I’ve been waxing poetic on my Twitterstream about my Apple TV’s new lease on life, thanks to the Boxee Beta and a few related hacks.  A few friends have asked what exactly I did, so I thought I’d put the process together here.

I’m a Boxee beta tester, but you too should be able to get the Beta as it is released to the public.  There’s just one problem–there is no Beta release for the Apple TV.  But, never fear…the community is on top of things.  I honestly think that the Boxee Beta install is even easier than the Alpha ever was.

Ready to install?  The details are after the jump!

First of all, you’ll need to create a patchstick to open up access to your Apple TV.  If you don’t know how to do that, I’m not going to go into it here.  Most likely, you’re here because you already have your ATV patchsticked and you just want to be able to get the Beta on it.  If you don’t know how, use this handy dandy utility called ATV USB Creator.  Download it here.

Once you have SSH access to your Apple TV, you will need to SSH into your it.  Don’t forget, Apple TV hackers–the password is frontrow!  Once you’ve gotten access to your Apple TV via Terminal or the command prompt, you’ll need to download and run a script created by a Boxee/Apple TV enthusiast that installs Boxee along with Firefox 3.6, NitoTV, and the newest beta of Flash.  Run each line as a command, one at a time.

wget -m -nd http://www.green-light.ca/cmn_external/app/boxee/beta/BoxeeBetaInstallScript.sh
sudo sh BoxeeBetaInstallScript.sh latest
sudo reboot now

Once you’ve gotten your Apple TV rebooted, you’ll need to go to the Nito TV menu > Settings > Install Software > Smart Installer.  Let that do its thing installing…at this point I rebooted again for good measure once it was done.

This gets the latest and greatest bits installed.  After this, I actually did some further tweaking that has really helped the way that my Apple TV performs, especially with streaming video.  Another one of the forum members posted up these tweaks on the Boxee forums.  He recommends, as do I, that you shouldn’t attempt these tweaks unless you are comfortable with command line work and are willing to possibly require a factory restore on your Apple TV if you mess something up.  However, just follow the directions and you should be fine!

1. Tweak the network settings of the Apple TV.

Make sure you are SSH’ed into your Apple TV, and then you’ll use the terminal to create and run some files.

Type the first command in:

sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

Then you’ll copy and paste the following:

kern.ipc.somaxconn=512
net.inet.tcp.mssdflt=1460
net.inet.tcp.sendspace=98304
net.inet.tcp.recvspace=98304
kern.ipc.maxsockbuf=1048576
net.inet.udp.maxdgram=57344
net.inet.udp.recvspace=42080
net.local.stream.sendspace=98304
net.local.stream.recvspace=98304
net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0
net.inet.tcp.rfc1323=1
net.inet.tcp.rfc1644=1
net.inet.tcp.newreno=1

Then press Control+X to save, and Y followed by Enter to accept the filename.

Then create a script that will initiate the changes you just made using these two commands (one at a time):

cd ~
nano -w Tweaks.sh

This will create another new file, which you’ll paste this into:

awk '{ if (!index($1, "#") && index($1, "=")) print $1 }' < /etc/sysctl.conf | while read
do
sysctl -w ${REPLY}
done

Control+X to save again, followed by Y and Enter to accept the filename.

Now, run the following commands (again, one at a time):

chmod +x ./Tweaks.sh
sudo ./Tweaks.sh

And you should get the following output (or else something went wrong):

kern.ipc.somaxconn: 128 -> 512
net.inet.tcp.mssdflt: 512 -> 1460
net.inet.tcp.sendspace: 32768 -> 98304
net.inet.tcp.recvspace: 32768 -> 98304
kern.ipc.maxsockbuf: 262144 -> 1048576
net.inet.udp.maxdgram: 9216 -> 57344
net.inet.udp.recvspace: 42080 -> 42080
net.local.stream.sendspace: 8192 -> 98304
net.local.stream.recvspace: 8192 -> 98304
net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack: 3 -> 0
net.inet.tcp.rfc1323: 1 -> 1
net.inet.tcp.rfc1644: 0 -> 1
net.inet.tcp.newreno: 0 -> 1

