MichaelLAX wrote:
GB: One of the major reasons why I have not attempted to hack my Apple TV, is my perception, after reading some of the hack websites, that even once you install Perian, etc., it is still difficult to get iTunes to recognize a "non-standard" content file and send it over to the ATV HD.
Has this roadblock been simplified, and what is your experience getting NS content over to the ATV HD? Is it as simple as loading the file into iTunes, or does it take extra steps each and every time?
Well, if you are going to go the route of having iTunes install the files, then good luck. I went the route of simply putting the files on the hard drive (it has a file sharing server, so it is just plain drag and drop), and using a file browser plugin (I use Sapphire) to browse and play them. After hacking the ATV, you can also attach external USB hard drives (which I did), and you can have it mount network shares if you media exist there. Again, using file browsers, play the files.
MichaelLAX wrote:Also what is your experience, if any, in your ATV playing Mastroska 720p HD/AC3 files and stuttering? Thanks.
Whether the file is MKV or not doesn't make as much of a difference as whether the file is high profile h.264 (which most HD MKVs are). If it is high profile, then forget it. The ATV simply doesn't have enough processing power to decode it. Essentially, find a 1GHz Intel computer, and see if it has the processing power to decode it, because that is what the ATV essentially is.