[Darnun]

Man am I glad I found this thread. In the same position.
Looking at buying the ATV2 but want to ask a question first.
Is there a way I can do the following.
Install XBMC on to the ATV2, attach a 2TB drive to the ATV2 and then wirelessly copy new content from my mac (once I have downloaded it) over to the 2TB drive?
I currently have an Airport Extreme if that helps my cause in anyway?

:-)

[activate]

Yes, no and no.

This little unit is designed to be a streaming player only. The micro usb does not support external storage devices.

You will have to keep your content connected to your AEBS or a computer or any of the many other networked connections.

You are able to then stream your media by adding that location in XBMC.

[Darnun]

Ok So as long as my mac is on, the ATV2 will pick it all up from there wirelessly yes?

Whats AEBS? Sorry LOL

[activate]

Thats correct.

But..pls read the sticky about current support. http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=91581

AEBS = Airport Extreme Base Station.

[Darnun]

Thanks for the link mate. Will read fully later, when I am home. :-)

Just want to clarify 2 more things before I press the BUY button on Apple.....
I can attach my 2TB to my AEBS and wirelessly the ATV2 will see it and use it?
Also, ATV2 plays MKV files ok?

[activate]

Thats right.

I have had no probs with mkvs at all.

What you should be aware is that with a setup like this, the better your network, the more likely that your setup will match the current support status. As you experiment you will discover what works better with your setup. eg. It is always suggested that a wired setup is preferable. That said, a wireless may work as well, provided its reliable (n better than g etc.)

In my experience, connecting an external volume to the AEBS has resulted in inferior performance, though not everyone has reported this. My best results have been with the volume connected to my mac. There are of course even better options, nfs...etc.

[Darnun]

Hmmm Well the AEBS and mac is N wireless at least so I will give it a try. If not I can leave it attached to my mac.....just means the mac has to be on to use XBMC on the ATV2, which isn't the perfect setup but damn better than I have currently.

As for the MKVs, I have to currently convert to avi as the XBMC on the MAC won't play them, so it will save me lots of time now.

I think I have a buffalo Terrastation up in the loft somewhere but I hate those things.
OK have bought the ATV2. I am actually stupidly excited, how silly is that.? LOL

[Ned Scott]

AGAIN, that is not the current FAQ link. It's stickied up top that says "READ ME FIRST BEFORE POSTING"

Direct link: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=IOS_FAQ

[Ned Scott]

As for the MKVs, I have to currently convert to avi as the XBMC on the MAC won't play them, so it will save me lots of time now.

Do you mean to say that your Mac is too old to play the other format? Because I'm pretty sure XBMC for Mac OS X can play mkv's ;)

What Mac do you have? You might be a $40 upgrade away from playing 1080 everythings thanks to a little chip called Broadcom Crystal HD.

[Darnun]

Hi Ned, I have a mid 2009 24" iMac.
When I download mkvs and put them in to my TV Shows folder, XBMC doesn't download them at all. It's as though it doesn't see them. All the avi's come down fine though.?

[MarmiteOverlord]

I'm in the same boat as a few others here, considering buying an AppleTV and using XBMC. I have slightly different questions though

How does the AppleTV/XBMC handle playing .iso files? I currently have my DVD library stored on a NAS as iso files. I'd like to not have to encode my entire library if possible.

If the video output is always 720p does that mean standard definition sources are upscaled?

Do the move/tv show scrapers work with iso files?

Thanks!

[randywintle]

I just wanted to confirm for anyone curious:
I started downloading 720 h.264 to replace my 720 xvid files and have had a flawless experience with my ATV2 running XBMC.

My ATV2 is currently connected to my wireless N network via a cisco network extender, and I have a windows 7 PC with a file share wired to the core wireless router. The PC is doing about 10Mbs of network activity while playing a 720 h264 file, works GREAT.

The key: h264 like the FAQ Says

[noobnas]

Thank god i found this brilliant thread. I'm about to buy a NAS and a media player, but want to ask a couple of questions:-

1. I have several terabytes of movies - 720p, 1080p, dvd, divx etc - will i have to convert all of these to work on the apple tv?

2. Are there any drawbacks with owning the ATV2? i.e. Slow speeds over 100mbps LAN, compatibility issues etc?

3. Can anyone recommend a low power consumption NAS/DIY PC Build that works flawlessly with the Apple TV, i.e no stuttering etc?

4. Have the major xbmc issues for the ATV2 been fixed since some of these old posts dating back to last year?

[Ned Scott]

did you read the FAQ yet?

[Darnun]

Noobnas, I am not sure whether my issues are mac related but I have to stream my stuff from it to the ATV2 via the AFP protocol. Its pretty flaky and half my MKV HD files are stuttery but that could also be down to the encoding in the MKV. A lot of suggestions point towards making sure you get HD stuff as .h264 in order for them to work.

I have the very latest build of Eden and I am not having the best of time with it. Constantly kicks me out back to the ATV2 menu, some TV shows don't show up, some skins are juddery to use.
This is my personal experience of course and you will find many who absolutely love the ATV2 for XBMC. What I can say, is that XBMC is nice an interface that you will find yourself working hard to get things right.
I am soon to buy a new 3D LED TV which has the function to attach an external HD to it and stream that way. That's the way I will go I think.