Minor Video Stutter

@Alet T..

I hope you did not take that as a negative comment to your post. I was just saying Apple needs to do their own work. After I did all this testing at different homes and called them, I was asked to try this and have you tried this.... Did not sit well with me since I had already done what needed to be done.

Not at all... I was just clarifying my earlier post.

I dont get what the new features in iTunes 10.1 are. It says that you can now wirelessly stream video content from itunes to the appletv. I thought that was what most of us were doing already. Anyway still hasn't improved things.

morgajx wrote:
I dont get what the new features in iTunes 10.1 are. It says that you can now wirelessly stream video content from itunes to the appletv. I thought that was what most of us were doing already.

At the moment you are pulling video content from iTunes with your Apple TV, i.e. you navigate your ATV to find the movie you want to watch. With the new update you could start watching a movie within iTunes and then send it, via AirPlay, to your Apple TV without having to navigate all through the menus of the ATV. However, the ATV needs an update to accept AirPlay video content

This received from Apple after submitting a bug report:

This is a follow-up to Bug ID# XXXXXXX.

After further investigation it has been determined that this is a known issue, which is currently being investigated by engineering.

If you have any additional questions related to this bug or wish to check on the status of the original issue, please update your report directly via the Apple Bug Reporter <https://bugreport.apple.com>, requesting a status update and we will provide you with any available information.

Thank you for submitting this bug report. We truly appreciate your assistance in helping us discover and isolate bugs.

We consider this issue closed. If you have any questions or concern regarding this issue, please update your report directly ( http://bugreport.apple.com).

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Thanks for the explanation bucksaddle

The fact that itunes airplay is not working with the atv2 suggests that the atv2 will be updated before or around the same time as ios 4.2 release. As Apple have acknowledged the problem, hopefully the fix will be bundled with the next release

I've been reading these posts...some great ideas. I went with the assumption that a background process is created the issue. I turned off photo sharing in iTunes (Advanced/Choose Photos to Share..../un-check 'Share Photos From' option). I also turned off the screen saver in the ATV2 settings (turned to 'never') and selected one of the internal photos options. I have 3 macs on my network....I turned off photo sharing on all of them. This seemed to have fixed the problem for me. I'm curious to see if others have the same luck.

Matteo Cerasoli wrote:
I've been reading these posts...some great ideas. I went with the assumption that a background process is created the issue. I turned off photo sharing in iTunes (Advanced/Choose Photos to Share..../un-check 'Share Photos From' option). I also turned off the screen saver in the ATV2 settings (turned to 'never') and selected one of the internal photos options. I have 3 macs on my network....I turned off photo sharing on all of them. This seemed to have fixed the problem for me. I'm curious to see if others have the same luck.

The real concern is that this was also an intermittent problem for some users with AppleTV 1

They never fixed that and I think we all concluded that the Apple Tv 1 hardware was getting overwhelmed by some background process affecting steady frame rendering.

I think it may well be the case that this is poor coding at play allowing background tasks too much priority affecting playback.

If I watch a disc on the PS3 after watching something on AppleTV, I'm always struck by how rock solid steady video playback is on the PS3, there's a buttery smooth feel to it you just don't get with appletv which actually makes me think the stutters we notice are the tip of the iceberg and that there are actually considerably more frame timing errors just that most aren't large enough to be seen as a discrete stutter.

Matteo, regarding your comment "This seemed to have fixed the problem for me." I wouldn't say it's a "fix" if one can't share their photos on ATV. It may be a temporary solution but I wouldn't be a buyer of the box if it can't deliver what is promised. I do hope they "fix" it for good in the iOS 4.2 update this month. Otherwise, you can expect to wait another couple of months before another update comes out.

I've found a way to force a video stutter and MUCH worse (almost to unwatchable) than the normal "minor annoyance" issue. First start watching a movie, about halfway through the buffer stop and start watching another movie for a minute (but don't let its buffer get so large the atv thinks it can delete the other movies), do this for one or two more (the first switch might be enough, but it for sure happens with the 2nd and 3rd). Now go back to the original movie. When the buffer catches up to the point where you first switched the movie will freeze and jerk forward repeatedly to the point of making it unplayable.

The only way to make the movie watchable again is to start watching another long enough that atv decides to scrap the buffer on the other movie, at which point you can resume the movie and get a new buffer going. Or you fast forward enough that you get out of the "chop".

I notice that there's almost continuous network activity to the atv even if the buffer shows full once you start this scenario. Like the atv just ignores the buffer entirely and relies on the stream. The good news here is that there's no stutter during this network activity, the bad news is, initiating this type of problem and getting the movie back to watchable is super annoying.

May be related to the minor stutter issue, might not. If it is related we're definitely dealing with a buffer issue.

Good point Steve. I wanted to convey that it appeared I had solved the 'stuttering video' issue. I'd put my choice of the word 'fix' at a 50 rating on the literal scale...100 being most literal. You seemed to have rated it closer to 100.

We both agree that Apple needs to correct the device so that it operates as advertised. My potential bandaid does not do that.

Curious, were you able to achieve better results trying my 'patch'?

As a short term solution for when the buffer is full and the film becomes unwatchable - quit and re-launch iTunes on your computer. This will clear the buffer, and once you "Resume" your film, it will re-buffer from where you were upto.

I also find it helps to slow to buffer down, ie, having the AppleTV and Mac run via a wireless network.

Just picked up an Apple TV 2nd Gen. in Australia. I also have the same video stutter issue. I experience this with both movies streamed from my Macbook Pro and with rented movies.

Very disappointing, lets hope this gets fixed in the next iOS update.

I have filed a bug report.

Anyone know if there is un update to the bug that was logged ?

With ios 4.2.1 imminent I would have expected the atv2 firmware would have been updated by now otherwise airplay, a much heralded feature would not work as promised

I also saw stuttering/slow down watching "Prince of Persia" last night, although not his morning.
Not certain what made the difference, if this is due to the difference in service (8 Mb/sec cable vs. 5 Mb/sec DSL), the network load (Friday night vs. Sat morning), or watching the movie a 2nd time.

Submitted a bug report.