Hard disk installations now possible (Sorry, Coming Soon)

Sorry I should not have replied in this topic about microSD vs HDD. I thought this was for Raspberry Pi, for which it wouldn’t make sense. But this is A TV :slight_smile:

No worries, It’s a good discussion and something that people would be likely wonder about.
In fact, it’s got me planning to do some speed testing of my microsd cardreader :smile:

From github, it seems that the hdd install is just a hack. Why don’t you just include a non-touched dd image of the boot partition as a seperate file and dd that file instead of the usb-partition? If you gzip it, it’ll only take a few MBs.

Also, I have my own ubuntu 14.04 Kodi-standalone install for the ATV, which I have made an install script for. (A long time ago I made a script to restore the atv os, because that option in cb2 installer was faulty, I simply modified this a little) It simply creates the needed partitions manually(but automatically), copies the needed files over, and uncompresses a rootfs.

Damn… have an ATV1 with original 40GB HDD. Just booted the HHD image 2015.10.2.HDD from usb. Installation went through but then a sad emoji appears and nothing happen. Any idea how to retry the install from usb?

You’ll notice by reading the previous posts, and my notice in the threads discussing HDD install, that the HDD install isn’t working correctly now anyhow.
Suggest you wait until we get it fixed or use the USB install instead.

Hi Soli,

For one – the ‘boot’ partition changes. This isn’t OE, where you have significant files (SYSTEM and KERNEL).

This would require a complete rewrite of the OSMC target installer, and it’s not a very good solution. The current installer for aTV isn’t a hack per-se, it’s more that I did not consider the joyful caveats of HFS and GPT when I developed the original installer. But work on it is beneficial, particularly for when OSMC supports Mac systems in the future.

Obviously goes without saying – if I have missed anything or you can improve upon the installer, then feel free to chime in.

Let’s do it the right way.

Sam

1 Like

Exactly.

This topic and the fact one of the devs was stress testing one of his SDcards, got me digging and thinking.
I’m told that the internal interface is capable of UATA100/ATAPI6 aka 100MB/sec
This makes sense since I vaguely remember getting somewhere around the high 50s back when I was running Crystalbuntu off the HDD and doing some testing.

If you read online about the people who did swap to SSDs, most report a small improvement, but not enough IMO to justify the cost.

Personally, I’d consider a completely different device over spending money to get an SSD for the relatively ancient ATV1+CrystalHD combo that’s at the end of it’s life
One thing the ATV1 still has going for it, is the various connections it has. It’s great for those people who still use component or composite output. Old tech for old tech

hi spinner, sam and everyone

can i just say theres a large community of apple 1 chd users in ireland who are eagerly waiting for the HD wizard install. I know you mention old tech etc, but the reality for most here is we find it to be a super performer, runs better than most, quick menus. i know on paper it may be / seem old tech but its a very solid performer for us, so we are very keen on the atv1 been continued to be supported as Sam has said he will . Superb work guys, keep it going. Oh and just a heads up, i see it mentioned in another post that the chd is greyed out in the acceleration menu in system, that also the case for me. cheers

Heads up on your comments on the love of the ATV1 in Ireland, the same goes for us in Wales, I know scores of people who love the atv, and can not wait for Sam and the team to sort out the niggling bugs that stop us finalising the internal HD install, but guys, we must be calm and wait for the experts to put this right, and I have no doubt they will, but in their own time. Keep up the good work Sam.

I’ve explained this in other threads. If it’s showing, it means your CHD card is detected and is working normally.

1 Like

I’m curious. Other than the Vero (:smiley:), what other device:

  1. performs well (including with heavy skins and add-ons, 24p output would be nice… I feel like 4k is too much to ask for, given that most TVs at the moment won’t support 4k at 60Hz);
  2. is cheap;
  3. has optical audio output;
  4. provides a seamless experience (that is, works only as a Kodi front-end, can be left on or on standby); and
  5. has a nice remote/looks reasonably presentable and simple for visitors to use?

My main reason for sticking with the ATV1 is that I haven’t found anything that comes close in terms of price. I’ve seen NUCs but by the time you add a SSD and RAM it gets a little pricey.

Perhaps the Raspberry PI in a suitable enclosure? I don’t know.

I echo the comments of @pm2097 and @MondeoMan in saying I love the ATV1. It’s not that I don’t know how to tinker with other devices, but I have a broad range of interests and XBMC/Kodi is only one of them, so I have limited time. The straightforward process made possible by Sam allows me to use Kodi without having to decide if I have the time to play around with testing different hardware configs, etc.

As for getting the HDD install working properly, of course we all wait with bated breath but as has been mentioned above, we just need to wait for Sam to get onto this when he’s ready. Given he also has a lot going on, I’m so very grateful he’s still supporting the ATV1!

Cheers

1 Like

I agree. That’s why I still have my ATV. With the CHD card it runs well enough that I’m not compelled to upgrade to a Pi2 or Vero2.

My point was that if you were to spend the money on an SSD in the pursuit of the reportedly small improvement that provides over the internal HHD… It then becomes a better long term financial move IMO to get a newer device.
(Unless you are the person who likes tinkering for fun. Heck I’ve got a truck I restored for way more than it’s worth.)

hi sam. its greyed out and unselected in the system preferences, like its not an option. and the video is struggling. is this just part of the bugs you are sorting. if so, cool. thanks again for the support. patrick

ah i understand now. i have no issues with the HD , i think it runs ok. reallylooking fwd to full wizard install. i installed last nite but greyed out unselected crystalHD and struggling video. porbaby just bugs to be ironed out but just enquiring. cheers!

What’s wrong with the Vero? The new one will satisfy all of your requirements. Genuinely curious, as I want to make it the best possible device available.

Sam

That means it’s detected and working. If the CHD wasn’t detected, the menu wouldn’t show at all.
The ability to toggle the setting is intentionally disabled.

ah. thanks a million for the quick reply, sorry guys if this is an annoyingly repetitive question. thanks again.

A post was split to a new topic: Vero Audio Breakup

No worries !

With time, all this stuff will be in the wiki, and the website search is planned to automatically show relevant info from the wiki.

As for speed, I’d look into the speed of the chips in your USB stick. I was originally using an older one and the audio would drop out cyclically. When I switched to a Class 10 MicroSD with Adapter it disappeared.
Of course future HDD install should solve that too.

Keep in mind that OSMC on the ATV only passes H264 to the Crystal HD card.

hi spinner - ah so the usb s being used by the system as well as the hard drive install. i see that would explain the video struggling. not sure what you mean on your last point. cheers