2011 was a good year for Apple TV. Although it seems that everyone is already waiting for Apple TV set (are you?), some hackers and developers have worked really hard through the whole 2011 on jailbreaks and software that supercharged our silver and black boxes. Various hacks, jailbreaks, plugins and add-ons convinced us the Apple TV is more than just a simple hobby device that only lets you buy movies on iTunes and listen to some odd radio stations.

It’s time to select the best of the best, to choose “AppleTVHacks Best of 2011”!

We are asking for your votes for the best Apple TV (both 1^st and 2^nd generation) hack/jailbreak/plugin/add-on/software of 2011.  We chose the nominees; the award is people’s choice. The winner will receive “AppleTVHacks Best of 2011 Award” and will be featured on our site.

Cast your vote for a chance to win the following fantastic prizes:

iPod nano 16 GB (6^th generation)

Apple TV 2 (newest version)

Kymera Magic Wand Remote Control (for Apple TV)

Oregon Scientific RM901A Rainbow Clock

Skin Sticker for Apple TV 2

Here are the nominees (in alphabetical order):

• AirPlay for Windows

AirPlay for Windows Media Center, Thomas Pleasance’s free addin, enables AirPlay streaming (video and pictures; music is not supported yet) to your Windows PC running Windows Media Player. Simple to install and use, works seamlessly.

• aTV Flash (black)

In 2011, FireCore’s aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2 has finally left beta. Version 1.0 came with all-new Media Player, WebKit based browser, Last.fm radio, Weather, RSS feeds and gives you fast access to plugins like nitoTV, Remote HD, XBMC and Plex client. The only drawback – it’s not free ($29.95).

Read: FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge the Apple TV 2

• aTV Flash (for original Apple TV)

Luckily for the owners of the original Apple TV, in 2011, FireCore continued to develop the software for the old shiny Apple TV boxes. Released in November, version 4.4 of aTV Flash brought support for the new Remote HD features (iOS 5 AirPlay streaming, support for playing DRM protected media, support for doubleTwist + AirTwist add-on), as well as the support for Mac OS X Lion and NFS file streaming.

Read: aTV Flash 4.4 for original Apple TV now available

• Bluecop repository (Hulu on Apple TV)

Bluecop, a repository of XBMC video plug-ins, brings Hulu to Apple TV after fast and easy installation. It also features Amazon Prime, ESPN3, Free Cable, Cartoon Network, CBS, MTV, South Park Studios and The Daily Show plug-in addons.

Read: How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2

• greenpois0n rc6

Developed by Chronic Dev Team (with a contribution from nitoTV), greenpois0n RC6 allowed us to perform an untethered jailbreak on Apple TV 2 running iOS 4.2.1. The development has not been continued for further Apple TV software updates.

Read: How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 with greenpois0n rc6

• IceFilms

The most popular XBMC plugin gives you an instant access to the library of dozens of thousands movies and TV shows that can be streamed directly to your Apple TV.

• nitoTV

@nitotv, one of the first Apple TV developers, not only contributes to FireCore’s Seas0nPass but also continues his great work on developing his own plugin – nitoTV (recently updated to version 0.8.1-3). NitoTV features Weather and RSS functionality and lets you install other add-ons and software, like XBMC, RemoteHD, Overflow, openSSH, BT Stack, Rowmote Helper and more. NitoTV is also available for the original Apple TV.

• PwnageTool 4.3

PwnageTool 4.3, a custom IPSW creator and jailbreaking tool created by iPhone-Dev Team, supported untethered jailbreak on Apple TV 4.2.1 and Apple TV 4.3. The tool has not been updated to support Apple TV 4.4 firmware.

Read: Untethered iOS 4.3.1 Jailbreak for Apple TV 2 Released (updated)

• Remote HD

Remote HD, an Apple TV plugin that works with a dedicated iOS app, gives you complete access to your Apple TV. It works like an Apple Remote, but it can do a lot more – one of the greatest features is Remote View that brings your Apple TV’s display to your iPhone/iPad or iPod touch. In 2011, Remote HD added support for Apple TV 2 and brought AirPlay functionality as well as iOS 5 and iTunes DRM-encrypted video support to the first generation Apple TV.

Read: Remote HD now supports Apple TV 2
Remote HD 5.0 plugin keeps old Apple TV kicking with iOS 5 support

• Seas0nPass

Seas0nPass, a jailbreak tool designed by FireCore specifically and exclusively for the AppleTV 2, has been consequently updated during the whole year to jailbreak the newer and newer versions of Apple TV firmware. Both Mac and Windows, it also includes a simple tethered boot option when an untethered jailbreak is not yet available.

Read: How to jailbreak Apple TV 4.4.4 using Seas0nPass – untethered (tutorial)

• Sn0wbreeze 2.5.1

Considered as the unofficial PwnageTool for Windows, sn0wbreeze works with Windows XP, Vista and 7. Version 2.5.1 supported untethered jailbreak for Apple TV 4.2.1. Further Apple TV software versions are not supported.

