Apple last night released an update for the Apple TV, introducing new features but breaking support for the incredibly popular Boxee software – but there will be a fix within 24-hours, a member of the development team has revealed.
**UPDATE (c.12pm EDT, 21 Nov): If you’ve been waiting for the Boxee update, here’s the latest from inside the team on why no patch has been released just yet: “Nothing yet, all bugs have been fixed except for one and that is getting in front of Frontrow reliably. Apple removed the previous method in r2.3 so we have to find another way.” The Boxee team are working away at this.
***UPDATE (c.10am EDT 22 Nov): The patch has been released, along with some rather interesting insight as to Boxee’s future plans. Read about it here.
Swiftly developed in response to Apple’s new software, the new Boxee patch is already undergoing testing, and the Boxee crew will let people know as and when the new version of the software – which should work correctly with the updated model of Apple set-top box – is available. We hope to be able to let you know here.
Meanwhile, the team is warning Boxee users not to upgrade their Apple TV if they want to continue using the software, which adds a host of handy features to what your Apple TV is capable of.
Among other handy features, Boxee lets Apple TV users access content from web services outside of the Apple empire, these include Hulu, CBS (online), Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr.
The software’s currently only available in alpha, but for many Apple TV owners what Boxee does massively magnifies the potential of the Cupertino-designed device.
While the alpha testing is closed, you can sign-up on the Boxee website to be informed as the group widens the software seed, which it does each week on a Monday. “There is quite a backlog, and we are trying to grow at a controlled pace, so you may have to wait a few weeks before you receive your invite,” the developers warn.
This control isn’t stagnating interest in the software, however, “Interest is high for both Boxee and XBMC on the AppleTV, there have been over 50,000 downloads in the past month and a half,” Distorted Loop was told.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
[...] a thread about this already in the Boxee help forum. Apparently there is a Boxee patch on the way to fix this problem but don’t update your Apple TV until after it’s released if you [...]
November 21st, 2008 at 1:08 am
Hey Jim, thanks for dropping by, I need WP help.
November 21st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
[...] However… installing the 2.3 update will break the Boxee hack that Aric wrote about earlier this month. Check out the second half of this post at The Apple Blog for more info on what to do to keep Boxee running if you’ve installed it on your Apple TV (hint… don’t install 2.3). I was hoping to install it last weekend, but toddler duty prevented my hacking, so I guess I’m glad that my time wasn’t wasted. Hopefully the Boxee team will get a workaround available soon. [...]
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
[...] of the thousands – and it is thousands, there were over 50,000 downloads of the alpha software in the last six weeks, the developers told Distorted Loop – think Boxee is [...]
November 24th, 2008 at 8:21 am
[...] However… installing the 2.3 update will break the Boxee hack that Aric wrote about earlier this month. Check out the second half of this post at The Apple Blog for more info on what to do to keep Boxee running if you’ve installed it on your Apple TV (hint… don’t install 2.3). I was hoping to install it last weekend, but toddler duty prevented my hacking, so I guess I’m glad that my time wasn’t wasted. Hopefully the Boxee team will get a workaround available soon. [...]