Q: Home Sharing drop out with Apple TV2

i have three atv2 systems and they were dropping out only on movies. i checked the timemzones on the boxes and they were wrong so i set them correctly. the next thing i did was made sure they all had the update ran so they were the same. i then rebooted my wifi box and all is good.

My ATV2 has started losing home sharing connection.  I first noticed it when I lost my internet connection last night.  When internet came back, I couldn't get the ATV2 to reconnect to home sharing.  It acted like it did not see that home sharing was turned on on the iMac.  Every other aspect of the network connection was working:  the ATV could get to youtube and netflix, the remote app on the phone could connect to the libraries on the mac and pc.  Only thing missing was the ATV2 connecting to the itunes libraries of either the mac or pc and airtunes could not connect to the atv (error 15006).  Finally I cycled the power on the new Time Capsule (with the built in airport router) and ...now it works.  Both computers' libraries are now accessible from the ATV2. 

Hard to tell if the problem is with ATV2 or Time Capsule Airport router.  At some point they weren't doing the home sharing connection.  I had cycled the computer, ATV2 -- the only thing that worked was cycling the Time Capsule. 

My setup: iMac, Time Capsule + Airport Express (extending the network), and Apple TV (connected to Time Capsule via ethernet). Apple TV set to sleep "Never". I have not done the Apple TV update that came out 3-4 weeks ago.

Been having lots of dropouts like everyone else. Last week I changed the Multicast Rate setting on my Time Capsule to 11 Mbps (from 2 Mbps). Connection has been significantly more reliable. I've streamed for 3-5 hours without interruption. Another time the connection dropped and after unplugging and plugging back in the Time Capsule it was running smoothly again for long periods of time.

From what information I gathered this is how the Multicast setting works:

Higher multicast rate = more speed, less range

Lower multicast rate = less speed, more range

Addjames, I have the same setup up as you + magic mouse. On a hunch I thought there was a connection between the life of the batteries in the magic mouse/bluetooth connection and the dropouts (Don't ask me why) but I replaced the magic mouse with a wired mouse and turned off the bluetooth on the iMac. Since then Apple TV2 has not skipped a beat and has not dropped out at all (2 weeks). Nothing else has changed apart from turning off the bluetooth.

Well, I've kept having problems after all.

So, I kept searching. Factory-reset my Airport Express, tried numerous combinations for WiFi, but alas nothing worked. Home Sharing kept dropping out.

Tried turning off Bluetooth and all bluetooth-enabled hardware, but it still crashes.

Changed my modem, bought a router, a complete PowerLine network, and plugged everything via RJ-45 cables. Everything plugged well, got everything working properly - Internet, streaming, etc... I was pretty certain that it would resolve the problems. Nope! Still dropping Home Sharing!

My big problem is once Home Sharing drops, I need to quit iTunes to restart it. When I do, very often (80% of times), the iMac will freeze, spinning wheel and all, can't start any more apps, I need to reset the computer by powering it off. -THAT- is what really upsets me.

What does it take for Home Sharing to drop? Streaming an HD file 2+ gigs, and after about 10 minutes, it just freezes. That's when I know that it's game over, and I need to go downstairs to my iMac, quit iTunes, and if it doesn't freeze, restart it. But like I said, most of the time I need to reboot the computer with ON/OFF switch.

Again, all this started shortly after a thunderstorm which caused a power outage in my area. Which was also a week or so after OS X Lion was installed on my iMac. Not sure that it is Lion that's responsible, since many people with dropped Home Sharing are on PC's and Snow Leopard I think?

So, stop tinkering with your WiFi stuff, I've spent countless nights playing around with it, and it doesn't change a **** thing. Especially that plugging the AppleTV on my home network via Ethernet cables hasn't helped things at all.

I'm extremely distraught with all of this. I just don't understand what is wrong, and what else to do!!! I've owned computers since 1981, and Macs since 2002, and I'm really at a loss here.

I really hope someone from Apple is following this thread. I would love to send any logs to help solve this problem!

Hi Simon

I'm still following this thread in the hope that someone will find a solution to this problem. I'm not optimistic; Apple's release of iOS5 and the update to the OS for the ATV2 seems the only hope.

