[davilla]

Two releases:

AppleTV Launcher 0.9:

This is an update to Launcher 0.8 which launches XBMC/Boxee under the Frontrow plugin interface.

1) Launcher 0.9 finally got 2.3 support thanks to Nito!!
2) XBMC's HDMI-disconnect issues are resolved, through an entry in
~/Library/Application\ Support/XBMC/userdata/advancedsettings.xml. The
update should(!) add that entry.

Known issues:

None at present.

AppleTV Launcher 2.3 with "Multifinder":

This version replaces booting into the standard Finder.app (frontrow) with a Multifinder that handles application switching between XBMC/Boxee and Frontrow. The only side effect is going back to Frontrow takes longer than previous as Frontrow is starting up from scratch.

1) Fixes inability to change the display resolution under Frontrow
2) Fixes problems with other plugins launching apps (e.g. NitoTV).

Known issues:

1) No WLAN support if directly booted into XBMC/Boxee
2) No support of paired remotes and remotes added through AppleTV's
"Learn Remote"-menu


For the thrill seekers: ssh in and

defaults write com.teamxbmc.xbmclauncher XBMCExpertMode 1

then into XBMC and back to frontrow. Launcher will now have an additional menu entry in settings. This toggles the default boot application... Now you can boot directly into XBMC/Boxee. Quitting XBMC/Boxee in this mode will return back to frontrow.

How to Install:

1) Check the Launcher update menu entry and update or 2) download from http://atv-xbmc-launcher.googlecode.com and manually install.


Enjoy.

[terminalx]

Currently I am using launcher 2.2. Since I do use the atv frontrow I guess there is no need to use the 2.3 launcher with multifinder. Is there a means to revert back to 0.9 launcher in atv when using launcher 2.2?

(sorry if I missed something...)

[MaestroDD]

Currently I am using launcher 2.2. Since I do use the atv frontrow I guess there is no need to use the 2.3 launcher with multifinder.

2.3 fixes a bug that kept frontrow from changing resolution and launching apps. If you suffer from that bug you probably want to update

Is there a means to revert back to 0.9 launcher in atv when using launcher 2.2?

Select "Remove MultiFinder" from the Downloads section. This reverts to Launcher 0.9.

[raydevos]

Great news, thanks for keeping on supporting this, Davilla!

I really like v2.3 (possibility to stream to airtunes and volume control) so it is good news.

Some questions :
- Can you choose in which application you'll boot?
- Does being in one application (XBMC or Frontrow) means that the other one is not running? In other words, if I want to listen to music managed from the remote application on my IPhone, do I have first to switch back to frontrow?
- And if the two applications are running at the same time, what is the advantage of using 0.9 compared to 2.3?

Thanks :-)

[MaestroDD]

[...]
Some questions :
- Can you choose in which application you'll boot?

With Launcher 2.3 (with MultiFinder) you can choose from Boxee/XBMC/Finder, but keep in mind the known issues (no wifi when booting directly into XBMC/Boxee)

- Does being in one application (XBMC or Frontrow) means that the other one is not running? In other words, if I want to listen to music managed from the remote application on my IPhone, do I have first to switch back to frontrow?

That's the case with Launcher >= 2.0, yes. MultiFinder switches the applications.
With Launcher 0.9 Frontrow keeps running in the background, so remote app should work...

- And if the two applications are running at the same time, what is the advantage of using 0.9 compared to 2.3?

hope the above comments clarify this.

cheers,
stephan

[talbot2001]

Hmm, i have at little problem with the new update. When i'm in XBMC and access my frontrow libary through my iphone remote app, XBMC stops working, i can hear the clicking sound when i press the appletv remote, but nothing happends on my tv screen.
It's the exact same behaviour i had, with the HDMI issue before it was fixed..

[MaestroDD]

Hmm, i have at little problem with the new update. When i'm in XBMC and access my frontrow libary through my iphone remote app, XBMC stops working, i can hear the clicking sound when i press the appletv remote, but nothing happends on my tv screen.
It's the exact same behaviour i had, with the HDMI issue before it was fixed..

