Front Row with Snow Leopard 10.6.8 after installing iTunes 10.4 ?

Hi jogiba

I've got SL 10.6.8 with iTunes 10.4. Front Row is still accessing all of my iTunes playlists and music.

I've also got another Mac with Lion 10.7 and iTunes 10.4. On that machine a re-instated Front Row is no longer accessing iTunes content.

I think the difference is because on 10.7, the iTunes update is installed as a 64-bit application, while on 10.6.8 it's installed as a 32-bit one. Front Row, being a 32-bit application can 'drive' a 32-bit version of iTunes, but not a 64-bit version.

"I also have ATV2 and I think that is what Apple wants people to use instead of Front Row on a Mac ."

Which is a stupid thing for Apple to think since not everyone is in front of a TV.

Now using a Mac with the latest iTunes and Lion you have zero easy access to media as you did with Front Row.

It was especially useful on iMacs. I use it all the time in my bedroom. My Apple TV2 is in the living room. Do you understand the difference Apple??!

Apple, you did a very dumb thing getting rid of Front Row!

Try these instructions to restore Front Row to Lion. It works for me. Note that you need a backup of your Snow Leopard installation (either a Time Machine-style backup or a full bootable backup will do).

http://techinform.us/archives/os-x-lion-gets-rid-of-front-row…-here’s-how-to-get -it-back

www.mac-hatter.com/blog/frontrowenablerforlion has a very handy installer package that puts FrontRow back. It worked a treat for me!

No, it is not. You can browse, but when you try to actually play a file, you get an error. Apple warned us that some 3rd party plug-ins would not work due to the new 64-bitness of iTunes, but this is completely unexpected and disappointing. If there had been any indication that this was the case, I would have not accepted the 10.4 update to iTunes on any of my systems (I won't rush to Lion until some of my software has been updated).

There is also no "open in 32-bit mode" option, although the universal binary reports that it has PPC and x86 versions...

Hi kguinn

If you are running iTunes 10.4 under Snow Leopard, it will be running as a 32-bit application. That is why you don't see any option to force it to run in 32-bit mode. iTunes can only run in 64-bit mode within Lion.

I'm using the latest iTunes on both a SL install and a Lion install. On SL, where it's running as a 32-bit application I can continue to use Front Row exactly as I have always done - browsing playlists and downloaded TV shows from my iTunes library. On Lion, with a reinstated Front Row, I cannot access anything from my iTunes library - even when forcing the application to run in 32-bit mode. This is because the underlying frameworks are all 64-bit and it is these that Front Row must access in order to draw down content from an iTunes library. And poor old Front Row, being a native Snow Leopard 32-bit only application, doesn't have the capacity to drive these 64-bit frameworks.

From your post it looks like you haven't yet updated to Lion. If you will be wanting to reinstate Front Row once you do make the move, then don't update iTunes. From the other posts on this site, it looks like those who've reinstated Front Row and haven't updated iTunes are enjoying all the features of Front Row that they had in Snow Leopard.

If you have no intention of upgrading to Lion, then you can upgrade iTunes and still enjoy Front Row in the way you currently do.