ATV 4 won't play my movies that play on ATV 3

I don't think it means anything of the kind. I think it's more likely that the Apple TV4 exposes issues with improperly encoded video that the previous version didn't. Kind of like when you don't notice the defective wheel on your car until the day you go down a slightly more bumpy road than you usually travel with five people in the car and three dogs and a bag of cement in the boot (trunk for those in the US).

I've found a solution!

You can buy them again from the iTunes store!

In this way, Apple makes more money and you get INSANELY GREAT quality movies! Until of course they aren't available in your country anymore, but that's another thread....

I disagree. If it was improperly coded, it should cause problems in some of the other operating systems as well. Instead, it works perfectly in OS X, iOS, and the older OS used on prior Apple TV hardware. Why should tvOS reject the file as incompatible for streaming if I can stream the same file from OS X El Capitan to an iOS 9 device without issue using 1st party software like iTunes and the Videos app?

Feel free to disagree.

switching to m4v worked. I'm sure Apple will get this issue fixed. Thanks for everyone's input.

Unfortunately you're incorrect, Apple has elected to not fix this issue. I was asked to create a bug report for this, which I did, and I just got the answer. Apple will not be fixing this issue, they consider it a bug on the converter side. I disagree with Sir Winston, if the aTV3 and my iPad mini can play the *.mp4 file (and they can), I think the new hardware should be able to, but it won't. Sadly that nullifies my primary reason for buying the aTV4.

Brett

I Responded back at the other thread. What I said over there was the m4v worked fine on the new Apple TV. I converted 3 so far and the new atv4 plays with no issue. I understand your frustration. I'll play he older converts on my old atv and my new converts using the m4v with the new atv. Best of luck to you.

Yea, I saw that. Unfortunately this is 80% of what I use aTV for, so I'll just stick with the Gen 3 unit, I don't have the energy to rerip my entire catalog.

Disagree all you like, as I've said many times this is a problem with the software you are using, this is clearly supported by Apple by your own admission.

Clearly this should tell you something but obviously doesn't, avoid c**ppy video software, it's nothing to do with the mp4 format, it's all to do with the people who build that software ignoring the standards laid down by the MPEG group.

Sir Winston, you're Obfuscating the point. Apple did support these "crappy video converter" formats previously, and now they do not. You can believe that's OK, that's an opinion. But the converter didn't change, aTV did with version 4, and Apple did not announce any change in support, and those are facts. If the aTV 3 and iPad can support them, the aTV4 can as well, so this is a business decision, and one that I'm disappointed by.

Ironically enough, MPEG Streamclip doesn't have a problem with the supposedly "invalid" MPEG files generated by MacX DVD Ripper Pro etc. Hmmm....

No. Apple supported files that conformed to the MPEG standard, it's just that some non standard files happened to play before. Not every criminal ends up in jail you know.

ghostgrafik wrote:

Ironically enough, MPEG Streamclip doesn't have a problem with the supposedly "invalid" MPEG files generated by MacX DVD Ripper Pro etc. Hmmm....

And that means what exactly... Nothing.

So, you AGREE with me that a file that plays on iTunes, gen 3 and iPad is a VALID file, and SHOULD play on the gen IV. Great, glad you could come around.

It means that it's a valid file format for MPEG Streamclip. And Quicktime. And iTunes. And the Videos app. All the war horses of video streaming and playback for Apple platforms. 100% compatibility.