2. Create advancedsettings.xml to adjust the skiploop feature (making things run faster/smoother, as well as prevent the Boxee screen from randomly blanking out after you turn your TV off for a bit)

Still using SSH and the command prompt, run the following command, which will create another file for you:

nano /Users/frontrow/Library/Application\ Support/BOXEE/UserData/advancedsettings.xml

Then paste this into it, Control+X to save, Y plus Enter to accept the filename:

<advancedsettings>
<osx_gl_fullscreen>true</osx_gl_fullscreen>
<skiploopfilter>8</skiploopfilter>
</advancedsettings>

Exit Boxee, then run the following command:

rm /Users/frontrow/Library/Logs/boxee.log

Then restart Boxee, and issue the following command:

less /Users/frontrow/Library/Logs/boxee.log

You should scroll down in the results from that command and see a line about advancedsettings.xml.  If there is no error, things are just fine!

3. If you want to run Netflix…

Boxee does not include the Netflix app for Apple TV, and even though you’re installing the Mac version of the Beta it still doesn’t shoehorn the Netflix app into the install.  I wish it did, because despite the reports of the Apple TV not being powerful enough for it, it’s my experience that Netflix runs GREAT on the Apple TV after all these tweaks are done.

How exactly am I running Netflix?  Well, here’s the deal.  When you install Boxee Beta and Nito TV, Firefox 3.6 gets installed with it, along with Silverlight.  Go to the Nito TV menu from the main Apple TV menu, then choose Applications > Firefox.  You can use it like a normal browser, and I use it to watch streaming content from netflix.com.  I like to pause it and let it buffer just a little bit at the beginning so that playback is smooth.

In order to work with Firefox and Netflix on the Apple TV, I’ve done a couple of things.  I’ve used the Awkward TV wiki to enable the mouse pointer and install a VNC server so that I can easily control the screen using Chicken of the VNC on my Mac or Mocha VNC Lite on my iPhone.  I really only use that to choose what I want to watch from my queue if I’m too far away from the TV to see it clearly (the browser stuff is small).

Mostly, I use Rowmote Pro on my iPhone to control the Apple TV itself as well as Firefox, Boxee, and other apps using the remote feature and the wireless keyboard/mouse feature.  It works just like the keyboard does on my Mac when I’m using Netflix in Firefox–space bar pauses, escape exits from full screen.  Rowmote is great because it controls just about anything you want on your Mac, plus they have an installer so you can use it on the Apple TV too.  I had the 99 cent original Rowmote, but I upgraded to Rowmote Pro so that I could have the wireless keyboard and mouse in addition to just the remote functions.

Another thing I have done (that I figured out myself, mind you!) is installed the extension Full Fullscreen in Firefox on the Apple TV, and set it to launch in fullscreen mode every time. That gets rid of the annoying menu bar and such along the top and makes Firefox true fullscreen.  I’ve been using this extension for a while on my netbook for real fullscreen browsing and it’s fantastic.

It’s not the MOST elegant solution, but it works great to watch Netflix using the Apple TV.  We have an XBox 360 and PS3 in our living room, which I use quite a bit to watch Netflix and I really love the ease of access and always growing library of Netflix’s streaming offerings.  I was determined to find a way to easily watch Netflix on the new 19″ LCD HDTV in our bedroom, and I knew that I couldn’t move any of the gaming systems in from the big TV in the living room (my husband wouldn’t be pleased).  I also didn’t want to buy a Roku box or anything else just for Netflix access, but I knew that my netbook doesnt run it well enough that I could have just hooked it up to the TV.

