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

Level 1

10 points

AppleTV + Homesharing + 2 iTunes Accounts?

Is that even possible?

I'm sharing a network with another family members MacBook I have my iTunes account & library and they have their own iTunes account & library.

in AppleTV it says "ComputerS" and I dont think I should have to authorize another computer to share my library again to the AppleTV, it kind of doesnt make any sense.

Home sharing is enabled on bother computers using our respective iTunes accounts but only one shows up at a time on the AppleTV. sort of annoying and counter intuitive to me that youd want to be able to see multiple various libraries.

How is everyone managing multiple libraries and one AppleTV & Home Sharing?
it just seems so crippled and idiotic....but maybe my knowledge is?

thanks!

White MacBook 1.83Ghz

Posted on Oct 8, 2010 6:03 PM

71 replies

marzer

Level 1

75 points

Jan 22, 2011 5:46 PM in response to Max Stanley

Again, I disagree. Homesharing works as it should, I know, I use it daily with two personally owned itunes accounts. For those choosing to stream content to a device that exists outside their personally owned library (friends, relatives, "flat-mates"), the Airplay feature exists. The fact that feature A does not do what feature B inherently provides is moot. Nor does it mean feature A "does not work."

Apple TV 2 WILL stream content from multiple iTunes libraries having different iTunes authorizations.

newagemac

Level 2

245 points

Jan 26, 2011 9:41 PM in response to marzer

You are still not understanding the difference. And you completely misunderstood my post. I use both Home Sharing and Airplay. They serve different needs and different scenarios. Airplay works for me perfectly well. And you can certainly do it with Airplay. And yes Airplay does NOT require you to authorize accounts. And in fact, Airplay is my favorite feature of the new Apple TV2.

But again, Airplay is NOT what this thread is about. This thread is about how to set up Home Sharing and get it working with multiple iTunes accounts. There is a big clue in the title of the thread, have you read it?

If you don't have any advice for Home Sharing, then I suggest you go to a thread discussing Airplay unless you think people should not be able to set up Home Sharing.

newagemac

Level 2

245 points

Jan 26, 2011 9:44 PM in response to Max Stanley

Max Stanley wrote:
Again, Newagemac brought up the issue that we're concerned about.
Airplay & Homesharing are two separate things that server two separate functions.

AirPlay you can use your iOS device to share content from that device to your Apple TV or other airplay device. Or use your Mac to share your content to your apple tv or other AirPlay Device.

Home sharing is regarding sharing your entire library in one central location; a la Apple TV2 ... in order to see multiple libraries at once you have to enable Home Sharing on the AppleTV...however it does not function properly under the new AppleTV 2.

Yes, Home Sharing DOES function properly with the new Apple TV2. I have multiple accounts working with it right now. You should reread my instructions and follow them exactly.

marzer

Level 1

75 points

Jan 27, 2011 5:57 AM in response to newagemac

Once again I disagree. You appear to be the one that misunderstands. Re-read my post quoting concerns throughout this post. People want functionaltiy, many clearly mis-state that without cross-pollenating accounts through homesharing, streaming from other libraries is not an option. This is clearly a misunderstanding and my clarification completly relevant. Although I respect your opinion to disagree, please keep your opinions regarding my right to post, and how, to yourself. I will decide that, thank you.

Once again, the functionality desired throughout the discussion in this thread is possible, through Airplay. Homesharing works as advertised which is supplemented by Airplay. No need to prematurely return an Apple TV 2.

newagemac

Level 2

245 points

Jan 27, 2011 9:55 AM in response to marzer

Look I am not going to keep going back and forth with you on this but I'll try and clarify one last time. I think the problem is you are only looking at your own situation and suggesting only a partial alternative solution to the original problem while trying to push it as a complete solution.

People understand that Airplay does not require cross-authorization. That is only needed for Home Sharing. So why are so many people still trying to use Home Sharing when you say Airplay is easier to do because it does not require any type of authorization? Well that's because Airplay *is not functionally equivalent* to Home Sharing as you keep appearing to suggest. So by saying that you can't see why people won't just use Airplay (to paraphrase you) tells me that you don't really understand the difference between the two. Or you do and you are forgetting that other people on this thread might have different use cases than you.

