You can connect to the AppleTV via ssh (Secure Shell or SSH is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices).

In order to do that, you will need to know the IP address of your AppleTV (for example 192.168.0.3). You can find that by browsing to Settings > General > Network. Note that the IP address isn't necessarily constant, and might change from time to time, so you will need to verify what the IP is, each time before connecting to your AppleTV.

Mac/Linux

Open the Terminal window and type :

ssh frontrow@192.168.0.3

the password is: frontrow

Windows

Download Putty, and connect to 192.168.0.3

the password is: frontrow