The folks at appletv3jailbreak.com have recently announced that they will be releasing the first Apple TV 3 jailbreak. For those of you who pay attention, it was not even a month ago that the jailbreak community was buzzing with word of the Dream JB that was set to be released in December of 2012. It was no shock to us, or others, that this news was FAKE! Apple TV Hacks reported on it then, and it seems we need to do it again now. So, boys and girls, it is time for Jailbreak Scam Watch 2013!

Let us go ahead and break this story down for you, our dear readers. This news is FAKE. There is a simple rule that I learned long ago, and I have decided to share it with you today, “if it looks to good to be true, it likely is.” There is always one thing to look for when it comes to jailbreak releases, regardless of the device. If you are looking for jailbreak news for Apple TV’s, iPhone’s, iPad’s, or any other devices you need to consider your sources.

The jailbreak community, in regards to developers and coders that work for the good of us all, has become a well-established group of trustworthy people. If you think about it, the name pod2g was not one that was big in our community for a long time. Then suddenly, and seemingly out of the blue, there was this developer breaking down walls with iOS 5. He did not release information by circumventing the established community. Instead, the folks who were in the game since the beginning acknowledged pod2g, and our community benefitted.

Be cautious. Be careful. Be skeptical. Above all – don’t pay for a jailbreak. In the end, if a real jailbreak for Apple TV 3 comes out, we here at Apple TV Hacks will have a confirmation story, links, and guides.

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

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FireCore released aTV Flash (black) 2.0 for the 2nd generation Apple TV. Version 2.0 adds a ton of new features “that make browsing and watching media on the Apple TV more enjoyable than ever.” aTV Flash (black) 2.0 adds new Library View, fully integrated search, trakt.tv syncing, Last.fm scrobbling and much more. Version 2.0 is a free update for all current aTV Flash (black) users.

Library View

The new Library View now indexes all your media (even if stored on multiple devices) and automatically organizes movies, TV shows and music into easy to use categories. TV shows will also be group by series/season automatically. The original file/folder based browsing will remain intact and working as an alternative option.

Fully integrated search

The new integrated search tool allows you to search by movie, TV series/episode, song, artist, album or filename. Just start typing and the results will start being displayed instantly.

Trakt.tv syncing

This is a great feature if you’re trying to keep multiple Apple TVs in sync, as if you watch a movie on the first device it will also appear as watched on the 2nd. Additionally, if you manually mark a movie or show as watched on trakt.tv, it will automatically get marked as watched on the Apple TV.

Last.fm scrobbling

Last.fm scrobbling allows you track music plays in your Last.fm profile.

Here is a full changelog for aTV Flash (black) 2.0:

• Added all-new Library View
• Added integrated media search
• Added trakt.tv 2-way syncing
• Added Last.fm scrobbling
• Added genre/artist based playlists
• Added Recently Added display option
• Improved handling of WTV files
• Improved handling of DVD audio tracks
• Improved AFP connections
• Improved filename recognition
• Improved subtitle handling
• Resolved various navigation issues
• Resolved rare DVD playback issues
• Resolved rare subtitles positioning issue
• Many other minor improvements and fixes

aTV Flash 2.0 doesn’t work on the 3rd gen Apple TV. According to FireCore and according to what we reported back in August, work is still ongoing on the Apple TV 3 jailbreak.

If you’re already running a version of aTV Flash (black), the new 2.0 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.

Here is a tutorial on how to install aTV Flash (black) on your jailbroken Apple TV 2.

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

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Amazon is selling the new 1080p Apple TV for $89.99 with free shipping. That’s the lowest price ever offered by Amazon for Apple TV 3.  Get the little hockey puck now, since this offer may not last long.

Although the jailbreak for Apple TV 3 is not available yet, the Apple TV community is working hard to bring it to you as soon as possible.

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

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Mountain Lion, a new version of Mac OS X that has been unveiled in February, is now available to download from the Mac App Store for $19.99. Mountain Lion comes with more than 200 new features including the all new Messages app, Game Center, Facebook integration, Notification Center, Power Nap Dictation and Gatekeeper. But the coolest feature of Mountain Lion is undoubtedly AirPlay Mirroring that lets you wirelessly send an up-to-1080p stream of what’s on your Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV 2 or Apple TV 3 or send audio to a receiver or speakers that use AirPlay.

