I want Front Row Back

I've just tried your setup. Sadly, it doesn't seem to work.

Try this: http://osxdaily.com/2011/07/21/front-row-for-mac-os-x-lion/

Thanks. I might have missed something there, but installing Front Row was one of the first things I did after upgrading to Lion. It worked perfectly until I upgraded to iTunes 10.4. Now all connectivity between Front Row and iTunes (10.4) has been lost on Lion. Not so on Snow Leopard. I was intrigued by Robin's explanation that he successfully managed to get Front Row and iTunes 10.4 working together on Lion. I've been unable to do it following his instructions. Can anyone clarify the situation?

PS I know Front Row on Lion still works just fine for movie trailers, etc. Presently, I'm only interested in connectivity with iTunes 10.4. Thanks.

I think the problem here is that iTunes 10.4 for Lion is a native 64-bit application, while on SL it's still a 32-bit application. Front Row is also a 32-bit application, therefore it can 'drive' iTunes on SL, but not on Lion.

You've now got me wondering what would happen if I copied iTunes 10.4 from my SL install onto the Lion install...

@jstoll -- on what hardware, and did you try to actually play the content? I can browse my Music library, but not actually play any of the content. I'm rebuilding the library now, because my one movie plays correctly...

Edit -- rebuilt my library and SnowLeopard is still happy with Front Row... Don't know when it broke, but I'll be good until I upgrade...

@kquinn -- it's a Mac mini Core 2 Duo with currently only 1GB of RAM - that's why it's still running SL, has Front Row officially available, but already has iTunes 10.4. Might not upgrade RAM and just leave it running SL as a media server in our living room 😟

It seems to me several things have been established:

1. Front Row 2.2.1 (the version included in Snow Leopard) works just fine on Lion. Its only incompatibility is NOT with Lion itself but with the 64-bit version of iTunes 10.4.
2. Front Row 2.2.1 is fully compatible with the version of iTunes 10.4 running on Snow Leopard, possibly because it's different from the one installed on Lion (32 bits?).

It would be great if Apple addressed the Front Row and iTunes 10.4-on Lion issue by creating a 64-bit or otherwise revamped version of Front Row, but, if that weren't to happen, perhaps someone can figure out how to restore iTunes 10.4 connectivity for Front Row.

Several options might be available for exploration:

1. Replacing all Lion iTunes application, libraries, frameworks, etc., with their Snow Leopard counterparts in case they can run on Lion.
2. Replacing only one or a few iTunes components (Quartz Composer Visualizer.bundle?) with their Snow Leopard counterparts in case the replacement doesn't render the system unstable.
3. Naturally, a more drastic (and, er, theoretical) approach might involve reverse-engineering one, a few or all Front Row calls to iTunes components so that they will be executed by the Snow Leopard version of such components and not the regular Lion components.

Does anyone have expertise that might shed light on the path to follow?

As the title of this topic stated " I want Front Row back"

Thanks for all the suggestions guys & Gals but none of them are front row.

Apple should just offer it in the App store.

So add my name to the list!!!

I want Front Row back

Hi to All,

We are many people with the same problem on Front Row and also with a Remote Apple control.

I would like give back the Front Row application.

I don't understand which is the apple business in this, if then has too much people angry.

I have also buoght the Remote Apple control with my new IMAC.

What can I do with this?

I would give back the money!!

Or the application or Money back for the unusable control on Itunes also !!

Faber

I wonder if Robin Bonathan be so kind to explain exactly what he did step by step so that everyone in this predicament knows how to get back front row like he has done.

Because as far as I can see Aplle will not offer a 64 bit version of front row even as a purchasable option since they are promoting their GBP101.00 Apple-tv2 which works on the same basic principle of front row interface. To me it is a glorified HDMI cable as it's main use is streaming music and video from your computer wirelessly to your TV or to your DAC which I do not want. So if I had it I would use it for controlling my media files like I did with front row. Expensive way to do it!!

Very cheeky and sly move on Apple's part.

Plex 9.3.5 does not work with OSX Lion either as it loses my playlists after a while. Plus too many unnecessary stuff for my taste. I loved Front row's simplicity.

XBMC ; I just could not get it to work with the Lion

So I WANT MY FRONT ROW BACK!!

p.s. I have Lion installed on 2010Mac Mini with Itunes 10.3.plus mac-hatters front row installed. So it is working fine. But I know he minute I update Itunes to 10.4 (64 bit) Front row will lose my music files and playlists on Itunes.

I thought i had made my expanation fairly clear.

so here goes again.

I copied front row app whilst i still had snow lepord into a seperate folder in my documents folder (purly a copy) original stayed is apps folder.

upgraded to lion

no front row in apss any more, i did try to run front row i think but it did not work.

i then ran the application posted on this page

http://www.mac-hatter.com/blog/frontrowenablerforlion

computer restarts after install.

i enabled 32 bit mode on front row (note I have not moved app, its still in a folder in my documents folder).

it works fine.

i have created link on my task bar as shortcut for application (still stored in my documents)

following day see update for itunes 10.4, perform update.

front row still works.

no magic

on the mac-hatter.com website, there was an update from someone that said if you made an alias iTunes Movies folder and put it in the Home icon to the left where it will open up the different files on your computer and drop it in movies, when Front Row is opened that alias file will be there also. I'm new to the iMac world so forgive me if I don't know the correct terminology. But it works!!

I am sorry, but there remains a lingering doubt. There are several (many?) of us who have successfully installed Front Row on Lion. Before the iTunes 10.4 update, it worked exactly the same as on Snow Leopard. After the iTunes 10.4, however, all connectivity with iTunes 10.4 has been lost, but non-iTunes content (for instance, movie trailers) still works fine. The "trick" to put aliases in your "home" movie folder works as it has always worked: it is even capable of navigating your entire set of volumes and all their folders, in search for movies, etc. The problem is that, even if you access your music files this way, the "coverflow" effects of iTunes and Front Row aren't there any more.

If they are there for you (apparently without an alias or anything else, except for the presence of the Front Row application in a subfolder of your Documents folder and a link in your "task bar" (your Dock?), it would be great if you could some further light into this issue. By the way, telling Front Row, a 32-bit application, to run as a 32-bit application serves no purpose I can see.

how do you enable 32 bit app in front row. I'm trying it your way. I have time machine so I can get Front Row back. I deleted the other with the alias folder.