A few weeks ago, in collaboration with of Squirrels (maker of AirParrot and Reflector) and Beamer, we started a contest inviting you to share with us (and the rest of the world) your vision of a perfect Apple TV – the Apple TV of your dreams. The participation was amazing (thanks!), we got tons of submissions and a lot of great ideas. Here is a short résumé:

Almost all of you think of a new Apple TV as a standalone TV set that features:

• a big, 3D, ultra HD display (Retina?)
• a built-in Kinect-like camera (FaceTime/Skype calls, gaming, face recognition)
• Siri
• App Store (yes, you want apps!!!)
• social network integration
• DVR functionality

All the above features seem to be a MUST for the future Apple HDTV.

Other ideas we liked:

• NFC
• push notifications
• multiuser personalized profiles
• gesture interaction with social media
• a full TV experience available everywhere (on the go!)
• wireless charging (in the fuuuuuture)

Interestingly, a lot of you want your TV to become… a phone.

Though these are all great ideas, we think we are still missing something here, a truly revolutionary, game-changing, killer future that could reinvent a TV and it seems that we will have to leave it to Apple to figure out what it is.

Here are some of your ideas:

Sean O’Neill

• My vision for the perfect Apple TV would require one simple interface addition: voice.  A few simple words should be all it takes to communicate with your TV, across all devices and services.
  Examples:
  “Hi TV. Change channel, CNN.”
  “Hi TV. Netflix, House of Cards. Episode 2.”
  “Hi TV. Search TV, Next Daily Show, New Episodes.”A minor hardware challenge would be including a small microphone in the remote, which would transmit voice commands to the box.An alternate approach to voice control would be to simply hold the current center button for a few seconds, which would trigger a high-gain microphone on the Apple TV itself. An animated speech waveform could be displayed on the TV to entertain the user & confirm actuation.Another interesting twist on this would be to provide multi-service search results, as Roku has done with the latest version of their Roku 3 player. e.g. “Hi TV. Iron Man 2. Anywhere.” might return a list of results on screen that list comparative pricing spanning multiple services, so users can select the best offering.

• Another “killer” feature would be Push Notifications. Users can register their favorite programs (via an Apple TV app, for instance, that could resemble a supercharged Remote app) using their Apple ID. They could then be notified about various events: when a favorite show is about to be broadcast, when a podcast they’ve subscribed to has a new episode, or when a movie they’re watching becomes available on Netflix, Amazon VOD, Vudu, etc. On acknowledging the notification, users could either select the content for immediate viewing, “Add to Queue”, or Record, depending upon the source.

G J P R Verasdonck

My Apple TV should be:

• any “computer” from which I can access the content from anywhere in the world (if I am on holidays in “Timbuktu” I do not want my screen to say that I am not authorized to view my content due to geographic restrictions)
• suitable for views on the go (e.g. iPad/iPhone) or at home (e.g. large screen)
• be “low-key interactive”: if I like the holiday program on Fiji Islands, I want to be able to look at booking options or in reverse: if i consider a holiday to the Inca ruins I want to be able to look for a travel program on the region I am interested in and see booking possibilities
• my TV should also be my phone; I like to see the people I’m talking with.

Mark Villapando

• Deals with all the premium channels for their on demand content
• Access to the NFL Network, or better yet, RedZone
• Deals with more sports networks to make pay subscription apps (to combat Internet piracy through illegal streaming sites)
• Easy ability to share viewed programs through social networks
• A VNC-like app to access the screens of computers on the network (from TV)
• Make iOS hackable again to allow programs like Plex, XBMC, or Media Player to stream local media (wishful thinking)

Alejandro Timpanaro

• A laser pointer (Wii-style)
• Google Chrome browser
• Google maps
• Access to Google Drive and other cloud services
• A download manager like Jdownloader.
• Backup config of the Apple TV in iCloud

