[nunz56]

New to the forum and XBMC! Just installed the latest version of XBMC on my Apple TV (Original Silver) running 3.0.2 using ATV USB Creator. All went well and I was able to play content from my NAS a My Book Live. All SD video files (mp4,avi,m4v) play fine. But I am having problems with any .mkv files. They play but the video is VERY choppy and slow. To eliminate the NAS as being my problem I copied an mkv file directly to the hard drive of my Apple TV and got the same playback results.

I also downloaded the latest Beta version of XBMC 11 Eden RC2 and tried playing back an mkv file, again from the Apple TV hard drive. Same result, VERY choppy and slow playback.

I REALLY like the XBMC interface and use my Apple TV for Pictures and Music and would love to be able to include HD (mkv) movie playback.

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated !

[Ned Scott]

I'm guessing you probably don't have a Broadcom Crystal HD (wiki) chip for your ATV 1 yet? If not, get one. It will give all new life to your Apple TV. It replaces the wifi card, so it will need to be wired (or figure out USB wifi) but it is so worth the tradeoff. The card is anywhere between $20 to $40, depending on the type you get (the BCHD (wiki) page will give you an idea on the differences between the two types).

Basically, it makes every HD video run like butter. The Apple CPU alone can only handle some 720 h.264 videos, and the rest it will choke on. That's where the BCHD comes in. It basically handles all of the video decoding. More than likely, the MKVs you are trying to play have an HD codec that the ATV1 can't handle by CPU alone.

The second thing you will want to do is install a replacement linux OS, which is as easy as the original patchsticking processes. I highly recommend going with Crystalbuntu (wiki), which is a linux distro made especially for the Apple TV 1 (and works with or without the BCHD chip). This will let you output a full 1080 video signal, and makes the interface much more responsive.

I use an ATV1 with BCHD as my main HTPC, despite having a more powerful Windows HTPC in the other room. It really gives the unit more life, the combo is more powerful than an ATV2 (or even the ATV3 that was just released).

[nunz56]

Ned, Thanks for the quick relpy! I will try your suggestions and post my results for others with the same problem. I just have a couple of questions before I proceed.

1) Will installing Crystalbuntu change or disable any of the original ATV menus and features? I.E. Displaying Photos, using Photos as screen saver(floating photos), Playing music, AirPlay or iTunes syncing?

2) Does it matter what I install first? The Crystal HD Chip then Crystalbuntu or vise versa?

3) Do you know if the recent ATV2 with XBMC would provide smooth mkv playback? Im thinking its only about $60 more. Your thoughts?

[Ned Scott]

1. Crystalbuntu can be installed in one of two ways, one is to erase the hard drive and completely replace the original ATV menu and such. The other is to install it on a USB drive and boot from that when you want Crystalbuntu, then remove the USB drive when you want original ATV OS. Sam, the guy who makes Crystalbuntu, has said he has plans for the future to make it easier to have both original ATV OS and Crystalbuntu on the internal HDD at the same time, but until then the USB stick method works well for keeping both.

2. You can use the BCHD chip with the original ATV OS and see great improvements (just limited to 720P output is all. Other settings are upscaled), and you can use Crystalbuntu without the BCHD. So the order doesn't matter. Some people will use Crystalbuntu without the BCHD just for the faster interface.

3. I own both and while I love both products, an ATV1 + BCHD will smoke the ATV2 (and most likely the ATV3). Since no new ATV1s are made, those will eventually dry up, and eventually newer iOS-based ATVs (ATV2, ATV3) will become more powerful. But for the time being, ATV1 + BCHD will play more videos, more smoothly, and have more raw power. You just don't get netflix (yet) and have to do a little hardware modding (it's as easy as installing new RAM) when you go with ATV1+BCHD.

[nunz56]

I ordered the Crystal HD chip today and will try out the USB Crystalbuntu solution to see how I like it.

Question? Do I need to download and install any drivers for the Crystal HD chip?
If so from where and hoe do I install on ATV?

Still working on getting Music and Photos set up on XBMC but searching the forum for the answers as I go.



Thanks again for the quick reply!

[Ned Scott]

Apple TV 1 FAQ (wiki) and the install pages should have the driver instructions for the original ATV OS. Crystalbuntu has the drivers included.

[nunz56]

I ordered the Crystal HD chip today and will try out the USB Crystalbuntu solution to see how I like it.

Question? Do I need to download and install any drivers for the Crystal HD chip?
If so from where and hoe do I install on ATV?

Still working on getting Music and Photos set up on XBMC but searching the forum for the answers as I go.



Thanks again for the quick reply!

Apple TV 1 FAQ (wiki) and the install pages should have the driver instructions for the original ATV OS. Crystalbuntu has the drivers included.

Wanted to update this post with my results.

Got my BCM970015 card from Logic Supply and followed the instructions from the Wiki Apple TV 1/FAQ-XBMC. Had some problems installing the drivers but after several post got it working.
Tried playing back 720p and 1080p mkv files with XBMC Eden-ATV OSX and all played very smooth with no problems!
I put Crystalbuntu on a USB drive and checked it out. I did get 1080p playback and most mkv files played smoothly but I noticed the XBMC interface was a little sluggish at times. It even froze a few times while going from Movie menu to Main menu. General menu navigation just seemed a bit slower than Eden RC2 with ATV OSX. Also, a couple of movies (HD-mkv) and (SD-mp4) actually played worst, some stuttering with Crystalbuntu than with OSX-Eden RC2. Not sure if there is something in my settings that would make a difference or the fact it's running from a USB stick.

So for now I'm going to stick with ATV-OSX and Eden. Not a noticeably big difference between 720p on OSX and 1080p playback on Crystalbuntu to make me replace OSX. That way I still get to keep the Photo features of ATV-OSX, which I really like and can playback all of my movie files without having to convert them into something iTunes and ATV can handle. I will follow the development of XBMC and Forum for new features and releases.

Thanks again for all the help and support!