In a recent Ask TUAW we addressed a question about getting divx video files to register properly as TV Shows in Front Row. In the discussion that followed one of our readers suggested VideoDrive as an easy way of accomplishing this. Basically, VideoDrive allows you to import your videos into iTunes without converting them, while still having full control over the metadata, including the tags that control placing videos either in the TV Shows or Movie categories. That way they will appear in the appropriate submenus in both Front Row and on the Apple TV. VideoDrive can also download cover art form Amazon as well as clean up file names and more. Keep in mind, however, that the appropriate codecs must already be installed to use this (check our Perian for this purpose).
VideoDrive is €12.99 (~$20) and a demo limited to 12 videos is available for download.
Just when you think Apple's update spree is over, they send you a Front Row update. This update, version 2.1.3, will provide you "bug fixes and improved iTunes compatibility." This update coincides with tonight's iTunes and QuickTime updates.
You can get this update by opening up Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update).
Looks like today was the ultimate Apple software update day in addition to that other thing that also happened! In their last batch of updates, Apple updated Front Row for Leopard. Here's what Apple says about the update:
This Front Row update provides for bug fixes and improved iTunes compatibility.
Please note, this update for Front Row requires iTunes 6.0.4 or later, and iPhoto 6.0.2. You can download this update by using Software Update, or by visiting the Apple downloads website.
The folks at Apple have been busy bees! New iMacs, new iLife, new iWork, and now a shiny new version of Front Row? That's right, fire up Software Update, kids, Front Row 1.3.1 is awaiting you. What does it do? Why, it has 'improved iPhoto compatibility.'
The Mac media center market is heating up lately, with a healthy collection of competitors to Apple's Front Row offering unique features and different UI experiences. This is great news for anyone who wants to turn an older Mac into a media center, or if Front Row simply doesn't float your boat. CenterStage, while still very much in alpha and under heavy development (they're always looking for more developers to lend a handy, by the way), is a promising open source media center that brings a strong style, some exclusive features and the promise of an impressive UI down the road.
For now, CenterStage covers the meat of what a media center needs to be pretty well: it can play movies, music and your photos; nothing too much to write home about there. CenterStage can already do interesting things like play TV shows recorded with EyeTV, but highlights from the planned features list, however, is what might peak more of your interest:
Bonjour support is coming to allow access to the media of other machines on the network, which will include viewing photos and slideshows from other computers (take that, Apple TV)
Subtitle support for playing movies
Live TV viewing
Live and scheduled TV recording
Game support - playing CD-ROM, Flash and emulation games
For now, CenterStage has released a significant v0.6.2 update which the team calls the "most fully functional release to date." For the future, however, the CenterStage crew have also produced a slick video of what the interface will eventually become, with demonstrations of browsing the library and a few other choice features.
Like I said though, CenterStage is still very much an alpha product so if you give it a spin, definitely treat it as such. Still, the project seems to be progressing nicely and it will be great to see the day when it is a formidable competitor to the likes of Front Row and equinux's MediaCentral.
One of the 300 new Leopard features that Steve didn't mention is an updated version of Front Row. Specifically, the UI has been rebuilt to look just like that of the Apple TV, so there no more need to install your own skin.
From the limited copy on the webpage, we can assume that the functionality is the same, and only the look as changed. Perhaps this is just an extension of Leopard's new unified look.
One of the major things I miss about switching away from a Windows Mobile or even Sony Ericsson mobile phone is Salling Clicker - just about the best darn software I've ever seen for controlling your Mac with a mobile phone or PDA. Clicker offers a wide array of customizable controls with which you can enable your device to control everything from iTunes to Keynote, and even do things like pause music when a call comes in or lock your display if you walk too far away from your Mac. While I cross my fingers that Salling Software can create a BlackBerry client sooner than later, the rest of you can enjoy today's v3.5 update which ushers in a slew of new features and wider support for yet more devices.
At the top of the feature list is support for Front Row, potentially eliminating the need to pack an Apple Remote when venturing out. Other new features include: improved iTunes functionality with quick access to current playlists and more browsing options, support for Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian 9.x devices, much easier Wi-Fi connections for Symbian and WinMo devices, improved Keynote and PowerPoint functionality and much more (I should also note that Salling Clicker for Windows now supports Vista as well).
Check out the main product page of Salling Clicker for Mac if you're new to the possibilities of this excellent software, or take a look at the v3.5 press release to get a look at what's new for you seasoned clickers. A demo is of course available, while a license costs a mere $23.95.
It's quite simple, really, as it's just a matter of replacing Front Row's image files with those from the Apple TV. You can even edit the default menus to display the "Apple TV" title. You can download all of the files you'll need - as well as the instructions - here (remember: Back up your resource files first!). When you're finished, it will look like the image above.
All currently shipping Macs (with the exception of the Xserve) come with an Apple Remote free of charge! What a deal. As you know the tiny white Apple Remote lets you control Front Row, and when coupled with some third party apps lets you do even more.
Sik looked at the Apple Remote and thought, 'Sure that's cool, but what if you could store that remote in an ExpressCard slot, like those found on the MacBook Pro?' Hence the birth of Rex, a replacement for the Apple Remote that is capable of doing everything the Apple Remote does, and can be stowed in your MacBook Pro's ExpressCard slot.
