I'd love to get a 2nd generation Apple TV, but our only TV with an HDMI input died on us. Is there any reliable way to conect a 2nd gen Apple TV with S-Video, DVI or component video? I have an optical audio input if that helps. Recommendations for specific converters would be helpful.
AppleTV 2
reliable way no
a unreliable maybe possible way maybe
there are converters to just about everything
most are shady
and the ones which offer a workaround for hdcp maybe illegal
the ones that dont would not work with rented or bouth drm material from itunes
There are hardware converters that will convert HDMI to various other types of output, however there are some issues with doing so that you should be aware of.
HDCP
HDCP compliant converters will not allow you to watch HDCP protected content such as that from the iTunes Store. Non compliant converters exist but we cannot discuss them under the Terms of Use for these communities.
Resolution and aspect ratio
I'm not aware of any converters that will scale the output from the Apple TV, any TV or projector which is used will need to be widescreen and support resolutions of 720p.
Winston Churchill wrote:
...Resolution and aspect ratio
I'm not aware of any converters that will scale the output from the Apple TV, any TV or projector which is used will need to be widescreen and support resolutions of 720p.
That's not entirely true now that the latest ATV2 software supports 480p output. I'm using my ATV2 on a TV that only supports 480p and 1080i and it works fine at 480p (although there is no support in the ATV2 for 1080i). I have an old HD-Ready, component-video, 4:3 rear-projection (CRT) TV that supports both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios and I've had no problems using that with my ATV2. However, YMMV depending upon your TV and the make of your HDMI converter.
Aghh but the problem with the 480p setting is that you can't always get to it unless you have a 720p TV, I'm aware that in some cases the Apple TV appears to default to 480p in certain set ups, but it appears to happen in less cases than it doesn't, so whilst I've thought about it, I'm not inclined to suggest something that seems to have a greater chance of not working than it does of working.
That might be a significant problem except that once set to 480p it stays on 480p (even over power cycles and software updates). In any case, I suspect that most people wouldn't have too much trouble finding a 720p capable display to do the initial (one-time) setup.
You can also select 480p by using a built-in feature on the Apple TV (the Apple TV will auto-cycle though each supported resolution). You start this process by pressing and holding down both the Menu and menu up [+] buttons on the Apple TV remote for about 6 seconds after which time the white LED on the front of the ATV2 will begin to blink. When the LED begins to blink press the Select/Ok button on the remote. This will start a cycle in the resolution settings that holds for about 25 seconds on each resolution. When a working resolution appears (in this case we're looking for 480p) use the remote to select from the options that you will now be able to see on the TV. Between each resolution setting the Apple TV will make one or two beeps to let you know that the process is proceeding (each resolution cycle takes about 25 seconds and on my ATV2 the 480p resolution takes four cycles).
If for some reason the process stops or does not begin correctly or you miss the opportunity to select the desired resolution then just do a restart on the Apple TV (press and hold down on the Menu and menu down [-] buttons for about 6 seconds). I've tested this process six or more times on my Apple TV and it usually works (eventually, a few times I had to do a restart).
You can also select the 480p resolution in the "blind" (since it is in a fixed/known location in the menu system). To do this follow these steps:
1.) Press the Menu button on the Apple TV remote once and then press and hold down on the Menu button for at least three seconds (returns you unconditionally to the topmost part of the GUI).
2.) Press the RIGHT arrow on the Apple TV remote at least 5 times (it may be a fewer number of times until you hear a change in the beep sound which will indicate you are at the end of a menu list).
3.) Press the UP arrow at least 5 times (it may be a fewer number of times until you hear a change in the beep). This will place you at the top-right of the GUI/menu system (at the top of the "Settings" menu).
4.) Press the Down arrow twice and then press the Select/Ok button on the Apple TV remote (this will select the "Audio & Video" menu).
5.) Press the Down arrow at least eleven times (or until you hear a change in the beep sound, you'll be at the end of the Audio & Video menu, "TV Resolution"). Press the Select/Ok button on the Apple TV remote (this will enter the TV Resolution menu).