Nicholas Chan

• Every single broadcast gets relayed to the billion-dollar data center for recording. This includes news broadcasts, morning/late night talk shows, etc. Everything gets recorded. A user with an Apple TV can then jump back in time to a specific hour to watch his/her favorite program from any channel, streaming directly from the data center. User does not have to worry about local storage. Program list can be sorted and presented in many ways. Programs can stream to iPhone/iPad/Macs. Premium channels are available to those that are paying for it currently.
• The Archive: for stuff that predates the Apple TV (stuff that didn’t get recorded at the data center), becomes available for on-demand streaming. Basically – Netflix. Score some deals Mr. Cook!
• Three ways to control the TV: 1) everyone has their phones with them, make that the remote (people would buy iPod touches dedicated for this). Very similar to the current Apple TV’s iOS remote. 2) if the phone isn’t in the room, use Siri, an obvious choice. 3) if all else fails, a multitouch display directly on a TV. Tap on screen to bring up a menu. Swipe to switch channels. Third party apps can utilize this. Apps can be educational and ask children to select things on screen, etc…(classrooms desperately need this feature available).
• Killer GPU for competition against consoles
• iSight -> direct all phone/FaceTime calls to the TV rather than your phone if your identity is detected in the room

Mike Bowen

• I’d like to see the TV have full touchscreen compatibility (you can’t play Angry Birds without a touchscreen)
• PIP of course that would support watching TV while checking apps
• Built in 4g & LTE support so you can actually make and receive phone calls from the TV set itself

Adrian Büsselmann

• I dream of gesturing from my couch to control the Apple TV. No more searching for the small controller. Apple TV could get a “Kinect” plugin to realize this
• Even a virtual keyboard can be shown on the TV and the Apple TV would see my gesture and get the right input

Eric Dykstra

• A monthly iTunes subscription (be able to watch everything on iTunes for a monthly cost; the cost would be high, $150+ per month)
• Control interface for cable and satellite (run the Cable signal through Apple TV, and change channels with ATV)

Eric Olson

• The Apple TV should be able to mirror to another apple TVs and support a “party-mode” where all apple TVs on the local network display and control the same media
• Open the “remote” IP port for 3rd party display of meta-data & control. This will make it easy to integrate an Apple TV into high & mid-range entertainment systems

Rik Moedt

• The Genius function that Apple uses to show you things you might like is going to be integrated. It will offer you playlist with things you might like to watch. In the playlist live television, on demand video and internet content can all be combined.

And the winners are:

1. Maria Panagi – for the brilliant idea of using simple gestures to interact with social media:

The Apple TV of my dreams would have highly developed gesture recognition, that would be used not only for playing games (bringing all the Wii feauteres) but the whole controlling of the TV would be based on gestures.

click to enlarge

When it comes to social media, the gesture recognition would be highly integrated with the biggest social media platforms. On the above picture there is an example of Facbook ´Like`- the gesture of thumb-up would be recognized and would make it possible to give a like only using a gesture. Other gestures would be recognized as “share” and reading the news feed would be possible with a hand swing.

On the below picture there is an example of how the gesture control system could work with Apple TV menu. I believe that the main menu should have only 6 icons, so that it can be easily navigated with gestures (it would recognize moves: left top, right top, center top, left down, right down, center down). One hand swing would  bring another screen with the next set of 6 icons.

click to enlarge

Prize: iPad mini

2. Cristhian Flores – for an idea of a fingerprint (on the remote)/face detection to recognize users and update the TV with their personalized profiles (channels, apps, movies, music, etc.)

Other ideas of Cristhian:

• Led notification for personal mail, Skype calls, or iMessage
• A built in mic on the touch remote to allow the user to communicate with TV without making too much noise around
• NFC chip, to allow smartphones and tablets to transfer information with a tap on the TV’s stand. When tapped to a laptop will also transfer information.
• All Corning Gorilla Glass with plasma like refresh rate 600HZ
• Has built in set-top box, way to activate is to call Apple and with their deal with Direct TV/Dish will transmit signal to the television to allow channel viewing
• Special coating on the television that activates when people (in a meeting) are trying to show their products can write on the screen with a stylus. This information is saved on the flash and can be transmitted to devices via NFC.
• Quad-core processor to allow heavy intensive applications to run, the visual would match the graphics of the Playstation 3
• 4GB RAM: allows applications to run at ease, also streaming any content while also doing iWork (multitasking.) It would allow either side-by-side or Top-bottom screen to be able to run two applications.

