MacBook Pro and Apple TV are not friends anymore

Connect Apple TV via Ethernet

make sure the firewall and computer allowed the required ports

TCP and UDP ports and protocols used by Apple TV - Apple Support

I have a very similar issue since updating to 10.10.5 on a Macbook Pro (13 inch, mid-2012). This was not an issue previously and I haven't changed any settings. I have the latest Apple TV 3, purchased in the last few months.

Our issues manifest slightly differently - I can see Apple TV as an option under displays but I can't manage to connect to it. I get the message: 'Could not connect to 'Apple TV'. This happens whether I try to connect via the display drop down, or the alt sound drop down. Once or twice, I have also been asked for a confirmation passcode that the Apple TV is supposedly outputting - it isn't. My iPhone 6 (since the equally recent 8.4.1 update) doesn't now see Apple TV in the control centre (the menu that slides up from the bottom) either.

What I have noticed is that this inability to connect only seems to happen when the Apple TV is on standby. Tellingly, I can use the Apple TV remote to wake it and THEN connect on either the Macbook or the iPhone, and everything works fine.

Our issues seem to me too much of a coincidence. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that these latest software updates have affected certain devices ability to connect to Apple TV while it is on standby.

Separately, video performance continues to be choppy on VLC (or any video app for that matter) streamed via Apple TV. I've had to purchase Beamer, which demonstrates that perfectly smooth video streaming clearly is possible on my network setup, just not properly implemented in Yosemite. Spotify audio suffers to a much lesser extent but is still not perfect - I'd buy Airfoil but out of principle I don't see why we should have to pay for even more 3rd party software to provide functionality that should be a given with our products and software. I heard this all used to work fine in previous OS X Mavericks - let's hope it gets fixed with El Capitan, but I'm not holding my breath...

If on wifi try Ethernet

Lag issues are caused the network.

Make sure no other activity is occuring (other streaming, network backups etc)

Beamer is simply pushing the video, the same as basic AirPlay through iTunes. Mirroring requires a lot more resources as it is pushing the full display and all movement in realtime.

The Mom Squad wrote:

I have done the following :

1) Disconnected both from wifi and reconnected

2) Restarted the MacBook

3) restarted the Apple TV

4) made sure both were updated to the most recent software

5) Reset Apple TV

6) When I look at Display on system references under airplay display it says there are no devices connected

7) Bluetooth is enabled on both

Maybe silly question but did you tried to cycle power on your Router too?

Thanks for your reply. I've been wired all along and have tried wireless just in case. I've also tried all the steps on the OPs list and cycling the router. Thie connection problem didn't exist before the 10.10.5 and 8.4.1 updates.

I hear what you say about Beamer but I'm extending displays with VLC, not mirroring, so the stream is just one window of video. Worst case there should at least be a Beamer 'pure video' type mode that MacOS can put the extended display into for this kind of thing. And with Spotiify I'm pushing audio only (AirPlay audio only mode), so there really is no excuse for the stuttering playback. With my setup I strongly believe it's a software implementation issue rather than a network issue. There is no problem streaming the same content via iPhone.

Anything outside of itunes will require mirroring, which needs the same amount of resources. The iPhone would be using basic airplay.

You can get a network report to see current status of the network (istumbler or similar). You can also test on another network.

If it was caused by software it would be a widespread issue.

How exactly does audio-only airplay require mirroring? Are you aware of the hidden menu if you alt-click on the volume control? It enables nothing but audio streaming from your Mac. Even with multiple audio streams playing at the same time, that data would barely create a ripple on a solid N class wifi connection like mine. Apple Wireless Diagnostics reports the quality of my network connection as 'Excellent' btw. This is defined by Apple as 'reliable wireless connection with excellent throughput and network performance.'

You say this is not a widespread issue but I disagree. There are hundreds of reports of stuttering video and audio via Apple TV airplay on these forums, and the vast majority seemed to be introduced since upgrading to Yosemite from Mavericks, where there were no previous issues. Just google 'yosemite apple tv performance'.

Whether mirrored or extended, there is visible lag simply moving a cursor round the display connected to the Apple TV, never mind running video. iPhone mirroring, by contrast (though of course less demanding of bandwidth) is perfectly smooth including, for example, facebook newsfeed video streams while scrolling. I haven't had the chance to test another network but on this evidence I don't see how you can defend it being a network issue. Happy to be proven wrong.

VLC would be mirroring, streaming Spotify from computer is still going to require more resources (although not as much as mirroring). There is a big difference between mirroring an iPhone and computer.

What are the values for signal strength and noise? Does it report a lot of nearby networks? Have you tried changing channels on the router?

There are millions of users, this forum alone would be flooded if any widespread issue existed. There have always been reports, especially after an update is issued, but it is always from a small group of users.

If you want to verify then the best way is to test on another network or take it to Apple for testing.

RSSI is -41 and noise is -88. The AWD quality measure takes these into account. The RSSI is by far the lowest in a network of approx. 10 visible routers (2 of which are on 5GHz. Mine is on 2.4GHz). Tx rate doesn't dip below 130Mbps. Changing channels makes no difference.

I guess my point is this - if there is more than sufficient network bandwidth, signal, throughput, processing power, RAM, VRAM, etc. (I'm assuming this is what you mean when you talk about 'resources'), then stuttering should not remotely be an issue. Particularly with an audio only Macbook stream - this would surely require a tiny fraction of the resources that video mirroring would. I think there's more than enough evidence here that it isn't the network. As for whether there's something wrong with my Macbook... well that's possible but again, seems highly unlikely.

I appreciate your correspondence, but I don't think you're acknowledging how widespread this problem is - on these forums too - and how much evidence there is that it is linked to Yosemite. I'd sooner downgrade to Mavericks and test that than try another network or take my Macbook into Apple.

It is in no way a widespread issue (which would be impacting millions of users). Again, these reports come after every update and it's always from a select group of users. It's working just fine on my system and for the majority. It would also be fairly easy to verify by taking to another network or to Apple. You can believe what you want, there is nothing further to add.

Fair enough. I notice you have an iMac and ATV2 running Mavericks. Out of curiosity, are you able to stream video / audio reliably on your setup outside of iTunes?

I hadn't updated my profile, so i'm actually running Yosemite. Yes, it is running reliably.