[battada]

Hi folks

I have installed an apple tv entertainment system in my car. It is doing great as of now, but the installation is not as neat as I wanted it to be. Anyway, here is the story-

My wife gifted me an apple TV on my last birthday and I have been toying with this idea ever since.

So the big question is why apple tv? Simply because-

it provides a CD/DVD free ride
excellent software, menus and album art almost akin to a computer
lower power consumption than a carputer (under 45 watt)
more reliable than a carputer and less cumbersome to maitain
and yes I am an apple fanatic

Existing ICE in my car

Sony xav-w1 DVD touchscreen headset, JBL comps in the front and JBL 6x9 at the back, JBL 2 channel amp and polk db840 sub

What is needed:

Apple TV (160 GB) - 14000/-
Belkin AC Anywhere inverter 1500/-
ATV Flash software $50/-
RCA Wiring KIT about 500
Pen drive >1gb for atv flash
portable HDD/pen drive (optional, if you want to by pass itunes)


Challenges:

Power: Apple tv has an inbuilt power circuit and therefore no other power options except an inverter. Belkin is ideal as it has inbuilt protection circuitry and on off switch for emergency

Video: Apple TV's Video output from HDMI and component out is incompatible with the XAV-W1's composite input ( most other touch screen players for that matter). To work around this issue we have the ATV flash software that converts the green component output to composite out with some software mods. Apple supports both PAL and NTSC basic resolutions. This software provides a bunch of mods, will discuss that later. There is free version from akward tv as well, but not sure if it provides clean softwtare while keeping warranty of apple tv in tact. I opted for this one.

Placement: This is an issue because I wanted to control it with the IR remote and therefore cannot put it inside the dash or any other hidden place.I used the gap between seating and the cupholder console on the floor. (in my Honda city). please provide any innovative suggestions if you have. I need to have this setup tidy.

Another point that needs to be noted is that we cannot have a permanent installation as we need to move it in and out to load media on to it

Software Installation:
For those of us who know apple tv fairly, apple controls almost everything that can be played on it like every other apple device and the only way to control media on it is via itunes. atv flash literally jaibreaks it so that it can play a lot more media formats including mp3, vob, divx, mp4 etc

Phase 1
Making apple tv ready for car entertainment
Step1: buy and download atv flash jailbreak
Step2: run it on windows/mac OS and plug in the usb stick
step3: follow the onscreen instructions and your stick will be made ready for the software install
setp4: once it is ready, swithc off apple tv, insert the USB stick and reboot apple tv. Allow the software to run, download and install as required. Like iphone jaibreak, all your original software will be in tact and addons will appear on the menu.
Setp5: Change apple tv resolution to standard definition. This is a bit tricky, follow the atv flash guide/wiki and you should have no problems. Test it via composite video.

Phase 2
Installation in the car

You choose your location, but apple tv gets a bit warm after long runs, so apple recommends a decent ventilation on sides and top. I installed it in the slit between the seat and the cup holder on the floor.
Make the basic connections between the power unit, apple tv and head unit and enjoy your drive.
Remote works perfectly from various reflective surfaces in the car.

I don't have the pictures at this time, but guys, will do it real soon.

pl. let me know of your thoughts

[kaushikr]

An innovative idea of Apple TV installation in car, it will be interesting to see the pictures

Do you know if the device will hold up to vibrations while traveling?

Originally Posted by battada

Another point that needs to be noted is that we cannot have a permanent installation as we need to move it in and out to load media on to it

I thought Apple TV supported WiFi and it is possible to updated the content in it by using WiFi. Is it not the case?

[battada]

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Do you know if the device will hold up to vibrations while traveling?
I thought Apple TV supported WiFi and it is possible to updated the content in it by using WiFi. Is it not the case?

People have done it before, it's been a week, so far no issues, but I'll keep a watch now that you mentioend it.

yes apple tv does support wifi and it is possible to sync it if you have your wifi router close to your car park. I dont have that luxury.

I will get the photos up today/tomorrow.

[battada]

Here are the pictures folks. Pl. push your ideas to make it a clean install

[kaushikr]

Hi battada,

The install seems to have come out pretty neat and the Apple TV device itself sits invisibly . As as mentioned by you, the interface of Apple is classy!

Does the remote work from all places within the vehicle? Also how convenient is it to use the credit card remote while driving?

Originally Posted by battada

People have done it before, it's been a week, so far no issues, but I'll keep a watch now that you mentioned it.

Was not aware that people have installed it. As Apple TV has a hard-disk and as it was not designed to be moved around frequently, the hard disk failure thought popped up.

Cheers

[battada]

Yeah the remote holds up pretty well from all places. About convenience the remote, as you may know, has only 4 +1 buttons all at one place, so I have gotten used to it, but yeah, wouldn't advise looking at the screen to change while driving.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Hi battada,

As Apple TV has a hard-disk and as it was not designed to be moved around frequently, the hard disk failure thought popped up.

Very valid point Kaushik. keeping fingers crossed as of now. Is there anything that we can do to damp these vibrations?
The best thing is, now this setup also adds the USB stick to my ice (and a possible GPS in future with a plugin that is at beta stage now)

[fuhrer]

how about placing the apple tv below the dashboard(marked in red). i have used this place for placing DSP in my accent. it was in the size of a single din player, however on the highway it was abstracting the legroom and was a bit painful. in your case if there is enough space there and since apple tv is thin you may try it.
As far as arrest the vibration, if you have a old multi cd changer which you no longer need, then you can use the float mount mechanism in it.
how about mounting it in the roof like how they do with the flip down monitor.

[the_joker]

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Was not aware that people have installed it. As Apple TV has a hard-disk and as it was not designed to be moved around frequently, the hard disk failure thought popped up.

Cheers

What you should do is, replace the Hard disk with a SSD. It may be a little bit expensive, but it can handle all the vibrations. Get a 32/64 GB SSD, and then use a high capacity flash drive for all the media that you need.