Home Sharing allows you to pull content from any computer at any location in the home. Airplay allows you to sit with a computer or iOS mobile devie in front of you and push it to the Apple TV using the computer or mobile device itself.

Specifically, Home Sharing allows you to sit at the Apple TV and use the aluminum remote and have full access to multiple iTunes libraries on multiple computers without needing to have those computers next to you or needing to control each of them. Airplay can't do that.

So for example, John Doe has an Apple TV in his family room. So with Home Sharing, he can come home, plop down on the couch, pick up the little aluminum remote, and access the content on his iMac in the upstairs office, the Macbook in the kitchen, the PC desktop in the bedroom, and etc. Your solution with Airplay would require him to drag his iMac downstairs hook it all up and bring any other computers to the family room he wants to access.

Now like I said earlier, Airplay is probably my favorite feature of the Apple TV. But Home Sharing has its uses and for the reasons I stated above and others I don't think those on this thread who are trying to figure out how to set up Home Sharing correctly want to be told to just forget about Home Sharing and use Airplay so to speak as if it's the end all be all to accessing content on the ATV2. That's how your tone is coming across and that is not very accurate nor helpful to the people who want to use Home Sharing for what it was designed to do.

I won't be commenting on this thread anymore as it seems to have gotten off track and not a very helpful thread due to the large amount of misinformation posted throughout it. (And that was not really directed at you.)

marzer

Level 1

75 points

Jan 27, 2011 6:19 PM in response to newagemac

Although you are once again missing the point, we will have to agree to disagree. But as you point out indirectly yourself, homesharing and airplay are complimentary. This is by design; homesharing for convenient access to close-loop networked libraries and airplay to provide the flexibility many were seeking as stated throughout this thread. To permit "flatmates" and such to still stream to your Apple TV 2 without compromising personal accounts. As such, people can take in to account the combined flexibility of both features to meet there streaming needs.

Feb 23, 2011 10:16 AM in response to newagemac

newagemac wrote:
You don't have to do any signing in or out. Look at the home sharing email address as like a Master Account in your home that ONLY manages sharing. If you enable home sharing on someone else's computer by using your iTunes account, they still only have their own iTunes account attached to their computer. They can't purchase anything using your iTunes account or change your iTunes library or anything like that.

I admit it is kind of confusing. Maybe Apple should have required people to create an entirely new "home sharing" account so they wouldn't feel like they were putting their own account on someone else's computer. Regardless though, the result would be the same.

My wife has her own iTunes account under her own email address. I have my own iTunes account under my own email address. We used my iTunes account to enable Home Sharing between our computers and our new Apple TV. We both still use our own iTunes account on our computers. Just to clarify for those not paying attention, *she still uses her OWN iTunes account on her computer as if we never turned on Home Sharing.* Both of our iTunes libraries show up under "Computers" on the Apple TV. No signing in or out needs to be done at all. It all works exactly as you would think it should work.

It wasn't until I read this one that I was able to make it work.

Sep 7, 2011 1:22 PM in response to Max Stanley

I was having similar problems until I saw somewhere that my Firewall could be interfering with my access to the account library. Don't overlook this!! After disabling the firewall I had access. Now I am authorizing access for the Firewall not to block it. (Yes I’m learning as I go) Setting up the multiple account access is still my objective, coming soon …

pnutster

Level 1

27 points

Jan 15, 2012 3:08 PM in response to newagemac

newagemac wrote:

You don't have to do any signing in or out. Look at the home sharing email address as like a Master Account in your home that ONLY manages sharing. If you enable home sharing on someone else's computer by using your iTunes account, they still only have their own iTunes account attached to their computer. They can't purchase anything using your iTunes account or change your iTunes library or anything like that.

I admit it is kind of confusing. Maybe Apple should have required people to create an entirely new "home sharing" account so they wouldn't feel like they were putting their own account on someone else's computer. Regardless though, the result would be the same.

