Quick question - a little unclear on Boxee

[angemon89]

Does boxee allow streaming of .avi files from my Mac?

I'm looking to get an ATV to stream my .avi files from my Mac to my TV. I have lots and lots of .avi files so converting is not an option. It's all TV shows that I haven't had the time to watch.

 

[SilentPanda]

I can't say 100% but I'm pretty sure you can. You can download Boxee for the Mac and try streaming from one of your Mac's to the other before purchasing an Apple TV.

 

[kadeschs]

Yes, you can stream avi files to your ATV with Boxee. You set up a share in Boxee to the directory location of your files on the Mac. Using the hack to get Boxee installed on ATV in the first place (NitoTV) also allows you to stream avi files without the use of Boxee as well. You just need the Perian plug-in installed for the additional codec support.

 

[mfillhart]

I use both boxee and nito tv. nitotv is good for adding support to use a usb drive hooked up to the appletv, once that's done, I use boxee to access everything from that

 

[kadeschs]

I use both boxee and nito tv. nitotv is good for adding support to use a usb drive hooked up to the appletv, once that's done, I use boxee to access everything from that

Good tip. What version of ATV are you on? I understand 2.3.1 has issues with this. I pretty much use Sapphire to watch all my content. Too cumbersome to switch back and forth from ATV and Boxee. Boxee is great for Hulu, Pandora, etc. Working right now on getting Flash support in Firefox on ATV. Not much luck so far.

 

[angemon89]

NitoTV sounds like what I need. If I install NitoTV, I will be able to watch my .avi content from the TV interface, right?

Do I need Boxee/XBMC to install NitoTV?

And finally, how do I install NitoTV?

 

[kadeschs]

NitoTV sounds like what I need. If I install NitoTV, I will be able to watch my .avi content from the TV interface, right?

Do I need Boxee/XBMC to install NitoTV?

And finally, how do I install NitoTV?

Yes. Using a special USB patchstick, you can install NitoTV and thereby allowing the installation of Perian for codecs such as avi to be streamed. Google for the patchstick.

No, NitoTV is a separate install. Boxee/XBMC are completely separate.

You can also wrap any avi file into a mov container and import into iTunes. No re-encoding necessary. MPEG Streamclip software is great for doing just this. As I'm sure that you are aware, iTunes allows for streaming of any its imported mp4 or mov files.

 

[tom1971]

NitoTV sounds like what I need. If I install NitoTV, I will be able to watch my .avi content from the TV interface, right?

Do I need Boxee/XBMC to install NitoTV?

And finally, how do I install NitoTV?

It might be another option for you to attach an external HD and play your files with ATVFiles.
nitoTV is complex, complicated and not user friendly.

 

[angemon89]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I think I'm just going to pick up an TV, try all the different options, and see which works best for me.

 

[mfillhart]

Good tip. What version of ATV are you on? I understand 2.3.1 has issues with this. I pretty much use Sapphire to watch all my content. Too cumbersome to switch back and forth from ATV and Boxee. Boxee is great for Hulu, Pandora, etc. Working right now on getting Flash support in Firefox on ATV. Not much luck so far.

I am on 2.3.1 and haven't had any issues other than a few restarts but that only happened after it was idle for about a week. works great though

 

[kadeschs]

I am on 2.3.1 and haven't had any issues other than a few restarts but that only happened after it was idle for about a week. works great though

That's great news! I'm thinking of maybe implementing this rather than using a FreeNAS server. Can you access this drive remotely over the network through AppleTV or do you have to disconnect it and hook it up to a computer to add new content?

 

[mfillhart]

That's great news! I'm thinking of maybe implementing this rather than using a FreeNAS server. Can you access this drive remotely over the network through AppleTV or do you have to disconnect it and hook it up to a computer to add new content?

unfortunately, i have to unplug the drive each time that i want to load new content, haven't figured out a way to access them remotely. tried to ssh into the appletv, but it doesn't show the drives for some reason. its not that big of a deal i guess b/c i usually load new content once a week.