De-Bugged
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Q: Netflix buffering/streaming problems on Apple TV ONLY

Hi everybody. Just wondering if anyone has figured out a solution to the Netflix vs Apple tv streaming/buffering issue. This is stupid, since Apple is usually on the cutting edge of things. I recently upgraded my internet to a faster provider, and this seems to have only increased the problem. I can stream Netflix just fine on my MacBook, iPhone, and an old Blueray player, but on my Apple TV, can watch a max of 15-17 min., before it freezes. I have an older (gen 1?) Apple TV, thought that was maybe the problem, got a 2 or 3 (how can you tell the dif?), anyway, no go, same problem. I know about turning off the 'send data to Apple', since that causes a lot of freezes, did that, also downgraded my playback settings on the Netflix account page to 'low', but at this point, the only way to watch an entire program all the way thru is to watch on this 5yo Blueray player, which has a very archaic menu, not good for choosing shows. This is so silly. I searched the net and came across this thread telling you how to access the streaming menu to slow it down on "most streaming devices", to do something like up, up, down, down, left, left, right, right, thing with the remote, and a hidden menu was supposed to pop up permitting you to slow the streaming settings, but no go, this must have been for a ps3 or something idk. Btw, no problems with any of the other channels on the Apple TV, HuLu, Smithsonian, Ted Talks etc., all work just fine, actually better with the new faster provider, but now Netflix (which actually worked not too badly with the other old slower internet provider, minimal tolerable freezes), gets caught in this buffering/streaming logjam no matter what I do. And yes, I also tried running an ethernet cable directly to the router, which I never had to do before, but this actually slowed down my service, WiFi is better, also went onto the router config page, tried alternate channels #1, 6, 9, 11, ended up coming back to default channel #6, which gave me both the fastest download and upload speeds according to SpeedTest.com. So I have been sitting here with my MacBook logged into the Linksys config page, will change to a different channel, run SpeedTest Ap on my iPhone, try another channel, run SpeedTest again, etc., etc., and this is how I arrived at where I am now, have been fighting this whole thing for a couple weeks now. Does anybody have any additional ideas or insight? If an old Blueray player can have streaming that works, then I can't believe an Apple TV cannot permit me to config its settings to the same, so I can get this whole thing ironed out. Thx, any feedback is much appreciated.

AppleTV 2

Posted on Aug 29, 2015 10:59 AM

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Q: Netflix buffering/streaming problems on Apple TV ONLY

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  • by UGADog,

    UGADog UGADog Aug 29, 2015 2:33 PM in response to De-Bugged
    Level 4 (1,902 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 29, 2015 2:33 PM in response to De-Bugged

    Have you tried:

     

    1) Disconnect power and HDMI from Apple TV

    2) Restarting your Router or Cable Modem (both if you have both) - Disconnect all power for 10 seconds and power up again, modem first and when modem is completely up, router power up.

    3)  Reconnect the Apple TV

  • by De-Bugged,

    De-Bugged De-Bugged Aug 29, 2015 3:05 PM in response to UGADog
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 29, 2015 3:05 PM in response to UGADog

    Lol yes sry forgot to mention I already ,(also) tried rebooting the entire home network with the steps you just mentioned, did not fix the problem. Everything works screamin' fast EXCEPT Netflix.

  • by the_stig_au,

    the_stig_au the_stig_au Aug 31, 2015 5:23 PM in response to De-Bugged
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 31, 2015 5:23 PM in response to De-Bugged

    How old is the Apple TV? It's very curious that you mentioned you had issues with an older Apple TV, you bought a new one and the issue is still there. That tells me it's not an issue with the Apple TV but something else. The only other thing I can suggest is there is a quality program in place for the Apple TV 3rd gen that show issues with WiFi connectivity, which yours sounds like it could be (even though you had the same issues with another older Apple TV). Contact AppleCare and give them the serial number (found on the bottom of the unit or in settings) so they can check eligibility and let them know the issues you're having. If it is covered under the program take it into an Apple service provider or Apple retail store and get it replaced. I throughly recommend contacting Apple to make THEM aware of the issue and they will be able to help. You will find Apple is ready and willing to support their devices but they aren't mind readers. You need to find the right people to contact and actually contact them, i.e: Apple themselves. I hope this helps and if you get a replacement Apple TV I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

  • by cheetahkayak,

    cheetahkayak cheetahkayak Sep 17, 2015 10:34 PM in response to the_stig_au
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 17, 2015 10:34 PM in response to the_stig_au

    Same issue. I can watch from 10 to 20 minutes with and netflix then errors out on apple tv. I can run netflix on ps4 without an issue. I have 1 gigabyte fiber so the lack of internet is not a concern.

     

    The "Stig" doesn't know what he is talking about.

  • by De-Bugged,

    De-Bugged De-Bugged Sep 18, 2015 4:36 AM in response to cheetahkayak
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 18, 2015 4:36 AM in response to cheetahkayak

    THanks everyone! After all my efforts & all your responses, my problem is solved!! I found out my neighbor was having the exact same problem, we both complained to the provider, and he fixed it on his end by disablng some server proxy catache. I looked it up not knowing what this was, seems like that was my "log-jam" all right in that it holds or regulates data flow so the provider can serve more customers. This is a small provider I'm using now, he didn't wanna lose us both, so he let loose the jam, & now we have screamin' fast Netflx (on my Apple TV!!!) with NO freezing or buffering. Thanks for all the help, other ppl might check with their providers to see if this is an option. 

  • by ou812ManySushi,

    ou812ManySushi ou812ManySushi Sep 27, 2015 9:08 AM in response to De-Bugged
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 27, 2015 9:08 AM in response to De-Bugged

    Based on what I've read here and elsewhere on the net, it seems to be a wide-spread issue that only affects Netflix on AppleTV. I recently started experiencing the same issue where Netflix content will stream for about 20 minutes (sometime less), then quit. I've confirmed that this has nothing to do with WIFI, router or internet connection as I experienced the same issues with my AppleTV connected via ethernet. As a workaround, I've been streaming Netflix from my iPad to AppleTV over Airplay, and so far, no problems. 

  • by dmmcdee,

    dmmcdee dmmcdee Oct 20, 2015 10:19 AM in response to ou812ManySushi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 20, 2015 10:19 AM in response to ou812ManySushi

    Problem NOT solved. I have a latest version Apple TV, iPad and iPhone 6s.  I get buffering with BBC iPlayer and ITV Player when I play them on both the iPhone and the iPad.  The iPhone and iPad are about 2m from the Apple TV which in turn is ethernet-connected to an Airport Extreme.  My broadband runs at 20-30 Mb/s. 

     

    I would certainly not buy a new gen Apple TV until this problem was confirmed sorted!

  • by Rory Cooney,

    Rory Cooney Rory Cooney Sep 9, 2016 12:25 PM in response to ou812ManySushi
    Level 1 (149 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 12:25 PM in response to ou812ManySushi

    Streaming from my iPad app via Airplay works great, with exactly the same Netflix programming. Still, it ought to work on the Apple TV. I have 2nd generation. If I heard from enough people that there's no issue in 3gen, I'd get that, but if it's an issue across the board, i'll just stream. As others have said, Netflix is the only app that crashes. Everything else streams just fine.