Today's Apple TV update breaks the PlexConnect client that allowed Plex -- the advanced server-client media player -- to run on non-jailbroken Apple TV devices.
Plex allows users to store movie and TV show files on a server and then view those files on a wide variety of client devices including Macs, PCs, a number of smart televisions, the Roku box and the Apple TV. The server also connects to Internet databases to pull IMDB-type metadata on media.
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The client, called PlexConnect, used a hack to get video from the Plex Media Server onto the Apple TV. A small Python program on the Mac intercepted DNS requests from the Movie Trailers app on the Apple TV and instead returned a custom XML feed that delivered a list of media and movie streams to the device.
Now, however, Apple has closed the loophole. Previously, the Trailers app used regular HTTP requests and the PlexConnect app intercepted those requests. Now, the Trailers app uses HTTPS and it is likely impossible for the Plex programmers to overcome it.
Plex CTO Elan Feingold told MacRumors that the company was "saddened to hear that PlexConnect stopped working" and that "we can only hope that in the future Apple decides to release an SDK for the ATV". "The level of interest in the project was quite high."
Top Rated Comments
Because of Apple's shortsightedness, Google will own the living room market in a couple of years, just like it took over the smart phone market.
I will just go back to using my HTPC for now, but really hope that within a few months that $35 Chrome dongle I bought "just because" picks ups both apps and steam.
:(
Actually, Google's DIAL protocol already has a decent list of names supporting it with Chrome barely out of the door: http://www.dial-multiscreen.org/dial-registry/namespace-database
You don't need Plex folks. Ever heard of iTunes Home Sharing?
Store everything on your Mac or PC, (including externally attached hard drive), and then log into iTunes on your Apple TV, and turn on Home Sharing.
Besides, if you want to access your content on the go, I would rather bring my external hard drive with me to my friend's house (or my Mac or PC) and just airplay it.
You don't need it, and frankly, I'm glad Apple fixed this loophole, because it can become a security risk in the long run. (there is a way to exploit this and allow some thief to log your iTunes password, and then using that, to rack up lots of iTunes purchases.
You obviously dont have a huge library, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY I would think of using iTunes for all my movies and tv, and then having to recode all my older media to fit into Apples format, fug that.
Can apple just make a world-class ATV so we can use it with 1080p and mkv files? Seriously, I'm sick of this low-class crapulent "hobby" idiocy... :mad:
Sad news :(. I guess the ATV2 just went up in price.
There is always ROKU....