[mythtv-users] AppleTV suitability as FE?

[Raymond Wagner]

On 11/30/2012 13:50, Tyler T wrote:
>> >    The ARM based ATVs need a transcoding server like Plex to do the heavy lifting.
> I would phrase that as, "The ARM based ATVs need a functional client
> like XBMC to utilize the hardware decoder." From my perspective, the
> ATV isn't the thing with the deficiency, it's MythTV that is lacking.

More correctly, it is XBMC that is going above and beyond. The AppleTV 
was never intended to run anything but iOS and applications from the 
iTunes store, and it was never intended to run anything but a small 
subset of the kind of material people might want to use on MythTV. 
Running XBMC requires you to "jailbreak" the device to allow 
unauthorized applications, and XBMC has to hook into some low level 
undocumented API to actually use the full capability of the hardware 
decoder. It's a whole lot of effort needed to get around intentional 
restrictions, when there is plenty of other hardware to choose from.

You could make the argument that the inability to use OpenMAX hardware 
is a MythTV deficiency, but the AppleTV is just something we're not 
welcome on.