misstracey1968

Q: Should my old Apple TV unit still work

I got my apple TV about 3 or 4 years ago and have not used it a lot as we have very slow download speeds and it can take 8 hours to downlod a movie (the problems with living in the country).

I bought a movie a few months ago and waited for it to download but when I went to watch it I got a message to say there was a problem with the content, try again later.

I kept trying but nothing changed.

I tried again a few days later with another  movie and had the same problem.

I havent tried again as I am sick of paying for movies that I cannot watch.

Could it be because my unit is so old and cannot process the content anymore?

I am not very tech-savvy and have no idea whats going on.

I tried to get help from Apple Support but when I tried to get in touch with them I had to enter my product code (or some number...it was a while ago now) and was told that Apple no longer support this device.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Apple TV

Posted on Mar 30, 2016 8:53 PM

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Q: Should my old Apple TV unit still work

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  • by morrispe,

    morrispe morrispe Mar 30, 2016 9:27 PM in response to misstracey1968
    Level 4 (1,227 points)
    Apple Music
    Mar 30, 2016 9:27 PM in response to misstracey1968

    If you have one of the small black square Apple TV's then they are designed as a streaming device only and do not store downloaded content. Even if you attempt to let a movie download over time you will likely have issues viewing it as you have experienced. The videos are DRM protected and you need to connect to the Apple servers to authenticate your ability to watch the content in addition to having enough bandwidth to download or stream content in a timely fashion.

     

    If you have an iOS device OR a computer running iTunes then you can download video purchases to those devices and AirPlay them to the Apple TV. Given your internet connect that would probably work better for you.

  • by Alley_Cat,

    Alley_Cat Alley_Cat Mar 30, 2016 10:34 PM in response to misstracey1968
    Level 6 (19,583 points)
    Mar 30, 2016 10:34 PM in response to misstracey1968

    You may have contacted AppleTV support - if so go back and talk to iTunes Store support regarding that rental - it should work on the AppleTV, if it didnt they really should not allow a rental/purchase to proceed.

     


    AFAIK all the Apple TV units still work for rentals, except a few features have been removed/lost due to changes (eg YouTube on AppleTV 2).

  • by Vinceassociate,Apple recommended

    Vinceassociate Vinceassociate Mar 31, 2016 3:56 AM in response to misstracey1968
    Level 4 (1,738 points)
    Mar 31, 2016 3:56 AM in response to misstracey1968

    I think your issue may relate to your download speed.  If it is not fast enough rentals may not be able to properly download.  Who provides your internet?  Do you know what the speed of it is?  Here is a guide to identify your ATV model:

    Identify your Apple TV model - Apple Support

    Which one do you have?

  • by Vinceassociate,Apple recommended

    Vinceassociate Vinceassociate Apr 4, 2016 1:36 PM in response to Vinceassociate
    Level 4 (1,738 points)
    Apr 4, 2016 1:36 PM in response to Vinceassociate

    Check out this chart and compare it with your service:

    iTunes Store: Download times will vary - Apple Support