streaming won't work with big iTunes libraries

ChromePlanet wrote:
I noticed when setting up this way, you don't get a dialogue in iTunes asking you to register the unit and you can't name the Apple TV either. All you get is a tab to show it where your photos are.

if that happens then you have added itunes as a secondary library (which has streaming only).
primary libraries pair with the itunes library with the access code etc.

i use v2 and have a paired library and stream 100%, works 100% with an ever growing library size.

ChromePlanet wrote:
Streaming requires an access code as well. What's the point of primary pairing if you aren't going to sync?

because, previously i sync'd photos but longer do this.

from your notes about getting the second device, it sounds like you have set it up as a secondary library, with just the 2 tabs. if it was a primary library it would have all the tabs.

have you tried setting it up as a primary library to see if it works that way ? (you may have mentioned this in previous posts but i can't really be bothered trawling thru it all again).

yep.. i can confirm if you don't set up a primary iTunes Lib (paired/linked) and you do just add all your iTunes Libs as shared it does work (it streams)... no primary iTunes Lib is necessary. but as you say you can't rename the AppleTV in addition you don't have fine control over which items get displayed and it take 1 extra click every time you enter a new area (music, movie etc). this is because you need to select the shared library before you see the media.. but if you just set the iTunes lib as primary (linked) and you press MyMusic you're just in right away... but is does work, but with a bunch of limitations.

setting the primary iTunes lib as linked/paired whatever you want to call it and then just turning off syncing still seems like the way to go... i'm going to go switch mine back now..

nope didn't.. had the iTunes Lib as the primary/linked ITunes Lib... went to setting >Computers>Add a Shared Lib > added the former primary/linked iTunes > entered password in iTunes... then when went to sharing in Movies, Music etc the iTUnes Lib was there...

but again... why would you do this? the other way... setting your main Lib as the primary/linked and then turning off syncing allows you to have you cake and eat it too... it streams everything and in the event you really do want to sync something, you want to rename the AppleTV... basically if you want write access to the AppleTV you can do that... set it up as sharing only and you need to go and change it back to a primary/link to do these things, so why bother? i.e. it can be primary/linked and shared at the same time..it's either or.

i tried it, it works, but wouldn't use it like that since it's too limiting..

tmartine wrote:

the other way... setting your main Lib as the primary/linked and then turning off syncing allows you to have you cake and eat it too... it streams everything and in the event you really do want to sync something

This is how I am set up and I have to agree with tmartine - I don't know why you'd want to set up your primary account as stream-only.

Setting to sync/stream and manually picking what to sync is the way to go. If you really want to stream everything then select nothing to sync!

I have yet to really figure out what I am going to use sync for. It came in handy the other night when I knew that I wanted to watch a specific movie so I selected it for sync in advance. That meant that I could shut down my Mac and network for the night and go a watch the movie straight from the ATV. I've synced some photos too so that I can have a nice screen saver, but I wonder of that's a waste of power. I automatically sync unwatched/new kid's videos so that they can watch some of their stuff without having to have an iTunes library active.

It may be possible to run your only/primary library as stream-only, but I can't see the point, especially if it serves up problems. If I've misunderstood the problem, please accept my apologies!

On the subject of documentation for Take 2, you have to say that it is pretty poor. The manual is incomplete and the online docs generally refer to Take 1 (without bothering to state that fact). I spent a while hunting the menus for a "Sources" option before figuring out that the Take 2 menus didn't match the Take 1 docs! LOL.