aTV Flash (black) for the second generation Apple TV has just received its first update in 2012. Version 1.2 of aTV Flash (black) features a number of new things including: video zoom options, grid view watched icons, quick access to recently visited pages, improved support for subtitles, and a truckload of other improvements and bug fixes.

Main new features include:

• New zoom options: three new zoom options (Normal, Crop, and Stretch) allow you choose how videos are displayed. You can keep videos in their native format (widescreen or pillar box) or crop/stretch them to fill the entire screen.

• Grid View Watched Indicators: watched indicator icons allow you to quickly see which content is new (these can be disabled through the Media –> Settings).

• Recently Visited Pages: Couch Surfer now displays thumbnail images in the ‘top shelf’ area of the main menu, which allows you to quickly get back to recently viewed pages.

Here is the complete list of changes:
• Added video zoom options (available through Playback Menu)
• Added watched indicators to grid view
• Added ‘Recently Visited’ section to Browser top shelf
• Added support for MicroDVD .SUB files
• Added screensaver during pause
• Added file delete option
• Added activity indicator for metadata clearing
• Added ‘tune’ icon placeholder for audio files without metadata
• Added episode number to the fetched name the list view
• Added Reload Metadata’ option in contextual menu for folders
• Added ‘no items’ message to the ‘Unwatched’ filter of the list view
• Added gray ticket image caching
• Added loading screen when opening Manage Extras menu
• Improved scrubber bar logic
• Improved audio feedback for watched and pre-playback screens
• Improved poster loading for large folders
• Improved support for DVDs without menus
• Improved subtitle support for right-to-left languages (e.g. Hebrew)
• Improved installer device detection
• Resolved minor memory management issues
• Resolved issues with subtitles settings while playing a playlist
• Resolved issues with yellow subtitles displayed for movies converted with Handbrake
• Resolved conflicts with default audio player
• Resolved issues with passwords that contain @ symbols
• Resolved issues with metadata loading for files that contain ‘/’ in folder or file name
• Resolved buffer overflow in libafpclient observed when navigating folders with long names
• Resolved issues with installer Bonjour detection
• Resolved rare crashes during web browsing
• Changed metadata format to S.# / Ep.# for TV Shows
• Disabled metadata processing during movie playback
• Corrected audio feedback when pressing Menu while in grid view
• Minor UI improvements
• Other miscellaneous bug fixes

If you’re already running a version of aTV Flash (black) the new 1.2 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:
AppleTVHacks Best of 2011
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
FireCore releases aTV Flash (black) 1.0 to supercharge the 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 released an Apple TV supercharger – aTV Flash (black) 1.0, which features a new Media Player, Couch Surfer Pro web browser, Last.fm radio, Weather, RSS feeds and gives you fast access to plugins like nitoTV, Remote HD, XBMC and Plex client. Here is a detailed tutorial on how to install the new version of aTV Flash on both Mac and Windows.

How to install aTV Flash (black) on Apple TV 2:

Pre-install checklist

1. Jailbreak your Apple TV 2 running software version 5.0.1 (untethered)
2. Connect the Apple TV your TV like normal (power, HDMI and wifi/ethernet). An active network connection will be required (the ‘In Theaters’ option under ‘Movies’ should be visible).
3. Enable Home Sharing and AirPlay (Settings -> AirPlay)

Run the installer – Mac

Step 1: Download the latest version of aTV Flash (black) from your account.
Step 2: Open the DMG and double-click the installer.

Step 3: The installer will copy a few small files to your computer (these will then be transferred to the Apple TV).

Step 4: You will then be prompted to select your Apple TV from a drop-down list.

Step 5: The files will be transferred to the Apple TV.

Step 6: When complete, the Apple TV will restart automatically for the changes to take effect.

Step 8: After installation all apps and updates can be installed directly on the Apple TV through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

Run the installer – Windows

Step 1: Download the latest version of aTV Flash (black) from your account.
Step 2: Open the exe and choose a location to save the application (desktop is recommended).
Step 3: Run the aTV Flash (black) program.

Step 4: Select your Apple TV from the drop-down menu.

Step 5: The files will be transferred to the Apple TV automatically.

Step 6: When complete, the Apple TV will restart automatically for the changes to take effect.

Step 7: After installation all apps and updates can be installed directly on the Apple TV through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

You may also want to read:
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass (untethered)
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
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!

aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2 is no longer in beta: FireCore has finally released version 1.0 of its flagship product – a suite of applications to enhance the 2nd generation Apple TV. aTV Flash (black) 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.

Media Player
The new Media Player included with aTV Flash (black) can access files directly from a Mac, PC or NAS drive without having to use iTunes. It downloads and organizes metadata and covert art automatically and will present media in your choice of a list or grid view. Supported file formats include AVI, FLAC, ISO, M2TS, MKV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, VOB, WAV and many others. Support for AC3/DTS sound, subtitles, DVD menus, playlists and photo slideshows are also included.

Native web browser
Also included is Couch Surfer Pro; a fully featured web browser that includes support for HTML5 streaming music and video as well as easy to use bookmarks and history. The browser can be controlled using the standard Apple TV remote, or the free iPhone/iPad Remote app.

