The guys from AwkwardTV.org have successfully booted Apple's recently-released Apple TV via USB. They also uploaded a video of the external USB bootstrap, and here's what Ozzy from AwkwardTV.org has to say about it:

...our first successful external USB bootstrap from a recovery image on the Apple TV. This will allow us to begin development of externally booting the Apple TV without having to crack open the case and modifying any of the contents at all.

In order to prove that the Apple TV is actually booting off of the hard disk attached to it via USB, Ozzy from AwkwardTV.org "modified the bootlogo png file on the recovery partition on the external disk." Check out the vid below.

The internet started getting massively popular more than a decade ago, and with it came a lot of nice nuances that aimed at giving users that whole digital multimedia experience which was all the rage those days. The age of internet entertainment was indeed heralded, but internet TV didn't catch fire as fast as other Media.

Of course there were a lot of reasons why web TV came later than web radio and web games. Technical issues such as slow bandwidth, licensing gridlocks and the lack of available resources were among the factors that slowed down the dawning of an age. Nowadays, however, the world works a bit differently. Almost everyone can afford broadband connections and Youtube found a way around the licensing knot to tear the market wide open.

Admit it or not, YouTube may be the single, most powerful force that changed the way we think about internet TV and videos. By bringing in users who upload videos for other users, it created a viable network wherein just about every imaginable video. Everything from cartoons to porn was there and it was very easy to access.

Apple followed up with its launch of fifth-generation iPods that can play videos as well as acquire them by purchasing them from the online iTunes market set up by Apple. Podcasts were also conceived and now, anyone with enough time and tech savvy can do a broadcast to the web en route to iPods of millions of owners.

And that's not all, with the Apple TV coming up, a seamless bond between the computer, the home entertainment system and the iPod can be forged. Networks are also getting into the act with Al Gore's "Current TV" which features a hodgepodge of professional and amateur content that can be seen on cable channels and its website.

Dan Hett wrote a very informative essay tackling the digital age of entertainment and its implications. He also extrapolates on what the future holds for digital entertainment and who we can expect to play key roles. To read the entire discussion, follow the read URL.

A couple of hardware enthusiasts claim that they officially got the Xvid and everything else supported by Perian working on the Apple TV. It's supposed to be 100 percent legit, involving only personally taking apart your Apple TV, and plugging in the drive - it's a straightforward OS X 10.4.7 install.

Awkward and Sabretooth relates the methods as such:

1. Open it up (4 screws on the bottom, small Torx bit)
2. Put the 2.5" drive into a USB enclosure or whatever you want
3. Mount the HFS filesystem
4. Install Perian in /Library/Quicktime (as you normally would)
5. Install Dropbear (or enable SSH if you know how... we gave up and used Dropbear)
6. Add a startup script to disable the firewall or open up the ports you need for SSH
7. Put the drive back in and boot it, ssh login as frontrow, password frontrow (or add an ssh key for yourself)
8. Use a reference movie (use QT Pro to save a reference movie) to bootstrap your xvid file

Make sure to see more details about this before you go about tweaking with the Apple TV for Xvid.

Just like most Apple products out there, Apple TV sprang out of nowhere and awed fans with its amazing features. It was introduced at this year's Macworld Expo in San Fran and Steve Jobs himself was the one who introduced it to the public. However, some say that a Mac Mini, an ordinary TV set, and a sprinkle of wits could also perform the same exact magic of Apple TV without the rather steep price.

Anyway, some of you might still not be familiar with Apple TV, so we hosted this interface walkthrough video from Engadget. The video is quite informative and educational, so to speak, going through Apple's wireless media streamer that includes playing back movies, trailers, and music, and watching photos. There are also some lessons on how to tweak the setup and options menu.

Apple TV began shipping a couple of days ago, March 20 to be exact, with a price tag of US$ 299.

We've come across some shots of the Apple TV in Techrestore.com and they've opened up an Apple TV box. Accompanying reader posts haven't been too positive, though. A number of readers expressed their apprehension to invest in the new gadget, saying that it's possible to get the same level of functionality by hooking a Mac up to a stereo or a TV.

It would be interesting to see if the device can topple competitors like TiVo and Netfix who offer similar functions as the Apple TV. Apple TV will allow iTunes and videos to easily be played in TVs and other media because of the easy setup features and friendly interface. Users can also play downloaded material from iTunes with the Apple TV.

More images await after the jump!

Don't have enough money for an Apple TV? Don't have a next-gen gaming console? Well, if you have a Mac Mini, then you can still enjoy watching online videos and similar stuff on your TV, thanks to this short little tutorial from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).

