Apple TV Keeps Dropping Connection

I am having this same EXACT problem. I have the ATV3 with the latest update (firmware 6.2) and I am on the latest version of iTunes 11 on my Mac Mini. This is THE most annoying problem ever, as I do not remember it doing this when I first got the ATV3 about a year ago. The thing is, I wish I could pinpoint if it was maybe an ATV3 firmware upgrade, or an iTunes version upgrade, but I cannot. But, I have tried just about everything I have seen in forums where there are A LOT of people having the same issue, but to no avail.

Today I have been tracking the timing of the drop out/disconnect to see if there is a pattern. After each time I am turning off 'Home Sharing' from the Mac Mini, and then turning it back on, then restarting the same movie.

And as mentioned by several people it is just the connection between ATV and iTunes that has the issue, meaning that I do not have disconnects when I use other applications on the ATV.

What exactly have you tried?

Intermittent issues point to a local network issue, if on wifi it is best to try ethernet. Make sure router is up to date and port 123 is open. To see the state of the network go to istumbler or similar to get a report, look for signal strength and any noise detected.

Well, I finally did try hooking up the ATV via ethernet to my router and it is no longer disconnecting from Home Sharing.

The issue is with the local/wifi network.

Where is the Apple TV in relation to the router? Are there other wifi devices around? Is Apple TV on top of anything or in a closed space?

Is router up to date?

Any reason why you aren't able to try ethernet? This would be purely for testing, to help rule out wifi issues. The network test/indicator is not an accurate representation of the network. Best to get a full report by going to istumbler or similar to see signal strength and any noise detected. Another option is to take to a controlled environment, like an Apple store/reseller, to see if the issue persists.

What were the values for signal strength and noise on istumbler?

How old is the router?

If you are unable to borrow an ethernet cable then I would suggest going to a controlled environment, as above.

This is an issue with the local network, internet speed isn't relevant. If you weren't sure about istumbler then it would be best to run the report and post the values so I can verify.

You didn't mention how old your router is

As I said above "Another option is to take to a controlled environment, like an Apple store/reseller, to see if the issue persists."

I agree with necrosato in that Home Sharing completely disconnecting seems to be something with updates to either ATV firmware, or iTunes software. I have had occasional buffering on other applications on ATV, like Netflix, Hulu, and MLB tv, but the video stream pauses and then continues. Home Sharing just quits altogether.

In your scenario it is working on ethernet, that shows that it's an issue with wifi. It really has nothing to do with software. The other buffering is also result of the interference on the network, but those are internet services that use adaptive streaming, and adjust accordingly in order to continue the stream. Home sharing is over the local network, reliant on a consistent signal, and intermittent issues within the network will cause it to lose the connection.