draper3000

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

After 5 days of having ATV2, (which is lovely when its working) I'm still having problems narrowed down to Homeshare access from ATV2 to my macbook running the latest itunes.

I've just moved house and got a new broadband router and provider the same day as the ATV2, so it has taken a while to make sure it was not the router (BT home Hub 2), the connection, or my macbook itself.

Macbook - (Running Snow Leopard) Internet working fine with router and broadband, (have removed all network settings, removed passwords in keychain and repaired permissions, restarted and re-entered network info - just incase).

Router - works fine all day, with macbook and dell laptop, Have tried restarting a lot just incase

Apple TV 2 - works fine with broadband and router, and I can browse the online selection of videos, youtube etc fine.

Homeshare - When I connect ATV2 using homeshare to my macbooks itunes account, it works for a maximum of 2 minutes then loses connection. And my macbook which still shows full wifi signal can no longer get the internet, and forgets the wifi password and says its wrong when I re-enter it. Only fix is to restart router and delete network settings on macbook and re-enter them.

So is this homeshare technology screwing up, Apple TV 2 screwing up, or my router jumping in after a couple of minutes and saying NO!.

Is anyone else experiencing exactly the same as me?

Its a shame that the only thing I've found left to try (after searching alot of forums) is when turning on 'Homeshare in Itunes' don't press the 'DONE' button. Will give that a try tonight.

MacBook 2008 model, Mac OS X (10.6.4), In the UK

Posted on Oct 14, 2010 5:18 AM

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

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  • by dennisfromlondon,

    dennisfromlondon dennisfromlondon Dec 24, 2011 11:42 PM in response to Gotafish
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 24, 2011 11:42 PM in response to Gotafish

    This problem has been driving me nuts since I got the ATV six months ago. I don't believe it's the router or the iPhone connection (I don't have an iPhone and I have the same problem). Strangely, the latest upgrade of ATV software (the one that gave TV show purchase as an option) seems - I stress, seems - to have fixed it for me along with an upgrade of the iTunes software to v10.5.2.11. If so, it's about time Apple. This has put me off buying anything from Apple ever again.

  • by Moz&Rebs,

    Moz&Rebs Moz&Rebs Dec 26, 2011 3:33 AM in response to Gotafish
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2011 3:33 AM in response to Gotafish

    Thanks, I just turned off all the WiFi Sync options on all my devices. Hey presto, my AppleTV gave me the "turn on home sharing option" and everything works.

  • by ThoricCLA,

    ThoricCLA ThoricCLA Dec 30, 2011 1:49 PM in response to Moz&Rebs
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2011 1:49 PM in response to Moz&Rebs

    Hi,

    I've got similar issues with Apple TV (2nd Gen) and my two PCs (Win7 laptop, WinXP tower). Both are using Home Sharing, and I find the connection drops out regularly. Playing an album might get only two songs in before no more can be streamed. The only solution I've found is either restarting iTunes on the PC, or turning Home Sharing off then on again, but this is a huge pain. Turning the Apple TV off then on (pulling power) doesn't help, so the problem appears to be in iTunes on the PC?


    I've spent ages diagnosing and trying to tweak my home WiFi network. Everything has fixed IP addresses, Firewalls are off, Virus Checker is paused, port forwarding is permitted, WiFi channel set to first auto then fixed to avoid any interference (although according to inSSIDer 2.0 there are no conflicts in my environment). Nothing helps. I have a TP-Link router, and I've already tried a BT voyager, but both show similar symptoms so it's not my router. And given I have two PCs exhibiting the same problem I guess the only common denominator is iTunes, or the Apple TV unit.

     

    I've also tried resetting this Bonjour service under Windows, which seems to be a dependency for iTunes Home Sharing, but that doesn't help either.

     

    I hope this is simply a bug in iTunes and that Apple Corp can sort this with an update soon. It's really REALLY disappointing.

  • by ianmcp,

    ianmcp ianmcp Dec 31, 2011 1:02 PM in response to ThoricCLA
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 31, 2011 1:02 PM in response to ThoricCLA

    Apple TV2 kept losing the iTunes Library. only way to reconnect was restart iTunes. ATV would then see the library straight away but could lose the connection again after a few minutes, if i was lucky the whole film would work.

     

    after lots of fault finding the fix was:

     

    1 - uninstall iTunes.

    2 - uninstall Bonjour through control panel.

    3 - reinstall iTunes (which reinstalls Bonjour)

     

    it seems bonjour mDNS had knackered itself and ATV couldn't find iTunes, or if it didi it couldnt keep it.

     

    my setup.

    ATV2

    WIn 7 x64

    wired network

  • by ThoricCLA,

    ThoricCLA ThoricCLA Dec 31, 2011 3:02 PM in response to ianmcp
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 31, 2011 3:02 PM in response to ianmcp

    Hi Ianmcp,

     

    I tried your suggestion, but no luck. AppleTV 2 still loses the home share library after a few minutes.

     

    I'm getting very fed up with this now, I just want to slideshow my photographs, how difficult can that be!? :-(

  • by ianmcp,

    ianmcp ianmcp Jan 1, 2012 8:01 AM in response to ThoricCLA
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 1, 2012 8:01 AM in response to ThoricCLA

    ThoricCLA - whats your setup ?

  • by ThoricCLA,

    ThoricCLA ThoricCLA Jan 1, 2012 8:44 AM in response to ianmcp
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 1, 2012 8:44 AM in response to ianmcp

    Hi again.