Since implementing the fix recommended by balord on 7June my ATV2 has worked just fine. (see page 13 of this thread--https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2776955?start=180&tstart=0) I mostly use it for streaming music and radio to my stero system via AirPlay, but streaming videos has not been a problem. Both were problems before this fix. The fix is simple: connect the ATV2 to the router via ethernet and then block the ATV's access to the wireless router. Doesn't seem to matter how my PC is connected to the router.

Recently I had problems with my modem/router which ultimately led to a factory reset. While I was putting it all back together, for the **** of it, I thought I'd try the ATV2 wirelessly again. The problems I'd had with drop outs re-appeared. So I reconnected the ethernet cable. I didn't worry about blocking the wireless signal as I'd once checked to see that plugging an Ethernet cable seemed to stop the wireless transmission. The problems persisted.

So, once again, I blocked the ATV2's wireless and, bingo, all was again well.

I mention it to you because it has now worked for me twice.

Regards

Took the ATV2 to another place this past weekend.  Brought it back and reconnected to home setup and again, other internet applications work (like youtube and Netflix), but ATV does not see that home sharing is on and won't connect to the computer.  Power cycled the Time Capsule router and then computer's itunes library appears.  Watched a movie last night, all was fine.  This morning after idle time, home sharing connection has again been lost.  Next step is to reconnect the old router, see if the connection keeps timing out.  I always brag about how well Apple hardware plays together .....

I don't have answers to WHY this **** ATV2 doesn't work, but I can maybe help you recover a bit more easily once Home Sharing drops.

Instead of going to the computer, try using the ATV2 menu to go to Settings, down to computer, and then turn off Home Sharing, and then turn it back on. This is what I do and 99% of the time it works the first time I do this. The other 1% of the time I need to do it twice or three times, but at least I don't have to go downstairs and fight with a computer ... I do it all from my remote!

I hope this helps!

Tried cycling home sharing on ATV2 (3 times), didn't work.  Reconnected old router.  No times-outs yet.  Went overnight and all day today, home sharing still connected.  Could the problem be dual-band  or the 802.11n protocol on the Time Capsule router?  Home sharing seems to not time out with my old single-band 802.11g router (U.S.Robotics Wireless MAXg). 

I'm starting to think its a Time Capsule issue.

If everyone else has problems can they post their entire kit list?

Yesterday I tried watching a movie on my ipad2 via home sharing. Died after half an hour. Had to go to iMac, turn wireless off, and turn it back on for the connection to re-appear.

Am currently considering buying a new device to provide the wireless network.

Kit list:

iMac 27" 2010

iPad2

Time Capsule first edition providing the wireless network

BE Box (thompson device) providing connectivity to the internet only.

I don't think itnis a Time Capsule issue. I've gotmthe same setup as DB2k and don't have issues with movies or tv dropping. My streaming issues are two- the first, I think, is purely a Netflix issue that has to donwithmsome of theirncontent being poorly encoded, so that occasional movies or TV shows pause to reload for perhaps a minute, or sometimes refuse to continue playing.

The second issue is more related to this thread which is my random dropout of my iTunes library. Out of the blue all my local content, music, tv, movies, just disappears. I've discovered two thing about this, one is that changing my Mac sleep settings to never almost completely eliminated the problem. Second is that to restore settings I only need to relaunch iTunes.

As requested, my setup:

27" i7 iMac, 2010

First gen Time Capsule

Cable modem running at approx 10 mbs

but that IS the same problem. I only get a drop out of my movie when my Library disappears. Restarting iTunes doesn't always resolve it. Its like my mac decides to drop or mess up its wireless connection for a bit, which often needs more drastic intervention and an iTunes restart, to get it working again.

Ive read about the sleep "resolution" and I haven't had any success with it yet.

I've always had my sleep settings to never and that doesn't help. My home sharing just disappears while watching TV shows from my library, and turning off home sharing and then back on again at the ATV2 always works.

My kit:

MacBook Pro

First Gen Time Capsule (NOT handling DHCP)

iPad

ActionTec router providing only DSL connect BUT handling DHCP

when you love your library connection on your ATV2 is your internet connection on your ATV2 lost at the same time?

Ive tried mine a couple of times and it is. making me think its an issue with the apple wireless network

I'm one of the original complainers from way back. :-)  I've since switched from wireless (was running on Airport Extreme dedicated 802.11n channel for ATV2) to wired, and using a static address.  Things have been pretty solid since.  It's definitely related to something in the wireless, at least it would appear from my own experience.