possible), use external drive as extra storage, and maybe boost up the RAM.

    The only really things I would want to do is be able to dual boot OS X and the Apple TV OS, and use the external hard drive as storage. I'm confident these will be done eventually, so this will be great.

    Some questions about the Apple TV though; Is there a way to upgrade the RAM? Is there bluetooth capabilities? Could it use a multi-USB port?

    Thanks.
  • Ragin
    The apple TV should be based on the original intent of the apple TV that is to deliver HD quality to the television period. This is not a replacement to most desktop computers, but it is a media center. The main goals should be streaming HD content in any format, playing DVD - HD DVD - BLUE RAY with maybe a few extras. To me this should be a HDMI version of XBMC as it was originally designed.... just my 2 cents
  • I assume this is $1000 in US currency?

    I was quite disappointed when they didn't include a DVD drive. I think an external drive is a fantastic idea. Am I to assume this bounty encompasses the compatibility for DVD, BluRay, HD-DVD, external hard drive, thumb drive, etc.?
  • QuattroGmb
    Remember when there was a bounty for the intel macs (running windows on mac)...$13,000. shortly after someone figured it out, apple came out with boot camp (free). Apple is not stopping geeks from cracking the Apple TV because they want to see what people want and can create. It will save them(Apple), thousands in R&D. Just my thoughts! Keep up the great work.....
  • shawnz
    i'm a pc guy... but can't you just copy over the USB-relevant kexts or something? (i've probably got no idea what i'm talking about, but whatever)
  • Pork
    I'll chip in $50 to the smarty pants hacker :o)
  • me
    why cant you make a car of apple tv? i need sth to drive
  • you should add a term which is "appletvhacks.net can post the hack to their site".
  • Clonay
    Why not try to have a DVD / HD DVD usb support ?!
    It's missing on this cute box... :-)
  • Uh. ln -s /Volumes/foobar Movies ? Goddamnit that I don't have an AppleTV, these bounties all seem like stealing candy from a kid.
  • Slarrg
    nicolas,

    Have you tried using smart playlists? They will always be automatically updated so you can set it up for only the rating you want and it'll always be current.
  • nicolas
    How about Airport Express support? Am I the only pissed that I am still forced to go to my 2nd bedroom/office to control the music I am streaming to my living room stereo, and the other bedroom?

    Has anyone who has installed Tiger on their AppleTV and run iTunes/FrontRow been able to connect to an airport express?

    And for the Sonos people out there - I have 16,000 1-5 star rated tracks (with a collection that large, you need to start rating songs) and since Sonos does not support ratings I will not buy one. And no, creating playlists based on ratings does not work. Playlists are static. My changing the rating on the fly on my iPod while jogging will not delete the track from the playlist nor will it add the track to another playlist on a Sonos.
  • Tom @ AppleTVHacks.net
    Ricardo - We thought about it, but currently you can stream from iTunes from a remote source, and also the problems faced are slightly different. It is something we are interested in though.

    Robert - Cash. :)
  • Robert
    Is this $1000 in cash? Or is it "...Cash Back shopping and Coupons..." The latter won't be much use (if any) for someone living outside the USA!
  • I have a suggestion:

    Could you add to this bounty the possibility to Apple TV detects an external USB drive connected to airport extreme (802.11n with USB port)?

    It would be much more useful, since all users in a house could drop files there, and Apple TV would just access them.


    Thanks!
    Ricardo
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