The new Apple TV requires you to have your Mac or PC on all the time to access content. With home sharing on I am able to do this easily. However, after a certain time, the Apple TV simply "loses" the computer from the "Computers" list or, it just pinwheels forever. I thought I would be clever and set up a scheduled apple script to restart iTunes at 2AM thus refreshing the connection. This also doesn't seem to work. It would appear that I must restart both starting with the Apple TV first to get home sharing running proper again. It does this will ALL my iTunes instances I have tested. Internet and network never go down. Just the Home Sharing it seems.
Has anyone seen this problem or figured out a way to fix it?
i also have this problem. i have to open itunes to get the connection to aplle tv, but i can then close it and it will work for a while. It does lose the connection once in a while, but i just go into setting on the apple tv and turn off homesharing and then turn it back on to fix the issue.
Hi! I had this issue once so far myself. Just like coolrun said ... it seems you can fix this with a work-around - even though being a tedious task - by turning off/on Home Sharing on either device.
When this happened in my setup I decided to turn the Home Sharing off/on in iTunes on my Mac, because I guess it's quicker to key in the password with a real keyboard.
As all the posts show there seem to be various bugs that hopefully will be squished soon by an update.
I am having this exact same problem also.
After a certain time (about 1~1.5 hours) the Apple TV simply loses the connection to the home sharing, and can't "see" the computer any more.
It happens more and more frequently, and no amount of adjusting settings on the computer fixes it.
Awaiting an Apple Genius to solve this problem for us...
Having the exact same problem here. This happens every 10 minutes or so, and randomly at times. Doesn't make sense. I don't think it's an issue with the Apple TV. Must be iTunes, since when it does lose connectivity, it also loses connectivity on the Apple Remote App for the iPhone.
*My configuration:*
*MacBook 13,3" (late 2008) connected via ethernet-cable to Airport Extreme (latest dualband model)
*Apple TV 2010
*Airport Extreme as switch/wi-fi router
All network components has fixed ip's and everything is wired, so I can exclude wi-fi problems or DHCP problems.
To reproduce the error situation:
*iTunes 10.0.1 is running on MacBook (latest Snow Leopard)
*Plug in the power cord of AppleTV, it boots up
*On the beginning of this flow, everything works fine. AppleTV can find the mediathek on my MacBook and stream music and videos.
*Then I let everything as it is for some hours. (AppleTV and MacBook are in sleep mode)
*After this, when I wake up AppleTV with the remote, the itunes library is not shown in the "Computer"-Menu on AppleTV, but Macbook is activated automatically. (normally it should reconnect to iTunes)
*Then, it is no more possible to find the itunes library.
*Only when I switch off AppleTV (remove power cord) an switch it on again, the itunes library is found.
I'm having the same issue. I have two of the new ATVs and both do this. I even returned one to the store and got a new unit, it does it as well. Like other, I find if I turn off Home Sharing and turn it back on the issue is resolved.
I've also had problems with Netflix acting the same way. After a certain amount of time, it becomes unavailable...turn Home Sharing off then on and it resolves the problem.
Similar issue here. ATV appears to lose connection to iTunes randomly. Although when it does connect, its superb. The only way I can get it to reconnect is by resetting my router.
All setup via Cat5, so its not a Wifi issue in this case :/
Just adding that I experience the same problem. I have an iMac that connects to an Airport Extreme which connects it with the ATV. All via wireless. It works fine but then suddenly it loses the connection to the Computer. The rest of the Internet is still available. I have to restart or reset the ATV to get it working again. I have found another way also. I have a MacBook and if I use this to access the shared library on my iMac it the ATV will also get back access to it. From the looks of it something in between iTunes on the iMac and the ATV shuts down automatically not realising the ATV is still accessing the Home Share. If the Home Share get's triggered again by a 3rd party it comes back to normal. Can somebody test this and confirm?
Well i had the opposite effect.
Switching from wireless to Cat5 cable seems to solve the loosing connection problem.
At least i have no problems since 2 days when i installed the cable.
In the meantime i installed the MacOS 10.6.5 update and rebooted and restarted itunes and everytime i turned on AppleTV i have a connection to my mac library. I let AppleTV ran for some hours and never ran into problems anymore.
Just a note to say that I experience this issue about twice a week. Usually requires home sharing to be turned off and then back on, usually on the Mac. Apple's efforts around WiFi software really aren't up to their typical standards.
release 10.1 did for a few days but now back to normal problems. I think its the false hopes that are the worst. would prefer to just face the facts that apple tv is a useless square piece of black plastic