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Home Sharing Stops Working After a Few Minutes

Since upgrading to 10.6.1.7, iTunes spontaneously stops Home Sharing after some minutes of playing back content via my Apple TV Gen 3. The Apple TV which had just been in the middle of playing content, reverts back to the home screen with a message about Home Sharing at the top. If I then click on Computers, it informs me that I should turn on Home Sharing in iTunes. It is already turned on as I was just in the middle of using it. The computer and the Apple TV are plugged into the same switch. The only work-around that I've found is to exit the iTunes application an restart it each time that it fails every few minutes. This makes watching content incredibly exasperating. Are there any better work-arounds with more longevity? This problem effectively makes the Apple TV a worthless device, and I may be returning it soon.

Apple TV (3rd generation)

Posted on Apr 11, 2012 6:04 PM

Reply
86 replies

Apr 12, 2012 9:57 PM in response to 4CSmith

Same issue exactly. Best thing to di is contact Apple so that they become aware of this regression. Below is what I have been posting:



Home sharing with the new Apple TV / iTunes update is just broke. Only works for a bit unless you restart iTunes or disable / re-enable Home Sharing. Use to work great until the last updates. This is not a network (router, firewall, ...) issue - just a (bad) regression in Apples software. Hopefully they fix this soon, hard to believe its been broke this long already. The Remote app update also fails to connect to Apple TVs (but does connect to iTunes) for many people as well. Poor QA all around. :(


I have yet to see any suggestion that actually works other than reverting to previous versions of fwr / iTunes - which is a pain / joke to do.


There are a *ton* of posts about this:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3845423?answerId=18078180022#18078180022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3808863?answerId=18078351022#18078351022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2613875?answerId=18078326022#18078326022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3860579?answerId=18078599022#18078599022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3861987?answerId=18078600022#18078600022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3865393

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3864199

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3860172?answerId=18086263022#18086263022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3749779?answerId=18083552022#18083552022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3867114?answerId=18103713022#18103713022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3870357?answerId=18106478022#18106478022

etc...

Apr 13, 2012 6:45 PM in response to 4CSmith

I just called Apple. They said they're not aware that there are any problems with the Apple TV. When I suggested that they read their own discussion groups more often, the guy said I needed to buy a $29 tech package for him to talk to me any more. I said i just wanted to know if they were going to have a fix for it in the near future. He repeated that i had to buy a tech package to continue talking to me. I said I'm not going to pay $29 for your broken upgrade. I just wanted to know.....he hung up.


Ladies and gentlemen....The new Apple Tech Support. We now officially have $100 paper weights. Remember when the old Apple TVs actually worked?

Apr 14, 2012 7:53 AM in response to 4CSmith

It is driving me nuts also... I just bought my ATV 3rd gen yesterday.... I am seriously considering bringing it back today !!!


My home share is doing the same thing as 4CSMITH.


I tried watching my series trough Icloud anf it worked ok, streaming difficulties on the first episode, ok for the second. I think for the second episode nobody else in the house was using either the computer or Ipad, so the only device on the router was ATV.


I think maybe my problem there is my internet access wich is cable but intermediate level not the fastest hi speed,


Does anybody know if upgrading to higher speed internet will solve my problem ??


thanks

Apr 16, 2012 1:41 PM in response to 4CSmith

Yep me too-- I blamed it on my older intel duo- waiting for new release- Can't upgrade to lion, thought maybe was issue. But it has worked perfectly until about 3 days ago. Thought maybe windstorm messing with internet dish issue, except my network connections- youtube etc. is fine- Just homesharing is out-- will not recognize the computer. For a few minutes I thought I had fixed it when I found the time zone was wrong- took off automatic and changed to my time zone-- hour later it changed back,to wrong zone, on it's own, now the right zone won't fix.

So need to speak to Apple NOT in Pakistan.

Apr 16, 2012 5:25 PM in response to 4CSmith

As of Sunday, my Apple TV returned back to normal Home Sharing functionality. Previously, none of the work-arounds short of restarting iTunes worked for me. I have not knowingly updated either the Apple TV nor iTunes, but it has begun working again for two days nows. I wish that I knew why, so that I could repeat the fix if it fritzes out again.


😕

Apr 17, 2012 2:04 PM in response to 4CSmith

Hi guys,


This ISN'T just an Apple TV problem. I have in the house both the ipad 1 and 3, and an iPhone, alongside an Apple TV3. I am seeing this problem on ALL of my Apple i-devices AND my ATV.


In my case, my Apple TV just point blank refuses to connect AT ALL to home sharing. I cannot connect whether or not I restart itunes and make the first connection to the library using my Apple TV, or whether I access it from my i-devices first and then the ATV. I tried both ways around to see if it was somehow the i-device hogging the library connection through Bonjour for some reason.


I have the same symptoms as other people, where I have access to the library (for me only via the i-devices) only for a small while, before it then craps out. I've had cases where if I reconnect after it crapping out, the "progress circle" on to show connection progress to home sharing seems to take a VERY long time working its way up to half-filled, and then sits there for over a minute, and then suddenly jumps to a state where it has the name of my itunes library in the title bar, but no shows/music/etc. are shown - it's just an empty library.


There seem to be too many people complaining about this, and it seems to me that the verification done on this release was not up to scratch. It's hard to build these multi-device systems, but once you've got them working don't mess with them!

Apr 17, 2012 2:31 PM in response to Alxlr8

I have been on several of these ATV no worky forums-- I may be working now-- I had a apple tech call me and have me reinstall my itunes on my computer- did not see the logic in that-- the computer fine, the network fine, just ATV homeshare messed up since upgrade to 10.6 on the ATV-- Did it anyway, no change, except could not even get 10 minute spurt. Then i wonderd on the reset vs restore on the ATV-- I have reset a couple of times, not any help-- This time a did a restore, which reloaded the upgrade--- It worked for 4 hours!!!! I finally turned it off, we will see if it stuck! OH I did have to set the time zone manually before it worked-- This seemed to be an issue before also, but I never got it to stay on this long...... crossing my fingers!

Apr 17, 2012 7:38 PM in response to txkcpetty

Reinstalled iTunes, restored the Apple TV, and manually set the time zone. It lasted 9 minutes. One friend took hers back and another had a small smashing party. They threw it off their 30 story balcony into the river. Said that was the most enjoyment the apple tv has given them since they bought it.


Apple, its time to fess up and admit there's a bug. Hiding and ignoring it just upsets your customers.

Home Sharing Stops Working After a Few Minutes

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