My Apple TV 1st generation cannot log in to my Apple ID iCloud account

Thank you, Winston, for providing advise. I tried your suggestion right away.

First, before turning two-factor authentication off my iCloud account, I tried an app-specific long password, as I have successfully done for CCC mail notice system. According to the Apple notice, I can use on my iCloud account up to 25 app-specific long passwords provided to me by the Apple server. I got that app-specific long password created, called it "Apple TV" and tried it on the Apple TV. After conferring with the Apple servers, the Apple TV did not -wrongly- recognize this Apple-TV-specific long password as legitimate for my iCloud account login.

Second, I turned two-factor authentication off as you suggested. I tried my legacy iCloud account password on the Apple TV. After conferring with the Apple servers, the Apple TV did not -wrongly- recognize this iCloud account password as legitimate.

I have let two-factor authentication turned "off", hoping this will help make my life easier.

Now each of my machines (iPad, iPhone, MacBook Pro) tell me that I should change my iCloud password, as if it was compromised.

I sill want to use my 1st generation Apple TV and don't know what to try next as it is not connected to the iTunes store any more.

My internet connection is too slow so that streaming is not a possibility for me. Storing movies in a hard drive prior to viewing them is the only way. This rules out any non-1st-generation Apple TV as no other Apple TV than mine contains a hard drive.

Can I try more ? TIA

Thank you, Winston. The advice was as good as it can be.

With Apple assistance by phone, I was confirmed there was no reason I could not connect as you suggested. Yet it continued to fail for no visible reason, even after a reset and full re-configuration of the Apple TV. Next attempt will be after I receive a USB-USB cable (I don't have one) to connect the Apple TV to the MacBook. Say in about a week. I keep hope.

Also, your saying that "if you have a slow connection with the later Apple TV's there is always home sharing as an alternative to an internal drive" was a good new.

Thanks, again.

Ahem ! the senior advisor (Senior Advisor CPU FR) of Apple Europe told me, after I confirmed to her there was indeed an USB plug on the Apple TV (there is I did not know), that I would receive a USB-USB cable by mail. I will then re-contact her for next session, where I expect to bring the MacBook Pro downstairs to connect it to the Apple TV by USB. The purpose is unknown to me but the objective has not changed: permit me to connect my Apple TV 1st generation to my iCloud account to be able to rent movies (old Star Trek movies). HTH

OK. I will (1) receive the required cable at home, (2) be in touch by phone with the same Senior Advisor CPU FR, and (3) post here a summary of findings. I believe this may take a week from 2016-08-12 (could be about monday 2016-08-22).

This is not yet a summary of findings. I received cable connecting the Apple TV 3 (mini-USB). Wrong cable. The Apple TV 1 has an USB 2 type A (big one) plug. I ordered the correct cable on amazon and will update this post next monday (29 Aug).

Problem solved. Winston, your initial advice should have done it but, while the Apple TV insisted on having its firmware up to date (it was 2.0), it was not up to date. I found this website <http://www.iclarified.com/970/appletv-firmware-download-locations> which seems to indicate that the firmwares for Apple TV 1st generation are DMG files and finish at 3.0.2, NOT 2.0. I downloaded this v3.0.2 firmware and stored it on the mac to wait for the Apple support phone appointment. Instead of waiting for the Tuesday phone appointment to attempt to fix the problem, I reset again the Apple TV. Then, after this reset, the Apple TV accepted, at last, that there was indeed cause to update. Last night, 3 downloading and restarting the download hours later, the Apple TV rebooted on 3.0.2 and I was able to log in to my iCloud account. I won't be able to tell what the USB - USB cable is for, but I would guess it permits all forms of resets, configurations and system updates, from the mac, which means accessible to Apple support. I won't know. Winston, You were right: I needed to turn off 2-way authentication on my iCloud account. It is still off.

Thanks. I can rent movies from The iTunes store. They can either be low resolution and low price (which is good news) and take more than two hours to download to the Apple tv's disk, or can be HD and expensive. I can also listen to podcasts, as you do. I have succeeded to look at photos stored in Photos on my Mac. I have not tried with movies but this should also be possible. What I have failed to do so far is watch YouTube videos. YouTube demands Google strong authentication and I fail in that.