Filed under: Hacks, How-tos, Apple TV
Found Footage: Apple TV Composite Hack in Full Color
Apple Hacker Mauricio Pastrana discovered a way to export composite video from his Apple TV in full color. He gives all the details in this handy YouTube tutorial. Normally, when you use composite out from AppleTV, you're limited to black and white video from the green channel. Instead, if you plug in HDMI output (he uses an HDMI-DVI adapter with a DVI-VGA adapter attached), and then switch resolutions with that attached, wait about 5 seconds, and reattach your RCA cable to the green channel, it suddenly switches to full composite color.
I haven't tested this myself, so let me know if it works for you.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ben Stafford said 9:11PM on 10-08-2007
Darn it! I would've kept the Apple TV I got for $100 last year if I knew I could do this!
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bean said 3:56PM on 10-08-2007
now queue the cricket sound effect...
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Joe said 4:03PM on 10-08-2007
This is actually a good thing for me. I like the Apple TV concept, but still have Composite TVs. Figured I was outta luck (except for the adapter sold at http://www.svideo.com/appletv2tv.html).
However, is this something that has to be done all the time, or can you just do it once and leave it?
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andy Pullen said 4:07PM on 10-08-2007
Wouldn't it still only output 16:9 video, so it would be out of proportion, unless you had a 4:3 TV that could change to anamorphic widescreen?
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Bedammit said 4:31PM on 10-08-2007
Ok...
I have had both adapers and this wont work unless you have either a special DVI-VGA converter or a special HDMI-DVI adapter.
The Apple DVI-VGA adapter has two pins above and below the long thin pin to the right. This is a DVI-I connector. (See http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_Connector_Digital_Visual_Interface_DVI_Bus.html )
I have a HDMI-DVI connector (Radio Shack monster )which is DVI-D (which DOES NOT) have these pins.
The poster needs to post what model connectors he has.
I also noticed his has an LED on the HDMI-DVI connector.
BeDammit
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BeDammit said 4:34PM on 10-08-2007
For clarification...
The adapters will not fit together unless the DVI connector types match.
BeDammit
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RMS said 4:37PM on 10-08-2007
Apple TV... yawn!
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Les Filip said 5:39PM on 10-08-2007
#7 RMS, seriously dude (or dudette), why would you bother commenting on an article that bores you so? Seriously, I want to know.
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Fritz Laurel said 5:52PM on 10-08-2007
Unfortunatley, this video is unwatchable. Dude seriously needs to learn how to light.
Regardless, I'm sure Apple will come out with a "fix" for this in a future update...
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Mauricio Pastrana said 8:49PM on 10-08-2007
Thanks, Erica! (oh and, it's "Mauricio", missed an "i").
Firstoff, sorry everyone for the crappy video quality, i put it together at night and whatnot, come some time later (if no one is able to replicate this elsewhere), i'll make a readable, watchable vid ;)
Anyways, what i'm getting at is that the video card on the apple TV clearly supports composite out (granted, at 480i, but still), and somewhere, there must be a way to software-enable this.
Here's two pics i took that same night (note, they're full-res straight off the camera): http://pastrana.co.uk/ext_files/IMGP1437.JPG
(the appletv from behind, yawn)
http://pastrana.co.uk/ext_files/IMGP1440.JPG
(the adapter set)
I used the adapter combination pretty much because I was trying trial+error to see which worked best with my DLP projector when i stumbled onto this.
Cheers,
-mp
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TristanV20 said 1:19AM on 10-09-2007
I agree with Les Filip, why do people comment if it doesn't interest them? This is actually pretty useful, as I always wanted to use the AppleTV in a car situation, but most in car displays use composite inputs... A quick blurb on why I think the Apple TV is perfect for a car - Large Easy to see Interface, small form factor and N Wireless, with auto sync to iTunes... Pull into the driveway and away your AppleTV goes, starting to sync!
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BeDammit said 2:06AM on 10-09-2007
Mauricio:
Please detail what type and where you got your adapters. Thanks..
Tristan: My AppleTv (which has gotten less than 2 hours of usage) actually is quite warm when running ( I noticed this today while testing this 'hack' since I havent been able to use the apple tv since moving a year ago) so running in a car seems like it would bake and die.
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basscadet said 4:08AM on 10-09-2007
OMG Hackerz are compromising the security of AppleTV! Patch it asap!
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Mauricio Pastrana said 4:26AM on 10-09-2007
@BeDammit: Actually, they are REALLY generic adapters, i could try and swing by the store where i purchased them, but wouldnt be surprised if these are store branded items anyways (ive had them for a while).
One thing of note, the DVI-VGA, which could be entirely useless anyways, is different from the apple model which has some 4 extra pins (photos later when i have the adapters at hand).
My apple TV runs hot as well, kinda the same temperature i get out of my 17" MBP when i set it to encode a long list of divx movies, i'm not sure if it's normal operational temp. anyways.
-mp
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David Wirth said 11:10AM on 10-09-2007
Does the image display at 16x9, or at 4x3? I can get my SDTV to work with the 3 video cables.. but it still wont display properly set at 480i.. does this fix display correctly?
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BeDammit said 2:02PM on 10-09-2007
@Mauricio
Yes please do post photos of the connectors on both of the adapters...
As far as your HDMI-DVI connector... it has an LED which would make it far from normal.
I bet this will work with that adapter without the DVI-VGA connector. The Appletv intelligently senses HDMI connections and it could simply be some strange anomaly with that adapter.
I have performed several test with my HDMI-DVI connector by itself and with it connected to an Apple Cinema display and can not make it output in color.
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Canestrini said 2:13PM on 10-09-2007
@BeDammit
Well it's kind of a waste to use a Cinema display becouse you either get a vertically stretched image or black borders. All wide aspect ratio computer screens are 16:10, not 16:9(Widescreen). 1280x720 pixels is 16:9 and 1280x800 pixels, which is the closest you get to native 720p resolution, is 16:10. All wide TV's are 16:9.
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Foobarman said 3:42PM on 10-09-2007
I'm going to place my bet on this adapter for $2.98
http://www.cooldrives.com/dvitohdadcow.html
It looks the same, with the same led and grip bumps. The Apple TV detected my 15 year old Sony as 480i 4:3. It was in B&W, but it wasn't too bad, picture-quality-wise.
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Foobarman said 6:47PM on 10-09-2007
I'm going to place my bet on this adapter for $2.98
http://www.cooldrives.com/dvitohdadcow.html
It looks the same, with the same led and grip bumps. The Apple TV detected my 15 year old Sony as 480i 4:3. It was in B&W, but it wasn't too bad, picture-quality-wise.
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BeDammit said 10:05PM on 10-09-2007
@Fobarman Interesting.. Id be curious to see the pin out on the VGA/DVI adapter then. After noting the pins are the same as the adapter I have... I begin to wonder what intelligence the LED is triggered by.
BeDammit
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