As we stated earlier, you'll need a Mac Mini for this to work. And a TV, too, of course, but not just any old TV. According to TUAW, a TV that accepts HDMI, DVI or VGA input probably is easiest, but an old composite TV can still work. Finally, you'll need a cable that goes from either DVI or VGA, depending on your Mini's video out port, into the kind of input supported by your TV.

Once you've got everything ready, just click on the "read" link below to get your MacMiniTV up and running. Still not convinced? Here are this setup's advantages as put forth by TUAW:

• You save the cost of an Apple TV (almost $300) using a mini you already have on-hand. You are only out the cost of a cable. (eBay! eBay! eBay!)
• If your mini has wireless abilities (and it probably does), you can connect wirelessly to other computers on your network and play back content from them. Without Apple TV!
• You can play back a lot more formats than Apple TV.
• No silliness about "up to five authorized machines".
• You can even surf the net on your TV. And do Google and all of that other stuff.
• No useless little "Apple Remote" (unless you want to use it with your Mini). You've got an entire keyboard and mouse to command your mini. That's Power computing!

What're you waiting for? Hit the read link. The tutorial also includes a short how-to about using the Apple Remote with your Mac Mini.

Orb Networks is priming itself to be a main contender against Apple's Apple TV. The company has just announced that their free MyCasting software now works with the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and the Sony PS3, giving gamers the ability to bring all digital media to their TV screen without any additional costs or hardware requirements.

The free MyCasting software allows users to enjoy all digital media from their home PC, as well as online videos, on any networked device with an internet browser - be it other PCs, laptops, PDAs, mobile phones with support for streaming players, and now, next gen videogame consoles.

"There is a lot of anticipation on who will finally crack the code on opening the PC-to-TV connection - especially on what Apple TV can deliver," said Joe Costello, Chairman and CEO of Orb Networks. "That day is here and 17 million households - right this minute - can download Orb onto their home PC, then go turn on their TV, and using their game console, start enjoying any of the personal media on their PC or anything on the Web instantly - without having to purchase another gadget to make it work."

Watch out TiVo and Netfix, Apple's got a big bomb with your names chalked on them and they're dropping it real soon. An estimated 22 million Apple and PC users are expected to join the craze and take the switch.

It may not have all the blings that the iPhone will pack, but the Cupertino-based company behind the iPod may have found the perfect marriage between table-top TV accessory TiVo and mail-based DVD subscription Netfix. The two services have 13.2 million subscribers combined, but financial analyst Jonathan Hoopes says the market will expand dramatically over the next few years and Apple will capitalize on the phenomenon.

 

The concept behind the Apple TV is simple: The box allows users to view media from their iPods on a big screen. That means that iTunes can be harnessed to buy digital content online and watch it comfortably in a home theatre.

The ThinkEquity Partners analyst commended the structural simplicity of the Apple TV and explained "we think the AppleTV/iTunes combination could become as disruptive to legacy video purchase-and-consumption behavior as the iPod/iTunes combination has been to the traditional music business model."

The growth that Apple TV will foster may very well be to the tune of billion in market capitalization for Apple, and Hoopes added that it's very possible that the masters pf Macintosh will join the gaming scene in the future.

  

Way back last June, we talked about how Miglia would give Mac users a HDTV treat thanks to its nifty contraption called TVMini HD. Now that Apple TV is all geared up for its mid-March release, reports abound that Apple is planning on buying Miglia to add DVR capabilities to Apple TV and iTunes.

Apparently, the makers of the Miglia mini HD had been talking with the Cupertino camp, and from the looks of it, the talks have been friendly (and profitable perhaps?). According to Blackfriar's Carl Howe,

The fact that the Miglia TVMini HD+ is an external USB device allows Apple to integrate the function without having to send the Apple TV back to the FCC for recertification. But why buy the company though? Well, you're going to need some serious software integration on the iTunes end to recognize the Miglia device and use it properly. That's not exactly in Apple's interest if Miglia remains completely independent.

He does have a point with that. But for now, nothing is concrete which means that this topic is very open to speculation. We'll update you for further developments about this tidbit.

Mac fans have been waiting for their pre-ordered Apple TV, sometimes nicknamed iTV, since January. This is because a lot of delays have pushed the product's release from it's originally planned date of launch.

Now, Apple sends its word of reassurance saying that the Apple TV will begin shipping by mid-March. Apple has never really issued an official explanation for the delays. There's been a lot of speculation as to why the release dates keep getting postponed, but people familiar with the matter have figured out that NVIDIA is the source of last month's delay.

Apparently, some quirks in the embedded graphics software has had Apple's quality assurance people raise some last minute warnings. Just take it as a sign that those Apple guys are always in the lookout for their clients' satisfaction.