With AirPlay Mirroring built into Mac OS, you are able to stream whatever is on your desktop – webpages, photos, videos, presentation – directly to your HDTV, with only one click on an AirPlay icon on the OS X menu bar.

Mountain Lion automatically detects an Apple TV when it’s on the same network and AirPlay icon simply appears in the menu bar. Mirroring sends up-to 1080p video stream with stereo audio. All information sent using AirPlay Mirroring uses encryption.

Game Center

Now that Mountain Lion also includes Game Center, and thanks to AirPlay Mirroring, your Mac becomes a game console! At this year’s WWDC Apple showed a very impressive demo of an iPad and a new MacBook Pro (yes, Game Center for Mac is cross-compatible with iOS) playing CSR Racing head-to-head, with the Mac streaming to a TV with little to no lag.

Apple TV set

PCMAG‘s Edward Mendelson believes AirPlay Mirroring built into Mac OS X could be another evidence that the Cupertino-based company will unveil its own television soon: “Apple of course didn’t say anything about the much-rumored Apple-branded television, but I somehow doubt that AirPlay Mirroring got into OS X only because Apple wanted to sell a few set-top boxes,” he said.

Download Mountain Lion [iTunes link].

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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!

FireCore has just updated its aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV to version 1.7, which, among other things, features seamless access to trakt.tv – a TV show and movie recommendation service that helps keep a record of what TV shows and movies you are watching. Trakt is different than other sites since it automatically keeps a record of what you are watching and don’t rely on manual check ins.

After login to trakt.tv on the Apple TV, your plays will be silently scrobbled back to trakt.tv where your watched history is stored. You’ll also have the option to rate movies and TV shows after you’ve watched them. FireCore is also working to bring support for 2 way sync and trakt.tv recommendations.

How to setup trakt.tv in aTV Flash (black):

• Through the Maintenance » Manage Extras menu, ensure the Media Player item is installed

• Navigate to the Media » Settings » General » trakt.tv menu

• Click login and enter your trakt.tv username and password when prompted

• That’s it! You’re all setup to use trakt.tv on your Apple TV.

Here is a full changelog for aTV Flash (Black) 1.7

• Added trakt.tv integration (scrobbling and ratings)
• Added localized movie poster art
• Added localized movie ratings
• Added AirControl (beta) – an open control API for Apple TV
• Added support for embedded DVB subtitles
• Added advanced read-ahead buffering for SMB and NFS shares
• Added Simplified Chinese translation
• Added ‘Update All’ option
• Added support for secure web logins
• Improved metadata fetching speed
• Improved video rotation detection for MOV files
• Improved support for YUVJ420 & YUVJ422 formats (used by digital cameras)
• Improved top-level menu layouts
• Resolved crash when accessing ISO files on certain shares
• Resolved potential streaming issues when using an unstable network
• Resolved AFP related memory management issues
• Other minor improvements & fixes

If you’re already running a version of aTV Flash (black), the new 1.7 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.

Here is a tutorial on how to install aTV Flash (black) on your jailbroken Apple TV 2.

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

Update: there seem to be some problems with Plex plugin:

A few users are reporting issues with Plex running on the 5.0+ software. The Plex plugin for Apple TV is quite outdated, and we recommend removing it before installing any updates. If you’re using Plex and are experiencing trouble a workaround can be found here please re-run the aTV Flash (black) installer.

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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!

IceFilms XBMC addon has been recently updated to version 1.1.12 that fixes minus.com resolver for metadata zips, adds ShareBees user login support (does not detect free user vs premium as of now), fixes JumboFile and ShareBees resolver for site changes, updates VidHog resolver to check for ‘server in maintenance mode’ msgs and disables ‘Video Seeking’ option (not needed for current sources and has been causing problems).

Note that you need a free account at ShareBees to be able to download their larger files.

You can download IceFilms addon from here and install it on your Apple TV by following this tutorial.

[image: HD420p]

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Amazon is offering the new 1080p Apple TV at $94.86 with free shipping. Get it now, since this offer may not last long.

Although the jailbreak for Apple TV 3 is not available yet, the Apple TV community is working hard to bring it to you as soon as possible.

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!