Following up on yesterday's "How to enable Front Row on the Mac Pro" post, Sam Obletz sent us a note alerting us to the fact that the instructions don't work if you're using a Bluetooth Mighty Mouse. Fortunately, Sam included instructions that do work with the Bluetooth Mighty Mouse. The steps trick the Bluetooth controller, receiver, and HID driver into thinking there is IR present.
MacOSXHints reader posted a tip about how to enable Front Row on your Mac Pro. This trick will get around the problem of no Apple IR remote being detected, which causes Front Row to fail to launch. Front Row is already installed on Mac Pros - it just doesn't work. It just sits there, teasing you...
All you have to do is edit a plist file and you'll be up and running. Which plist file to edit is dependant on which mouse you use, but if you don't use an Apple or Logitech mouse you might have to scramble a bit to get it working. For complete details, check out the tip on MacOSXHints. Of course you're still going to need some sort of remote to actually use Front Row, and there are a number of options available for that (a Salling Clicker-enabled cell phone, for example), but being able to activate it is a good first step.
I don't have a Mac Pro handy to test this with, so let us know if you get it working on yours!
UPDATE: We've added new instructions for users of the Bluetooth Mighty Mouse. See this post.
Software updates after a Stevenote? 'Natch! Fire up your Software Update, you brave souls, for there are new versions of QuickTime and Front Row.
The QuickTime update is 'is an important release that delivers numerous bug fixes and addresses critical security issues. This update is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users and is required for playback of content purchased in the iTunes Store.' I hope this means, 'Video playback in iTunes no longer sucks.'
The Front Row update 'provides for improved iTunes compatibility'.
At the time of this posting these updates are only available through Software Update.
Elgato has released a fairly significant update to their EyeTV software that adds a Front Row-like menu UI for interacting with live TV, shows you've recorded and the program guide. Other sites are calling this 'Front Row integration', but I thought that was slightly misleading, as 'integration' simply means the top-level menu in this new version (pictured) has an option to start Front Row; nothing more. In fact, from glancing at the instructions in their 776 KB ReadMe file (link) about the update, it looks like this new version actually takes over the default Front Row keyboard shortcut of cmd + esc, forcing you to go through their menu if what you actually want is Front Row - though I could be wrong (btw, here's a tip Elgato: compress your PSD files to a JPEG or PNG before slapping them in a ReadMe).
Other updates include support for two USB sticks from Hauppauge, exporting to Windows Media (as long as you've purchased the proper Flip4Mac QuickTime plugin), as well as a general export speed increase of 33%, and up to 500% depending on the source and exported format.
This update is a Universal Binary, free to registered users of EyeTV 2.x and should be available from the app's own 'Check for Updates' menu.
really expensive cat toy was sent in by Brenden, and it is cute and scary all at the same time (I wouldn't like a kitten do that to my new MacBook Pro, but then again I'm a stick in the mud).
Before anyone chimes in, I would like to point out two things:
This video is really cute. I mean, a kitten and a MacBook Pro?
A time old phrase uttered countless times in countless living rooms across the world, usually accompanied by an expletive or two. Now that Apple has standardized Front Row and bundled a remote with nearly its whole range, Mac mini, MacBook and MacBook Pro owners are also screaming out for their lost "thingy", "zapper" and "remote control". iMac owners are in the clear: they've got a nice little magnetic section on the side of their machine that the Apple remote will elegantly stick to. Mac mini, MacBook and MacBook Pro owners aren't so fortunate. Apple's forgot to give us non-iMac owners a place to stash our remote! The MacBook, with its magnetic lid, offers a semi-viable solution. The remote will happily stick to the left and right corners at the top of the screen where the lid magnets are. It looks pretty stupid though.
One solution that Apple could use, for the MacBook Pro at least, is to adapt the Apple remote so that it will fit inside the laptop's ExpressCard slot. That would allow users to store the remote out of the way while the machine was closed (our less than elegant solution shown above doesn't tackle that problem). Have any TUAW readers come up with a way to keep the Apple remote with their Mac when they're not using it? Guides for Velcro mods, tractor beam construction manuals and levitation how-tos are welcome!
In a recent Ask TUAW we addressed a question about getting divx video files to register properly as TV Shows in Front Row. In the discussion that followed one of our readers suggested VideoDrive as an easy way of accomplishing this. Basically, VideoDrive allows you to import your videos into iTunes without converting them, while still having full control over the metadata, including the tags that control placing videos either in the TV Shows or Movie categories. That way they will appear in the appropriate submenus in both Front Row and on the Apple TV. VideoDrive can also download cover art form Amazon as well as clean up file names and more. Keep in mind, however, that the appropriate codecs must already be installed to use this (check our Perian for this purpose).
Just when you think Apple's update spree is over, they send you a Front Row update. This update, version 2.1.3, will provide you "bug fixes and improved iTunes compatibility." This update coincides with tonight's 
Looks like today was the ultimate Apple software update day in addition to that 
The folks at Apple have been busy bees! 
One of the 300 new Leopard features that Steve didn't mention is an 
One of the major things I miss about switching away from a Windows Mobile or even Sony Ericsson mobile phone is 
All currently shipping Macs (with the exception of the Xserve) come with an Apple Remote free of charge! What a deal. As you know the tiny white Apple Remote lets you control Front Row, and when coupled with some third party apps lets you do even more.
Following up on yesterday's "
Software updates after a Stevenote? 'Natch! Fire up your Software Update, you brave souls, for there are new versions of QuickTime and Front Row.
