If you are one of our faithful fans who have XBMC Eden (11.0) installed on your jailbroken Apple TV 1, Apple TV 2, or any other device for that matter, we have some exciting news for you: the development team over at xbmc.org has been hard at work, this past month, preparing to release the latest iteration of their multimedia center software known only as Frodo (12.0). This update comes complete with a great deal of improvements, bug fixes, and extended hardware support. The real question is what will this mean for us Apple TV junkies. Well, this new build offers:

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine (OSX/iOS not yet available)
• Live TV and PVR support
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accomodate numerous additional image types and more interesting and complex skins
• Support for the Raspberry PI
• Initial support for the Android platform
• Improved AirPlay support across all platforms, including AirPlay audio in XBMC for Windows to match the other platforms
• Improved controller support in Windows and Linux
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Video library tags to complement movie sets
• Advanced UPnP sharing
• Default video languages now match the language being used by XBMC
• Translations now powered by Transifex

For you Apple TV fans, one of the biggest adjustments is the extended support for H.D. audio. This latest builds helps enable you to make the most of the audio capabilities that the Apple TV has to offer. Aside from these listed improvements, you will see many changes under the hood. Some of these are great to see, others are a bit frustrating. One of the more exciting features, to me, is the inclusion of something known as skin.widgets. This tool makes skinning a much better experience. If you want to get a real idea of what this means for skins in Frodo, look no further than SiO2 by a developer named fastcolors. This skin is designed with you in mind.

Read also:How to change skins in XBMC on Apple TV

In contrast, one of the frustrating items is the fact that we lose the use of last.FM playback in this latest build. They explained this on their blog, at xbmc.org, as something that was unavoidable do to the changes in the coding, but it is missed none the less. It is also worth noting that there are quite a few add-ons/skins that are not currently supported in Frodo. Usually, this is not a problem as developers can easily make changes to get their add-ons/skins working in the latest XBMC build. Sadly, there are quite a few devs, of some well known add-ons/skins, that are no longer actively keeping their items up to date. This means that we may lose some of our favorite add-ons/skins in the upgrade. Time will tell.

All in all. It is worth the update. As a rule, we should always upgrade as it only improves the overall experience. If an add-on, or skin, is missed enough, someone will get it working again!

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If a jailbroken Apple TV loaded with XBMC 11.0 “Eden” was not enough for you, we have some great news. XBMC has just released their first public BETA of XBMC 12.0 “Frodo”. The team has been hard at work pushing out one of their fastest, and most feature-rich, upgrades in history. As of the release of Eden, XBMC’s current stable build that is likely installed on all of your Apple TV’s, the team promised the beginning of a new monthly building plan that would hopefully expedite the process of fixing bugs and updated releases. As of this week, it would appear that this plan has, in fact, worked.

For those of you who have been following XBMC you will notice that the naming paradigm has shifted with this release. Up to now, XBMC has named all of their releases according fantastical points on the map, either real or imagined, such as Camelot, Babylon, and Eden. With the release of 12.0, now in the “F” category, the team did something special in naming it FRODO. Where I initially thought the name was chosen to pay homage to one of my favorite literary characters from a ‘certain collection’ of stories, I was surprised to learn that it was actually intended to honor a team member. I will let them explain:

Ten years ago, an individual with the username Frodo joined the Xbox Media Player team, bringing along his open source software project called YAMP. With the addition of Frodo’s project the three founders, Frodo, d7o3g4q, and RUNTiME, released the first non-beta version of the Xbox Media Player – XBMP 2.0 – as open source software. Frodo then spearheaded the move from XBMP to the more feature rich XBMC, including acting as the primary author for the initial UI engine.

