Fans of the Apple TV who prefer to make their own rules have been waiting patiently for news of a jailbreak for the Apple TV 3. But while JailbreakCon 2012 had a lot to offer for many, fans of the Apple TV were left with very few hard facts. There were obviously no demonstrations of any new jailbreak, and nitoTV had even less information to share on future availability.

The only plus side was the announcement that there has been some progress made with the injection vector, but no further specifics were offered. The only hard information nitoTV was able to share is that users considering jailbreaking an Apple TV 3 at some point down the line should stay on iOS 5 (Apple TV 5.0.x) and not upgrade to iOS 6 (Apple TV 5.1).

Of course, anyone who has already upgraded the firmware shouldn’t stay up nights worrying about it. Since specific jailbreak details have yet to drop, there’s no telling if this will end up being a real problem for users or not. nitoTV didn’t seem terribly concerned, but if you’re 100% certain you will be performing a jailbreak on your Apple TV 3, your best bet is to hold to iOS 5.

Back in August we reported that there was a group of “very bright and talented individuals” working on “a lead that could result in a usable jailbreak for the 3rd gen Apple TV”. No further details have been shared since then, the only thing we know is that the work is still ongoing.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ to be first to know when the Apple TV 3 jailbreak comes out.

Update: State of the Apple TV 3 Jailbreak

[via iJailbreak]

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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!

Back in October, 9to5Mac found an evidence for a next-generation Apple TV being in the works – a reference to ‘Apple TV 3,1’ (current model is listed as 2,1) inside the iOS 5 file system. The number changing from 2 to 3 should signify a major upgrade. 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman believed the device would get a dual-core A5 processor (that would open door to true 1080p) and a bluetooth support.

This Monday Gurman found that a new codename – J33 – has been assigned to Apple TV in iOS 5.1. According to Gurman, iOS release history tells us that Apple assigns a proper codename to products that move closer to release.

Now 9to5Mac has found that the next-generation Apple TV will include Bluetooth 4.0 technology, what is believed to be further evidence that an Apple TV refresh will soon be upon us. Gurman speculates that low-power Bluetooth 4.0 technology could bring a bunch of new input devices to Apple TV: Bluetooth remote with a built-in noise-canceling microphone to take Siri commands or some sort of touchscreen game controller – like a standalone version of the iOS Remote app. With the FM Radio chip in the new Apple TV, Apple could theoretically include radio streaming support.

On the other hand, there is a lot of evidence that Apple is working on its own TV set. The new rumors come, once again, from an Apple analyst Gene Munster. Munster just said at Business Insider’s IGNITION: Future of Media conference that Apple is going to launch a TV next year. Not a set-top box, a TV set. According to BI, “Munster is so sure an Apple TV set is coming that he told anyone in the audience who is thinking of buying a TV to wait, because Apple’s is going to be awesome.”

Here is what Munster thinks:

• Apple TV will be a full-fledged TV set, not an external gadget like the current Apple TV that you have to plug into your TV set.
• This is because Apple thinks people hate to plug in external gadgets.
• Apple TVs will come in a range of sizes, in contrast to most Apple products, which are one-size-fits-all. Part of Apple’s goal here will be to appeal to young Apple fanatics who can’t afford or don’t have room for a 50-inch flat screen.
• Apple’s TVs will be priced at TWICE the prevailing market price for a normal TV: $1,600, for example, for a TV of a similar size from another manufacturer that might cost $800.
• The magic of Apple’s TV will be seamless integration with your other Apple devices and service. The TV will come with a standard remote, but you’ll also be able to control it with your iPhone or iPad or via Siri. You’ll also be able to download console and other games, content, etc., from iTunes, the App Store, and iCloud.
• Apple’s TV will be the first TV that thinks the way you do. Instead of trying to remember what channel is ESPN is on, for example, you’ll just fire up (or say) “ESPN.”
• You’ll still have to have a cable subscription and cable box because Apple doesn’t have enough content otherwise. But the only thing you’ll have to do is screw the co-ax cable into the back of the TV set.
• Apple will launch its TVs for the holiday season next year.

There is no doubt Apple is working on its own TV set but the 2012 release seems highly unlikely. Most probably, Apple will release an updated Apple TV box (Apple TV 3?) sometime next year, and we will not see the Apple-branded TV until 2013, maybe even 2014.

You may also want to read:
Sony CEO: No doubt that Steve Jobs was developing an Apple TV set
Bluetooth coming to Apple TV 2 with iOS 5
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 4.4.3 with Seas0nPass – Tethered
Giveaway: aTV Flash (black) for 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!

