Back in March XBMC released the beta 1 of their next major update – XBMC 13.0 Gotham, with a support for 3D movies, improved UPnP capabilities, “dramatic” Audio Engine improvements and various visual changes that improve usability and logic (check out the full list of changes). Here is a tutorial on how to install XBMC Gotham on Apple TV 2.
Note: XBMC 13.0 will only works on jailbroken Apple TV 2 (latest jailbreakable Apple TV firmware is 5.3). If you have an Apple TV 1 and want XBMC badly, you can find out how to do it here.
Upgrading an existing installation of XBMC 12.0 Frodo vs. fresh install
If you already have XBMC Frodo installed on your Apple TV, it’s it is possible to back up your settings and reinstall your preferences but this often leads to many issues. After extensive testing we discovered that you will find the best results by simply doing a fresh install of XBMC 13.0: it ends up that Gotham plays nicest with your Apple TV when you uninstall XBMC, and all of your presets, from your device.
Installing a fresh version of XBMC 13.0 Gotham
Requirements
- Jailbroken ATV 2 running firmware 5.3 or older
- Mac computer (use Terminal app) or Windows PC (use PuTTY app)
Step 1: Launch the “Terminal” or “PuTTY” application.
Step 2: Ensure that your computer and your Apple TV are on the same network.
Step 3: Connect to your Apple TV via SSH using the following commands.
- ssh root@[Your Apple TV’s I.P. Address]
Example: ssh
This can be found under General/Network on your ATV’s main menu
Note: Should you receive an “Authentication Error,” copy and paste the following command into the Terminal window and press Enter, then continue.
- rm ~/.ssh/known_hosts
Step 4: Agree to any security prompts by typing “yes” (without quotations), then press enter.
Step 5: When prompted for a password, type the word “alpine” (without quotations) then press Enter.
Step 6: Copy and paste the following commands into your Terminal app, pressing the enter key after each. It’s important that you wait for each one to finish before moving onto the next. Don’t worry… you will know when each line is finished.
1) apt-get install wget
2) wget -O- http://apt.awkwardtv.org/awkwardtv.pub | apt-key add -
3) echo “deb http://apt.awkwardtv.org/ stable main” > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/awkwardtv.list
4) echo “deb http://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/pre-release/atv2/deb/” > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xbmc.list
5) apt-get update
6) mkdir -p /Applications/AppleTV.app/Appliances
7) apt-get install org.xbmc.xbmc-atv2
8) mkdir -p /Applications/XBMC.frappliance
9) reboot
Step 7: Once the Apple TV menu reloads, launch XBMC into XBMC Gotham.
Step 8: To ensure the new build fits your screen, let’s enter the “Settings” sub menu under the “SYSTEM” heading.
Step 9: Select the “Appearance” tab from the left menu bar.
Step 10: Under the “Skin” menu, you’ll now want to choose “-4%” for the “Zoom” field so that your XBMC configuration will properly fit your television display. Depending on the television, you might have to play around with this, but it should work flawlessly at the “-4%” setting. Press “MENU” on your remote to return back one level once this is done.
Congratulations! Your Apple TV now has XBMC 13.0 Gotham installed on it, and fitting on your screen.
Now, check out Top 10 best XBMC addons for Apple TV 1 and Apple TV 2
More on XBMC:
- How to change skins in XBMC on Apple TV
- How to clone the XBMC installation
- Use XBMC to extend your Apple TV’s hard drive
.. and more.
Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.
Visit What's on iPhone for the best iPad and iPhone app reviews!
Do you want to feel like a wizard? Check the Kymera wand in Amazon: You can control your Apple TV waving a wand!