I have an Apple TV. I like it but I don't like the restriction that all the videos you play on it have to be in ITunes first before you can watch on it. I sometimes get AVI's and .MOV's that I want to watch and can't on the Apple TV.

I was having lunch today and a friend said he was getting his changed to where it would allow those files and may others. I listened and then I read up on the Internet about this and it is possible. Has anyone done this with success? Any issues?

I found this Gizmodo article on it.

http://gizmodo.com/5082130/how-to-max-out-apple-tvs-potential-with-boxee

I was having lunch today

What did you have?

On a PC you can simply install VLC and then buy an external video jack and plug the USB side into your computer and the red, white and yellow plugs into your TV.

Wouldn't that work on an Apple as well?

On a PC you can simply install VLC and then buy an external video jack and plug the USB side into your computer and the red, white and yellow plugs into your TV.

Wouldn't that work on an Apple as well?

An Apple computer, maybe. If they have a version of VLC. Even better, bootcamp into Win7 and do whatever the fuck you want. But then why spend so much more on an Apple in the first place?

BUT he's talking about Apple TV, which is a proprietary (even more so than usual for Apple) device that's basically an iTunes linked (or slaved may be more accurate) media player. There are some ways around it though, but many other products that can do more are out or coming. Both the Xbox 360 and PS3 have as good or better streaming and playback from PC, but each also have some proprietary limitations of their own.

By the way, the yellow, white and red plugs are the lowest quality video you can get and look especially bad on an HDTV. Better to use one of the DVI ports on your graphics card and an adapter or cable that makes it HDMI. Some PCs now even have HDMI outs directly.

I have an Apple TV. I like it but I don't like the restriction that all the videos you play on it have to be in ITunes first before you can watch on it. I sometimes get AVI's and .MOV's that I want to watch and can't on the Apple TV.

I was having lunch today and a friend said he was getting his changed to where it would allow those files and may others. I listened and then I read up on the Internet about this and it is possible. Has anyone done this with success? Any issues?

I found this Gizmodo article on it.

http://gizmodo.com/5082130/how-to-max-out-apple-tvs-potential-with-boxee

I really do wish that I knew what all that stuff meant. I'm an Apple TV guy. More often than not, I just call my local geek squad guy and say, "here is some article that shows how to make Apple TV better. Can you do that for me?"