Movie trailers have always been sort of a side hobby for Apple. Now this hobby seems to be getting some attention, as Apple has released an app specifically for movie trailers.

When you first open iTunes Movie Trailers on either your iPhone or iPad, you’ll find the trailer layout very similar to the Apple TV’s graphic-based layout. Here you can scroll and search based on movie art, or simply search for whatever trailer you are looking to watch and then watch it on your device or on your TV, through AirPlay.

A nice calendar feature is included with this app. From here, you can see all upcoming theater releases, along with past releases. I can easily see movies that were released many months ago, and check movies that are expected in the somewhat-distant future (The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises are slated to hit theaters July of next year, for example).

Read the full review on Whatsoniphone.com

You may also want to read:
Real Racing 2 HD First to Support Wireless Gaming over AirPlay on Apple TV 2
AirPlay-Enabled Apps: Air Video (review)
AirPlay-Enabled Apps: Web Browser, Camera and Videos for Apple TV, TVOut Genie! (review)

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!

Original Apple TV got a lot of love yesterday. Soon after App Dynamic released Remote HD plugin 5.0 for the 1^st generation Apple TV, Firecore announced the release of aTV Flash version 4.4 for your original shiny box of joy. Apart from the support for the new Remote HD features (iOS 5 AirPlay streaming, support for playing DRM protected media, support for doubleTwist + AirTwist add-on), the new update includes support for Mac OS X Lion and NFS file streaming.

What’s new in aTV Flash 4.4?

• Added support for Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
• Added NFS file streaming (Lion compatible)
• Remote HD: Added support for iOS 5 AirPlay streaming
• Remote HD: Added support for playing DRM protected media from iOS devices and iTunes via AirPlay
• Remote HD: Added support for doubleTwist + AirTwist add-on (AirPlay from Android devices)
• Remote HD: Added supports enhanced slideshows with music when streaming via AirPlay
• Updated metadata scrapers
• Resolved VPN setup issues
• Other miscellaneous fixes

Full details on setting up NFS streaming from Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) can be found here.

aTV Flash version 4.4 is available through the Downloads tab in your account. If you’re already running aTV Flash on your AppleTV you can update through the Maintenance –> Manage Plugins menu.

You may also want to read:
Remote HD 5.0 plugin keeps old Apple TV kicking with iOS 5 support
Installing and Configuring a FTP Server in Your Apple TV 1st Generation
aTV Flash (black) RC1 for Apple TV 2 Now Available

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!

App Dynamic, the company that brought AirPlay to the 1st generation Apple TV, has just released Remote HD plugin 5.0 featuring an all new AirPlay upgrade. The 5.0 plugin breathes new life back into your old Apple TV with iOS 5 and iTunes DRM-encrypted video support. The update does not include mirroring or HTTP live streaming over AirPlay.

What’s new in Remote HD’s 5.0 plugin:

• Added support for iOS 5
• Plays DRM protected Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Trailers, Music from iOS devices or iTunes on Mac/PC
• Added support for doubleTwist+AirTwist add-on; AirPlay from Android
• Optimizations for iPhone 4S added
• Support enhanced slideshows with music
• Added support for Camera for Apple TV iOS app
• Fixed iPhone 3GS photo-orientation bug

You can download the new Remote HD 5.0 plugin from here.

Here is how to install it on your old Apple TV:

1. If you are not using the latest Apple TV Software (version 3.0.2), update the Apple TV software from Settings > General > Update Software.

2. Unlock your Apple TV using opensource atvusb-creator. Step by step instructions can be found here and here.

3. Connect to your Apple TV using your preferred SSH client:

Host: appletv.local
Username: frontrow
Password: frontrow

Recommended SSH clients are:
OS X: Use the buit-in SSH command line client using Terminal.app
Windows: Putty

Here’s an example of how to connect to the Apple TV using Terminal.app on OS X:
ssh frontrow@appletv.local
Password: frontrow

4. Once connected, run these 3 commands one by one.

These 3 commands will download, uncompress, install/upgrade Remote HD plugin and restart the Apple TV interface.

scp ssh.remotehd.com:RemoteHelper.tar RemoteHelper.tar;
tar xvf RemoteHelper.tar;
./install-RemoteHelper

“frontrow” is the default password.

If prompted with a security prompt to confirm connecting, type in yes.

Thats it, you’re done! Now grab your device and have Remote HD scan for available connections. Your Apple TV should show up in the list of available WiFi-connections – just tap to connect!