XBMC FRODO FEATURES (that ATV owners will enjoy):

• HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC Audio Engine
• Live TV and PVR support [this is awesome news!]
• h.264 10bit (aka Hi10P) video software decoding for anime
• 64bit support in OSX to match the 64bit support in Linux
• Improved image support, allowing the database to accommodate numerous image types
• Improved Airplay support across all platforms
• Advanced Filtering in the library
• Advanced UPnP sharing numerous JSON-RPC updates, including PVR support, optimizations, better conflict handling, and better webserver support by Montellese
• PVR timeshift support (if the backend supports timeshift)
• the CD ripper now works in the background thanks to Spiff
• panoramic photo panning support

PLEASE NOTE

In hopes to give you the best information possible, we felt it would be worth pointing out that, though this is exciting, this is a BETA release! This version has yet to be labeled STABLE for a reason. For many people these builds work out just fine, as XBMC is a fantastic team, but this can vary from machine to machine. So in the heart of full-disclosure, here are a few words of warning from XBMC Developers themselves:

Needless to say, this is beta software. You should absolutely expect problems to occasionally crop up. At present, we are anticipating a number of issues as we switch XBMC over from the Eden addon repository to a new Frodo repository, including partly broken skins and various scripting/scrapers errors. Please bear with us if these problems do crop up. Additionally, PVR users will not be able to switch channels via the channel up/down buttons using their remotes or CEC due to a slight change in the way PVR keymaps are being handled. We are aware of this issue and should have it fixed by Beta2.

For those of you who may be chomping at the bit to get a glimpse of the newest build, in action, on your Apple TV(1 or 2) simply check back with us shortly. We will be posting a complete guide on how to install Frodo on your Apple TV!

More news on FRODO from XBMC.ORG.

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Wondering how to watch live sport streaming on Apple TV? The answer is easy: XBMC, AirPlay, Mac/PC screen mirroring and, of course, native Apple TV sport apps. Finding football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, UFC, WWF, or anything else on your Apple TV can feel like and impossible task to anyone one who sits down and sees the limited options in Apple iOS interface, with its limited content partnerships. Though it looks bleak there is a very bright cloud to this quandary and that is the never-ending combination of features we can through at this magical little box.

XBMC

If you have read any of my other pieces, you already know that I am an XBMC fan-boy. XBMC is the best thing to happen to the Apple TV for many reasons, the least of which being its ability to stream live sports content. There are many addons that can be found at forums.xbmc.org to fill your gaming needs! Here is a list of the most popular, stable tools:

• SportsDevil

This is easily one of the more popular, and better-known, add-ons when it comes to sports and XBMC. This add-on is great because it works 95% of the time. I have only ever missed one college game with SportsDevil. This add-on is free and there is no charge for connecting to the streams it makes available.

Download SportsDevil addon (note: you’ll need to add the Max Mustermann repository to get SportsDevil working on your Apple TV.)

Read more about SportsDevil

• LiveTV

This is another great source for sporting content. The truth is, if you want to view a LIVE TV event… one of your best bets would be to view it via this Live TV add-on. With in this add-on you are able to choose different categories of TV, specifically Sports. You are then given a large list of links for currently streaming sports channels: ESPN, CBS, NBC, etc. And again… this add-on is free to use.

Download LiveTV addon

• Navi-X

Navi-X is one of the best tools, yet sometimes tricky to utilize. This add-on often has more links than any other source out there for LIVE streaming TV and specifically SPORTS. The trick is finding them. If you are unfamiliar with Navi-X you will simply want to use the search feature found on the main screen. Otherwise, often you can scroll through the MOST POPULAR OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS and you will see all of the Live Sports Streams posted on this page.

Download Navi-X addon

Check out this tutorial to learn how to install XBMC addons on Apple TV (1st and 2nd generation).

AirPlay

If XBMC is the best thing to happen to the apple TV, AirPlay is certainly the second best! Quite often you can find the game you want on apps that are available in the AppStore for you iOS device (iPhone, iPod, iPad). With these apps, or perhaps a webpage link, you are able to AirPlay content from your mobile device’s screen to your Apple TV, or even XBMC on your Apple TV, without skipping a beat.

