Can the apple TV stream ISO DVD files?

mmathur · 09-02-2007, 01:05 PM

I'm looking to get a media extender and am considering the apple TV.

I currently have videos saved as ISO files and they are stored on a linux machine (running MythTV). Instead of building a MythTV front end machine, I would like to use the apple TV.

Is it possible to have the apple TV do the following

Stream the content off of another machine (not have the content on the apple tv hard drive)
Play video files stored in ISO format

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

rumplestiltskin · 09-03-2007, 03:12 PM

I stream to my AppleTV from my iMac's iTunes library. You are limited to H264 and MP4 in various containers. Here's what Apple has on the tech specs page for the AppleTV:

- - - - -
Video formats supported

* H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
* iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels or 640 by 480 pixels
* MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
- - - - -

You will not be able to play mounted ISO images.

While iTunes (on your Mac) will play reference movies, the AppleTV will not see them and they will not be sync'd (even if you decide to try that route).

This is not a hardware limitation; rather, it's just the way Apple set up the software. You've undoubtedly seen other threads about folks hacking the system to load the Perian plugin and add a "Files" directory so that AVIs and other "non-AppleTV" formats may be played. We can hope that Apple will expand the capabilities of the AppleTV but it's really just a decision Steve needs to make, not anything that requires new hardware.

mmathur · 09-04-2007, 03:40 PM

Thanks for the response.

Sounds like I would need to load some additional applications onto apple TV in order to stream content from another file share/NAS or have all my content registered in iTunes and stream that content over to the apple TV.

rumplestiltskin · 09-05-2007, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmathur

Thanks for the response.

Sounds like I would need to load some additional applications onto apple TV in order to stream content from another file share/NAS or have all my content registered in iTunes and stream that content over to the apple TV.

Yes; exactly.

09-02-2007, 01:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
mmathur Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2	Can the apple TV stream ISO DVD files? I'm looking to get a media extender and am considering the apple TV. I currently have videos saved as ISO files and they are stored on a linux machine (running MythTV). Instead of building a MythTV front end machine, I would like to use the apple TV. Is it possible to have the apple TV do the following Stream the content off of another machine (not have the content on the apple tv hard drive) Play video files stored in ISO format Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

09-03-2007, 03:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
rumplestiltskin Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 14	I stream to my AppleTV from my iMac's iTunes library. You are limited to H264 and MP4 in various containers. Here's what Apple has on the tech specs page for the AppleTV: - - - - - Video formats supported * H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats * iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels or 640 by 480 pixels * MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats - - - - - You will not be able to play mounted ISO images. While iTunes (on your Mac) will play reference movies, the AppleTV will not see them and they will not be sync'd (even if you decide to try that route). This is not a hardware limitation; rather, it's just the way Apple set up the software. You've undoubtedly seen other threads about folks hacking the system to load the Perian plugin and add a "Files" directory so that AVIs and other "non-AppleTV" formats may be played. We can hope that Apple will expand the capabilities of the AppleTV but it's really just a decision Steve needs to make, not anything that requires new hardware. Last edited by rumplestiltskin : 09-03-2007 at 03:13 PM. Reason: clarification

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09-04-2007, 03:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
mmathur Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2	Thanks for the response. Sounds like I would need to load some additional applications onto apple TV in order to stream content from another file share/NAS or have all my content registered in iTunes and stream that content over to the apple TV.