Prize: iPad mini

Runner-up: Leo Hellberg – for a futuristic idea of The Plug (wireless power) and professionally designed Apple-style graphic (below.)

click to enlarge

Prize: free copies of AirParrot, Reflector and Beamer.

Big thanks to all for participation! Stay tuned for more contest and giveaways!

The contest was sponsored by Squirrels (maker of AirParrot and Reflector) and Beamer.

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 has always treated Apple TV as a “hobby” device. The original silver Apple TV, the second and third-generation hockey pucks – these are really great devices, but, undoubtedly, they are not as “magical and revolutionary” as were iPods, iPhones and iPads.

There is 1080p, there is AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring, there are some content deals, there are apps like AirParrot and Beamer, there is XBMC, Plex and aTV Flash on jailbroken devices, but it’s still not even close to what we think a perfect TV solution from Apple could look like. And now we have learned that the next Apple TV will probably come with a slightly improved processor and a new antenna/chip. Oh, come on Apple, you know you can do better!

But there is no doubt there will be a bloody battle for our living rooms and Apple will take part in it. We have no doubts that Apple will come out with something big: a revolutionary TV solution, whether it will be a standalone TV set or next generation set-top box. But since we are not hearing anything from Apple on this matter, we hope to hear something from you.

We are giving you a chance to share with the world your vision of a perfect Apple TV. The Apple TV of your dreams. The king of your living room. A standalone TV set or a redesigned set-top box? Apps, games, Siri, Facetime, gesture control, 3D, social networks? And what about the content?

You tell us how the next Apple TV’s hardware, software and/or interface should look like!

If you have graphic skills, mockups, renderings and all other kinds of concept designs will be more than welcome. If Photoshop is really not your thing, just write down your ideas and send them to us in a text file. During the contest, we will be regularly posting the best ideas on our website, Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The authors of the best works in both “graphics” and “text” categories will be awarded an iPad mini 16 GB, courtesy of Squirrels (maker of AirParrot and Reflector) and Beamer.

Rules:
-       The contest starts right now and ends on Sunday, March 17^th at 11.59 PM EST.
-       Submissions should be sent to editor@appletvhacks.net; the subject line should read “Contest: Apple TV of your dreams”.
-       All graphic and text file formats are allowed.
-       If you are submitting a graphic work, please include a short description of it.
-       Submission of work that has already been published elsewhere is not allowed.
-       Two winners (one in each category) will be selected by Apple TV Hacks editorial team and announced not later than on March 29^th.
-       The contest is open internationally.

The contest is sponsored by Squirrels and Beamer.

UPDATE: We got tons of submissions and we’re reviewing them now. The winners will be announced by the end of the week. We are sorry for the delay!

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!

We have recently reached 10000 likes on Facebook. Thank you so much for being with us there on Zuckenberg’s land! We thought the best to say „BIG THANKS“ is to run a small giveaway of:

• 2 sets of: AppleTVHacks T-Shirt + AppleTVHacks Sigg Water Bottle + AppleTVHacks Mug
• 5 copies of aTV Flash (black)
• 5 copies of AirParrot (for Mac or Windows)
• 5 copies of AirServer

We’ll be picking the winners from among those of you who comment on this facebook post, like it or share on their timelines.

The giveaway starts right now and ends on Sunday, September 2nd. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 4th.

Good luck!

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!

Now that Seas0nPass has been updated to provide an untethered jailbreak for Apple TV 2 running the latest 5.0.2 (iOS 5.1.1) firmware and a brand new version of aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2 has been released, it seems like a perfect time to give a try to the FireCore‘s Apple TV supercharger. If you’re still unfamiliar with aTV Flash (black), you can read our review and then try to get a free copy of this amazing piece of software by participating in our giveaway. Here is how to do it:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

IMPORTANT: Once the Apple TV 3 jailbreak is available your aTV Flash (black) license will cover both Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on Apple TV 3 jailbreak status.

