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Can I leave the Apple TV plugged in all the time?

I notice there is no on/off switch or software control. So I assume it;s designed to stay powered on. My ATV is in the open and stays cool. Will it hurt it to stay on?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.6), 800 MHz G4 512 SDRAM 1.8gb available

Posted on Mar 26, 2007 9:23 PM

Reply
71 replies

Jun 14, 2007 11:09 PM in response to Stuart Fyvie

I'm reading several of you suggesting plugging your AppleTV into a power strip or some other such device that you can switch off to cut power to the AppleTV in lieu of leaving it in standby. However, there is something either everyone is overlooking, or is choosing to ignore...
The AppleTV is a computer. It's a low-end computer with a barebones OS to be sure, but it is a computer nevertheless. Would you turn off your Mac or PC by pulling the plug or turning off the power strip while it was running, and not going through the proper shutdown procedure? I hope you wouldn't because that is a sure recipe for eventual data corruption and OS glitches.
Yes my AppleTV stays a bit warm even in standby, but so do my DVD player, receiver, and cable box. Personally, I don't want to risk damaging my AppleTV by shutting it down improperly over and over again.
Just a thought.

Apr 2, 2007 10:14 AM in response to mindcrime

Just press and hold the play/pause button for about 5
seconds and it will power off.


My Apple TV appears to be off but actually remains on standby, not off, after the above maneuver. The Apple TV case remains warm, and with my ear on it, I hear a hum.

How can I truly power off without unplugging it? Apple TV is fabulous in connecting me and my family with our computer media, but is it "Green?"

Apr 9, 2007 11:35 AM in response to goodlife

Just press and hold the play/pause button for about

5
seconds and it will power off.


My Apple TV appears to be off but actually remains on
standby, not off, after the above maneuver. The
Apple TV case remains warm, and with my ear on it, I
hear a hum.

How can I truly power off without unplugging it?
Apple TV is fabulous in connecting me and my family
with our computer media, but is it "Green?"


It seems no one actually answered your question. please let me know how if you learned how to turn off unit, as opposed to just putting into standby.

Apr 9, 2007 12:22 PM in response to BillR

I don't think anyone answered the original question. I believe the question was can the apple TV be left on continuously without harm to it.
I have been wondering the same thing because if its ok i'd rather not have to put in on standby mode every night.
If i'm not concerned about electricity usage and just concerned about the life of the unit, is it ok?

Apr 9, 2007 1:41 PM in response to dan.s

Thanks for the reply, but question i had was whether you can shut off the atv. it appears from the lack of an answer that the best you can do is put it in standby. problem is that my atv even in standby always feels hot to the touch and i was hoping there was a way to turn it off short of disconnecting power cord.

I don't think anyone answered the original

question.
I believe the question was can the apple TV be

left
on continuously without harm to it.


As the Apple TV does not have a power switch, one may
infer that it may be left on without harm to the
unit..

Apr 10, 2007 2:44 PM in response to zwizkid3

Even in standby mode Apple TV remains quite warm to the touch, almost hot. It absolutely must be drawing a considerable amount of power in standby mode. I'm surprised Apple didn't design this thing to be more green (what with Al Gore on the board), and I'm very disappointed. After running it for about 15 days, I decided I better unplug it when not in use. So far, that doesn't seem to have had any undesireable effects. iTunes complains about Apple TV of course, but once it's turned on again, all is normal, and I don't even have to enter the security code again. So unplugging the unit seems to be the best alternative at this point.

I can't wait to see what effect 15 days of being on constantly will do to my electric bill.

Apr 10, 2007 3:07 PM in response to BillR

I was worried about leaving the ATV "on" (standby mode) all the time, but it occurs to me it must be on in order to receive updates from my PC. When I load iTunes and add a video or playlist for syncing (everything else is streamed) it will start to sync with ATV immediately even though ATV isn't actually turned on. If you could really turn it off, then the device can't sync as needed -- essentially "in the background".

Still, I'm going to plug the ATV into a wireless outlet device I got from Radio Shack. It has a mini remote on/off switch (non-infrared -- it uses a radio signal), and I plan to use it to periodically "reboot" the ATV, or to turn it off entireley when I'm away for a few days. The heat dissipation does bother me a bit, so that will be my solution.

Can I leave the Apple TV plugged in all the time?

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