iTunes audio ONLY on the External USB Drive?

Is it possible to store ONLY the iTunes audio files (synced with my computer’s iTunes of course) on an external USB drive and NOT the entire Tiger OS which runs the AppleTV?

Yes, following the process at the link below will allow you to store only the iTunes synced media on the external drive. The AppleTV system software will remain on the internal drive.

http://wiki.atvflash.com/index.php?title=USB_Storage#Option_2:_USB_as_Primary_Storage

Thank you for the answer! Is it safe to assume that my photos may also be stored on the drive via iTunes as well as the movies and tv shows?

Finally, how about playing video ts folders that are on the drive? Is it possible?

Thanks!

Yes, all iTunes media (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Podcasts, Photos etc) will be synced to the external drive. iTunes will recognize the entire external drive as available for syncing.

DVD movies (video ts) can be played on the AppleTV. We have a guide for this here:
http://wiki.atvflash.com/index.php?title=Play_DVD_Files

Note: When the external drive is setup as primary, it will be visible inside the ‘Movies’ folder for transferring and playing media.

Two more questions please:

  1. The Using an external HD for primary iTunes storage says: “Note 2: The process will need to be reversed BEFORE any AppleTV system software update is installed.”

Does this mean aTV Flash updates as well as Apple updates?

  1. I realize how to use the Nito plug in to watch Video_TS folders already. My question was if it was possible to store the Video_TS folders on the external drive for playback when the external drive is also used for iTunes storage.

Many thanks!

Jim

P.S. You guys have made a an amazing product! Thank you very much!

No, aTV Flash updates can be installed while the external drive is set as primary storage.

  1. I realize how to use the Nito plug in to watch Video_TS folders already. My question was if it was possible to store the Video_TS folders on the external drive for playback when the external drive is also used for iTunes storage.

Yes, when connected via FTP you will see a folder named ‘ExternalHD’ inside the ‘Movies’ folder. This is where VIDEO TS and other non-iTunes media can be placed. Files copied here will be stored on the external drive.

You are wonderful!

I thought of one more question:

Is this procedure good? I don’t want to damage the data on the external HD.

When finished, I hold the play button to put the AppleTV to sleep. Then I turn off the surge protectors which powers down the external drive. I

In other words, is it ok to power down the drive when the AppleTV is asleep?

Thanks!

No, you won’t want to power off the external drive while the AppleTV is powered on. The AppleTV ‘sleep’ mode only disables the video output, syncing operations can still take place. Most external drives will spin down and use essentially zero power when not in use, so disconnecting the power won’t save you much anyways.

Thank you for all of your answers! Tech support here is most excellent! I appreciate it!

Jim