Q: Trouble setting up my Apple TV.

Your router is blocking outgoing connections on port 123, NTP. You need to go into the router settings for services or protocols and allow these connections. If your phone has hotspot capability, some users have found it easier to complete setup using the phone network, then switch to their router WiFi after.

See If your Apple TV stops at the date and time screen during startup - Apple Support for the official description.

You might also try connecting to a different network and then trying again on your own, you might try at a friends or use the wifi hotspot on your mobile phone if you have one.

When you setup manually, it sounds like it cannot reach the internet. I assume you can successfully configure a network connection, WiFi or ethernet.

Does your router have an internet connection? Works for other devices?

Are you using the DNS from your internet provider, or have you manually configured other DNS (google, OpenDNS, etc.)?

Are you using any VPN, unblocker, proxy, etc.?

Are you setting region and time zone consistent with your location?

First, the automatic setup feature via Bluetooth is a bit buggy.  However if you want to connect the ATV the same way the iPad is connected, it is pretty nice.

Assuming your iPad is connected to your network and works fine, reboot the iPad before trying the auto setup again.

On the Time Date issue:

If your Apple TV stops at the date and time screen during startup - Apple Support

Your router/ISP is blocking connections needed during setup. The other internet connection was not blocking them.

Some ISP's wont allow the Apple TV to connect with a time server, temporarily connecting to one that will to get things set up before going back to your own provider appears to work round this issue.

it's nothing to do with the router. Its the provider.

Hello Winston,

I did some searching and you are absolutely correct. Shouldn't that be stated a little more boldly on If your Apple TV stops at the date and time screen during startup - Apple Support, since it seems to affect numerous users. It doesn't seem right that you can buy a consumer product that does not work with a normal ISP configuration. And the suggested alternative of another network is inadequate: "Excuse me, I'm going to barge in and connect this thing to your TV. Need to plug it in too. Let me configure it on your WiFi. Thanks. Oh golly, NTP is blocked by your ISP as well. OK, I'll pull out my stuff and be on my way." This is not a workaround.

IT's stated in bold on my boilerplate response for date and time issues.

Assuming this is not the first time you have used your Apple TV

1. You might try restarting the Apple TV by removing ALL the cables for 30 seconds.
2. Also try restarting the router. (Also try removing it’s power cord for at least 30 seconds)
3. If the problem persists, try a restore, you may want to try the previous procedures several times before doing this.
4. If restoring from the Apple TV doesn't help, try restoring from iTunes using a USB cable.

If this is a new Apple TV, in addition to trying the above, it may also be that your network router is not allowing access to the timeserver, check that your router allows access over port 123.

You might also try connecting to a different network and then trying again on your own, you might try at a friends or use the wifi hotspot on your mobile phone if you have one.

Apples kb articles are often incomplete, sometimes inaccurate and generally quite broad. I do link to them myself on occasions but am generally wary about pointing users to them as a first response.

However in this respect I believe I'd not be expecting anything unusual for my ISP to provide a time server, Apple can't be held responsible when related services aren't what should be reasonably expected.

Putting it in bold print doesn't make it any easier to execute, given the required amount of messing around with the friend's equipment, and the uncertainty of success.

I'm not sure what you mean by the ISP providing a time server. I believe Apple use variants of time.apple.com, so the built-in code will look up that address, and try to get time from it. Apparently, ISPs block NTP because of the possibility of DOS attacks, and if that's a typical action, it makes Apple TV much less viable, unless Apple has a workaround. One such ISP appears to be BT. A couple on months ago, a user had this problem with a BT Home Hub, apparently couldn't access the configuration, or maybe couldn't get time, and finally resolved the problem using a phone hotspot.

Yes BT has been mentioned before along with another provider in Australia I forget the name of. I don't accept it's reasonable or that Apple should provide workarounds for companies that break fundamental principals.

Any blame for any inconvenience falls at the feet of the service provider, not Apple.