Do you have a first generation Apple TV? Have you ever wondered how you could list all of your chapter names so you could pick the one you want? Or wanted to see a description or other information about the movie you’re playing?

There are a few hidden features in the Apple TV software that are helpful and handy if you know how to use them.

Fast Forward or Rewind (Scanning) Video

You probably have already figured out that you can fast forward through the video (or rewind) using the buttons on the remote. You may not have known that each time you press the fast forward/rewind button it increases the speed of the scan, up to three times.

Move Forward or Back in Slow Motion

Press the Play/Pause button to pause the video, then press the Fast-Forward or Rewind button to move in slow motion.

Skipping Forward or Backward by Chapter

During playback, press the down (-) button on your remote once. The blue bar should appear with vertical line marks in it for each chapter mark in the movie. Now, you can skip forward or backward using the buttons on your remote.

Full Chapter Listing in Apple TV

You can see a full chapter listing if you press up (+) two times, and then hold select (the play button) for a few seconds.

M4 Power Tip: You can easily list all of the chapters in the movie you’re watching, with the full chapter names (if they’ve been tagged by you, or the IMTS). Here’s how:

During movie playback, simply press the up button (+) twice until you see the video description, then hold the select button (play/pause) for a few seconds.

Put Your Apple TV to Sleep (Standby Mode)

From the main menu, press the Play/Pause button for about three seconds. You’ll know that it worked when the display is gone and the white light on the front of the Apple TV is off.

Sorting Movies by Genres or Names

You can change the method of sorting in the Movies listing by pressing right or left on the remote while in the Movies listings.

Reset Screen Resolution on Apple TV Using the Remote

If you accidentally chose the wrong screen resolution, you may be stuck and unable to get it back to the setting you need because you can’t see the screen. Don’t worry, it’s possible to reset your Apple TV to default screen resolution and language using the remote.

To do this, hold down Menu and Up (+) on the remote for 6 seconds. The Apple TV will start cycling through resolutions. You may not see anything at first if your TV doesn’t support the resolution being displayed, but just wait. If you do nothing, it will try the next resolution, and then the next, etc. Once you can see the display on the screen, you can choose “Next” for the next resolution, or “OK” to set the one currently being displayed.

Reset Language on Apple TV Using the Remote

If you happened to somehow select the wrong language on your Apple TV – or maybe your kids messed it up… (not that I’d know anything about that), then you can reset your Apple TV with the remote to choose your language again.

Just hole down Menu and Down (-) for six seconds. The Apple TV will reset and ask you to pick your language. It will also offer you the opportunity to run hardware diagnostics or erase and restore the factory software.