My wife has her own iTunes account under her own email address. I have my own iTunes account under my own email address. We used my iTunes account to enable Home Sharing between our computers and our new Apple TV. We both still use our own iTunes account on our computers. Just to clarify for those not paying attention, *she still uses her OWN iTunes account on her computer as if we never turned on Home Sharing.* Both of our iTunes libraries show up under "Computers" on the Apple TV. No signing in or out needs to be done at all. It all works exactly as you would think it should work.

Very helpfull, even though a long time Mac User since the early 1990's this feature wasn't as straightforward as normally Mac features are.

As newagemac writes, see the homesharing account as the Master Account: when you turn on Homesharing in iTunes on multiple computers, use the same AppleID in the Homesharing Apple ID box on all computers.

Feb 15, 2012 4:01 PM in response to newagemac

Hi - I would really apprecaite some help here, and have another variation on the scenario.

One iMac.

MobileMe account name X

One home network using WLAN.

Two user names (separate .Mac emails) X and Y but one iTunes username (X) in store, but different content accessible on separate log ins.

User Y (also with a separate log on email address and password) account contains all our iTunes and iPhoto content.

User X iTunes account (the 'master' log on) has only 10% of the total 'family, including user Y' content.

Homesharing enabled using the 'master' log on username X in every log in and software we can see needs it, and on Apple TV2.

I Do have homesharing active, and have successfully shared content in the past between laptop and iMac in the past. (No no longer applicable for the Apple TV scenario as MacBook iTunes software too old to be supported, so we disabled that homeshare to allow Apple TV to find the iMac.)

My scenario:

If I log in using user Y on the iMac I can access all the iTunes and iPhoto content on the iMac, but not on Apple TV. (Even though the 'homesharing' function is active in this iTunes account using user X username.)
If I log on using user X on the iMac I cannot access the iTunes and iPhoto content of user Y on the iMac, despite homesharing being enabled.
What does happen on Apple TV, is that it shows one listing 'ABC's library - using Y's name' under the computers list in the menu, but then I get a spinning daisy and after some time, an error message 'cannot connect'.
However, I CAN access the (extremely limited) content of user X via AppleTV in the second scenario without any problem - just that 90% of our family content can't be viewed, logged in on the 'master' account.

My question:

How can I access ALL of our joint content.
Must I transfer my content of user Y to user X, or can I log in as user Y on the iMac and still access it on Apple TV?

THANK YOU if you can help on this.

May 27, 2015 8:26 PM in response to Max Stanley

5-27-15

Mom of house has mom's own itunes account. Owns iPad. and has downloaded Apple Remote app.

Son of house has son's own itunes account. Owns iPhone and Desktop Computer with downloaded movies on it and with itunes and has an appleTV. and has downloaded Apple Remote app on iphone.

Turn on home sharing on sons desktop itunes. turn on home sharing on sons apple tv. turn on home sharing on sons iphone. Log in all to sons iTunes account. ***important*** turn on moms home sharing on iPad BUT login with sons itunes account NOT moms itunes account!

Turn everything on.

Now on moms ipad and on sons iphone through the Apple Remote App both the mom and son have access to selecting movies and then they are played on the apple tv. moms itunes account was never affected. mom can still download apps on ipad to moms itunes account. moms ipad is only connected to sons itunes when homesharing and only told ipad to use home sharing when opened apple remote app. mom went into itunes app store and scrolled down to verify that moms itunes was still correct and upon entering itunes app asked moms ipad if she wanted to connect via home sharing NOT NOW was selected.

Problem solved. Both mom and son still have there personal accounts and nothing was changed. Both mom and son have access to movies through apple remote app as long as computer with itunes is turned on. Viewing the movies through the remote app is much better than viewing on apple tv, through remote app you can see an entire screen filled with album covers of movies. on apple tv you are limited to only seeing a single row of movies at the top, or going into to computers and seeing an alphabetical list of movies.

Son literally just did this and everything works! Good luck and pay attention to the order in which these instructions are laid out and the details are explained. They matter!

AppleTV + Homesharing + 2 iTunes Accounts?