Sold First Generation 40GB Apple TV

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SkydivinGirl

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Hey everyone!

I'm selling a first generation 40GB Apple TV. The unit itself is in overall good shape with some minor scuffs but it works 100%. I have hacked this unit to run Boxee and have not upgraded the Apple TV firmware for a very long time so it can still be hacked for other uses.

I lost the remote some time ago and have been using my Harmony remote to control it. I know I have the box and I'm pretty sure I have the manuals. I'll dig everything out tonight when I get home and take some pictures. I simply don't use it any more since I got my Boxee Box.

$75 + Shipping

Thanks!

Heather
 
Sorry for the horrible Droid X camera, but here's pictures of the Apple TV and box. I have the manuals that were originally included with the device. On closer inspection, there are lots of scuff marks on the top of the Apple TV but they could probably be buffed out. :) Not pictured is the power cord, but it is included. Replacement remotes are easy to find.

Thanks!

Heather
 

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Hi Heather - registering interest (pending postage price to the UK :))

also - can I ask a couple of Q's please?

I would be watching 720p / 1080i (and maybe some 1080p) over wired GB Ethernet via the Boxee hack - do you think the Apple TV would work ok with that?

Boxee does decryption and de-encoding on the Apple TV itself doesn't it - i.e no need for my server to do transcoding like it does just now for my PS3?

Does it use the normal Apple remote (I have a couple spare)?

Last one - is that Ethernet port gb?

Thanks Heather (y)

John
 
Hey John,

According to the Apple TV Technical Specifications, the device is a 10/100 Ethernet port and supports televisions up to 1080P. I'm not 100% certain what the actual output resolution is, but I know it is at least 720P. I never had trouble playing video over a wired connection to the Apple TV from a network share. Video over the Internet can always be quirky and I had some trouble with Hulu but that was most likely due to Hulu trying to block Boxee.

You are correct, the Apple TV does all the decoding so your server will not need to transcode anything. You don't lose any of the original Apple TV capabilities by having Boxee installed. Boxee is simply another menu option from the main Apple TV screen. So far as I know, the remote is the same type remote that comes with other Apple products.

Here's some links for you:

Apple TV Remote Pairing and Unpairing
Apple TV (1st generation) Technical Specifications
Apple TV Boxee Installation (I already did this and you can do updates to Boxee from the Apple TV itself)

Please let me know if you have any other questions. :)

Heather
 
Thanks for that Heather. Sounds pretty good. I will be using it to replace using my PS3 for streaming over my network mainly because some MKV's have problems on the PS3 (don't ever stream of the web - as you say - it's always a bit quirky and my connection isn't fast either).

You're price is fine for me but it just depends on the postage to go on top of that.

Would you mind working that out when you have a chance please? No rush from my perspective.

Cheers

John
 
Sounds great! I'll box it up and get you a shipping quote tomorrow. Please PM your mailing address to me so I can get an accurate quote. :)

It has been unplugged for a while so I'll boot it up tonight to make sure everything is still working like it was when I put it away. I know this is a USA version of the Apple TV. Will there be any video standards problems when you hook it up there? I'm not sure if your standards are the same as ours for HD.

Take care,

Heather
 
Hi Heather - PM on it's way so we can check postage. I'm not too worried about video standards as pretty much everything I watch on my PS3 was downloaded from the States anyhoo hehe :)

Power is maybe the only thing that might be a problem but I'm assuming it will work in the UK ok?

J
 
According to this thread in another forum, the Apple TV will do both Pal & NTSC and automatically changes to the appropriate voltage. The power plug itself is USA standard, but I'm sure you have lots of these types of power cords. Of course, I'll still send this one to you.

I'll get you a shipping quote tomorrow.

Heather
 
Thanks Heather - just when you get a chance and you don't need to send the power cord - just hold on to that (might bring the weight down hehe).

J (y)
 
1st gen struggles with some 1080 resolution decodes without an additional Crystal HD hardware decoder.
 
Practical experience in the office only.

http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=XBMC_for_Mac_on_Apple_TV

  • Question: Will the Apple TV playback 1080p videos encoded with the H.264 codec (like Blu-ray rips)?
  • Answer: Yes, the latest version of XBMC (version 10 'Dharma') allows Apple TV to play HD H.264 encoded videos however the original Apple TV hardware is only capable of decoding 720p videos. To watch 1080 HD videos the Broadcom Crystal HD card must be installed into Apple TV along with the corresponding driver.
  • Question: Does XBMC on the Apple TV upscale standard-definition and 720p videos to 1080p output?
  • Answer: Yes, XBMC on the Apple TV (1st Gen ONLY!) will upscale all videos to 1080p if that is your output resolution. However based on the people's experience it is recommended to set up the Apple TV output resolution to 720p even for the TVs that support 1080p natively.

Probably you've got your output resolution set to 720p so it downscales?
 
Thanks alexh! That's much better information. :) As I said, I never had problems playing 720P or 1080i content but I really don't recall what video resolution I was outputting to the television.

I'll be providing John with a shipping quote this afternoon. He can make a decision based on the new information alexh has provided. :) If I don't end up selling this, it will probably end up in my office and I may do the Crystal HD mod myself.

Thanks,

Heather
 
AppleTV Gen2 can only (current firmware) output 720p which explains why the Gen1 is keeping it's value despite the Gen2's much lower price.

You would struggle to get one for the price the item is being sold for here off eBay.
 
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PM sent to Skilgannon with a shipping quote. For everyone in Europe, shipping will cost around $31.

Thanks,

Heather
 
Dropped the package off at the Post Office during lunch. Please let me know when it arrives. (y)

Heather
 
Thanks again Heather. I might try out that Broadcom mod myself if I have any problems with content streaming (y)

John
 
It's at the Post office for me to pick up tomorrow - yay - just in time for weekend geekery :)

J
 
That's truly wonderful news! Please post once you actually receive it and we'll close out the thread. :)

Thanks!

Heather
 
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