Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Freeze/Crash Question

I have my ATV connected to my IMAC via ethernet. I use a Harmony 880 to control turning on and off the ATV. Most times when I turn on the ATV, it turns on fine. About every 5-10 times, though, it seems to be frozen at the picture of the Apple logo at the center of the screen. I am forced to unplug and replug and it then loads fine. Anyone else have this problem or have a solution? Thank you.

Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Jan 31, 2008 5:59 AM

Reply
62 replies

Jan 31, 2008 6:39 AM in response to uva25a

Well, this may not help, but unless you're not going to use for an extended period of time, the lack of an on/off button leads a lot of people to believe it's not meant to be turned off.

Are you actually removing power from the AppleTV or using the Standby mode?

I know I leave mine always on and never have any problems with hanging/crashing.

Feb 29, 2008 3:17 PM in response to uva25a

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I also have the exact same problem and after a few weeks, I still haven't found a solution.

AppleTV 40GB
2.0
Connected via HDMI through a Sony Receiver
Apple remote and Harmony remote

The problem:
After a period of inactivity (2-3 days?), when I switch my home theatre to Apple TV, I only get the Apple logo centered on the screen. My Receiver is not showing the sound mode when Apple TV is in this state. Apple TV also disappears from iTunes. When I press buttons on the remote, i can hear the normal button tone in the speakers but nothing happens on screen. This is embarrassing as it's always crashed when I switch to it to show content to friends. Only way to wake it from the dead is to unplug the power cord. Holding Left+Menu for 6 seconds does nothing.

Any help would be nice. I hope Apple can address this issue. I love my little white box. (When it's working)

Mar 6, 2008 7:27 AM in response to srobert

Same here, it seems that after a few days, or up to a week, it freezes and has to be rebooted. The first sign of a freeze is that AppleTV no longer appears in iTunes when I open it.

My first thought was that it was caused by electrical interference with my DVD player, because it seemed to freeze after having played a DVD and the AppleTV was situated on top of the player. I moved the AppleTV to another spot, and it still freezes, however.

My AppleTV is set to use flickr for screensaver images, I am going to change that to see whether this might be a factor.

Mar 9, 2008 7:03 AM in response to srobert

I have the same problem, and it has existed across the 1.1 to 2.0 upgrade. I am convinced it has to do with HDMI switching (and Apple's poor implementation of it). I have 4 HDMI devices hooked into an AV receiver, so switching input devices means HDMI switching, too. It seems the Apple TV easily is confused when it loses/regains connection with the AV receiver.

I hope this is something Apple can address (in S/W), as all of my other HDMI-based equipment has not trouble syncing up when the AV receiver selects the device.

Mar 9, 2008 5:40 PM in response to uva25a

Count me in on this issue.

I know the ATV isn't hung or frozen. It's HDMI-connected directly to my receiver, and when I switch back to the ATV after an indeterminate period of using some other source, I get the silver Apple logo in the center of a black screen, but I hear the menu-navigation sounds playing when I use the remote.

Oddly enough, this does NOT happen if I don't leave it in the top level menus. So if I leave it at, say, a list of podcast episodes, and come back...even days later...everything is peachy. But if I leave it at the top menu (for instance), it'll do this blackout nonsense every single time.

Really annoying, Apple. Please fix this.

Mar 12, 2008 12:00 AM in response to brianlittle

I also have my ATV connected to a receiver using HDMI and am experiencing freezes with the same symptoms: ATV disappears from iTunes, stuck on Apple logo, hear navigation sounds, etc. However, instead of unplugging, I've been rebooting by holding down ➖ and MENU until I get the "restart", "diagnostics" and "factory reset" screen and then selecting restart. I personally dislike unplugging hung devices, left over from experiences with old tech disks that didn't spin down properly.

I'm going to try Brian's suggestion by leaving my ATV showing synced photos instead of navigating back to the main menu.

Freeze/Crash Question

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.