Katie MarsalApple on Wednesday night released version 2.3 of its Apple TV firmware to add AirTunes streaming as well as support for third-party remotes.
Owners are also no longer tied to the built-in Apple Remote and can now teach Apple TV to recognize other infrared remotes in place of the official controller; the technique potentially allows universal remotes such as Logitech's Harmony line.
Other additions include the option for playlists that include a mixture of various audio and video formats as well as the ability to adjust volume in the music section.
Readers are encouraged to list other, unpublished features they may discover in the 2.3 firmware.
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107 Comments
Already had Harmony Remote working with AppleTV. Streaming to Airport Express is a welcome and long-awaited feature though. Now to download & test.
Owners are also no longer tied to the built-in Apple Remote and can now teach Apple TV to recognize other infrared remotes in place of the official controller; the technique potentially allows universal remotes such as Logitech's Harmony line.
You've misunderstood. This update isn't necessary in order to use a universal remote. The whole point of a universal remote is that it has a database of codes that third party remotes use, and failing that can learn the codes directly from remotes, and can therefore replace any IR remote. The Harmony database includes the Apple remote codes and therefore can already be used to replace an Apple remote.
This AppleTV update takes the idea in the opposite direction: the AppleTV's receiver can learn to respond to non Apple remote codes. This is useful because many TV manufacturers ship TVs with remotes that will also control the same brand's DVD players. So let's say you've got a Sony TV, no Sony DVD player and an AppleTV. The Sony TV's remote has play, skip, menu etc. buttons (for controlling a Sony DVD player that you don't actually have). Now, with this update to the AppleTV, the Sony remote can be used to control the AppleTV.
In conclusion, this update eliminates the requirement for a universal remote if you've a simple setup of a TV and an AppleTV, and the TV's remote control has the necessary play, skip etc. buttons.
Now all they have to do is make it useful by allowing DVR functionality. Why this has not be implemented is beyond me. ATV has far less functionality than competing units.
Now all they have to do is make it useful by allowing DVR functionality. Why this has not be implemented is beyond me. ATV has far less functionality than competing units.
Maybe because ATV is supposed to replace your cable box, not supplement it. Why pay a flat subscription rate to the cable companies when you can have a la carte!
Now all they have to do is make it useful by allowing DVR functionality. Why this has not be implemented is beyond me. ATV has far less functionality than competing units.
I predict a DVR in my aTV just as soon as there's an FM tuner in my iPod.
(Half past never.)