Home Sharing drop out with Apple TV2

I just want to pile on here. I'm having the same issues. I even went so far as to take my Apple TV 2 to an authorized service center and it wouldn't work on one of their systems either. (however the ATV2 that belonged to the shop was working fine). Apple agreed to repair my unit under warranty so I sent it in. The refurb that they gave me works just like the original and identical to all the problems here. I wish I could undo the last software update.

Having the same or similar problem I just wonna give my 5 cents:

I have two ATV2, where one is connect to my Mac via Ethernet, because this is much faster than Wifi.
When Wifi is on, everything works well over Ethernet (which is has the top priority in Network settings).

But, when disabling Airport, after some time Homesharing breaks and the computer isn't found anymore.
Also, my iPhone4 doesn't see the Shared stuff anymore.
Switching off/on Homesharing in iTunes on the Mac again (with Wifi/Airport on the Mac still off), the computer is found on ATV2 and iPhone4 again immediately, but the connection drops after a while again. It looks like the re-enabling of Homesharing in iTunes does a single 'broadcast' on the network to advertise the computer, so that it gets detected by ATV2 and iPhone4.

For the Ethernet wired ATV2 streaming videos works flawless as long as Airport is enabled, which looks for me that there is a repeated 'broadcast' of the computer's IP on the network.

This looks even more evident for my second scenario where I have a ATV2 connected wireless to an Airport Extreme (5 GHz band). When the Airport Extreme connect to the Ethernet port on the Mac is streaming via en0 with the internal Airport enabled, streaming works really fast until it breaks after a while. After that point I recognized that the traffic now is not going anymore via en0 to the Airport Extreme, but via the internal Airport. When disabling Airport, the computer isn't found at all.

For me the whole story isn't implemented very professional and I have spent days already to come to a satisfying working solution without any breaks.

No ideas! Thanks!

I like the exercise but, rather than getting up to restart iTunes, I found it easier to go to Computers on the ATV screen and turn off and then turn on Home Sharing. Sometimes you have to do it twice, but at least you don't have to get up! 🙂

I contacted Apple tech. support and was told to try logging out of and closing iTunes and then downloading and reinstalling the latest (10.6.7) update. I wasn't sure exactly what "logging out" woud be, so I turned off home sharing and logged out of the store before installing the update.

Now I'm using the ATV and having no problem so far. Give it a shot if you haven't already.

All of my ATVs have different names and have since day one. No issues before, but major issues since the update. I have no issues connecting to Home Sharing. My issue has to do with the fact that it will just randomly kick me out of movies I'm streaming via Home Sharing and say that it can't even find the network for a second before instantly refinding it and everything is good. Never happens during Netflix only during Home Sharing a movie. I just don't get it....

Add me to the list as well... 2008 Unibody MacBook running OSX 10.6.7, iTunes 10.2.1, and Apple TV 4.2.1 with my Apple TV connected to my Mac via Ethernet.

After about ~10 minutes of streaming video via Home Sharing the video drops out and brings me back to the Apple TV menu. Initiating playback through iTunes and using the Apple TV via AirPlay doesn't seem to bring about the issues.

I didn't experience this at all until updating to Apple TV 4.2.1 today. Guess I shouldn't have done that.

I hope Apple is aware of this and working on a fix because it sure is annoying as ****.

Tried the logging out of iTunes, re-installing; logged back in; logged out and in on the ATV2-end; turned Home Sharing on and off at both ends. Finally unplugged the ATV and plugged it back in. Got through two songs (8 minutes) and got kicked back to the main menu.

I finally got mine to work last night. Here is what I had to do:

- Stopped home sharing on ATV. Powered it off.
- Stopped home sharing on iTunes. Stopped all apps.
- Updated OS X to 10.6.7
- Powered off iMac.
- Powered off router/wifi access point (Verizon FiOS)
- Powered on router.
- Powered on iMac.
- Enabled home sharing on iTunes.
- Powered on ATV.
- Enabled home sharing on ATV.

