AppleTV: AirVideo / No Internet

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Level 1

11 points

AppleTV: AirVideo / No Internet

Hello,

I would like to stream videos (non-iTunes related) located on my laptop (MacBook Air 13", 2011, Sierra) to an Apple TV (latest generation, latest OS) using WiFi without Internet.

My current set up works perfectly provided there is Internet. (My modem provides Internet through WiFi to all devices including my Apple TV). I use AirVideo HD (on the Apple TV) and AirVideo Server (on my mac) to select and play media.

However, when my Internet connection is off (end of subscription, which is expected), the streaming does not work anymore.

I have tried to set up an ad-hoc (adhoc) wifi network (created from my computer), but the Apple TV does not recognise it, even when put very close to the Mac. My iPhone and iPad do recognise the adhoc network.

Hence my two questions:

* Does an Apple TV (latest gen°, latest OS) not recognise wifi networks created by Apple computers (adhoc), while iPhone and iPad can as expected? Is there an alternative?

* Can the Apple TV work without an active Internet connection? My content is purely local, and non-iTunes (or other) related, so it does not appear logical to require Internet.

Thanks

Apple TV

Posted on Aug 9, 2017 5:10 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 9, 2017 7:42 AM in response to Marco_787

Not sure about adhoc from a computer, but what's wrong with using your existing equipment's wifi facility, it won't go away just because your internet connection has been removed.

The Apple TV will play non-protected content without an internet connection using AirPlay, perhaps it's your third party software that is the problem.

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Answer 2

Marco_787 Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 9, 2017 9:12 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Thanks for taking time to answer.

AirPlay would not appear as a solution since content selection and playback control cannot be made through the TV & Apple TV remote, unless I'm missing something. With AirPlay, selecting and playing / pausing videos has to be done through the Mac I believe.

That's why I use AirVideo (others use Plex).

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Answer 3

Marco_787 Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 9, 2017 10:05 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Unfortunately, iTunes only supports (I believe) a very limited choice of video formats. None of the files I want -which use the most common video formats: mkv, avi, etc.- can be played with iTunes.

(Using iTunes would require conversion, which is not really an ideal approach given the number of files and time involved to process each file. Plus, this would increase the storage needs.)

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Answer 4

vazandrew

Level 8

40,930 points

Aug 10, 2017 2:55 AM in response to Marco_787

It's an app that's providing a service. It may work on another device but that doesn't rule that out and as above it works when using airplay, I've also tried it with plex without issue. There is no harm in contacting them.

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Answer 5

Marco_787 Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 10, 2017 6:06 AM in response to vazandrew

I can indeed contact them (will keep you posted), but this would be illogical and a major design flaw that an app that only streams local content requires Internet, plus requires it only for one device and not the others.

When you say "as above it works with AirPlay", what do you mean? I don't think you are able to AirPlay-stream from a Mac while controlling the media files (selection, play / pause, forward/backward) from the Apple TV using its remote (this is what I want), aren't you?

When trying with Plex, was your Internet connection on or off? Some people in old posts said this worked without them using Internet, but they missed a key point: even if a person is not using Internet, there is no indication that the Apple TV itself is not using Internet in the background. Only by shutting off Internet can we be sure.

I have tried Plex, but it's not convenient (too cumbersome process, no automatic content discovery, notably in case of additions or deletions or file name changes), and it would often not correctly identify or find my media.

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Answer 6

vazandrew

Level 8

40,930 points

Aug 10, 2017 6:45 AM in response to Marco_787

The issue only seems to be occurring when using their app in conjunction with Apple TV. Yes, it may be flawed but that doesn't change the fact of where the issue likely resides.

I wasn't referring to the control of airplay but rather that it can be used without Internet and does work.

Plex is using the local network and doesn't use any Internet, verified using logs. But yes, it was also tested with Internet off.

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Answer 7

Aug 9, 2017 9:36 AM in response to Marco_787

Ok, I wasn't sure how that particular software worked, it seems it works pretty much like home sharing, is there anything wrong with home sharing, you can put your own videos in iTunes.

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