Q: Apple TV name followed by random number when using AirPlay

None if the proposed solutions work. The only way to avoid the problem is to connect your appletv with a LAN cable.

Apple support turned out to be very nice, but utterly useless: I sent twice a complete image of my machine and all the diagnostic info on their request.

Never got a reply.

First time was mid-March, now it's mid June.

Most problems seem to stem from a very bad implementation of their Bonjour protocol (AppleTv naming failure, back to my Mac never working properly...)

What frustrates me is that support could have at the very least notified of some progress or the lack thereof, after the second enquiry...

I'm connected via ethernet and having the same issue...

Anyway to rename it even though it's named properly within the Apple TV settings?

Yes. Shut down all your macs/computers. Switch off all apple TVs, airport expresses, extremes, time capsules and your Internet router. This means to cut them off from power. Sleeping a Mac/mini/MacBook is NOT enough.

All have to be switched off.

Go for a 30 min walk.

Meanwhile all the bonjour caches of the servers/proxies should expire. When you restart your network numbering will restart again after a while.

If anybody has just bought an Apple TV, complain to Apple while you have phone support, and send them a link to this forum post.

It is an error of the Bonjour protocol that they need to fix some day. Maybe.

It is a bug in File Sharing. Turn File sharing off in System Preferences and then you can delete that number.

1. How exactly are you proposing to "delete" that number, when it is an automatically assigned sequential number upon faulty re-registration of the ATV services in the Bonjour DNS?

2. I need File Sharing on as I am remotely accessing my drives.

The only way I found out is to shut down all your network , wait a bit, restart and give your ATV a new name.

BTW After months of diagnostics by Apple engineering, they sent me to the Apple store, with the theory that it is a network controller issue. The Genius Bar technician told me that it probably is a manufacturing defect, but since the ATV is out of warranty, I can either pay 70 EUR for a replacement or 110 EUR for a new one, and I would be better off buying a new one anyway.

Me pointing out that manufacturing defects are covered even after warranty didn't help, and he told me that anyway the burden of proof is on my side. It's either 70 or 110 EUR.

I find the arrogance incredible, and since they know that the effort for enforcing my consumer right is way above 110 EUR they count on the fact that I'll just let it pass.

Great service!

In my experience: simply rename or re-select the Apple-Tv's name in the Settings tab of the device itself...

Back to my MBP or my iPhone, airplay now diplays devices's name correctly... (not even needed to restart the aTV)

Hope that'll work for you.

Have a theory after the recent update that the numbers shows how many apple products have been connected to the  Apple TV. I use different third-party software for my apple TV. One of these is Airfoil, who had trouble connecting to the apple TV after last update. Could it be that it tries to connect again and again leading to increased value between the brackets in the connection window. As another user said, the numbers it disappears if you change the name of the Apple TV in the appel TV settings (and then change it back if you want)

The instruction of Q4v3l1on works including changing back the name to its original state. Just tested while the issue showed up here as well.

My Apple TV is now called "Mabel". It's a nice name, I think. So far, so good.

It quite surprised me that I was able to change it whilst streaming (from Spotify on iPad) without any interruption.

Confirmed. Canged it to "Living Room" and then back to just "Apple TV"

Still not sure why the sequntial numbering occurred but at least this work around cleans it up.

I think one of the recent software updates fixes the issue.

Update all your expresses, extremes, Apple TVs, and iMacs/MacBooks.

It is a Bonjour protocol error as I explained earlier, it has nothing to do with connected devices to your Apple TV but with how many times it re-registers in one of the bonjour proxies.

All devices above can function as bonjour proxies, so you need to make sure the protocol stack is up to date.

Then shut down your network to clear all the above devices caches and restart them only after the last one has been shut down. Then rename your Apple TV to what you want (or change the name and rename it back), although in some instances you may already have gotten rid if the number already.

Enjoy.

arnoloisoncart wrote:

 

In my experience: simply rename or re-select the Apple-Tv's name in the Settings tab of the device itself...

Back to my MBP or my iPhone, airplay now diplays devices's name correctly... (not even needed to restart the aTV)

 

Hope that'll work for you.

"Works" for me as well.  If I go into the settings on the ATV and simple select my device name and exit out (without changing the name) the number suffix goes away.  It reappears the next day for me.

What's strange is this just started happening to me, I have had the ATV for a few years now with no issue.  Not sure what happened...

I use an AirPort Extreme to extend the wireless network (base is also an AirPort Extreme) and had the same problem of a random number after the name. Also have an AirPort express to connect a printer wireless, which also extends the network. I think it's because the Apple tv is switching between the base and the extenders that the number appears. I don't know for sure but I think that is the problem. My Apple tv is now connected with a cable and the problem is gone.

dclayton wrote:

 

It is a bug in File Sharing. Turn File sharing off in System Preferences and then you can delete that number.

Just found this thread and I think dclayton is on to something.

See my post here: https://discussions.apple.com/message/24642950#24642950

This is when my Mac is on the 2.4GHz network

This is when my mac is on the 5GHz network

the 2 apple TVs with numbers are WIRED and the one that has no number is on my 5GHz network.  I have done several tes and have not found a solution.  This does get annoying but it does not affect any performance.