• Justin.TV (iOS)

Justin.TV is a long time king of live sports streams. Though this app can be more hit and miss than its XBMC counterparts, it does often have what you are looking for. Simply download the app, search for the game, and choose the AirPlay option to through the video to your Apple TV.

• CBS SPORTS (iOS)

Get CBS Sports for iPhone! The app delivers comprehensive news, video and scores for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Golf, Tennis, NASCAR, College hoops and more. Follow your favorite team and sport, and catch up on the latest news, scores, stats and video highlights of the day. Plus, the app offers live streaming College Basketball and Football

• TO MANY TO COUNT (iOS)

To be fair, when it comes to the ability to AirPlay there is a limitless number of options that are available in the form of the AppStore apps. For this reason, here is a link to the AppStore offering all of the apps labeled “sports”.

• Android 

Though Android devices do not have the iOS5 feature of AirPlay built in, XBMC does! With this remote installed on your mobile device, you can send any “ONLINE” video content to your XBMC installation on your Apple TV. This is true AirPlay functionality with out the name, or the help of Apple.

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ITV has launched a new update of its ITV Player app for the iPhone and iPad, which will let users not only watch its stations live for the first time (ITV1 and ITV2 channels), it also has been updated to AirPlay directly to your Apple TV 2 or Apple TV 3.

Until now, the previous version of the ITV Player app only allowed viewers access to archive content or the ability to catch up on programmes after they were broadcast for seven days. So now being able to watch LIVE TV – over both Wifi and 3G – and also via AirPlay Mirroring, this has made this app brilliant.

There is a catch, though, not all devices support AirPlay Mirroring, only  iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and 3, and the app only works in the UK.

When I AirPlay mirrored this app to my 42” LED TV screen I was amazed at how brilliant it works. I was expecting maybe some drag or some interference from my iPad to my Apple TV, but there was none, it works seamlessly. For a free app to work so perfect on AirPlay, this is a must to download.

And since the ITV will be broadcasting EURO 2012 tournament, thanks to ITV Player app you will be able to watch EURO 2012 matches live on your Apple TV.

So have you tempted enough to go and download this app?  Well if you have, you can get it from here

iJ0rd8n

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We all know we can watch live sports online, but sometimes it’s a right mission to get to where you want to go or find a good link to watch live sports right on the Apple TV. Well, this is where SportsDevil, an XBMC addon, comes into its own!

SportsDevil gives you access to thousands of links for all the different kinds of sports. And I mean all! You will be shocked to see how many different varieties of sport that SportsDevil covers. It gives you several internet steaming sites to where you can view sporting events (it seems that it gets updated with new streaming sites every month or so).

There are 6 streaming sites with live sports at the moment which you can choose from, hopefully this list will get bigger to give you more and more options. Not every stream will work, but you normally have 10+ links per streaming of whatever sporting event you choose, and 1 of them will work for you! In my experience, SportsDevil really stands up to its name and I can’t go without this on my Apple TV 2.

List of supported sites:

• Live Sports
  • LiveTV.ru
  • FirstRowSports.eu
  • ChanFeed.com
  • LSHunter.tv
  • RojaDirecta.me
  • Coolsportz.de

• Highlights
  • Goalsarena.com
  • LiveTV.ru

• Blogs
  • Sport1.de (german)
  • Captain-Trikot.de (german)

• TV
  • LiveSportsOnWeb.com
  • Twww.tv
  • PutPat.tv
  • ShadowNet.ro
  • TVEmbed.eu
  • MyPremium.tv

List of supported streams.

Download

IMPORTANT: You’ll need to add the Max Mustermann repository to get SportsDevil working on your Apple TV.

Download SportsDevil addon

Installation
1. Go to addon browser
2. Install from zip or via repo by following this tutorial.

Enjoy!

