Apple TV 2.1 and Remote.app for iPhone/iPod 2.0: Accessing Shared Media

Dear Apple

Thank you for releasing Remote.app for my iPhone. It works wonderfully for my iTunes library. I had high hopes for control of my Apple TV, but am unfortunately disappointed. Since I don't store any of my music, movies, or TV shows on the Apple TV directly, I am unable to play any content using Remote.app since all of my content is shared via my iTunes library. Please add shared media playing abilities soon.

Love
JK

[UPDATE 2008.07.24] I discovered last night that you can in fact use the remote to play shared content on the Apple TV. I will post a write up soon about how to make this happen. The short and sweet version is that you add your Apple TV as a synchronizing device rather than a sharing device. This puts all of your media into the "My (Movies|TV|Music)" category rather than the "Shared (Movies|TV|Music)" category.

[UPDATE 2008.07.25] By popular demand, here are the instructions on how to make Remote.app access your iTunes shared content. I am on a Mac running Leopard, so YMMV.

1. In iTunes, select 'Preferences', then the 'Apple TV' pane
   
2. Highlight your Apple TV, then click the 'Remove Apple TV' button.
3. Click OK
4. Go to your Apple TV and from the main menu, select 'Sources'
   
5. Select 'Syncing'. The Apple TV will now display a unique pass code.
   
6. In iTunes, you should once again see your Apple TV in the devices list on the left side menu. Click your Apple TV.
7. iTunes will prompt you for a pass code. Enter the pass code from step 5.
8. If desired, provide a name for your Apple TV and click the 'OK' button.
9. Voila! Whether you elect to actually sync content between your computer and the Apple TV, you will now be able to access your iTunes content under 'My Movies|TV|Music|etc' on the Apple TV, and selecting those categories in Remote.app will now allow you to access your iTunes content.

[UPDATE 2008.07.29]: To the person who commented about syncing media. When you have an Apple TV in sync mode, it appears in iTunes just like an iPod. If you do not wish to transfer media to the device (which I also do not do), simply open each tab (Music, Video, etc) and remove the check box for "Sync media" on each tab.