    Apple TV 2, WinXP on desktop with iTunes all up to date. Also Win7 Pro on Toshiba Tecra laptop, all up to date. All devices are wireless and have fixed IP addresses. Router is a TP Link, which is problem free.

     

    Odd thing for me is the connection only drops put when browsing (Home share movies, photos etc.), but not during playback. For example, I can play a full 2hr movie and the connection only drops out after playback. Similarly, if I'm listening to music, I can choose a playlist and the connection is only lost between songs, never during. I don't know if this down to the fact that the unit buffers data or is a coincidence. Restarting iTunes always fixes it (or disabling and re-enabling Home Sharing on the PC), but power cycling the ATV unit doesn't, so I presume iTunes is at fault (or Bonjour?).

  • by ianmcp,

    ianmcp ianmcp Jan 2, 2012 3:25 AM in response to ThoricCLA
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 2, 2012 3:25 AM in response to ThoricCLA

    have you tried iTunes on the laptop ? ATV can see 2 libraries with the same homeshare.

     

    your setup sounds ok.

     

    what steps have you taken ? (shoudl have asked that before!)

     

    it really sounds like Bonjour DNS not working right. it drops out only after you have watched something as ATV caches and downloads the file once you click play. but once wacthed you (try) and go back to the library it's gone again. only a restart of iTunes will bring it back, right  ?

     

    try again.

    uninstall iTunes, remove Bonjour through install/remove programes control panel. then reinstall latest iTunes.

    you dont need to delete anything from the libraries etc for iTunes, all will be there once you reinstall.

  • by ThoricCLA,

    ThoricCLA ThoricCLA Jan 2, 2012 8:16 AM in response to ianmcp
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2012 8:16 AM in response to ianmcp

    Hi Ian,

     

    I have used iTunes on both the tower and the laptop. The two iTunes can see each other's Home Share reliably, it's just the Apple TV that drops out its connection.

     

    Yes, you are right. To restore the Apple TV's visibility I have to restart iTunes, which brings it right back.

     

    I tried uninstalling and reinstalling as you described, but no luck. Bonjour version is reporting as 3.0.0.10, which is presumably the latest release? The steps I've taken are about 7 posts up ^

  • by rhughes411,

    rhughes411 rhughes411 Jan 15, 2012 5:45 AM in response to ThoricCLA
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 15, 2012 5:45 AM in response to ThoricCLA

    Having similar issues with my two as well.  I am running a MacBook Pro and 2 ATV.  Since the last update I have had homesharing drop out every 20 minutes then I have to shutdown iTunes and start it back up.  This works but it is a temporary solution to the problem.  Otherwise, I have never had an issue.

  • by SuperSizeIt,

    SuperSizeIt SuperSizeIt Jan 15, 2012 10:50 AM in response to rhughes411
    Level 3 (579 points)
    Jan 15, 2012 10:50 AM in response to rhughes411

    Try some of the hundreds of workarounds that doesn't seem to work on this thread. You never know, one might work for you.

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2776955?tstart=30

  • by Fireman96,

    Fireman96 Fireman96 Jan 27, 2012 4:07 PM in response to SuperSizeIt
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2012 4:07 PM in response to SuperSizeIt

    I, like many others, tried everything in multiple threads but what FINALLY worked was going into iTunes and unsyncing all of my devices that "sync over wi-fi".

  • by Mr Mess,

    Mr Mess Mr Mess Feb 25, 2012 7:44 AM in response to dennisfromlondon
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 25, 2012 7:44 AM in response to dennisfromlondon

    Wow what a lot of people having problems. I have 2 Apple TV 2s and a second PC with i tunes. I get the same issues on all devices and we now hardly use the apple TVs at all. I wish i hadn't bought them.

     

    The problem is they cant see the i tunes library. Both the apple TV's, my apple with the library and the PC can connect to the internet via the same hub but can't see ecch other. I had a talk talk hum then changed to a BT home hub after changing my ISp. lately I have bought a more expensive net gear hub. All the same problems. Apple can't help and reading these threads no one really knows what the problem is or has a solution. i suspect apple do know what the problem is but can't resolve it.

     

    Yesterday i tried to put a movie on for my 5 year old it took my over an hour. How frustrating.

     

    The solution.  Switch off home sharing. Re boot all devices including the hub. Switch home sharing on. Keep trying until it works. If you don't re start the hub it will never work.

     

    Come on APPLE we are all loyal multiple product purchasers if we are buying Apple TV. Get it sorted.

  • by ab…,

    ab… ab… Mar 11, 2012 5:27 AM in response to draper3000
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2012 5:27 AM in response to draper3000

    I resolved this issue by enabling multicast routing in the LAN routing featues of my home router/WiFi access point.

  • by ThoricCLA,

    ThoricCLA ThoricCLA Mar 15, 2012 1:08 AM in response to ab…
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2012 1:08 AM in response to ab…

    I already have multi-casting turned on, it still doesn't work.

     

    I downloaded the new update for my Apple TV with high hopes, and at first I thought Apple had fixed the problem! I was playing music from my PC via Home Sharing for about half an hour, then silence. Halfway through a song it lost connection with my PC, and then to my horror the Apple TV unit crashed and rebooted itself! This is so much worse it's unbelievable! Very disappointed with Apple :-(

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