AppleTV Software Update? Locked Icon in Itunes

I've gone on to install the Apple "iCloud" storage management application (I uninstalled it years ago because i never needed to manage files on it and it just seemed to slow my computer down. All these mentions of iCloud Logins in the "how-to" for Airplay and Homehub documentation made me think it might be a requirement now for this HomeHub stuff on a windows Machine.

Initially, this didn't solve the issue. I did a complete reboot of all devices, and it STILL didn't do anything. I walked away from the computer (was streaming to other devices). Came back and randomly tried again and all the sudden... it 'worked'.

Now, it introduces a new problem. Itunes will now randomly "pause" while playing, and occasionally the AppleTV will just seem to stop. No rhyme or reason to it. I've noticed it happens when I click on random website addresses in my ipad of all things. Literally, sound cuts out the moment i clicked a website in my bookmarks. I looked at my itunes, and it thought it was still playing a song. Eventually it pauses it (like some synchronization check fails), but itunes still thought it was streaming up to that point.

There's something seriously wrong here if clicking a bookmark on an unrelated device kills sound streaming to an AppleTV.

So in summary:

• Itunes will not consistently stream to the AppleTV 4th Gen device

1. 1. I cannot replicate the circumstances which does allow the streaming via Airplay from a windows machine running Itunes. It appears to be entirely random at this point whether it works or not
   2. When it is "not" playing while selected, switching from playing to the AppleTV to just the Computer Speakers by itself will stop an AirPlay session, which means a session exists, but no streaming is taking place
   3. while the session exists, the AppleTV will not auto-turn-off after 15 minutes with no music playing, the session with no music is somehow still keeping it 'active'.

• Itunes will, in the rare instances when streaming is actually happening, occasionally stop streaming for random reasons, which include but are not limited to:

1. 1. clicking bookmarks on an ipad
   2. just randomly stopping on its own; cannot replicate any visible reasons.

Two days later and I still haven't made any progress except for some ideas I cannot verify yet.

The only thing I can think has truly changed is this "HomeHub" stuff. Specifically, this AppleTV 4th Gen is the ONLY 4th Gen I own. The other three are 2x 2nd Gens and 1x 3rd Gen. The 4th Gen automatically became part of this Homehub stuff when it booted up while the rest aren't.

My Windows machine running itunes can stream music to any of the 2nd or 3rd Gen AppleTVs, but not the "Locked" 4th Gen one which coincidentally is now part of this "Homehub" thing. I would REALLY love someone to be able to tell me with 100% certainty just what on earth the Lock icon signifies. Regardless of whether homehub is on or off on the AppleTV 4th Gen, the "lock" icon appears in Itunes. The lock also again appears whether or not there is a password required for the AppleTV as well.

So, its either this homehub stuff in general, or the one thing I can't test, which is Apple is no longer going to let my Windows machine running Itunes (and thus it cannot be part of a "homehub" since only a Mac can be) to stream music to a AppleTV part of the homehub.

If that's the case I'm not going to be a happy camper.