Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT

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

Level 5

5,317 points

Apple TV Won't Stream or Sync Video Content

I've had my 120 gb ATV for a year and a few months, and have recently (as of last week) encounted a major problem. After working flawlessly for months, starting sometime last week, I can no longer stream video content from my MacPro to my Apple TV. Furhermore, I can't seem to get any video content to sync to the unit either.

I should clarify - video content that is in my iTunes library appears on the ATV, and will sync and stream EVENTUALLY. It's how long it takes that is the problem.

It took nearly four hours to stream a 45 minute episode of The West Wing, which I purchased from the iTunes Store. That is, I had to wait four hours for enough content to make it from my MacPro to the ATV for the program to start. Syncing is even worse - I set it to sync only one season's worth of episode, which would be the only content kept on the ATV (so there is plenty of space on the unit), and after 24 hours, it synced only 2 episodes.

The network isn't an issue. The content is kept on a Drobo, and streamed via an Apple Airport Extreme, Gigabit Ethernet, Draft-N router. Signal strenth is at the highest level. While there are other networks nearby, at the time that I was trying to use the ATV, they were inactive (I checked, using KISMac). I don't have any trouble playing trailers, YouTube videos or streaming music or syncing photos. The trouble is strictly confined to streaming and syncing video content.

I've performed the following troubleshooting efforts:

1 - Rebooted AppleTV
2 - Dropped and readded iTunes library
3 - Reset network connection in ATV
4 - Changed channels on the Airport Extreme
5 - Changed connection to a shared library.
6 - Reset ATV to factory settings and re-updated firmware

In all cases, so long as the ATV is active in iTunes on the MacPro, it sees all of my video content in that library. But it won't play. This is not a case where the ATV won't play content purchased from the iTunes Store - it happens with unprotected content that played just fine earlier in the week.

My MacPro is running the latest version of OS X, and I just updated iTunes in the hope that the new version would fix the problem.

The only thing I haven't done is purchase content directly from the iTunes Store via the ATV, but that won't fix the problem of the content that I want to stream.

Any idea of what I can try next?

Message was edited by: Lita Kaufman

2.66 ghz Mac Pro/30" & 23" CDs/17" MBP/iPhone/ATV/6g iPod, Mac OS X (10.5.5), Just too much

Posted on Nov 24, 2008 8:44 AM

19 replies

Lita Kaufman Author

Level 5

5,317 points

Nov 30, 2008 10:26 AM in response to Lita Kaufman

I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread, and to update you on my progress.

As you can see, I've marked this question as "solved" because I can now stream and sync without issue. The problem is, I am not sure how the problem got started in the first place, and what actually fixed it. But maybe in my resolution, you can find something that will assist you.

Last Wednesday night, I called Apple Technical Support, and I was prepared to pay the $35 fee. However, the technician asked if I had either a new Mac or one that had an Applecare contract. Since my Mac Pro was covered by Applecare, they applied the support call to that contract.

The technician agreed with me that the problem was likely not the AppleTV, but a setting on my wireless router - an Airport Extreme (AEX).

The tech had me change the channel on the AEX from 8 to 11. When I did that, my ATV disappeared from my Devices List, and would not reappear.

Now, she wanted me to start checking out my iTunes settings - by rebooting in Safe Mode. Unfortunately, I couldn't start the Mac Pro up in safe mode, and that kind of spiraled the call away from fixing the ATV. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with my Mac Pro - I just had too many external drives connected, and it took too long for the firmware to recognize each of those drives. By the time the firmware got to reading my keyboard, the rest of the startup processes finish. She ended up transferring the call to an OS X product specialist. After about another half-hour of troubleshooting, I told the Specialist that I had three WD My Books, a Drobo and two other sets of drives connected to the Mac Pro. He had me disconnect them, and reboot. I was able to start up in Safe Mode, then in Single User Mode, without problem.

TIP 1 - When trying to start up in Safe Mode or in Single User Mode, disconnect all external drives.

This Product Specialist had no real training in Apple's wireless technology and since it was now 10:30 pm (I was on the phone with Apple for more than 2.5 hours), there were no Wireless Specialists left at the center. I got a case number and planned to call back on Saturday, after the house guests had left.

Before calling it a night, I switched the router back from channel 11 to channel 8. And wouldn't you know it, the Apple TV reappeared in my iTunes devices list like the prodigal child returning home. Unfortunately, my streaming problems weren't resolved.

TIP 2: Don't set your wireless router to channel 11, the ATV doesn't like it.

Thursday morning, I woke up to find the light on the Airport Express (AX) blinking amber. I opened up the Airport Utility and reset it, and it went back to green. My ATV problems still weren't resolved.

Thursday night, after everyone gorged themselves on Turkey and Stuffing, my AX crapped out on me again, an this time, I couldn't reset it with the Airport Utility. I had had some issues with the AX when I first got it - it replaced the AX-g I had been using for 4 years, and I had called Apple Technical Support, who helped me set it up as part of a WDS network.

I called Apple Support again, on Friday morning. We talking about the problems I was having with my ATV as well as the AX, and he fully agreed that there was something wrong in the settings in the AEX. I told him how everything was set up, and he was a bit surprised that I was using a WDS network - since I had no b/g radios connecting into it. This technician explained that using a WDS network downgrades the speed from n to b/g, so he had me reset the AEX to a simple wireless network. This seemed to restore the connection with the AX, and he suggested I then check out the ATV.

Guess what? My Apple TV starting working again. I could stream content again without any delays. I set it to sync a bunch of movies and TV shows, and it worked just fine.

TIP 3: Don't use a WDS network if you've got an Apple TV on it.

I don't know why I only just started having major trouble last week, since my network was WDS since early September. I am just grateful that all my problems have been resolved.

TIP 4: If you have an AppleCare contract on a CPU, you can use that to cover a call for the Apple TV.

Nov 30, 2008 10:41 AM in response to Lita Kaufman

I have 2 atvs and thought I was having the software issues in these threads. The trick for the tabs is to "connect to itunes" not "add a library". If you are in the look for atv mode it will show the atv device and the tabs if you approach it this way. It is the top selection on the menu on your atv not the second one down. Then you will see an arrow to the left of your atv in the device window on your computer and you can see the drop downs underneath there. Hope this helps. It seems that it is always so simple with Apple and if you are a PC person like me you tend to try and make it more complicated than it is. TN Out

Dec 1, 2008 4:31 PM in response to Lita Kaufman

Thanks for the informative post. Actually I have my wireless set at channel 11. I hear it is the strongest, but I am going to change it tonight and see how it performs. I was going to change the whole network to wired because I am tired of the performance issue. I will give it a try and keep my fingers crossed

smashpod

Level 1

0 points

Dec 2, 2008 1:20 PM in response to Frank Stone

I am having the same issue too. I've tried some of what you talked about in the forum restore to 2.3, didn't work, change my network channels, I'm not use WDS so I know thats not the problem. I just don't get it, it worked perfect before this update and now it's so slow. I hope 2.4 is out very soon.

Apple TV Won't Stream or Sync Video Content