Guide to installing Apple iOS 5 beta on the Apple TV

Apple revealed iOS 5 beta at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC)  this week. One of the many things shown was mirroring what you see on your iOS device onto the TV via the Apple TV. If you are a member of the iOS Developer Program, you can download and test iOS 5 beta before the fall release. Step-by-step instructions on how to install iOS 5 on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch are available, but what about for the Apple TV?

The good news is that it is a very similar procedure. The only difference is that you need a micro-USB to USB cable. Chances are that you already have one if you own a Samsung or Blackberry mobile phone. If you don't, you can pick one up from your local electronics store for a few dollars.

Before you start

• Note that running this operation will reset your Apple TV's account settings, and configuration back to the factory default.
• You need a Mac
• You need a micro-USB cable. Buy a micro-USB cable from Amazon if you don't have one (this one is just USD$1.36).
  
  
• You need to be a registered iOS developer
• Register your Apple TV as a development device in the iOS Provisioning Portal in the Members Center. This process requires your device's Unique Device ID (UDID). To get this, launch iTunes, connect your Apple TV to your Mac using the micro-USB cable, go to the Summary tab and click on 'Serial number'. This will toggle and show the UDID. 

Installing iOS 5 beta on your Apple TV

1. Login to the Apple Developer Member Centre and go to the iOS Dev Center. 
2. Download iTunes 10.5 beta and the iOS 5 beta for the Apple TV.
3. Install iTunes 10.5 beta.
4. Double-click 'ios_5_beta__XXXXXX.dmg'  (from step 2) to mount the image.
5. Connect the Apple TV to your Mac using the micro-USB cable. The micro-USB port is below the HDMI port. Make sure that the HDMI and power cables are not plugged in to your Apple TV, otherwise it will not show up in iTunes.
    
6. Hold down the Option key and click 'Restore'. Navigate to the mounted image and select the xxxxxxx.ipsw file. 
7. iTunes will install iOS 5 beta. Follow the instructions. Note that this will reset your Apple TV's account settings, and configuration back to the factory default.
8. At any time you can revert from iOS 5 beta back to the last public release by clicking 'Restore' (unlike the iPhone) – but your settings will be reset back to the factory default.