6.) Press the Up arrow until you hear a change in the beep (this may take as many as eleven button presses and will place you at the top of the TV Resolution menu). Do NOT press the Select/Ok button, you are just positioning yourself to the top of the menu).
7.) Now press the Down arrow key seven times and press the Select/Ok button on the Apple TV remote (this will activate/set the output resolution to 480p). You are done and may never have to do this setup again.
There is one caveat to all of the above which is that your Apple TV must be running software v4.4 or later in order to switch to the 480p resolution. If you have an earlier version of the Apple TV software then you will need to perform an update to the latest software BEFORE you attempt the above resolution setting methods (otherwise, the 480p setting will not be an option). Version 4.4 came out in mid-October so I suspect that not all Apple TV2 units will have this pre-installed.
TahoeSean wrote:
I'd love to get a 2nd generation Apple TV, but our only TV with an HDMI input died on us. Is there any reliable way to conect a 2nd gen Apple TV with S-Video, DVI or component video? I have an optical audio input if that helps. Recommendations for specific converters would be helpful.
Assuming your DVI device is HDCP-compliant, a $2 adapter or $5 DVI<->HDMI cable from Monoprice.com and other places should work fine. I know because several months ago, I hooked my Apple TV up to a spare computer monitor to check settings. Normally, I run it with just the optical hooked up, and it was easier at the time to do this than move it to another room and fiddle with a TV.
However, note that someone has reported that Apple managed to break optical out in the firmware 4.4 - 4.4.3 released about a month ago, such that hooking up DVI doesn't work around the optical out bug, like HDMI does. However, he's using an HDMI switch, which is a wildcard in all of this.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3507838
That said, I upgraded a week ago out of the 4.4.x debacle back to 4.3, which fixed the optical out bug and AirPlay two-step bug. I can confirm that with 4.3, using an HDMI<->DVI cable between my ATV2 and NEC monitor, and an optical cable between my ATV2 and Denon receiver works perfectly, just like one would expect. AirPlay works fine, and I viewed a YouTube video. Audio and video were fine. I just tested it.
Have you actually tried to cycle the resolutions using the method you describe, it works for the Apple TV 1 but I haven't been able reproduce this on the Apple TV 2.
Your blind solution will work assuming the Apple TV is switched on, unfortunately many have found that the Apple TV won't switch on unless it has a valid connection.
I've also seen posts where people have tried setting the Apple TV to 480p and then moving it to another TV only to find it doesn't work.
The resolution options were available before 4.4.3 as far as I can remember but not too long before.
Whilst I appreciate there are those that have found the Apple TV will work in circumstances where it's perhaps not stated to, many haven't and as such I don't particularly wish to advise that a 480p TV will be fine when there's a good chance that it won't.
The specified requirements for the Apple TV 2 states it requires a widescreen 720p TV, I'm inclined to think its best to assume its correct.
Yes, the built-in support for resolution auto-cycling or setup works on the ATV2. You will note in my earlier post that I specifically mentioned the ATV2 in the process (twice). In fact, that's the only version of the Apple TV that I've actually tried this process on since the ATV1 has long supported both 1080i and 480p and thus resolution settings on the ATV1 haven't been a problem on my TV.
That said, you will note that I also mentioned that the auto-cycling doesn't always work on the ATV2 (in my hands), but it's never failed twice in a row so worse case in my testing is that you may have to attempt this process twice (requiring something like a total of 5 mintues if it fails the first time through, or less than three mintues if it succeeds on the first attempt). You also need a bit of patience since this form of setup for 480p can take a few minutes and during that time the TV screen will be blank (but don't panic, if all goes wrong you can just do a reset on the ATV and start over).
As for Apple's statement about requiring a widescreen 720p TV that's completely true if you are going for a dead-simple, out-of-the-box, "just works" experience. And, I'm not trying to argue that Apple will help you with support to get a 480p TV set working with the ATV2. But, it can be done if that is something that you really want to pursue.
I think some have even used a computer display to do the initial setup on the ATV2. In that case the display just needs an HDMI input or you'll have to try an HDMI-to-DVI converter if the display doesn't have an HDMI input. I've not tried the latter, but I may give it a try on my Apple Cinema Display (the old ADC type, which requires a DVI converter, that worked with the ATV1 but I don't know about the ATV2).