Last.fm
Rounding out the offering is an interactive Last.fm feature that provides access to Last.fm streaming radio. While streaming Last.fm radio (or playing your own music) you’ll have access to artist bios, and a seemingly endless amount of artist photos.

Weather, RSS feeds
RSS news feed and iIntuitive weather forecast options are also included. Your current weather location will be detected automatically, and other locations can be easily added as well.

aTV Flash (black)1.0 is available now for $29.95, which includes updates for one year. You can download it from here.

Those who pre-ordered the beta can download the new 1.0 version through the Downloads tab in their account. Note: Those wishing to update from an early version will need to run the 1.0 installer from a Mac or PC.

aTV Flash (black) 1.0 can be installed on AppleTV 4.2 and later. Before installing, the AppleTV will need to be jailbroken. Read How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered or How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with Seas0nPass (untethered).

MacUpdate has aTV Flash (black) 1.0 for the sale price of $19.99 today only.

You may also want to read:
Apple TV 2 price drops suggest Apple TV 3 is coming soon
aTV Flash 4.4 for original Apple TV now available
How to Watch Hulu on Apple TV 2
Apple TV 4.4 Software Released

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 released another update to its Media Player for the 2nd generation Apple TV. Version 0.9.1 includes a number of “long awaited features,” like a support for embedded subtitles, support for ISO (DVD) files and metadata correction for TV Shows.

Here is the complete list of changes:

• Added support for embedded subtitles (MKV, M4V, etc…)
• Added support for ISO (DVD) files
• Added metadata correction for TV Shows
• Added movie title in Top Shelf (instead of filename)
• Minor UI improvements

Media Player 0.9.1 can be installed on your ATV2 (with aTV Flash black already installed) through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

You may also want to read:
Firecore Releases Media Player 0.9 for Apple TV 2
aTV Flash (black) Beta6 for Apple TV 2 Now Available
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 you need a DVD backup program which offers stable conversion process, great video quality and very fast conversion speed and if you are looking for DVD backup solution for DVDs of the new generation copy protection, this DVD ripper should be your choice.

WinX DVD Ripper for Mac is an all-in-one DVD ripper designed to make 1:1 DVD copy to hard drive and rip DVD movies on Mac OS to iTunes, MOV, MP4, FLV, etc., that playable on iPad, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP and much more.

Let’s see how it works.

The program installs in a few seconds, the interface is friendly and very clear.

The options give you a complex control of the application. The ability to create your own profile is very useful and allows you to convert tones of movies without the necessity of adjusting the parameters manually each time.

Once the DVD is in (you can load from DVD driver by clicking “DVD Disc” or from DVD folder by clicking “DVD Path”), you first choose the output format (file format or the device of destination) and then select previously created profile or choose all the options individually for the exact movie.

Among the settings you can choose are:

Audio settings: audio quality, audio sample rate and volume.

Video settings: video quality, video frame rate, output image ratio, video resolution; you can also choose whether you want to use High Quality Engine or not (select for better image quality).

Output settings: language and audio format, subtitles, duration and output folder.

Advanced settings let you decide how many CPU cores you want to use, and whether you want to use Advanced De-interlace Accelerator and Intelligent A/V Synchronizer or not. “Run as Safe Mode” is said to guarantee you “unsurpassable stability and speed.”

Once the settings are done the only thing you have to do is to enter the movie title and director name and click Start button. The conversion is fast and the program doesn’t eat up all of your RAM. You can view the conversion progress and are able to cancel the converting process at anytime.

WinX DVD Ripper also supports extracting music from the DVD files and saving as MP3 format and taking pictures from the DVD movie and save as JPG, BMP.

According to the Digiarty Software, the developer, WinX DVD Ripper for Mac is perfectly compatible with Mac OS X Tiger/Leopard/Snow Leopard, working on PowerPC & Intel Mac.

GIVEAWAY!

We have 10 free copies of the WinX DVD Ripper for you! To enter the contest follow us on Twitter and retweet the contest message (Win DVD Ripper for Mac! Follow @appletvhacks and RT for your chance to win http://su.pr/8OAqci #giveaway #appletv). The winners will be announced next Friday (July 30).

Disclaimer
In the case of copyright protected materials such as movies or DVDs, it is our understanding that in nearly all jurisdictions it is not illegal to produce a copy of a DVD that one already owns, for backup or similar purposes. The legality of DVD ripping will vary based on your country of residence. We do not in any way endorse violation of the valid rights of copyright holders, and strongly recommends that you consult your country’s copyright and fair use laws before copying any video content.

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

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!

A simple how-to for those who still haven’t figured out they can move their DVD collection do the atv. “Ripping your personal DVD’s for the AppleTV adds convenience. Selecting them from My Movies is so much simpler than finding and then loading up the DVD,” says Guy and we do agree. Guy recommends using DVD43 for ripping and HandBrake for converting to mp4, but remember there is a lot of other software that can do this job. For those who like to organize their movies with DVDpedia, PARA9 has just released DVDpedia FrontRow and AppleTV plugin 2.0.6 with AppleTV 3.0.1 support.

Read How to add your DVDs to AppleTV

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!