How can I stop Apple TV from buffering?

Legspinner20 wrote:

I cannot believe that Apple doesn’t monitor these APPLE Community Chat Rooms.

They do not. Apple only monitors these user-to-user forums to make sure that everyone is following the rules.

I therefore find it very difficult to understand why they don’t respond in some way. Either to acknowledge an issue and inform all what is going on and how to fix it OR to tell us that we are all doing something wrong at our end. The silence from Apple is deafening!

If you want to discuss something with Apple directly and get a response from Apple, you need to contact them. You can start with the Support link at the bottom left of every page of these forums.

ChipDale wrote:

• Phil 0124 - since Apple TV plus was

ADDED TO THE APPLE TV OPERATING SYSTEM SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF APPLE TV USER

COMPLAINTS OF BUFFERING on this Community Discussions site.

Just to clarify, Apple added Apple TV+ in November 2019. So, if complaints are more recent, that is probably not the cause.

Confusing! AppleTV plus first showed up on my Apple TV Streaming units Spring of 2023.

That's when my, and according to

other participants here their, buffering experiences began.

I tried Subscribing Apple TV plus

and had zero buffering with THAT

Streaming, so I cancelled the subscription to see what happened.

Buffering then, and now, is the same

problem it's been for most of 2023.

Again, I'll increase my Bandwidth to

see what happens.

Thanks again for your contribution to this, spreading, conversation

Having a subscription to the service or not should have absolutely zero effect on your streaming speed. That sounds more like a network issue. Unfortunately, network issues are always troublesome to resolve.

Did it! Added 10Mb to my '7 years no buffering 50 Mb account' I'll post my, now, 60Mbps ISP Service result.

All I can surmise is: Tech Advances

in Equipment, Cabling, ISP NIDS,

FTTC, plus more Data needed for

recent years Streaming apps finally

reached a Streaming Bandwidth Threshold. Seven Years of reliable

50Mbps delivery didn't do the job

anymore.

Still, Apple TV Streaming, Apple TV plus, PBS, Paramount Plus, and Prime costs me less than Cable TV and my ISP requirement to use TiVo units which were a additional cost.

I hope these discussions are useful

to other 'Streamers' experiencing

buffering.

Thanks for the useful guidance!

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Glad you got it figured out! Yes, we have more and more things connected to our bandwidth these days.

I'd just like to point out, that was the very fist line of my very first reply in this thread back in April. 😜

Phil0124 wrote:

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Glad you got it figured out! Yes, we have more and more things connected to our bandwidth these days.

I'd just like to point out, that was the very fist line of my very first reply in this thread back in April. 😜

I doubt that the person to whom I was replying ever read that reply. The old Usenet etiquette of lurking first, reading everything before jumping in is long gone forgotten. ;-)

Ever since the last update, we have been having issues too. Sometimes we will get almost to the end of an Apple TV + show or one we purchased, and it will suddenly look like it’s buffering and then stop and we can’t get back into it. I’ve tried restarting, unplugging, etc and sometimes it works. Today it happened and I can’t get it to work.

And, before I get suggestions about my Internet, we have the premium plan available at our provider and it is plenty fast enough. Apple TV and Apple purchased content are the only things having issues.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

I doubt that the person to whom I was replying ever read that reply. The old Usenet etiquette of lurking first, reading everything before jumping in is long gone forgotten. ;-)

Yeah, that was more between you and me than for them. Just found it kind of funny. 😜

I posted this last week and as of today 10/16/23 still no fix and nothing from Apple.

Hello, I was having the same issue with my Samsung tv and was able to talk with someone in chat about it 2 weeks ago, they told me their senior advisors are aware of the issue and were working on a solution. I had been able to watch movies since last year until 2 weeks ago when I would continually get the buffering wheel and then the message that said," Video not available". I talked with tech support yesterday and they told me that the senior advisors said the Apple Tv+ app is not working on Samsung, Roku and Brava Tv's. Looking at some of the other chats in the community it looks like there's a bigger problem with the Apple app.