Read: How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with sn0wbreeze (untethered)

• XBMC for Apple TV 2

In 2011, XBMC has finally been released for the Apple TV 2. XBMC supports a very complete spectrum of audio and video multimedia file formats and codecs right out-of-the-box. The 2011’s release also features full hardware decode for 720p/1080p movies as well as network files sharing. Add-ons like Icefilms, Bluecop and Navi-X make XBMC on Apple TV a must-have.

Read: XBMC for Apple TV 2 now available

Let the voting begin!

Here is how to participate:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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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!

A freshly baked version of Media Player for Apple TV 2 has been released by Firecore. Version 0.9.4 adds new folder artwork in Grid View, loop and shuffle playlist options, support for large photo collections and comes with a bunch of improvements and bug fixes.

What’s new in version 0.9.4?

• Added new folder artwork in Grid View
• Added loop and shuffle playlist options
• Added TV Show series cover art in Grid View and Top Shelf
• Added top to bottom and right to left navigation in grid view
• Added global setting for enabling/disabling subtitles
• Added support for large photo collections
• Added support for folders containing dot (‘.’) in their name
• Added (watched) view options in List View (use Play/Pause button to switch mode)
• Improved metadata caching logic
• Improved TV Show filename parsing
• Improved Grid View stability
• Improved metadata fetching speed
• Resolved issues with audio file metadata fetching
• Resolved issues with chapter selection screen layout observed on short files
• Resolved issues with metadata reloading in Grid View
• Resolved issues with TV Shows aired date
• Resolved issues with hangs on certain DVD menus
• Resolved minor memory management issues
• Resolved issues with scrolling in Top Shelf
• Resolved issues with folder names overlapping in Grid View
• Minor UI improvements

Media Player 0.9.4 can be installed on your ATV2 (with aTV Flash black already installed) through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

You may also want to read:
aTV Flash 4.4 for original Apple TV now available
aTV Flash (black) RC1 for Apple TV 2 Now Available
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered

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 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

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!

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

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!

Apple TV 2

As you already know, if you don’t want to lose your jailbreak (and all the apps/plugins/add-ons you’ve already installed) you can’t update. But if you have SHSH blobs saved you can update to 4.2, check out the new features and then decide whether you stay with these ones or you prefer to go back to your old jailbreakable 4.1.1 (iOS 4.2.1) to enjoy some other great features it offers (XBMC, Hulu, aTV Flash and many more).

AppleInsider reports that users are reporting flickering issues with latest Apple TV software update. Check out the AppleInsider post and the growing thread in Apple’s Discussions forums for the latest.

To disable auto-apdates:
-          with nitoTV installed: nitoTV -> Settings -> AppleTV Updates – click “OK” to disable
-          with aTV Flash installed: Maintenance -> Settings menu

Full list of Apple TV Software Update 4.2 features:

• NBA Game Time: live and on-demand games with an NBA League Pass Broadband subscription. Available are both live and on-demand games. NBA League Pass costs $100 for one-year unlimited streaming or $65 if you pick 7 teams to watch (check all the available options here). Non-subscribers can access real-time NBA scores and in-game stats, plus see the full-season schedule, standings, stats, and video highlights.

• MLB.TV: live and on-demand Major League Baseball games in HD with an MLB.TV subscription ($100 a year for standard and $120 for the premium offering; details here).

• AirPlay for apps and websites: wirelessly stream video from iOS apps and websites that are enabled for AirPlay, on an iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch running iOS 4.3.

• Netflix Dolby Digital 5.1: support for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround  sound on Netflix streaming (Not available with all titles.)

• New slideshow themes: new Scrapbook, Photo Mobile, and Holiday Mobile slideshow themes.

• Improved on-screen keyboard.

• AirPlay photo slideshow themes: All Apple TV photo slideshow themes are now available when using AirPlay to wirelessly send a photo slideshow from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to Apple TV.

• HDMI color mode: atv software update 4.2 includes a setting for changing the color mode output over HDMI.

• Connectivity and performance fixes.

You may also want to read:
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
How to jailbreak Apple TV 2 with greenpois0n rc6
How to install XBMC 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!

XBMC

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)

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!

To enter the contest follow us on Twitter and retweet the contest message:

Win aTV Flash and supercharge your AppleTV! Follow @appletvhacks and RT for your chance to win http://su.pr/7jR4iq #giveaway

The winners will be announced next Thursday (September 30th).

To increase your chance to win you can post a comment below sharing your ideas on how the old and the new Apple TV could peacefully coexists in your living room.

You may also want to join our Facebook group to be up-to-date with all the latest Apple TV news. 

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!

The 4.2 version brings Last.fm to your old Apple TV. “Last.fm for AppleTV is a new, rich, visually engaging way to experience your favorite music like never before.  It provides access to Last.fm radio, artist bios, artist slideshows and allows you to ‘scrobble’ plays (including plays from the built-in music player) back to your Last.fm account,” FireCore said on their blog.

