Making AppleTV set a default source on startup?

[cstromme]

I went out and bought the 40G AppleTV on Friday, and to make things as easy as possible for my girlfriend I want it to default to a different source than the AppleTV itself, since the drive is too small to host all my tv-shows and movies. Is there any way to set this so that it defaults to my Mac Mini instead of having to go through the Sources menu each time it starts up?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

No software method. If you choose the mini in sources and then never turn it (the mini) off, the TV seems to maintain the connection to that source. However, if the mini does get turned off (power outage) or your network router loses power (power outage), TV will switch back to its own "local" (40gb hard drive in your case) source.

Show her how to recognize that it is not in the ideal "source" (which is simply noting the name at the top of the TV on screen navigation). Then, show her how to change sources (it's pretty easy).

But, to get as close to what you want as possible, buy some battery backup for your mini and router and leave them on 24/7.

 

[cstromme]

My router and Mini is actually connected to a UPS, the problem lays with the AppleTV.

I was hoping there was some plist or something I could edit.

 

[imlucid]

My router and Mini is actually connected to a UPS, the problem lays with the AppleTV.

I was hoping there was some plist or something I could edit.

No, it the Apple TV will always boot into the local source.

Kevin

 

[whistler72]

I see that sometimes it changes sources by itself. Kinda frustrating.

 

[sandman42]

No software method. If you choose the mini in sources and then never turn it (the mini) off, the TV seems to maintain the connection to that source. However, if the mini does get turned off (power outage) or your network router loses power (power outage), TV will switch back to its own "local" (40gb hard drive in your case) source.

I see that sometimes it changes sources by itself. Kinda frustrating.

In addition to the source computer having to be on all the time, iTunes has to be running on that computer all the time too. If you quit or re-start iTunes on the source computer, the TV will revert to its HD as the source, and won't automatically re-connect to the streamed library once it's available again -- you'll have to re-select it from the Sources menu when you go to use the TV again.

In fact, if your source computer so much as goes to sleep it will bump you off. The TV has to have continuous access to the streamed library or it will switch to its own HD as the source.

 

[cstromme]

^ I actually experienced that twice already.

There must be some way to make it change source via the console? If so then it should be fairly easy to write a script that does it automatically.