Apple TV 2 has big problems homesharing - fixes? firmware update needed!

Alphaman,

I'd like to point out your flawed / skewed defense of Apple. Isn't this "community" via "apple.com"? Isn't it titled "Apple Support Community"? I'm a total PC guy, I am truly in awe at how people defend this silly "computer" and the company. TO THE DEATH!!!!

Having a wife who is 90ish % Apple I'm bound to deal with their overpriced garbage. Points: Non-scrolling menus (you know what I mean... having to go to the top vs. continuing down (or left/right). We were looking for a printer (duplex/laser/color) and found that all of the ones that even apple was selling/suggesting on their apple store were heavily documented to NOT work properly with their own hardware. Now onto the Apple TVs.

We have been running x2 Apple TVs with out much issue, just ocassional problems. Now since this new update (5.2.1) neither are working. We have been streaming off my PC via itunes media on a NAS (without much problem). Now neither work. I've tried rebooting, restarting the Apple TVs. Shutting down/logging out of itunes, home sharing, etc. Ive even gone and completely reset one of the Apple TVs! No joy. I since figured we would try and see if it was a PC vs. CRAPple issue. I turned on home sharing on the wife's iMac and nothing. I totally blame the Apple TV as being the problem here. I've eliminated enought to determine that something with the update is the fault. I've also noticed that I can't share "home sharing" but can still connect to the internet and view my shows / movies via the web (and it verifies each time so I know its not "cued", etc). Apple products not working. Yep, no surprise here...

By the way, my XBox, x2 PS3s, x2 WIIs and IP Cameras work perfectly via my router and network.

Corey

Just a follow up to my situation. I noticed that our "Networked" Apple TV was working but the one that was WiFi'd wasn't. I just took the WiFi one and connected to the wired one's location and 100% works. Watching Real Steel right now on it via our network. 100% a WiFi Apple TV problem. By the way, we are using WEP2-PSK (AES) as our encryption. I've ran into issues before with this network security with an IP Camera, but we aren't going to swap all of our security just for the CRAPple TVs. I'll ditch them and go with another device before that.

Corey

I'm another one that has found the ONLY way to get this to work is by switching from WPA security to WEP. Which *****, because WEP is so weak. And I don't understand because I know some people use WPA with no problem, but I've checked every protocol on my router (WPA, WPA2, TKIK vs. AES, etc.) and only WEP works.

This might be of interest to you all. Perhaps it is a hardware problem after all?

Apple Initiates Replacement Program for 3rd Generation Apple TVs With Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues

That's very interesting. So Apple silently replaced the wireless connectivity chips in their 3rd generation Apple TV units because of known connectivity problems. Problems which include connection dropout. And it appears anyone with a 3rd gen Apple TV unit can get a free replacement.

Can anyone confirm that this dodgy chip used in the initial 3rd gen ATV units is the same one that was used on the 2nd gen ATV units, like mine?? If so, there's surely an obligation to replace these 2nd gen units too!?

The home sharing from my Mac has been brutally slow on my ATV2, sometimes even music would stop to buffer. AirPlay from my iPhone had never been that bad. I just logged into my router and changed the settings from WPA2 to WEP. It seems to have helped with the buffering speeds, fingers crossed that it keeps working....or that Apple provides a proper fix for people who prefer extra secure networks...

Disregard my last post...Apple TV is still a piece of s#*t...

Hey, thanks, tillathenun (love the name, too)! My serial number fits the description on the box in the linked article. Now I wish I'd skipped to the end instead of reading most of this 18 page thread.

My troubles have been much more random than most who've posted here, but still annoying--dropouts requiring that I turn home sharing on and off, open and close iTunes, cast spells, pray to various gods, and take other random actions until the ATV3 condescends to work again--until it stops days or weeks later and I have to start all over again.

So I'll call Apple (once I figure out how) to get a replacement, but I'm seriously considering either switching to or adding a Roku box for more flexibility to accommodate my junk-food-style entertainment needs. If I switch, at least I'll have a new ATV3 to sell on line to recoup the original cost.

Oh, and just as a piece of forum etiquette, I don't go on Windows forums and call their products pieces of ****. Your ATV doesn't network properly, it enrages you (and me), but it's obviously worth it for most of us. As I said above, the ATV doesn't do it all for me, but as others have said, what it does it does very well, so long as the bloody thing works. I'm on an iMac using an Apple TV3 and an Airport Express and except for the ATV my system works great.

Now the iPhone on the other hand, that thing's a piece of...oh wait, I said one shouldn't say such things.

As for Apple monitoring the forums, they simply don't. It's not where they put their customer service resources. Not that their customer service is exactly famous for its fabulousness, except at their stores or under an AppleCare warranty. Should they do better? Sure, but I guess it just ain't their style.

I have posted to this thread off and on for the past 18 months. I am using WEP2 on my Airport Extreme so I must be living in a magical world. I think the key to my not having any more problems is that I am using a Windows Computer (Windows 7 Home Premium) as a media server and my iTunes library is on a dedicated 1TB hard drive with nothing else on it. If I go into windows and try and share this drive, the dialog box says it is shared, but I can't see the files or directories on the drive from any other PC or MAC computer on the network. iTunes has it locked down. I can see the library no problem from any iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and of course the ATV's or any iTunes installation on other PC's and MAC's.

In that environment (Hollywood wins environment) everything works great with no hiccups. In other words, you can't copy the media files from the media server to another computer. You can however, go to the media server and send the files to another computer.

I have an ATV1 and an ATV2 and the ATV1 worked after flashing some files on it, but I can't store anything on its 140GB drive after Version 2.0 was installed. I am now running 3.0.2 on the ATV1 which hasn't been updated in a couple of years.

Silly question, but do you have iTunes installed on your Windows computer?

Yes - called Dad's library. Everyone else (Mom and two teenagers) also has iTunes on their Mac's. I am the only Windows user (engineering use), but I also have my own iTunes library synced to my iPhone on my laptop PC since I travel a lot. Everyone can share media between Dad's library and their own and vice versa.

Thank you bro...

running fine after change to WEP

I just got an ATV2 and have the problem that my Music on HomeSharing stops at a random number of minutes, between 4 and 16. I have to close iTunes and reopen it. However, I noticed two things: (a) that my pictures on Homesharing don't stop, so it can't be a connection issue between my computer and tv. (b) that if in iTunes I choose the ATV as my "speakers" (top bar, icon just like on the iPhone), it plays the music just fine. I don't know what this means, but given there are 18 pages of replies on this topic I figured it wouldn't hurt to add my 2 cents.

Well, after trying to fix this, and not wanting to weaken my wireless security just because my ATV won't work properly with a standard, non- WEP security (and even then it was spotty) I tried a Roku 3. Scores more channel options, and what's funny is that it works great seeing and playing my iTunes library! With any security protocal, basically it just works. So my ATV is sitting on a shelf unused now.