I have a 1st generation Apple TV (the silver one with a HDD) just sitting here collecting dust. After creating my first RPi endpoint, I’ve started to wonder, “Could an Apple TV 1 be made into a RAAT-capable Roon Bridge box?”
The 1st Gen Apple TV is not very powerful, but it does have some intriguing audio output options: SPDIF optical, HDMI, and a not-terrible analog section.
Has anyone else tried this?
There are at least two Linux-based media centers that can be installed on the Apple TV 1:
There are even instructions for installing a Debian jessie via OSMC:
Once Debian is installed, couldn’t you also install Roon Bridge? Would it know how to talk to the audio outputs? Is there a better distribution (DietPi?) that could be used?
Thanks for any advice or speculation anyone can provide!
Ah, that would be a problem. I never would have thought about that. Thanks for saving me the trouble of doing the install! I guess I’ll drop this ATV1 at the recycler and throw a few bucks at a Pi Zero. Thanks again!
I have a Pi 3 with IQaudIO DAC+. I’m having so much fun with it, I started thinking about other potential projects. I was intrigued by the thought of adding another RAAT endpoint for $0. (I also have two Chromecast Audio pucks, so I’m trying to hold off spending money on endpoints until we see how Roon support for those works out.)