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!

Brought to you by the developers of Remote HD, AirServer is an advanced AirPlay/AirTunes receiver that lets you seamlessly stream audio, videos, photos, and photo slideshows to your Mac or iOS device. Recently updated to version 4.2 and optimized for the iPad 3, AirServer now features on-the-fly video post processing, Apple TV 3 full HD support, and  improved gaming performance (FPS) over mirroring.

AirServer also fully supports AirPlay mirroring. This means you can wirelessly stream whatever’s on your iPad 2, iPad 3 or iPhone 4S to your Mac running AirServer with mirroring feature enabled.

We are giving away 10 free licenses of AirServer. Here is how to enter the contest:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 released a new version of its Apple TV supercharger – aTV Flash (black). Version 1.4 brings support for M3U and PLS playlists, TrueHD audio, EyeTV folder detection and a bunch of improvements and bug fixes. Additinally, aTV Flash (black) is now available also in Finnish, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, and Swedish.

aTV Flash (black) is currently only compatible with AppleTV versions 4.2 – 4.4.4. FireCore has announced that they are already working on the new version that will be compatible with recently released Apple TV software version 5.0.

Based on our past experiences and progress thus far we’re confident we can put the pieces in place to make it happen. Once an updated version is ready we’ll be rolling these changes into an aTV Flash (black) update, which will result in a universal application that is compatible with both the ATV2 and ATV3.

FireCore is also working on the new version of Seas0npass that will bring untethered jailbreak for Apple TV 5.0. But there is a lot of work to be done here, so don’t expect it soon.

What’s new in aTV Flash (black) 1.4?

• NEW: Center channel audio boost (+6dB and +12dB) for 5.0 and 5.1 audio tracks
• NEW: Finnish, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, and Swedish translations
• NEW: ’4:3 Crop’ and ’4:3 Stretch’ zoom options
• NEW: Support for M3U and PLS playlists
• NEW: EyeTV folder detection
• NEW: TrueHD audio (downmixed)
• NEW: 24-bit and 32-bit audio (downmixed)
• NEW: Enhanced downmixing for 5.1 AC3 audio (Dolby Pro Logic II)
• NEW: Support for embedded MP3 covers
• NEW: Automatic EXIF-based image rotation
• NEW: MP4s embedded subtitles
• NEW: Clock added to main menu
• IMPROVED: Poster art quality in list and grid view
• IMPROVED: Buffering logic for DVD files
• IMPROVED: Cover art fetching from Last.fm
• IMPROVED: DVD menu highlighting
• IMPROVED: Photo viewer & slideshow
• IMPROVED: Adjusted slideshow to match native Flickr style
• IMPROVED: Danish, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish translations
• IMPROVED: Minor UI improvements
• FIXED: Downmixing issues for specific audio tracks
• FIXED: Playback issues for single ISO files in a folder
• FXIED: Increased AFP login timeout to 30 sec
• FIXED: Metadata issues for files that contain ‘/’ in folder or file name
• FIXED: Operation of the photo slideshow on iOS 4.x
• FXIED: Issue with favorites removal when share password is changed
• FIXED: Incorrect navigation in grid view on iOS 4.*
• FIXED: Issue with DVD marked as watched after viewing menu
• FIXED: Rare issue with incorrect pre-playback screen layout
• FIXED: Rare crash in libdvdnav when playing DVD files
• FIXED: Rare DVD playback error
• FIXED: Rare ‘Bad URL’ error
• FIXED: Other miscellaneous bug fixes

If you’re already running a version of aTV Flash (black) the new 1.4 version can be installed through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu. Links for the new version can also be found in your FireCore account under the Downloads tab.

If you’re not yet using aTV Flash (black) you can get started here.