Chances are, you are aware of FireCore and their work with a product known as aTV Flash. As everyone scrambles to get the jailbreak set for the Apple TV 3, the FireCore team is still hard at work getting the Apple TV 2 software to the best it can possibly be. For those of you who have not yet jumped on board with FireCore, aTV Flash (black), recently updated to version 1.6, offers some great features and extras that you should know about.

Included Software

For me, the real magic offered with aTV Flash (black) is the software that is bundled and installable via their tools they add to your Apple TV Menu. This collection of software takes a (potentially) pointless little black box and turns into a powerhouse of entertainment! Some of the software included in version 1.6:

• Couch Surfer Pro

A Powerful Browser that enables you to surf the web and stream content from an endless supply of websites. For those who do not utilize the XBMC feature, this is your best chance to stream random video content from the web.

• Last.fm

This is a great iteration of the Last.fm system. Once installed you can simply log in and listen to your stations. As an added bonus, you are given the option to view scrolling photos related to the artists you are listening to. This gives the feel of a digital jukebox on your television.

• Maintenance

This is the location where you can install any, and all, of the extra software that is available in the aTV Flash software. With an easy interface you can navigate to each item and choose to install or uninstall. For those of you who have installed these items before, using SSH… you will see that they have really streamlined this process greatly.

• Media Player

The latest iteration of their Media Player is easily the best yet. With an endless list of formats for your audio and video you are able to stream anything and everything from your hard drive network drive to your ATV2. Seriously, if you own content that this system cannot play you need to throw it in the garbage and update your stuff! Current formats that are supported:

The Media Player is designed to work with your Network Media Services. If you have a NAS, another Apple TV that is sharing a library, or even a laptop with movies on it you can get them streaming to your ATV with little to no effort. Simply open the player and it will scan automatically for shared sources. As soon as they are found you can test the connection and then save it.

To make a good experience better, the team over at FireCore has taken a page for the XBMC playbook and given some great new view options for displaying your content. This makes the browsing experience that much more enjoyable! Truly a sit back, relax, and browse kind of setup.

• RSS Feeds

Simple and effective! I am not one to utilize RSS Feeds on my ATV, but if you are… you will like what you get. It is clean, and simple to understand.

• Weather

Weather is another simple little add-on, but it is very polished. The graphics and the interface as a whole are both fantastically pleasant on the eyes.

• nitoTV

This option holds a lot of extras that you can put into your Apple TV. There are to many great extras to get into them here… but if you have an Apple TV, you should have nitoTV installed.

• PLEX Client

And the goodies just keep on rolling! Yes folks, this is a PLEX Client. Now you can stream everything from your PLEX setup directly to the Apple TV. Making things even better… you have some great options on how to display the content.

Note: Plex client does work on Apple TV 5.0 (iOS 5.1) but it’s unreliable. Check out Plex forum for more details.

• Remote HD

Have you ever wanted to use your iPhone or iPsd to control your ATV2? Ever wanted to mirror your ATV2 to your phone or iPad wirelessly? Congratulations, Remote HD is a great feature that enables a host of new features and abilities between your iOS device. I will warn you though… once you get this feature set up, you may never go back.

Note: Remote HD doesn’t work on Apple TV 5.0. Remote HD has been updated for Apple TV 5.0.x compatibility.

• XBMC

The installation process of XBMC could not be made any easier. Simply click, install, and enjoy. I can get long winded regarding XBMC and its features so I would encourage you to check our other articles for more info regarding XBMC.

There is one new feature that FireCore has made a real point to share as a stand out feature of this release. With that in mind, I will let them tell you all about it:

Integrated Subtitle Downloads

By popular request we’ve added one-click subtitle downloads, courtesy of OpenSubtitles.org. Now instead of spending hours searching for the right subtitles they can be easily downloaded right from your Apple TV in a matter of seconds.

The Bad?

The title of this section is a bit misleading. In the end, I found nothing bad with this release. However, I had two “hick-ups” that I would be remiss to exclude them. In a total of two hours of use, I had the following issues:

• Repeated “Disconnected” error on my HDTV. This only happened after some time was spent in Couch Surfer. This eventually went away.

