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

here, here. dito

hey yall check out my last post

the causal affect was incidental and non intentional. is in good hands now so our shiny boxes should be back up and running soon

You are definitely not alone! I was a full PC user who wouldn't go near Apple until back in 2004 a buddy of mine told me how cool the iPod was. On a whim I bought my mother one for Christmas. Loved setting it up for her so much that I bought myself one...then another. Got hooked on iTunes. Didn't like how iTunes for PC handled my library so I bought a MacBook Pro. Started watching "The Office" and "Battlestar Galactica" via iTunes on the MacBook and got an Apple TV so I could watch them on my home theater. Got sick of needing to use the MacBook as a media server so I bought a Mac Pro Server to host my iTunes lubrary. Got Airports so I could stream music through the house. Bought an iPhone so I could use the iTunes Apple Remote app to control my Apple TV. Got another Apple TV (2nd Generation) so we could watch Netflix in the bedroom. Got an iPad so my wife could use the Apple Remote (bigger, easier to see). Bought her an iPhone, then my son one so we could do Facetime. Got an iHome alarm clock so I could wake up to my music...

...AND NOW THIS!!!

Dudes, I work for a major competitor (a large one). It's embarrassing that I have so much Apple product in my house, but I got hooked on iTunes and the Apple TV is the center of my digital universe. If you throw this product overboard, you're going to lose me with it. No joke - I will migrate my entire library to Windows and move on. We're buying a new house so I need a new home theater system anyway, it's no sweat for me to switch. It's not just an old Apple TV customer you're losing - it's a guy who has a line-item in his monthly budget that says "iTunes".

Thanks for your post, phantom. Not trying to overeact here, but on our fifth day of silence since the ATV's died, I don't think it's asking too much to expect SOME official communication on Apple's part (beyond "bread crumbs" of info gleaned from a few support operators).

Beyond a lack of carefulness to compatibility test before rolling out internal updates, when something goes wrong, Apple should own up it to with good communication that shows respect for their customers and the trust they hold in their products.

I am genuinely hopeful for a quick fix here, but very disappointed in the way it's been handled. This isn't the Apple I'm used to--this is Microsoft crap for crying out loud.

Hi Nja I can definetely sympathise. We have all been in the same boat in this to some respect. A compatiblity test may have been executed though for all we know, other factors may have been introduced after going live that could not have been accounted for. just saying we dont know all the details.

A bit of communication earlier on would have been nice I agree but if the reponse was slowed due to lack of personnel last thing Id want to do is to make apple obligated to keep staff on 24x7 over religious public holidays. I know I wouldnt be happy if my employer did that to me.

You have every right to be upset of course. In my opinion we should cut them some slack coming from a technical background myself. water under the bridge, mistakes happen. Just happy that my ATV1 doesnt have to be a door stop (or a heating device in winter) and I will be able to continue using it as intended.

First of all, this is APPLE we're talking about. If it was Lenovo, I'd agree with you - yea, give them a break. Second, it's not so much that we're five days without content, it's the silence we're getting from Apple Engineering and support, and the fact that this is becoming a pattern. Third, and this is important; this is no longer just an ATV1 problem. I just sat down with my wife to watch The Hobbit on our ATV2 and guess what - no joy!

Guys, this is getting out of hand. We deserve a detailed explanation from Apple ASAP accompanied by assurances that this will never EVER happen again. This is pre-Steve Jobs Apple performance we're seeing here. Some of us have come to expect much better from Cupertino.

When that little black box comes up usually at the beginning credits, I long press the play/pause and go into the movie chapters section. At the top there subtitles (I think, going off memory) and I set it to off. The box goes away for the rest of the movie.

The other matter which needs to be aired is, who in their right mind makes such changes to servers on the last day of the week before a long weekend? Sure, all of us don't expect a company to have a full compliment of staff over a public holiday, especially a religious one. When I plan making changes to our servers at work (which I do on a Saturday) I don't plan it over such a big weekend. When planning on an IT upgrade on a Saturday I also make sure I have sufficient IT staff on hand to handle any issues.

With respect to ATV/iTunes, it would make sense to plan such changes in the beginning of a work week because we all know devices such as the ATV are used more on the weekend than during the week. Much like how restaurants in Australia are closed on Monday, so that is the best day of the week to do repairs, etc.

The silence from Apple is deafening. When third party issues cause work-related outages I don't blame the third party but I do get the message out there is a problem and we're dealing with it.

Something tells me that a serious security hole [like HeartBleed] is involved, as roll-back does not appear to be an option.

I have the same problem 1st Gen Apple TV,

confirmed I dont have any of these working:

Movies (Top movies and Genres menus are no longer there)

Trailers

TV shows

internet radio

Basically Cannot get to Apple Store. software version is 3.0.2 (system says it is updated)

I can login and I do see youtube and movie trailers occasionally works.

Yes well heartbleed would definetely be considered non-intentional by those affected. Dont know how many businesses worlwide have had to clean up after that threat. And what affects one system could affect another inadvertently too.

I also am looking at other options.

There has been no information about the outage, what is being done etc. I am located overseas and utilizing my Apple TV helps keep me connected to the US and the entertainment from there.

I literally looked last evening for alternatives to this. I am brand Loyal, but, lack of resolution is increasingly making my desire to remain that way in question.

Instead of plotting what the next marketing scheme will be for the next product, how about launching a resolution for the existing.

I assume that you are located where you can turn on your TV and have a plethora of channels and choices to assist in your families entertainment. Maybe it is time to continue look else where.....

welcome cordovam2. thanks for sharing. intersting that trailers is working occasionally with yours.

mine is on 3.01 and my device also says its up to date but this could be linked to the same issue

When this first started, I could see the "Trailers" option on mine, but it was nearly impossible to select, as once it's highlighted it kicked back up to "my movies". I never tried again. Now that I've enabled the parental controls work-around, I can select it, and it does appear to be working [just tried now] ... not sure if this is a sign of progress or not.

yeah could be some progress being made. my thoughts too

On a whim, I just tried re-enabling the purchase/rent option via the parental controls, and everything seems to be working properly. This could be a sign that it is indeed fixed! Can anyone else confirm? IT was a little slow at first, probably because it had nothing in cache, but is back to its snappy self now.