Now ATV, iPhone, iPad see's the home sharing library and I was able to stream music and pictures. Haven't tried movies yet.

I have no idea which one of the steps actually did the trick. I'm guessing either the OS X update or turning off the router and let devices re-estabhish network connections. But all of trouble started after the latest round of updates so it definitely has issues.

Hope this helps.

To restore the connection to my home sharing to m'y computer betweteen iPad and AppleTv is the reboot the wifi interface to my box.
the share work until the IOS devise comme back in sleeping mode. ( 4 hours for exemple)
if you put deep = never, this solution don t work.
and if you use an other appleTV or iPad , the second IOS put on sleep.
when you awake the IOS, you broken your share.
I don t know if the problem is on IOS 4.2.1 for AppleTv or IOS 4.3.1 for iphone, iPad or to ITunes (pc or Mac)
I see that note of correction is for the awake of IOs.
i think that the solution broken the wifi interface for the computer on th interface wired.
if your home sharing is wifi computer, it s possible that your share work well.
I just hope that apple made a correction quickly.

I had all the same problems as everybody else. iMac and 2 atv2. All upto date

On iMac, turned off IPV6 under airport tcpip connection and rebooted. Rebooted atv2. All been working, streaming movies fir over 1 hour

Before didn't last more than 20 mins

My setup. Time capsule running N 5ghz. iMac and ATV2

Hope this helps

Richard Warner wrote:
I had all the same problems as everybody else. iMac and 2 atv2. All upto date

On iMac, turned off IPV6 under airport tcpip connection and rebooted. Rebooted atv2. All been working, streaming movies fir over 1 hour

Before didn't last more than 20 mins

My setup. Time capsule running N 5ghz. iMac and ATV2

Hope this helps

I remember when turning off IPV6 on my 2006 MBP solved my Airport wireless issues, in 2006. Guess they still haven't worked out the finer points of implementing the OS X network stack.....

Sorry. Disregard first post

Dropping now back after watching first movie without drops

Now, same as everybody else, waiting for apple engineers to cast their magic...

To restore the connection to my home sharing to m'y computer betweteen iPad and AppleTv is the reboot the wifi interface to my box.
the share work until the IOS devise comme back in sleeping mode. ( 4 hours for exemple)
if you put deep = never, this solution don t work.
and if you use an other appleTV or iPad , the second IOS put on sleep.
when you awake the IOS, you broken your share.
I don t know if the problem is on IOS 4.2.1 for AppleTv or IOS 4.3.1 for iphone, iPad or to ITunes (pc or Mac)
I see that note of correction is for the awake of IOs.
i think that the solution broken the wifi interface for the computer on th interface wired.
if your home sharing is wifi computer, it s possible that your share work well.
I just hope that apple made a correction quickly.
I made some test. i have switch all my devices in fixes adress out the range of the DHCP.
also i have switch to never the screen save for the music also.
Now, it seem working good but I make attention to come back on the local library of my IPad.
I can listen music of my iphone , video of iPad ou music , and use my appleTv on television
i hope that works during a long day until the correction by apple.
It s possible that the DHCp bail was not configure at the value betweteen router and devices.


Imac Other OS Linux Aix Solaris Window server XP

Just bought by new ATV and everything worked fine until it started dropping out after 10 to thirty minutes. I think its a software problem on my computer because when I turn on Home Sharing a little house and home sharing should be in the side toolbar and its not. If it worked it would be awesome. I've phoned apple a few times now and they only suggest things I've already done. Judging from all the problems I see here, they need to come up with a solution now.

I am having similar problems too. With the new update to AppleTV 2, it drops the homesharing with iTunes while playing music and/or movies from my iTunes library. Just stops in the middle of whatever is playing. Some of the time my iTunes library is listed in the "computers" list but there is not anything in the library. If I cycle homesharing off then on everything is back. Not a good work around. Fix it! I have two ATV2's one that has not been updated and it seems top be working fine. I just updated it let's wait and see.