Whether you have multimedia content on a remote device like a file server (NAS) or your laptop, the next big question: how do I stream that content wirelessly to my TV?  There are a few ways to do so, and if you’re into consumer gadgetry in general then chances are you have a solution already.  For instance, I have a Xbox 360 and an Apple TV2.  The Xbox 360 natively supports wireless networking to a file server but is limited in its media codec support.  Plus its pretty college-bootleg to have to boot up the 360 to watch a movie.

Apple TV 2 on the other hand is very slick and simple, yet missing the essential streaming from a (gasp!) non-Apple machine.  That’s right – at this time, Home Sharing is not something you’ll find on a device other than another apple computer.  I had no intention of buying another Apple device to serve media content.  Thankfully, the kind folks at http://www.appletvhacks.net had just published an article to jailbreak the operating system on the Apple TV so you can inject additional software onto the device.  This sounds complicated, but it really isn’t.  Just follow the instructions and soon you can be playing high definition movies from your file server running XBMC (formerly Xbox Media Center).

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