14 DAY TRIAL // A new version of the Apple TV (second generation) software is available as a free download from Cupertino. Apple TV (iOS) Software 5.0 brings a radically enhanced interface, movie purchases in iCloud, Genius recommendations, screensaver photos, and on-device signup.
Released to the public as Apple was announcing its third-generation Apple TV with 1080p capabilities, Apple TV Software 5.0 brings a few notable enhancements to existing owners of a second-generation set-top box.
According to a support document on Apple’s website - “About Apple TV (2nd generation) software updates” - Apple TV Software Update 5.0 delivers the following goodies to owners of the $99 black box:
New interface - Fast, visual access to all content choices
Movie purchases in iCloud - Support for buying movies on Apple TV and playing back purchased movies from iCloud
Genius Recommendations - Recommendations for content on the iTunes Store based on previous rentals and purchases
Screensaver photos - New National Geographic photos built-in for screensaver
On-device sign-up - On-device sign up for content partners on Apple TV using your Apple ID.
That’s not all. According to an additional knowledge base article on Apple’s site, version 5.0 of the Apple TV software also fixes a security issue.
Ilja van Sprundel of IOActive has discovered recently that “Applications that use the libresolv library may be vulnerable to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.”
This was caused by an integer overflow in the handling of DNS resource records, which could lead to heap memory corruption. The flaw is patched in Apple TV Software 5.0, Apple says.
To be noted that Apple offers all these goodies, plus some extras, inside the new $99 3rd-gen Apple TV. The new black box is powered by a custom A5 chip that allows it to output video at 1080p on your HD television set.