apple tv does not access iTunes - 4/17/2014

Hello Denmark calling

I have two ATV 1st GENs and one ATV 3nd GEN.

The ATV 3nd GEN works as usual without issue and I can access all of iTunes.

Both ATV 1st GENs stopped working for two days ago, and exhibit the same issues described in this thread. No access to iTunes, can not play already purchased media (movies, TV shows, music, podacasts) synced or streamed, sluggish menu selection and navigation, and ultimately both will lockup and freeze.

I can access and play all of my purchased media (as well as purcahse and play new media) from the ATV 3nd GEN, my iPhone, and my Itunes accounts on mulriple Windows machines (via iTunes).

The issue is ONLY affecting my 1st GEN ATVs.

100% sure I have 3 gen 1 Apple TVs and 1 gen 3 on this network. All are working

I've fixed the problem partially, (i.e. sluggish ui, frozen local movie play):

Goto General settings - Parental control and hide access to "iTunes buy / rent"

hey pavel_tsybulin, that worked great 🙂,

now all of my stored podcasts and movies play without stuttering

the icons are no longer schizophrenic!

thanks for the heads up

So I first experienced and reported this problem on Thursday night here in the UK, it's now Sunday night and no change. I have emailed apple and heard nothing at all, spoke to iTunes support and then Apple TV tech support on Saturday and they couldn't shed any light at all on the situation. Has anyone got any further with a reasonable response from Apple yet?

Just fixed both of my atv1's

Did a crystalhd and crystalbuntu upgrade, didn'd liked itunes anyway...

Completely fed up, wasted hours today trying to work out what was wrong with ATV1. Finally found this post- very helpful. Hope there is a solution soon- from a very disgruntled long term apple customer.

Well I think something will come out of the wood work about all of this. I don't think Apple would deliberately cut off access to iTunes to 1st Gen Apple TV customers. It doesn't make sense. Their revenue comes from content consumption much more so than hardware. The hardware is merely a vehicle that carries the content. So I'm not sure it's helpful to accuse Apple of removing access etc etc. There's no evidence for that. There is evidence that there's some kind of problem probably due to some infrastructure changes which are happening for some reason (and we don't know those reasons yet whatever has been happening generally speaking).

It would be nice if there was some acknowledgement of the problems Apple are clearly suffering at the moment. That's the problem. If I knew they were doing something about it then it would make a huge difference personally speaking.

The important thing is that we contact Apple and keep doing so. I have done so and will continue to pester support about this. Lets keep doing that.

Currently watching stuff on my Apple TV that I synced from iTunes cos I changed my router address to something invalid. No need to change the DNS as the ATV won't ever find a DNS server if the gateway address is changed ... unless your gateway is your router of course 😉

Ironically I haven't used my ATV all year until Friday when I couldn't use it anyway. First chance to watch a movie on a TV and I couldn't... oops Apple you appear to have slipped on a bannana

I have the same issue with a 3rd generation AppleTV I have all the updates and tried WiFi, ethernet, rebooting and restoring the device. Nothing seemed to work.

Just had a very frustrating call with a apple tech. He says they ARE aware of the problem but don't know how to fix it. And that they're confirming the problem only to people who CALL them. No website post because that would "upset" people. He also says it's not a apple problem and blamed it on the content providers, the motion picture association, etc. who he claims have "changed" something or other and are basically blocking 1gen ATVs. And this all happened simultaneously to everybody, worldwide, on Thursday night but that Apple "had no idea" this change was coming.

Right.

And then he basically said I should get a new Apple TV because I have such old hardware and what could I expect?

Thank you. The parental controls - hide purchase movies/music worked on my ATV gen1. Local itunes movie content on PC running XP, ATV content music all working without stutter. On a related note, Internet radio working via itunes playlist fix.

But the content providers do not run the iTunes Store, and that would mean all of the content providers (Music, Podcasts, TV, Movies) all changed something at the exact same time like a giant cabal and all have a form of control over iTunes.

Herewith is the answer I got from iTunes support.

Of course, they sugar coat a reply with nothing usable.

Even try to make you think it may be harware related.

The funny thing is, I was on the verge to buy a second apple TV, and thanks to that, I am simply going to give a spin to the Amazon TV.

Regards:
Pascal

Quote:

On Saturday, April 19, 2014 9:38 PM, iTunes Store <iTunesStoreSupport@apple.com> wrote:

Hi Pascal,

Thank you for contacting iTunes Store Support. My name is Allen, your iTunes Support Advisor. I look forward to providing you with excellent support today, and I hope that you are enjoying your day so far.

I have carefully reviewed your issue and I understand that you're having trouble with your Apple TV. I certainly understand how recent difficulties might have been unacceptable for you. If I were in your situation, I would definitely feel the same way.

Pascal, your request for assistance has reached iTunes Store Customer Support, which answers questions about billing, customer accounts, downloading purchases, and iTunes Store content. Although this team does not offer technical support for Apple TV, I'm happy to guide you to some Apple resources that should help.

For this issue, you may need to call our AppleCare technical support team. A technical Advisor will be able to tell you about Apple's complimentary and fee-based support. The technical Advisor can also assist you in determining what option might be most helpful to you in this case. To find the appropriate phone number, please visit:

Contacting Apple for support and service
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57

Another option is to describe your issue on our website. After you have described the issue on our website, you can arrange for an Apple Advisor to call you. You can receive a phone call now or you can make an appointment to have an Apple Advisor call you at a more convenient time. To explore this option, please visit Express Lane:

https://expresslane.apple.com/

Certain Express Lane Support options are only free during your Apple hardware product's complimentary support period or with an AppleCare Protection Plan.

Pascal, you may also find the following article helpful:

Apple TV: Basic Troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1551

If I can provide additional help in finding the right Apple resource for you, or if you need assistance with your iTunes Store account, please reply to this message. I will be happy to help.

I do apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing but I trust that you will find this information helpful. Please let me know if you have any iTunes account or billing questions and I'll be more than happy to assist you further.
Thank you for choosing iTunes Store. Your patience and understanding will be highly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Allen Rae
iTunes Store/Mac App Store Customer Support

Ha got the exact same reply

Adding another user with ATV1 problems.

I can accept and understand when technical issues arise. What is not acceptable is SILENCE from Apple. Just publically acknowledge the problem already!!!!