• Couch Surfer, though it is a fantastic piece of software, falls victim to the same issues I find in the PS3, and Boxee browsers. They all fall victim to the infamous POP UPS. Anytime I visited a streaming site that used POP UPS it would take over the browser and I could not find anyway to close those windows specifically.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you own an Apple TV 2 and you are not one who likes to mess with SSH, terminal Commands, or anything else that techy… THIS IS FOR YOU! This software makes it amazingly easy to install all of the tools you need to get the most out of your little black back!

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

We will be running a giveaway of aTV Flash (black) soon. Stay tuned! We are giving away 10 free copies of aTV Flash (black). Get it now!

Installation Process

FireCore could not have made the process of installing this software any easier! Once you have downloaded the aTV Flash 1.6 you will have two simple requirements:

1) Ensure that the Apple TV 2 is Jailbroken.

2) Ensure that the Apple TV 2 is plugged in.

Simply open the software package, once it is installed on your system, and locate your Apple TV form the drop down menu on the right. If you have multiple Apple TVs in your home, the devices will be listed with their IP address:

Once you have selected your device simply click continue. That is it. You will soon see a Completion Screen followed by your Apple TV rebooting. Once done you will want to start installing software.

umOuch (Andrew Brasher)

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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!

Apple announced yesterday at WWDC that Mountain Lion, a new version of Mac OS X that has been unveiled back in February, will be available in July for $19.99.  Mountain Lion introduces more than 200 features including the all new Messages app, Notification Center, Facebook integration, Dictation, Game Center, Gatekeeper and Power Nap. But the coolest feature of Mountain Lion is undoubtedly AirPlay Mirroring that lets you wirelessly send an up-to-1080p stream of what’s on your Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV 2  or Apple TV 3 or send audio to a receiver or speakers that use AirPlay.

With AirPlay Mirroring built into Mac OS, you will be able to stream whatever is on your desktop – webpages, photos, videos,  presentation – directly to your HDTV, with only one click on an AirPlay icon on the OS X menu bar.

Mountain Lion automatically detects an Apple TV when it’s on the same network and AirPlay icon simply appears in the menu bar. Mirroring sends up-to 1080p video stream with stereo audio. All information sent using AirPlay Mirroring uses encryption.

If you are dying to give AirPlay Mirroring a try and you don’t feel like waiting until July, you can check out AirParrot, an app that can bring AirPlay Mirroring to your Mac and Windows PC right now.

Game Center

Now that Mountain Lion also includes Game Center, and thanks to AirPlay Mirroring, your Mac becomes a game console! Apple showed  a very impressive demo yesterday of an iPad and a new MacBook Pro (yes, Game Center for Mac is cross-compatible with iOS) playing CSR Racing head-to-head, with the Mac streaming to a TV with little to no lag.

Apple TV set

PCMAG‘s Edward Mendelson believes AirPlay Mirroring built into Mac OS X could be another evidence that the Cupertino-based company will unveil its own television soon: “Apple of course didn’t say anything about the much-rumored Apple-branded television, but I somehow doubt that AirPlay Mirroring got into OS X only because Apple wanted to sell a few set-top boxes,” he said.

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 just released a minor software update 5.0.2 (9B830) for the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV. Apple’s support web page has not been updated but according to The Mac Observer, Apple TV 5.0.2 includes an Australia-specific issue with Parental Controls: the patch “addresses an issue which caused content restrictions to be incorrectly applied for the iTunes Store in Australia.” There are no new features added.

nitoTV tweeted that 5.0.2 firmware is still vulnerable to the pod2g’s untethered jailbreak for the Apple TV 2, so we can expect the updated version of FireCore’s Seas0nPass for Apple TV 5.0.2 soon. Seas0nPass has been updated for Apple TV 5.0.2. Still untethered.

According to ModMyi, the quiet nature of the software update “could prove essential to a bigger software release or product refresh coming out of WWDC next week.” BGR reported last week that Apple is planning to unveil a brand new version of the Apple TV operating system next week at WWDC. A “trusted source” has told BGR that the new OS will be much more feature-complete than the current Apple TV OS and that it’s apparently the one that the long rumored Apple TV set will run.

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber believes Apple will be announcing something big at this year’s WWDC and his guess is a new developer platform and apps for Apple TV.

Apple will kick off WWDC with its keynote presentation at 10 a.m. PST on June 11^TH .

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on the WWDC 2012.

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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!