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 Troughton-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!

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!

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!

Today we will install an FTP server in one of our Apple TV 1. FTP means File Transfer Protocol, and a FTP server is a program sitting in your device, waiting for someone to send him files (or ready to send them). Then, if you have an FTP server in your Apple TV, you can transfer files easily an quickly from your Mac OS (in a Finder window, Go menu and select connect to server, then ftp://locationofappletv) or your Windows machine (just enter ftp://locationofappletv in your Explorer window).

For this tutorial to work, you need to have SSH access to your Apple TV. Of course, this is the first step in any jailbreaking tutorial, so I’ll assume you are past this step. If you are not, you can find more details in our How-To category.

This will only work (in an useful way) in an Apple TV1, since the Apple TV2 lacks a hard drive and FTP needs somewhere to store the files. What else do you need? Well, you need the FTP daemon. A daemon is a special kind of program in UNIX systems that watches what is happening… Oddly enough, the name comes from electromagnetism’s theory father, James Maxwell. Odd happenings.

Where can you get this little program? The easiest source is an Intel Mac. You can copy this file straight if you are in a Mac computer: it is located in /usr/libexec/ftpd You have to copy it to /usr/bin/ftpd You also need to make it executable, do it by logging to your Apple TV and then

sudo -s
chmod +x /usr/bin/ftpd

The procedure for getting this is as follows: You ssh into your Apple TV and then issue the following commands:

sudo -s
INSTALL_SOURCE='/tmp'
DAEMON='usr/libexec/ftpd'
dd if=/dev/disk0s2 of=$INSTALL_SOURCE/recovery.dmg bs=1m
hdiutil mount $INSTALL_SOURCE/recovery.dmg
hdiutil mount /Volumes/Recovery/OS.dmg
cp -p /Volumes/OSBoot\ 1/$DAEMON /usr/bin/
chown root:wheel /$DAEMON
hdiutil unmount /Volumes/OSBoot\ 1
hdiutil unmount /Volumes/Recovery -force
chown root:wheel /usr/libexec/ftpd

Things are closer to an end. Now we have the FTP daemon sitting in your Apple TV… But it isn’t active yet. Moreover, we want to be able to connect to it, so we need some user that can talk with him. Enter into your Apple TV via SSH and issue the following:

If you know what you are doing, you can do use some command line text editor. What does this blurb do? It writes a PList file (a property list in Apple’s OSes) telling iOS to run the FTP daemon. To write it, we use the UNIX command cat, which is one of the simplest ways to write a file. Once we have this file, we can load the daemon with:

launchctl load $PLIST_FILE

USERS_FILE='/etc/ftpusers'
cat >> $USERS_FILE <<EOT
appletvftp    allow
EOT

I hope this has helped all those Apple TV 1 users out there! Stay tuned for more tutorials, and don’t forget to subscribe to our brand new newsletter.

Picture courtesy of Omoon at Flickr

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Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

Update: As you all noticed, Sn0wbreeze 2.5 didn’t really bring the support for Apple TV 2; for the last two days we’ve been trying hard to jailbreak our atv2 on the latest 4.2.1 firmware (iOS 4.3) using Sn0wbreez but we didn’t succeed (famous error 14). Good news is that the software has just been updated to version 2.5.1., which is said to provide “full Apple TV 2 support”. DFU instructions for atv have also been added. You can download Sn0wbreez 2.5.1 from ih8sn0w website and give it a try.

You may also want to read:
Untethered iOS 4.3.1 Jailbreak for Apple TV 2 Released (updated)
aTV Flash (black) Beta4 for Apple TV 2 Now Available
Remote HD now supports Apple TV 2 (updated)

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!

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

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!