Apple TV running on a Macbook
Apple TV OS can now run on a Macbook! AppleTVHacks.net was able to patch to the Apple TV Finder.app, and now has an operating Apple TV:
You can use your remote as normal, it shows up in iTunes on other computers:
Next you must copy over 2 additional Frameworks from the Apple TV to the OS X install:
Now, reboot and hold down Option to choose your boot drive, select the new OS X install and boot from it. You should be away:
appletvhacks.net
You can use your remote as normal, it shows up in iTunes on other computers:
The method
Install a fresh copy of regular OS X (not the Apple TV version, the Mac version), or clone one. Just make sure you have everything backed up. Download a copy of the patched Finder file (we can’t help you here). Now, copy the Finder.app from your Apple TV drive, and transplant the patch file (which is just the binary part of the app) into it, and set the permissions:cd /Volumes/OSBoot/System/Library/CoreServices/
sudo cp -pr ./Finder.app /Volume/FreshOSX/System/Library/CoreServices/.
cd /Volume/FreshOSX/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/
sudo cp /path/to/patched/Finder .
sudo chown root:wheel Finder
sudo chmod 755 Finder
Next you must copy over 2 additional Frameworks from the Apple TV to the OS X install:
cd /Volumes/OSBoot/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/
sudo cp -pr ./iPhotoAccess.framework /Volume/FreshOSX/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/.
sudo cp -pr ./BackRow.framework /Volume/FreshOSX/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/.
Now, reboot and hold down Option to choose your boot drive, select the new OS X install and boot from it. You should be away:
appletvhacks.net
Comments
Sure, it's doable, but what do you get?
OH OOH apple TV. Om a macbook! OOIK!
After endless hacking by a dedicated group at awkwardtv, the AppleTV has yielded to their efforts. A user Turbo posted a method to enable USB support. After the group had tried for literally 6 days straight, patching kernels, adding kext’s, massaging files and other zane the USB works. USB keyboard and mice!
lpp has tested it and Ozy is going to verify the wiki.
Next up?
Honestly, the sky is the limit at this point. Go buy one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWQnQie6vo0
A tutorial will be up tomorrow! Check out http://wiki.awkwardtv.org for the latest updates
tutorialninjas.net
If you're a baseboarder, and I think everyone here was at one point, I've espoused an Mini connected to your television for some time. This is a weak, pale imitation of that.
$299 + time for hacks = you should have shelled out the duckets for a Mini.
The non-intel mini doesn't do H.264 at all, but is fine for a DVD player, a network streaming client, emulator gaming, stepmania, and frets on fire. The intel mini gets you HD.
"The non-intel mini doesn't do H.264 at all, but is fine for a DVD player, a network streaming client, emulator gaming, stepmania, and frets on fire. The intel mini gets you HD."
http://www.appletvhacks.net/2007/04/01/mac-os-x-running-on-apple-tv/
It turns AppleTV into a crippled Mac Mini. Big Deal.
It has only one USB port, no firewire, a slow CPU, limited RAM."
All the more reason to buy a mini..
You can go the Mac mini route, but you need to like fiddling with computers a little to do it, configure a whole bunch of apps, get some external storage etc.
It's very doable, but simply not the people Apple is after with this thing. This is for the average iPod crowd, plug it in and the stuff on your computer is now on your tv.
Of course it doesn't work like that (yet) They really need to rethink this 'only movies in itunes show up on your tv approach'. And why it can't stream photo's from iPhoto nor automatically sync them is beyond me.
But a few revs up, I might actually want one.
All these hacks certainly aren't for the ipod crowd. At it stands, it still isn't for the average ipod crowd- there firewalls to configure, networking to establish. I've never said that in a few revs it's going to be a good product. It just isn't now.
apple, just like with the ipod, needs to have a real product out there to improve upon.
In a few revs, hopefully this'll be a more seamless experience, and even easier to use.
And I'm sure we'll still be wishing it could do a little more, but hey, that's Apple for you