Official AppleTV MacCar Thread

MemeSlider · 04-02-2007, 01:25 PM

There is another thread on the AppleTV, but the OP there was asking specifically about which head unit to use and that got hijacked. I thought it would be a good idea to have a dedicated AppleTV thread to discuss the pros, cons and viability of using the AppleTV in the car.

Some pros are that the ATV is smaller and cheaper than a Mac Mini.

One of the negatives to using the AppleTV is the power supply.

I made an inquiry with Carnetix and Mike H. over there said, "Unfortunately, from what I understand this thing has a built-in AC power supply. Perhaps someone can open one up to see if the AC supply can be removed/bypassed."

Another negative is the lower RAM and processor power. The way I see it, we will need to run an enhanced version of the AppleTV OS that can run more codecs, USB turned on, ability to use Bluetooth, etc... OR and pared down version of Mac OSX so it isn't overtaxing the guts of the machine rendering it useless.

I was really hoping that the AppleTV would be great for the car, but the more I look at it, it looks like there might be more effort to get it going, than is worth it.

Thoughts?

Here are some good resources on hacking the AppleTV:

http://www.awkwardtv.org/

http://www.appletvhacks.net (This site appears to be down as of 4/2/07 12:20pm MST)

nickmgray · 04-02-2007, 01:41 PM

from the video's that i've seen of the ATV sunning OSX, it seems like the OS runs pretty smoothly. I have not seen any clips yet of video file playing or iTunes working or anything like that.

I hitnk the main drawback is the fact that the power supply is built into the system (from what I've heard)

This link has quite a few good pictures of the insides of the ATV. http://www.ipoding.com/modules.php?s...view_album.php

Power Supply

Logic Board

Opened ATV

From thelooks of it, the power supply is on the inside, but not built into the main board. Knowing, this, there may be a power managemnet workaround that would be made to get the an ATV running OSX to wake and sleep on car on/off

MemeSlider · 04-02-2007, 02:52 PM

Thanks Nick! I linked the Carnetix guys to your post, let's see what they think about powering this thing the right way.

Another dealbreaker for me is getting the one and only USB I/O to work with everything we need. No built in bluetooth so we'll have to add a USB bluetooth key, but it would also be nice to hook up a RadioShark.

Will these bluetooth devices work through a hub? What works and doesn't work through a USB hub?

MikeH · 04-02-2007, 02:58 PM

Hmmm 3 blue + 3 black wires.....Looks like a single voltage regulator. If you guys think you can get the rest of the issues resolved, I'll take a hard look at the regulator/starup/shutdown.

nickmgray · 04-02-2007, 03:48 PM

Bluetooth should not be a problem through a USB hub, but it all depends on the hub and bluetooth device. A friend of mine is running over a dozen usb devices through one usb hub and everythign seems to work fine. Radio shark should work as well but from what I've heard form people on this forum, it's not the best option due to quality.

Are there any other issues that need to be resolved?

Probably the first thing that needs to be done is actually have someone who's willing to take the risk and buy an ATV, see how hard it really is to get OSX up and running. Test system performance with the software that we would need to use.

Bugbyte · 04-02-2007, 04:20 PM

I just read an article yesterday that included a video of hacking Apple TV to get OSX up and running. It's not for the noob, but it seemed like it could be done easily. It was on www.appletvhacks.net but it looksl like the site was overwhelmed.

nickmgray · 04-02-2007, 04:29 PM

they show the same video as I've seen The video is actually hosted on Google Viedo is someone wants to do a search nad find the link. I'd do it, but all vidoe sites are blocked from work.

Jirka Jirout · 04-02-2007, 04:37 PM

The single USB port could be a problem if you connect more hubs to it. OS X has some built-in software protection against excessive power drain. Sometimes it fails to recognize a hub as powered and based on the number of devices the Mac can see on the bus, it reports "USB low power warning" and shuts down some of the devices. I even saw this happening on setup, where the +5V on USB from the computer was disconnected and all the USB devices were powered from an independent power source.

sspiro · 04-03-2007, 09:45 AM

Interesting.. I'd be interested in putting one in my truck..

iamgnat · 04-03-2007, 12:32 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by MemeSlider

One of the negatives to using the AppleTV is the power supply.

Another negative is the lower RAM and processor power.

I think you left out the biggest negative, it's display options. Unless I missed a revelation in the other thread, none of the currently popular displays that we use will work with the ATV.

Until we find a screen (hopefully one compatible with the touchscreens that we know work) that will work, using the ATV in a car for your primary system is moot.

I don't know anything about this technology, but i've seen LVDS discussed a few times in the LCD section for using Laptop LCDs. Something like this might work if it accepts a DVI-D input (not clear from a quick scan of the page). Obviously that is a serious price tag though (don't know if there are cheaper options), which keeps the ball squarely in the Mini's court.

-dave

nickmgray · 04-03-2007, 12:58 PM

As I stated back in the other thread, there are component cable to DVI adapters that are under $20. I'm not sure what the quality is, but this is deffinitely an option.

Here is one on Shop.com that lists for $30 I posted this one since it's the only one I could link the image from
6FT HDTV DVI Plug 24 + 5 to 3 X RCA Component Cable Adapter

http://www.shop.com/op/~6FT_HDTV_DVI...8?sourceid=298

shotgunefx · 04-03-2007, 01:07 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by nickmgray

As I stated back in the other thread, there are component cable to DVI adapters that are under $20. I'm not sure what the quality is, but this is deffinitely an option.

Here is one on Shop.com that lists for $30 I posted this one since it's the only one I could link the image from
6FT HDTV DVI Plug 24 + 5 to 3 X RCA Component Cable Adapter

http://www.shop.com/op/~6FT_HDTV_DVI...8?sourceid=298

Don't think that will work onless one of the LCDs accept YpbPr component video.

BTW, monoprice has them for $5 USD

monoprice

Omarvelous · 04-03-2007, 03:56 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by nickmgray

As I stated back in the other thread, there are component cable to DVI adapters that are under $20. I'm not sure what the quality is, but this is deffinitely an option.

Here is one on Shop.com that lists for $30 I posted this one since it's the only one I could link the image from
6FT HDTV DVI Plug 24 + 5 to 3 X RCA Component Cable Adapter

http://www.shop.com/op/~6FT_HDTV_DVI...8?sourceid=298

Asked something like that in other thread, this was the ans

Quote:

This will not work. This adapter will only work with DVI-I outputs, where the analog signal is physically present. The first adapter you refer to (HDMI->DVI) gives you digital-only DVI-D.

So i guess if that DVI converts digital signal to analog, we would be set.

ALSO another limitation.... CD/DVD Drive, is the USB enough to power all these add ons (as mentioned) ESEPECIALLY a drive?

This has got to work!

Omarvelous · 04-03-2007, 04:06 PM

Oh and now...

Don't even have to hack in the box to install OS X...
http://www.appletvhacks.net/2007/04/...ning-the-case/

This is another reason why more USB ports would really make this viable

nickmgray · 04-03-2007, 04:46 PM

^ it would be great to have more USB posts on the ATV, but from the sounds of it, to hack it to boot from USB device you also need a keyboard

"Booting from USB requires booting the Apple TV as nromal then holding ‘menu’ and ‘-’ keys on the remote to initiate a restore boot. From there it takes a bit of timing, Turbo explains, “If I hold down menu and - from poweron until the first screen flash, I believe that it does the equivalent of cmd-opt-p-r. I only got it to boot from USB by releasing it at that point, then hitting it again just before the screen flashes on the second reset.”

So it sounds like you can boot from usb stick connected to a usb hub that has a keyboard attached.