You may also want to read:
Apple TV software update 5.0 (9B179b) now available worldwide
New Apple TV announced: 1080p, $99, arrives March 16th
All you need to know about the new, third-generation Apple TV

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!

Released yesterday along with a new, third-generation Apple’s set-top box, Apple TV software update 5.0 (9B179b) is now available worldwide for all Apple TV 2 users. The update brings new, redesigned, icon-based user interface, support for buying movies on Apple TV and playing back purchased movies from iCloud, new National Geographic photos built-in for screensaver and on-device sign up for content partners on Apple TV using your Apple ID (like Netflix).

As always, stay away from this update if you don’t want to lose your jailbreak. Although @nitotv has already been able to jailbreak and restore the new firmware and he’s working with FireCore on the new version of Seas0npass, there is a lot of work to be done until the untethered jailbreak for Apple TV 5.0 is released, so don’t expect it soon.

At the event held yesterday in San Francisco, Apple announced the new, third-generation Apple TV. It supports full 1080p video playback, comes with a simpler, redesigned, icon-based user interface and runs on Apple single-core A5 chip.

The updated Apple TV features 1080p programming including iTunes movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos and live sports from MLB, NBA and NHL in HD. Apple has expanded its iTunes in the Cloud functionality in iCloud, giving users the ability to access purchased movies and TV shows right from iCloud on the Apple TV

Following the new Apple TV unveiling, Netflix has announced that, starting today, users can sign-up for Netflix directly on the Apple TV and pay via an iTunes account.

The new Apple TV will be available on March 16th for $99. But if you want to get your hands on the Apple’s brand new set-top box without spending a buck, check out this this blog post where we are hosting a giveaway of the brand new 1080p Apple TV.

You may also want to read:
Apple TV software update with new user interface available today for Apple TV 2
New Apple TV announced: 1080p, $99, arrives March 16th
All you need to know about the new, third-generation Apple TV (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!

Our polls for the “Apple TV Hacks Best of 2011 Award” closed on the 15th of February. The participation was amazing: we have received over 3000 entries. Surprisingly, the competition wasn’t stiff. It looks like it was pretty easy for you to decide who should have won as aTV Flash (black) has been clearly leading the competition from the very start to the end. As a result, FireCore’s flagship product won with 40 percent of the vote. XBMC for Apple TV 2 took the second place with 21 percent and the third place went to Seas0nPass with 9 percent of the vote.

Other strong candidates were IceFilms, Remote HD and nitoTV.

1^st place – 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.

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

2^nd place – XBMC for Apple TV 2

XBMC for Apple TV 2 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

3^rd place – Seas0nPass

Seas0nPass, a jailbreak tool designed by FireCore specifically and exclusively for the Apple TV 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)

We’ve told you we had some cool prizes for those who voted and here are the winners:

iPod nano 16 GB (6^th generation) – Destery Hildenbrand

Apple TV 2 (newest version) – Miquel Valentijn

Kymera Magic Wand Remote Control (for Apple TV) – Ann F

Oregon Scientific RM901A Rainbow Clock – Harold Dufrene

Skin Sticker for Apple TV 2 – Eric Malenfant

Congratulations!

Thank you all for voting for you favorites and we hope there will be even more cool Apple TV hacks, jailbreaks, plugins and software to choose from for “Apple TV Hacks Best of 2012”.

You may also want to read:
AirPlay Mirroring coming to Mountain Lion, next version of Mac OS X
aTV Flash (black) 1.3 for Apple TV 2 released
Rogers and Bell already have the Apple iTV in their labs, controlled with Siri and hand gestures

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: Winner of “Apple TV Hacks Best of 2011 Award” Announced

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

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!

Last week, FireCore released aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge your 2nd generation Apple TV. New aTV Flash features 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. All new features are installed alongside the normal Apple TV features, so things like movie rentals, Netflix, and AirPlay will remain unchanged.

We are giving away 10 free copies of this fantastic piece of software. Here are the details:

You may also want to read:
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 Jailbreak Apple TV 4.4.3 with 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!