Waymen wrote:
I think some have even used a computer display to do the initial setup on the ATV2. In that case the display just needs an HDMI input or you'll have to try an HDMI-to-DVI converter if the display doesn't have an HDMI input. I've not tried the latter, but I may give it a try on my Apple Cinema Display (the old ADC type, which requires a DVI converter, that worked with the ATV1 but I don't know about the ATV2).
Some have even said that in this very thread. 🙂 Look a couple of messages up for my last message where I talk about using a DVI<->HDMI cable to hook the ATV2 to my NEC monitor. In general, I can't imagine why this would not be possible assuming HDCP is supported and the monitor is compatible with whatever resolution limitations the ATV2 has. My monitor is HDCP-compliant and does 720p so was good to go. It was no more surprising that this worked than it would be to use an electrical extension cord and find that it worked.
Yes, I saw that but my post was already getting long and I didn't want to make it even longer by re-referencing what you had said. I think a lot of people tend to skip my posts since I tend to be too detailed and overly complete in my answers (i.e. trying to cover every last detail in what may follow in a discussion).
In any case, I tried hooking my ATV2 to my Apple Cinema Display and I could NOT get it to work. However, the ADC-to-DVI converter that I need to use on that old display can be a little finicky so I wasn't completely surprised by that result. Also, my ADC-based display doesn't support HDCP but that shouldn't have been an issue for the setup (although it wouldn't have allowed me to play any of the iTunes Store video content).
So, I think the final take away is that in some cases you won't absolutely need a wide-screen, 720p TV to use the Apple TV2. You can do the initial setup using an HDMI/DVI compatible computer display OR you can use one of the two workarounds that I documented above. Of course, you also need v4.4 or later of the Apple TV software if you want support for anything other than 720p output (specifically you need v4.4... for the 480p support).
Also, YMMV so this isn't a guarantee (that's for Winston -- just to cover all possibilities 😉).
In any case, I'm fairly certain that if you buy a new Apple TV from any retailer in the U.S. (Best Buy, Fry's, etc.) they will most likely take it back if you can't make it work with your own TV. If you can't do that there is always eBay or a nice gift-giving opportunity for a special someone who has an HDMI-enabled 720p TV.
I tried several times with the cycle and on 3 Apple TV's. As I mentioned before the resolution options were introduced before 4.4.3 (or at least as I recall it) and when I first saw the options after an upgrade I also tried to cycle the resolutions then to see if it worked. I will try again but it's peculiar it seems so tricky, it works every time on the Apple TV 1.
As you say there are clearly situations where users may be able to use a TV that isn't either HDMI, 720p or widescreen. It is important we don't mislead other users and have them purchasing an Apple TV in the belief that it will work with their non standard TV, on the other hand it's probably worth mentioning that in some cases it might work.
My posting to which you responded is a boilerplate, I can alter it to reflect this possibility.
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Waymen wrote:
In any case, I tried hooking my ATV2 to my Apple Cinema Display and I could NOT get it to work. However, the ADC-to-DVI converter that I need to use on that old display can be a little finicky so I wasn't completely surprised by that result. Also, my ADC-based display doesn't support HDCP but that shouldn't have been an issue for the setup (although it wouldn't have allowed me to play any of the iTunes Store video content).
I think a recent ATV2 upgrade has enabled HDCP all the time, even on the menu screen. Last week we bought an ATV2 at work to use with various non-HDCP monitors and projectors using an HDMI->DVI cable. It worked fine right out of the box, but after the first update it no longer works with those devices. I tested it with a high-end Creston video switch and according the the switch HDCP is being pushed out all of the time and not just when playing DRM content. Has anyone else seen this?
Waymen, your auto-cycling technique saved me this past December to force the device to 480p. Any idea if 5.0 supports 480p, and if there is a similar auto-cycling resolution method? I am afraid to upgrade!
The 480p remains a supported format.
Video Formats
H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High or Main Profile level 4.0 or lower, Baseline profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
From wikipedia
2nd Gen Apple TV to TV without HDMI?
