Moving MP4 Vidoes from iTunes to ATV4

You cannot do that I'm afraid.

Although the new device has 'storage' it is for apps and other resources not to store media as you could with AppleTV 1.

you can place them on a nas that support dlna or plex or the likes then they can be accessed by atv4 apps such as plex and vlc without your computer being turned on but the nas is

NAS = network attached storage

A permanently on hard drive on the network.

DLNA is a system to share media on a network which Apple do not use themselves but 3rd party Apps like Plex can. Some NAS devices provide DLNA functionality.

Note if your videos are from iTunes Store and DRM protected a NAS solution won't work as non Apple apps can't play iTunes DRM material.

ChrisP42 wrote:

Got it! Totally helpful! One last question and I will be set: How do I transfer unprotected MP4 video files to my Apple TV1?

Thanks!

You need to sync with iTunes. A manual sync is often better if you want to control what syncs over.

Remember ATV 1 cannot play back video of higher resolution than 720p and it generally needs to be 24 fps (25 fps will work but not 30 fps).

See below:

iTunes 12 for Mac: Play items in your iTunes library using Apple TV (1st generation)

*** Be aware that AppleTv 1 cannot be considered as a storage device - if you sync and then delete items from iTunes they may disappear from AppleTV 1 at the next sync. Equally you cannot recover synced content from AppleTV 1 if you inadvertently delete it on the computer (well not impossible but far too many hoops to jump through) ***

Also your videos need to conform to the following specs:

Video formats supported

• H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
• iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels, 640 by 480 pixels, 720 by 480 pixels (anamorphic), or high-definition 720p
• MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

From:

Apple TV (1st generation) - Technical Specifications