Q: Using 8 Apple TVs
Hi guys,
I have just recently had a look at a configuration and was hoping for some advice...
He has, himself, installed 8 Apple TVs and is having issues connecting some of them at times. I have very quickly identified that only 5 devices can use home sharing to his iMac to access his iTunes.
For example, here was my tests:
I rebooted the iMac, then started up each Apple TV and began streaming media. 5 performed absolutely fine, then the 6th one simply wouldn't connect to the iMac, BUT, Internet was fine, ping tests were 100% reliable throughout this whole time and everything else Network wise was fine. Even IF we unplugged one of the initial 5 TVs, then tried the 6th again after a hard reset, it still wouldn't work.
I would assume, that when each device accesses media, it registers it's mac address or serial number on the iMac to prevent more than 5 devices streaming, not only for licensing reasons, but for quality of service..? The only way I have found to 'cure' this is to simply reboot the iMac or stop and start the home sharing service, power off all the Apple TVs (sometimes requires even a reset of the device from the menu!) and then begin powering up the TVs that are required. This seems to be quite a common occurance across the boards here with even less than 5 devices however..
Feel free to correct me on any of the points above. I'm almost certain i've got a grasp of what is happening here, but the client will simply not acknowledge that he is exceeding the limitations of home sharing and the number of devices supported. Thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully providing some official response that I can hand over.
Thanks,
Luke
Apple TV
Posted on Apr 12, 2012 2:12 AM
