FireCore has announced the release of aTV Flash (black), a suite of applications to enhance the second generation AppleTV. It costs US$29.95, which includes updates for one year, and can be obtained at http://firecore.com/atvflash-black .
aTV Flash (black) empowers the Apple set-top box to do more by adding the abilities to: play additional media formats; surf the web with an HTML5 compatible browser; listen to Last.fm radio; and access Weather forecasts and RSS news feeds.
The new Media Player included with aTV Flash (black) can access files directly from a Mac, PC or NAS drive without having to use iTunes. It downloads and organizes metadata and covert art automatically and will present media in your choice of a list or grid view. Supported file formats include AVI, FLAC, ISO, M2TS, MKV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, VOB, WAV and many others. Support for AC3/DTS sound, subtitles, DVD menus, playlists and photo slideshows are also included.
Also included is Couch Surfer Pro, a web browser that includes support for HTML5 streaming music and video. The browser can be controlled using the standard AppleTV remote, or the free iPhone/iPad Remote app.
Rounding out the offering is an interactive Last.fm feature that provides access to Last.fm streaming radio, as well as artist bios and slideshows. Weather forecast and RSS news feed options are also included.