Need more addons? Check out our list of Top 10 best XBMC addons for Apple TV 1 and Apple TV 2.

iJ0rd8n

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We at Apple TV Hacks have offered many guides that enable you to jailbreak your Apple TV, install XBMC, and even install addons, plugins and extras to your XBMC installation. So, now that we have given you the tools to increase the awesome of your little box, I figured it would only be fair to share with you what addons have proven to be the best of the best. So enough explanation… lets jump in to the good stuff.

Here is the list of 10 best XBMC addons for both 1st and 2nd generation Apple TV.

10.   IceLibrary

• Content Source:
  • Works in conjunction with the IceFilms addon
• Features:
  • Allows users to sync movies and television shows from the IceFilms add-on to their internal library
  • Offers the ability to refresh your library in intervals that you decide.
  • It offers filters so that you can scan for all movies released after a certain date… allowing to you have access to all movies released since 2003, should you desire to.
  • The possibilities are endless, making this one of my favorite add-ons.
• Download & Support:
  • IceLibrary Development and Releases come directly from xbmchub.com, via its development team. This add-ons has gone from a one man team, to a community driven project. You can download IceLibrary addon from here.

9.   HULU

• Content Source:
  • Hulu.com
• Features:
  • Access to all of Hulu’s website content
  • Access to all Hulu + content, for users who have signed up for the service.
  • This add-ons comes with the unique ability to add shows and movies, from Hulu, to your XBMC library. This enables you to do a lot of cool stuff!
  • Allows control of the amount of ads, or pre-roles, displayed.
• Download & Support:
  • HULU ADD-ON Development and Releases come directly from forum.xbmc.org, via its developer bluecop. This developer is known for having some AMAZING addons in his repos! You can download Hulu addon from here.

8.   Fast Pass TV

• Content Source:
  • Fastpasstv.ms.
• Features:
  • Though this add-on offers both television and movies. It is known for its movies.
  • Latest movie release are updated to FastPassTV at a rate that is second to none. If there is something you gotta see NOW(!) FastPassTV is a good way to go.
• Download & Support:
  • FastPassTv’s Development and Releases come directly from xbmchub.com, via its developer, who is also a developer for IceFilms. Its actual creator is always open to help with problems.Fast Pass TV addon from here.

7.   Live TV

• Content Source:
  • Combines live tv streams with a handful of 24 hour streams.
• Features:
  • Combines live tv streams with a handful of 24 hour streams of shows like Friends, King of Queens, and more.
  • 24 movie channels including Starz.
  • Live streaming sports
• Download & Support:
  • LiveTV’s Development and Releases come directly from forum.xbmc.org, via this add-ons developer. Its actual creator is always open to help and can be found either at xbmc.org or xbmchub.com. You can dowlnoad Live TV addon from here.

6.   Super TV

• Content Source:
  • Live TV Streams (think antenna TV)
• Features:
  • View live tv via your APPLE TV 1, 2, or 3
  • You can mark channels as broken so that the developer can fix streams if they go down.
  • Live streaming sports
• Download & Support:
  • SuperTV’s Development and Releases come directly from supercloudtv.com, via this add-ons development team. You can download Super TV addon from here.

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It’s been a few days since this hack came out, but there is a chance you’ve missed it focused on your Thanksgiving and Black Friday activities: a jailbreak app called AirVideoEnabler can push out video from any iOS app (including Safari) to the Apple TV 2G via AirPlay. Developed by TUAW commenter Zone-MR, the app runs on every jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iOS 4.2 (or greater) installed and can be downloaded from Cydia for free. According to Lifehacker, you may need to restart your iOS device for the hack to work, but then you can stream supported video (meaning most MPEG4/H.264 files) from any app that supports video out. Users report that thanks to AirVideoEnabler they were also able to stream live TV to the Apple TV via AirPlay.

Here is the AirVideoEnabler in action

And here is live TV being streamed from FilmOn.com app running on the iPad

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