It's not a bandwith issue.

It's good that you shared, much the same' Buffering question & remarks

which many of us have questioned with Apple Service for months.

This Forum, often, explains our

missing experience with Apple

Service & Physical Product(s).

We learn by trying, then this forum

educates us.

Product Materials and Apple Messaging are, at times, insufficient for operational faults. That's when this 'real advantage' here with experienced advice can

inform and guide us to resolution.

Three Cheers to the Contributors

who help turn our questions into

problem resolution!

on our Samsung TV, no issues with Apple TV+. Both Sony TVs have the streaming issue only with the Apple TV+ app. Exactly same network (AT&T 1Gbs).

Apple, if you’re reading these posts, check the differences in your apps between Samsung and Sony TVs.

Buffering, for my AppleTV 4K, began after AppleTV+ appeared on my HomeScreen in June 2023.

I discovered I could Select AppleTV+ Menu actions once I 'subscribed' to AppleTV+. But, Buffering DID NOT occur while using AppleTV+.

Only the 4 apps I'd used for several years were buffering: Paramount+,

PBS, Prime Video and the YouTube

free app ALL Buffered!

Reading messages from others on

discussions.apple.com, revealed

AppleTV+ is NOT a app, but is part

of the 'AppleTV 4K OPERATING SYSTEM'.

I've Turned Off every AppleTV 4K SETTING I didn't need, then OffLoaded in (Settings, General, USAGE, Manage Storage) the

3-apps I was not using. Buffering still occurred, but not as often AND for

Shorter time.

Eventually, after talking with a Apple

Help Agent, he agreed to send our

discussion to Apple Engineering to

question: Does AppleTV+ Presence

in my AppleTV 4K Operating System

create a 'constant data load' due to

AppleTV+ constant programming

updates?

It's been just over one week now.

I've received no response. So, I followed advice from 'discussions'

here to increase my BandWidth.

My increase from 50Mbps to 60Mbps 'has' reduced Buffering.

Now Buffering interruptions are

infrequent and very short.

It seems my modern equipment:

SONY 4K TV, Up to Date Ethernet

and HDMI Cables which I Tested with my Klein Cable/Port Tester, AND 60Mbps Signal aren't good enough for AppleTV 4K Streaming.

It might be time to find better service

and equipment elsewhere.

I am receiving a new TV on Monday, Nov 5th. When I get that set up, I can do some testing on various streaming sites regarding operation of the AppleTV 4K device.

I have looked at my system when streaming 2K content. The bandwidth will pulse every 6 or 7 seconds and may be 4 Mbps or as high as 40 Mbps. I will assume with 4K content, it will need to double that bandwidth or pulse more often, especially if Dolby Atmos or Dolby Vision are involved.

If your total bandwidth is only 60 Mbps, you don't have much overhead available.

I believe most UHD Streaming is 'surmounting the upper threshold'

of our BandWidth 'if' we fail to adjust

our Equipment and Multiple Unit(s)

Streaming Simultaneously.

That's why my ISP-NID, Apple Router, AppleTV 4K, Compliant Ethernet and HDMI ports and Cables

have been Test Confirmed by me.

I'm fortunate to be a 'Single User' so I alone use my BandWidth.

Early 1990's HomeComputers, ISP's

and WiFi were oftenI, I conducted a Drive Around with my LapTop to discover what WiFi Signals were 'open to invasion'. Printers were the

greatest number of unprotected WiFi

then. I suspect many Business, Local

Government and Residential Users

had not read their Equipment Manuals then.

Today's Senior Citizens are stuck in the Dial-Up, CableTV and DSL days

because ISP's are STILL USING 1990's TERMS such as 'MoDem, Up/Download Speed' when ISP NID,

and BandWidth are the ACTUAL

Correct Terms.

Dumbing Down such fundamental information may help SELL Service & Equipment to uninformed Customers. But ISP's lie when using those 1990's Terms to describe FibreOptic Signal and Home Connectivity.

When Service is SOLD, Customer

SUPPORT is a BIG part of that Sale!