Downgrading an AppleTV 2?

[EvilRob]

From reading elsewhere, it looks like the AppleTV 2 upgrade will break the sources feature (where you can set a remote library as the default), forcing you to click an extra button in the My Movies or whatever section each time to get to remote iTunes libraries.

As crashingly stupid as that is, it raises the question: Has anyone heard if there's an option to remove the upgrade if it breaks something you care about?

 

[pilotError]

There's plenty of images floating around as well as instructions on the hacking sites to make your own. You could just create a disk image and keep it somewhere.

 

[eeboarder]

From reading elsewhere, it looks like the AppleTV 2 upgrade will break the sources feature (where you can set a remote library as the default), forcing you to click an extra button in the My Movies or whatever section each time to get to remote iTunes libraries.

As crashingly stupid as that is, it raises the question: Has anyone heard if there's an option to remove the upgrade if it breaks something you care about?

There should be a restore option in the settings. If it restores to AppleTV 2, you'll have to edit the drive's restore partition:

http://forum.awkwardtv.org/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=839&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

I did this successfully to v1.0 so I could mod the AppleTV. Follow it word for word.

 

[imlucid]

From reading elsewhere, it looks like the AppleTV 2 upgrade will break the sources feature (where you can set a remote library as the default), forcing you to click an extra button in the My Movies or whatever section each time to get to remote iTunes libraries.

In 1.0/1.1 you can't set a remote library as the default, you basically switch to the remote library and you see its contents in the main menu. To see your local content, you need to go back to sources and switch back to tv.

This would not survive a reboot.

In 2.0, you don't have to switch your context completely. You basically either pick "My Movies" or "Shared Movies".

You always have easy access to local or shared content from the main menu.

Kevin

 

[EvilRob]

In 1.0/1.1 you can't set a remote library as the default, you basically switch to the remote library and you see its contents in the main menu.

Yes, and that is a very desirable feature I want to preserve.

The use case is one or more TV units, with a central iTunes library, and no local content on any of them. The way the original TV software handled this was subtle, but perfect. One the remote library is set, the user turns on the TV and it shows them movies they can watch.

If the 2.0 upgrade forces users to choose the remote source every time they want to watch a movie from a remote library, then it is a step backwards from the 1.x interface, and some way to force a downgrade will be necessary. Now the user turns on the TV and it shows them another menu they must fight through every time. This is not gramma-friendly.

 

[mensrea]

This is actually my biggest concern about the upgrade. I'm not so much concerned about the # of clicks, but the need to constantly reconnect to my media. My music library is massive (23k songs and counting) and I'm working on getting all of my DVD's converted. Even on my N network it takes a good 2-5 minutes for my ATV to load all of this.

But as others have pointed out, once it's done, its done (unless I manually change the source or there's a reboot).

The question I have is will I have to 'reconnect' each time I choose shared media? If so it'll be fairly nightmarish for me. If it will stay connected and monitor my shared lib. then wonderful, that makes sense; if not, I'll be reluctant to dive into "take 2."

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Also Kevin, (1) will we get audiobooks this time and (2) will the ATV finally alow me to sort media by date added etc. or act like an iPod and mirror the last sort in on my system (ie if I sort a playlist on my PC by date added and sync my iPods will mirrior, but ATV insists on alpha no matter what.) ??

 

[imlucid]

Also Kevin, (1) will we get audiobooks this time and (2) will the ATV finally alow me to sort media by date added etc. or act like an iPod and mirror the last sort in on my system (ie if I sort a playlist on my PC by date added and sync my iPods will mirrior, but ATV insists on alpha no matter what.) ??

Not sure.

Kevin

 

[mensrea]

Not sure.

Kevin

Thanks for responding.

How about the first part? Always connected or connect each time shared resorces are selected?

 

[imlucid]

Thanks for responding.

How about the first part? Always connected or connect each time shared resorces are selected?

You connect each time, but it should be only to that subset of the library, so hopefully faster.

Kevin

 

[mensrea]

Awww! Bummer. Thanks for the info, guess I'll have to decide if the inconvenience is worth the improvements. As both my music and video collections grow, that subset distinction won't matter much. Today they are about 250 gbs; my movies alone will double that by the time I'm done ripping. Given your connections, maybe you can put a bee in someone's bonnet that reconnecting all the time might not be the best solution going forward. If I've got a terabyte on the device then no prob.

[Will we ever get native support for an external HDD on that USB port?]

Maybe I'll just buy a new one and leave this one untouched. But it was my intent to wait for a true 2g device which I expect to have DVR functionality/HD optical/terabyte (though I understand a drive is unlikely).

Guess I'll have to decide in a few days/weeks. Do we have something like a firm date yet?

Thanks again for the great info! You're a great resource and a appreciate you taking the time.

 

[theBB]

(2) will the ATV finally alow me to sort media by date added etc. or act like an iPod and mirror the last sort in on my system (ie if I sort a playlist on my PC by date added and sync my iPods will mirrior, but ATV insists on alpha no matter what.) ??

In my AppleTV v1.1, I believe my songs in my playlists are listed according to the sort parameter I have last used on my computer. However, it insists on displaying them in the ascending order, so if I list my songs according to date added on the computer so the most recent addition is on top, AppleTV will display the earliest added item on top.

 

[imlucid]

[Will we ever get native support for an external HDD on that USB port?]Guess I'll have to decide in a few days/weeks. Do we have something like a firm date yet?

Thanks again for the great info! You're a great resource and a appreciate you taking the time.

Steve said two weeks, I don't believe Apple has made anything more official than that.

Your welcome, hope I can be of help.

Kevin

 

[mensrea]

In 1.0/1.1 you can't set a remote library as the default, you basically switch to the remote library and you see its contents in the main menu. To see your local content, you need to go back to sources and switch back to tv.

This would not survive a reboot.

In 2.0, you don't have to switch your context completely. You basically either pick "My Movies" or "Shared Movies".

You always have easy access to local or shared content from the main menu.

Kevin

Awww! Bummer. Thanks for the info, guess I'll have to decide if the inconvenience is worth the improvements. As both my music and video collections grow, that subset distinction won't matter much. Today they are about 250 gbs; my movies alone will double that by the time I'm done ripping. Given your connections, maybe you can put a bee in someone's bonnet that reconnecting all the time might not be the best solution going forward. If I've got a terabyte on the device then no prob.

People were asking you what changes were made Kevin, and unless I miss my guess this must be one of them based upon your initial answer to my query and what I see today.

Since they are all combined and I do not have to connect all the time as I feared, I'm guessing my request did not fall on deaf ears. If so, thank you so much!!!!

I will be buying two more now!!!