ATV - possible to play .avi?

[h2009]

I've got loads of .avi and wmp files on my laptop - at the moment im using a pc to stream it to my tv - but could i replace this with ATV?

 

[Cave Man]

Not out of the box. Even if you managed to install the codecs on the ATV, iTunes would not accept the files, let alone sync/stream them to the ATV.

 

[SouthernMac]

You would have to hack it. This requires a little knowledge of SSH and Terminal commands. Check out these sites:

http://www.appletvhacks.net/

You said you have a pc right now, so this would be your best solutions it seems:
http://atv4windows.com/

 

[kolax]

You'll need to convert them to .mp4 files.

Benefit is you will be able to tag them with descriptions and artwork.

 

[DarkHeraldMage]

It's a lengthy process, but I agree with the convert/tag/import to iTunes suggestion. I'm still in the process of finishing it now, but I can't even begin to describe how satisfying it is to open iTunes and see a beautiful array of movies and TV shows, only to be superseded by the glory that is turning on my Apple TV. *heavenly chorus*

 

[chas0001]

Either hack the AppleTV and install ATVFiles, like I have done, or convert them to mp4. A good conversion program, if you are using a Mac, is Visualhub