Current users with aTV Flash installed can updated to version 4.2 through the Maintenance –> Manage Plugins menu.  Once updated, Last.fm will appear as an option in the Manage Plugins menu.

Other aTV Flash 4.2 features and updates include:

• Improved weather forecast layout and icons
• Multiple performance improvements
• Sapphire (8.0.5.2) – Improved metadata importing + bug fixes
• nitoTV (0.9.5) – Improved DVD file playback + bug fixes
• Maintenance (4.2) – Improved download/update process + Minor bug fixes
• Other minor bug fixes

FireCore is giving away 50 Last.fm subscriptions. Check out their Twitter page for details.

And stay tuned, we will have a few aTV Flash licenses to give away soon!

Note: Current Last.fm radio streaming is only available to users in the US and UK.  A Last.fm subscription will be required to stream Last.fm radio.

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!

In case you didn’t have enough fun hacking your boxes for 3.0 update, here it comes…another “revolutionary” update. Apple says it prevents content from temporarily disappearing. According to them, when you have to update to 3.0.1? “When you are using Apple TV software version 3.0 and all of your movies, TV shows, and songs appear to be missing” or “When you are using Apple TV software version 3.0 and all of your movies, TV shows, and songs appear to be present, but you have not yet updated to Apple TV software version 3.0.1.” Interesting… Wasn’t it easier with “Don’t think too much, update your box immediately!”…?

Official Apple instructions here.

- XBMC launched beta 3 of Launcher 3.2.
We can confirm now – it’s compatible with 3.0.1

- Boxee says it is already working in 3.0.1 (with Launcher 3.2 beta 3)
Also confirmed.

- nitoTV released 0.8.2 version with 3.0.1 support
(RSS, USB and watchdog patches updated for 3.0.1 as well)

- aTV Flash released 4.0.1 version with 3.0.1 compatibility.

- Patchstick 3.0.1 is also available (with Sapphire and RSS)
You need to use LaunchMore version 0.4 or 0.4.1 to apply this update.

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!

nitoTV

Released yesterday, 0.8.1 version (direct download) now supports 3.0 update.

nito says some features may have no chance of making it back in. Couchsurfer and RSS are not working, but they have restored the functionality for DVD, MPlayer, QuickTime, Weather, Network, download, installer and Application Launching sections.

Audio volume and sub toggling and resume returns in QuickTime playback! It is possible to turn off the volume control in General settings if this is not a desirable feature.

Guys warn things may be a little buggy from the OS transition.

Follow nitoTV thread at Hackint0sh.org

XBMC

Launcher 3.2 beta 1 (beta 2 is already on the way!) works with 3.0. However the new version is not ready for public use, and only people who are comfortable with the command line should install it.

Installing:
1) “patchstick” the 3.0 ATV
2) ssh into it and download Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run
3) install Launcher chmod +x Launcher.. ; ./Launcher-3.2…
4) install XBMC with Launcher or just re-symlink your old install (ln -s /Users/frontrow/Applications/XBMC.app /Applications/XBMC.app)
5) run XBCM

XBMC forum thread

Boxee

Today XBMC guys made it possible to run Boxee on ATV 3.0.

That’s how to do it:
1) “patchstick” the 3.0 ATV (You should just use your old patchstick you used previously on the ATV )
2) ssh into it the ATV and download 3.2 Launcher
Type:
wget http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/858897/XBMC/Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run

3) Install the Launcher
Type:
chmod +x Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run

Type :
./Launcher-3.2.beta2-debug.run

Enter the appropriate password “frontrow“  and answer “Y” when it asks to restart the finder.

4) From your ATV Menu> Launcher > Downloads, install Boxee alpha 0.9.14.6992.

Note: Please do not select the Launcher 3.1

5) Launch Boxee  from ATV Menu >Launcher >Boxee .

[via Boxee Support forum]

Others working in 3.0

• Patchstick created with OS 2.1 (SSH enabled; accessing AppleTV with Cyberduck (sftp) works great)
• Patchstick created with OS 3.0
• QuickTime components
• Composite Colour
• AppleFileShare Server (AFP) (working using afpinstall.sh and ATV-Recover image)
• LaunchMore! 0.4 (with ATV firmware 3.0)
• atvPWN (Not all of the plugins that can be installed through the latest atvPwn are actually compatible with 3.0)

Not working:

• ATVFiles
• aTV Flash (they say an update should be available by the end of the week)
• Sapphire
• Software Menu

In case you needed to downgrade back to firmware version 2.4.

UPDATE:

aTV Flash 4.0 Released!
Highlights: 3.0 AppleTV compatibility, improved update process, VNC server + bug fixes.

UPDATE 2

Patchstick 3.0 Update 3.0 released.
ATV 3.0 support, MobileAir Mouse, Bit torrent incl. Web UI, Boxee, XBMC and more.

UPDATE 3

Sapphire Browser beta 7.6 now supports AppleTV 3.0

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!