I wanted the Apple TV to be able to work with my needs, and I wasn’t disappointed.  Between the Boxee installation for local media, music, Boxee apps, Hulu and other streaming media, and now Netflix for my streaming fix, PLUS all the shows and music available via the iTunes store, the Apple TV gives me just about anything I could want.

Thanks go to Keith and Jim from the Boxee forums for figuring out the Beta install and tweaks!

I received a great comment to my Boxee post from a guy named Tom, who worked with Boxee (pretty obvious from the @boxee.tv email address!), but I didn’t realize right away that Tom was the co-founder!  Bad software fan.  I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the comment, which offered to help me figure out the problem.  Not only was it just a nice gesture, but he was really committed to helping me figure out the problem.  Tom was incredibly helpful and responsive during the entire troubleshooting process…we emailed back and forth and I followed some instructions given to me, and through the sending of logs and following Tom’s tweaks, I got everything working perfectly.

You’ve made a big Boxee fan an even bigger devotee with your dedicated customer service, Tom!  Thanks so much.

I was able to watch an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, I was able to stream an episode of Nurse Jackie, but I absolutely cannot get Farscape to play.  Hulu also does not work as intended, though Hulu on Boxee is always up and down so that doesn’t really surprise me.  Instead of playing the actual video it just goes to the video’s web page.

Please roll out a fix for this soon, Boxee devs!  I am otherwise REALLY happy with the new interface.  It is about a million times snappier, things update from the network source a LOT faster, and I like what you’ve done with the new layout.

So, since Boxee seems to approve of True Blood, I’m going to go watch it.

I have to say, the Apple TV is one of my favorite gadgets in the house right now. It took a bit of fineagling to hook up–we had to buy a component switcher box for our kind-of-ancient HDTV to accomodate more than two HD devices, I had to go to the store twice to get enough cables for everything, and we had to rearrange everything in the entertainment center. But it was worth it, trust me!

Once we got everything hooked up, the first thing I did with the Apple TV was install Boxee. One thing I really like about Boxee is that it doesn’t overwrite the default software. You can still use everything on the ATV as designed, including streaming iTunes from your computer, purchasing content from iTunes directly on the ATV, YouTube, etc. The Apple TV on its own is wonderful, but the Apple TV with Boxee…it’s amazing.

I have a large library of media, and it’s growing all the time. I also use services like last.fm and Pandora on a regular basis, and have really wanted to have a way to use them at home that didn’t involve sitting in front of the computer. Boxee not only lets me view AVI files without converting them for iTunes (a HUGE boon, because conversion takes forever), but I can also listen to Internet radio (such as last.fm and Pandora stations), watch videos from all over the Internet, catch up on podcasts, and even see what my friends on Boxee are watching.

I do use the “normal” Apple TV set up from time to time too, to watch iTunes-purchased video, or to listen to specific playlists that I’ve created (like the ones that filter my husband’s massive death metal collection OUT). It has been great for parties or when I’m just working at home and want some music on in the background. Who needs a stereo?

I like the Apple TV on its own, but I love the Apple TV + Boxee because it doesn’t dictate to me how I have to use my media. I’m getting really sick of DRM and constraints (see the recent Boxee/Hulu dustup courtesy of the content owners who just don’t GET new media) and I like being able to watch and listen MY way.

With the Apple TV and streaming Netflix on the XBox 360, I barely need satellite service anymore! Between the two, I have thousands of movies and TV shows at my fingertips. If there was a live sports stream available that was comparable to what’s on ESPN and Fox Sports Southwest, I think my husband and I would dump DirecTV and go rogue with our entertainment.

If you’re looking for a pretty easy media solution that doesn’t involve buying a whole new computer, I highly recommend the Apple TV. It’s hackable for those inclined to do so, but also simple, valuable and user-friendly for people who aren’t interested in hacking and just want to use it as-is out of the box. I think it’s a wise investment for anyone who doesn’t want to create their own media center PC or Mac.