I assume you're using Launcher 0.9. When you say this is a "problem with the new update", do you mean it was not present before?
I must say I haven't tested the remote app yet, but will give it a try this evening. If frontrow re-captures the display when the remote is used, I'm not sure if this problem can be solved.

cheers,
stephan

[dave100]

Thank you very much,

I had big problems, switching the ATV resolution with Launcher 2.2.

Great Job!!!

I will try to update today and give you a report.

Dave

[KevinSartori]

Quick question, Davilla. I'm using the 2.2 launcher right now with AppleTv firmware 2.3.

If I revert to 0.9, Frontrow remains running in the background while using XBMC. With the processing power of AppleTV being what it is, does Frontrow use a significant amount of CPU and/or memory while running in the background? To get all that I can out of XBMC running on AppleTV, does it make more sense to not have Frontrow running at all while XBMC is running?

I'm just curious, as the delay to get back into Frontrow isn't really a big deal to me, so if I get a little extra "oomph" using 2.3 over 0.9, then that seems like a worthwhile trade-off.

[talbot2001]

I assume you're using Launcher 0.9. When you say this is a "problem with the new update", do you mean it was not present before?
I must say I haven't tested the remote app yet, but will give it a try this evening. If frontrow re-captures the display when the remote is used, I'm not sure if this problem can be solved.

cheers,
stephan

yes i'm using launcher 0.9, i don't think the problem was present before, but i'm not sure..

[davilla]

Quick question, Davilla. I'm using the 2.2 launcher right now with AppleTv firmware 2.3.

If I revert to 0.9, Frontrow remains running in the background while using XBMC. With the processing power of AppleTV being what it is, does Frontrow use a significant amount of CPU and/or memory while running in the background? To get all that I can out of XBMC running on AppleTV, does it make more sense to not have Frontrow running at all while XBMC is running?

I'm just curious, as the delay to get back into Frontrow isn't really a big deal to me, so if I get a little extra "oomph" using 2.3 over 0.9, then that seems like a worthwhile trade-off.

Frontrow does not use much resources at idle but it's still present and taking cpu/memory resources. Launcher 2.3 prevents that by quitting Frontrow when XBMC/Boxee is running.

[S80_UK]

I was previously using Launcher 2.2, and display settings defaulted to HDMI 720p 50Hz (which is correct for me here in the UK). Almost all my DVD rips are from PAL DVDs, and yet I was seeing some slight judder on horizontal pans (vertical sync setting was Always Enabled). It was not enough to complain about, but sometimes a bit too obvious.

With Launcher 2.3 I have now been able to try the other 720p setting (frame rate not explicitly stated). I assumed this would be 60Hz and I expected to see either the judder get worse or a very repeatable frame skip effect every second or so. In fact, the display shows less judder and with panning shots being noticeably smoother. Don't ask me why but that's the way it is. I even switched back to 50Hz just to check and the judder got worse again. Weird. So I'm leaving it on the standard HDMI 720p setting for now, and very happy with the result.

EDIT: Just tried again. Actually - the 50Hz setting is smoother except when it judders on large panning shots. The 60Hz has many much smaller judders which not always so obvious. I will now go and read up on this and start a new thread if it is appropriate.

[MaestroDD]

Hmm, i have at little problem with the new update. When i'm in XBMC and access my frontrow libary through my iphone remote app, XBMC stops working, i can hear the clicking sound when i press the appletv remote, but nothing happends on my tv screen.
It's the exact same behaviour i had, with the HDMI issue before it was fixed..

I can reproduce this here, but I'm not sure what to do. Does it make sense to control Frontrow while XBMC is running? Or should we try to block the remote?
Just beeing curious, did you try one of the XBMC remotes for iPhone/iPod touch?

[talbot2001]

I can reproduce this here, but I'm not sure what to do. Does it make sense to control Frontrow while XBMC is running? Or should we try to block the remote?
Just beeing curious, did you try one of the XBMC remotes for iPhone/iPod touch?

i haven't really looked into any XBMC remotes, because i don't have the need for it, if iphone remote app worked correctly..
Another question, can you have XBMC import your existing apple-tv itunes libary?

[MaestroDD]

i haven't really looked into any XBMC remotes, because i don't have the need for it, if iphone remote app worked correctly..

It does work correctly here if the app it controls is running...