Apple TV movie downloads ridiculously slow

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Level 2

312 points

Apple TV movie downloads ridiculously slow

I have a very fast internet connection and my AppleTV is connected via ethernet. I stream Netflix and Amazon movies just fine. I went to rent a movie, and the download time initially said 3 hrs, went to 4, and then slowly came down. I gave up; the next morning, it had downloaded. I've had previous experience renting movies, and you waited a few minutes for it to start the download, and then you could watch it. A few minutes vs many hours.

Is there a trick to getting this to work? Is it Apple's servers or something else?

Posted on Jul 29, 2015 7:29 AM

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Answer 1

vazandrew

Level 8

40,366 points

Jul 29, 2015 10:06 AM in response to RADumas

Netflix and other services adapt to the connection. iTunes content is at a fixed rate and higher quality.

Did you verify connection via speedtest.net?

Is this occurring at specific times?

Make sure DNS is set to auto (settings - general - network)

To see a current status of the network get a report from istumbler, netstumbler or similar.

Test on another network

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Answer 2

RADumas Author

Level 2

312 points

Jul 29, 2015 10:37 AM in response to vazandrew

ATT Uverse. Speedtest says 50M download. AppleTV connected via ethernet.

DNS: Auto

on AppleTV, check connection first failed: "Cannot connect to Apple". Second try, it just says "finished"

I go to watch a trailer for another movie. Takes a good 15 minutes to download the HD trailer.

The movie that I rented, I rented as "download and watch now" expecting it to buffer a bit and then stream. I appeared to slowly download the whole thing.

I just went to rent another to see if the same experience, but I selected "watch later" and it didn't do anything. I don't know if I'll have the long experience when I start to watch it.

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Answer 3

vazandrew

Level 8

40,366 points

Jul 29, 2015 10:41 AM in response to RADumas

The network check on the devices does not account for issues, you need a report as above.

It is not a good idea to rent multiple movies as the Apple TV has no accessible storage, it will flush the previous content and attempt to cache the new one.

Test on another network

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Answer 4

RADumas Author

Level 2

312 points

Jul 29, 2015 10:42 AM in response to vazandrew

I don't understand the 'test on another network'. I have only one service provider, ATT Uverse.

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Answer 5

vazandrew

Level 8

40,366 points

Jul 29, 2015 10:44 AM in response to RADumas

Go to another location and test on another network. You are also free to take it to Apple and have them test.

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Answer 6

RADumas Author

Level 2

312 points

Jul 29, 2015 2:39 PM in response to RADumas

It's a fail. Every device tested. Network tested. Had two levels of tech support go through everything and they finally said, "get a refund"

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Answer 7

vazandrew

Level 8

40,366 points

Jul 29, 2015 2:40 PM in response to RADumas

How exactly did you test your network? What were the results of the report? Did you test on another network and/or take it to Apple?

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Answer 8

RADumas Author

Level 2

312 points

Jul 29, 2015 2:50 PM in response to vazandrew

I never really got the suggestion to test on some other network. I have ATT Uverse. If it doesn't work on my network, it's moot.

Did several speed and quality tests. 0 dropped packets, latency short, speed between 40 and 50Mb download. checked config of every device, including ATT router, and rebooted everything, and redid tests. Everything ok. Ability to stream non-apple media just fine. Just downloading rented items from apple store.

Some combination of things that work doesn't work. Giving up on AppleTV for movies. Will use for Netflix and Hulu.

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Answer 9

vazandrew

Level 8

40,366 points

Jul 29, 2015 3:10 PM in response to RADumas

You need a proper network report to see the status of your local network. In some instances it can be related to ISP throttling. Of course checking a different network can be relevant as it will verify if the issue is related to your network.

Again, all those other services will adapt to the connection. iTunes content is fixed rate and needs to load a portion before playback begins. It is working just fine for most, when issues arise it will be most often be related to the network.

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Answer 10

RADumas Author

Level 2

312 points

Aug 1, 2015 11:39 AM in response to RADumas

Figured it out. From ATT router, there is a connection to ATV via ethernet. The problem is/was that there was an ethernet hub. That was the choke point. Updating or just using wifi solved the problem

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Answer 11

Aug 2, 2015 10:11 PM in response to RADumas

I've had a similar issue that only appeared in the past week. The download speed for my network is in the neighborhood of 349 mbps so I get a little peeved by Apples messages that imply I don't have the bandwidth to support 1080. I'm not dropping packets, Netflix and Amazon are just fine. The ATV is on my wireless network and I've had over a year of pretty good performance. I have found in the past that I had to specify DNS but it's not helping this time.

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Answer 12

RADumas Author

Level 2

312 points

Aug 3, 2015 7:31 AM in response to Jim Petersen

Jim, 349M sounds rather high. I have ATT's highest download speed, which is rated at 45M. Do note my solution. It was me. I introduced something that choked the ATV. Look for what's different between when it worked and when it stopped working.

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Answer 13

Aug 3, 2015 12:19 PM in response to RADumas

Sounds high but it's not ephemeral. TWC on Oahu offers premium residential speeds rated at 300 Mbps. I connect a bit higher since I'm very close to their base of operations.

I have a rather complicated wifi network in my home. I ended up re-configuring my APs and adjusting the cable modem settings last night. It seems to have worked.

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Answer 14

Nov 17, 2015 7:00 PM in response to RADumas

I am having this problem as well. I just purchased a new apple tv box, so I can't imagine what the deal is. I have no problem downloading netflix programs. This is a nightmare. Does Apple ever scan these issues to try to help?

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Answer 15

vazandrew

Level 8

40,366 points

Nov 17, 2015 8:38 PM in response to BullDaddy64

It will be due to something on your network, see above for things to check. Netflix adapts tp the network, iTunes is fixed rate and higher quality (it will also need to load a portion before playback begins). This is a user forum so you won't see a response from Apple here

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