The default password is empty.

Head over to the App Store and purchase a copy of Remote HD iOS app to activate the plugin.

Existing Remote HD users get all this for free.

For more information, visit Remote HD website.

You may also want to read:
AirPlay Streaming Hacked into the Old Apple TV
AirPlay Implementation on the Old Apple TV is Now Complete
AirServer 3.0 brings AirPlay to your Mac

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 finally released aTV Flash (black) Release Candidate 1 for the Apple TV 2. RC1 adds a number of new features including a brand new ‘grid view’ browsing mode (allows you to browse through media by simply viewing a grid of posters, instead of a list), huge subtitle related improvements, support for Apple TV 4.4 (iOS 5), and other performance and playback related improvements.

Here is the complete list of new features and improvements:

• Added grid view and pre-playback view options
• Added bulk metadata fetching with growl-like status
• Added fetched names in list view
• Added hardware decoding for .m2ts files
• Added support for embedded subtitles (MKV, M4V, etc…)
• Added support for ISO (DVD) files
• Added TV Show metadata fetching
• Added metadata correction for Movies and TV Shows
• Added movie title in Top Shelf (instead of filename)
• Added DSI ping for better operation with AFP shares
• Added folder tagging
• Added metadata view indicator
• Added support for metadata overriding using xml files
• Added DVD menu buffering
• Added support for subtitles with invalid timestamps
• Added support for AppleTV 4.4 (iOS 5)
• Added subtitle ‘Weight’ setting
• Added option to show/hide local files
• Improved data buffering and playback performance
• Improved XSUB subtitle support
• Improved network error handling
• Improved filename parsing for metadata fetching
• Improved NAS drives support and increased connection timeout
• Improved video loading process
• Improved DVD menu handling
• Improved playback position detection
• Improved memory footprint
• Improved SMB share handling
• Resolved DVD subtitle issues
• Resolved Voiceover related issues
• Resolved audio synchronization issues
• Resolved problems when streaming from an AirPort Extreme
• Resolved AFP related issue when resuming after a long pause
• Resolved issues that caused the first subtitle section to be skipped
• Resolved performance and crash related issues for certain DVD files
• Resolved audio playback issues when the connection to Last.fm fails
• Resolved potential issues in shares handling and filename processing
• Resolved AFP related crashes
• Resolved .dvdmedia extensions and folder images not hiding
• Resolved floating crash during metadata fetching
• Resolved various cloud backup issues
• Many other miscellaneous fixes

RC1 is available through the Downloads tab in your account. If you’re already running aTV Flash (black) on your Apple TV all the new features can be installed through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

Note: Installing RC1 requires Apple TV 4.2 or later.

You may also want to read:
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered
Media Player 0.9.1 for Apple TV 2 Released
aTV Flash (black) Beta6 for Apple TV 2 Now Available

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!

This week in “Apple TV News from the Web”:

1. Siri on Apple TV?
2. Real Racing 2 AirPlay and Party Play
3. Coming to Apple TV – iTunes Match
4. Movie streaming

We are open for submissions: if you find anything related to Apple TV and you think it may fit here, send us a tweet or a Facebook comment and we’ll post it the coming week.

—————-

1. Siri on Apple TV?

Now here’s an interesting idea, the intelligent personal assistant from iPhone 4S, Siri, could be integrated in your Apple TV. It would be amazing for us to get away from the remote controllers and finally use this great assistant. In the near future, we will be able to simply talk to our TVs, let’s hope they will talk back.

9to5mac, Is Siri coming to your television

2. Real Racing 2 Airplay and Party Play

Real Racing 2 comes with an amazing update, like AirPlay with the Party Play mode. They also fixed the bugs and increased the memory optimizations. The popular car racing game from Firemint will definitely take advantage of the new iOS 5 and iPhone 4S/iPad 2 so you can enjoy a great performance.

Firemint, Party Play Update

3. Coming soon to Apple TV – iTunes Match

Apple is bringing another great feature to the owners of little black boxes. If you will subscribe to soon-to-be-released  iTunes Match, you will be able to access your entire music collection from iCloud — including songs you’ve imported from CDs or bought somewhere other than iTunes — right from your Apple TV. The service will be $24.99 a year.

iTunes Match has a scan-and-match feature — all the songs in your iTunes library are scanned and then matched with those available on the iTunes Store. Matched songs are instantly added to your iCloud library with no uploading needed. Any remaining songs are automatically uploaded from your computer to iCloud.

4. Movie streaming

Apple could be streaming movies on iTunes Store, in fact, they are negotiating with the film studios to make this happen. Imagine that in the near future you can stream movies or TV shows to your favorite devices from Apple with transferring them. You don’t have to search for films that can be played only with an iOS device. In the future we may have a simple solution for this.

TUAW, Apple negotiating for streaming movies on iTunes Store

You may also want to read:
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 5 (Apple TV 4.4) Using Seas0nPass – Tethered
Apple TV 2 Software Update 4.4.1 – Released and Pulled (Updated)
AirServer 3.0 brings AirPlay to your Mac (Updated: 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 just updated Seas0nPass to support a TETHERED jailbreak of the new Apple TV 4.4 (iOS 5) software (also supported is the 4.4.1 update). A tethered jailbreak means every time there is a need to reboot your Apple TV, you will have to connect it to a computer. The new Seas0nPas doesn’t support XBMC, Plex, Remote HD and Rowmote plugins yet, so think twice before deciding to upgrade to 4.4 and run the jailbreak.

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!

Your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have been generously updated by Apple with over 200 new features yesterday, and the Cupertino-based company didn’t forget about its “hobby device”. Apple released the Apple TV 4.4 software update, which adds Photo Stream, AirPlay mirroring, NHL live games, Wall Street Journal news, support for subtitles in Netflix, new movie trailers section and some new slideshow themes.

With Photo Stream in iCloud, your last 1000 photos automatically appear in a special Photo Stream album on your Apple TV 2.  No matter which device you used to take the picture. No syncing. No sending. iCloud’s Photo Stream service automatically uploads the photos you take or import on any of your devices and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices and computers.

AirPlay mirroring lets you wirelessly stream what’s on your iPad 2 or iPhone 4S to your HDTV. It lets you to mirror every app to the big screen, including web browsers and games.

Other new features:

• National Hockey League: watch live games. View highlights, scores, and more.
• Wall Street Journal: watch up-to-date news, business commentary, and financial analysis from leading experts.
• New Slideshow themes: enjoy your photos on your HDTV with new slideshow themes: Photo Wall, Flip-up, Shifting Tiles.
• Netflix: added support for subtitles when available.
• Trailers: browse and view hundreds of the latest theatrical trailers

As always – don’t update to 4.4 if you don’t want to lose your jailbreak. @nitoTV and @firecore are already working hard on the new jailbreak. We’ll have a tutorial on how to jailbreak your Apple TV on firmware 4.4 as soon as the new jailbreak is out.

Our readers report that Apple is still signing the 4.3 software, which means that if you didn’t update and your atv is still running 4.3, you can jailbreak it using SeasOnPass 0.7.7 or sn0wbreeze.

You may also want to read:
AirPlay Mirroring Coming to iPhone 4S
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 or iOS 5 Beta with Seas0nPass 0.7.7 (untethered)
How to Jailbreak Apple TV 2 on iOS 4.3 with sn0wbreeze (untethered)

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. The software has just been updated to version 3.0, which comes with a new built-in video players and enhanced iOS 5 and Lion support. AirServer has now the ability to stream slideshows with visual effects and music intact via AirPlay.

Here is the full list of new features and changes:

• Re-engineered support for iOS 5
• New iOS 5 playlist support
• New built-in video, photo and slideshow players for Lion
• New built-in photo and slideshow players
• Slideshow player supports visual effects and music
• Multiple displays, mouse gestures and keyboard support on Lion
• Fullscreen mode with Plex and XBMC in the background
• Support for both fullscreen and windowed mode
• Audio password protection
• Automatic rebroadcasting on overloaded networks
• Automatic relaunching after crashes

• Audio streaming crash fixes
• Wake on demand (with display) now supported on Lion
• Prevent Mac from going to sleep when streaming videos, music or photos
• Prevent Screensaver from going off when photo or video streaming is in progress
• Fixed cursor issues after playback finishes
• Fixed Dual-mode AirPlay for iOS 5

You can purchase AirServer through PayPal ($7.99; Mac only) or get it from Cydia (iPhone/iPad; $4.99).

UPDATE: We are giving away 10 free licenses for AirServer 3.0 for Mac. Join us on Facebook or follow on Twitter and retweet the contest message for your chance to win. The winners will be announced on Friday, October 21st.

You may also want to read:
AirPlay Mirroring Coming to iPhone 4S
Remote HD now supports Apple TV 2 (updated)
AirPlay Streaming Hacked into the Old Apple TV (updated: 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!