“Several discussion threads on Apple’s support forums related to issues with HD rentals not loading and HDMI connectivity problems have reached hundreds of posts in length as increasing numbers of Apple TV owners report having trouble with the device,” Ong reports.
“Some users report that Apple TV displays HD rental wait times of hundreds of minutes, while other video, such as trailers, HD Netflix movies, and YouTube begin playing after just a few minutes,” Ong reports.
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV 2nd-gen owners? Are you seeing either of these issues? We are not seeing either with our 2nd-gen (or our 1st-gen) Apple TVs.
@ RHOY
most friends that lived anywhere near you would probably have the same isp, no?
Easy to clear up. Apple can link the AppleTV to several internet speed tests. If you internet speed sucks then your down load time will suck too. That isn’t Apple’s issue, it is your ISP’s issue. Can your Ferrari reach 150 mph in your driveway or bumper to bumper traffic? No! Do you call Ferrari and complain? Clueless idiots.
I’ve had a 1st gen for years and it will no longer allow any purchases at all. Tried verification of cc in iTunes acct and rebooting atv, no dice.
We are rocking both gens 1 and 2 of AppleTV and getting mixed results.. Sometimes effortless, sometimes bogged down in an effort to stream from the net. AirPlay is iffy too..
Local streaming not a problem.
Is it hardware, software, firmware or ISP throttling?
TV2 HDMI connected perfectly first to my Samsung TV, and later to a new Denon receiver. But the High Def video rentals IS BAD. You cannot watch during the same evening in which you rent. Regular video is snappy, but there is something seriously wrong with the HD versions.
I have an older 10801 TV and sadly had to return my ATV2 as it would not display properly. Ugly wavy lines.
I was hoping the update would fix the problem but have had a chance to check the forums to see if it did.
Have rented HD and SD movies on my little black Apple TV with no issues, though I haven’t rented anything since updating to 4.1.
Since the update, when I turn on the Apple TV I see the menu screen then it goes black for about a second or so and comes back. Makes me think there’s definitely something up with the HDMI handshake.
I have not had any issues except the Netflix not available error message. Netflix must know it is an issue, they gave me a 3% discount on my bill.
@RHOY,
I typed “fist-bump” not “first-bump”.
Also, are you serious? I hope you’re being sarcastic – even conservative Republicans know what a fist-bump is. They may think it’s some sort of a terrorist greeting (Bush administration’s comments – not mine), but they at least know what it is.
I am willing to bet the problem is with the isp. I know 20 or so users in my area, none have the long HD rental download problem. All have the same isp. My guess is that it is cable companies being evil.
Hdmi handshake issues for me. Day one buyer, only watched one movie that same day. The very next night i get the HDCP compliance message and ever since it won’t shake hands with my 2005 Samsung DLP.
Have a 45″ Phillips LCD connected to my 2nd gen Apple TV and have no connection problems at all. Netflix starts playing within seconds, not minutes. But rentals – haven’t done that yet, and may not ever, depending.
It would seem that there are some issues though, as some people who have both a 1st and 2nd gen ATV are having problems with the new one but not the old.
Hey Jersey_Trader! Your lack of ability to see any perspective other than your own is the kind of self-absorbed existence while driving on the left lane of the highway doing 5 miles below the speed limit the rest of us can’t stand. Go self-fornicate!
I had the long wait issue on new movies but no HDMI issues.
Jersey_Trader has a point. Eliminate the connection limitations first before you blame a device. The common variable is the connection speed. The rental service is another variable which may not work correctly. Something Apple will likely improve.
Relax Bob.
I own a ATV v 2, recently updated. I use with Apple Mini wireless to a router, finally ran a hard wire to the ATV. Sometimes mini can’t see ATV. I suspect w/l router and have tweaker settings are per a few forums advice. I have rented 1 movie, dl time not bad. I have had to wait minutes for trailers to start. I want to buy an Apple router and/or hard wire the mini too.
Overall I love the ATV, I think it has much upside potential, but nothing wireless is ever perfect and at mercy of internet connection.
Sorry for the typos in last post, wrote while eating lunch.
I own a company that installs A/V products in professional systems (not home) churches, theatres, schools etc.
HDMI issues are VERY common when trying to interface products, even with the same mfg. It is a royal headache to deal with. That said, I haven’t had any issues with the ATV 2.
We have an ATV2 and a Samsung 1080p plasma TV. No problems whatsoever! Love the ATV2. We have it hard wired to our network and the streaming from iPhones, iPads, a MacMini are great. No problems with watching trailers, either. They load and play almost immediately.
My gen 2 Apple TV is sitting in a drawer right now. Gen 1 is back doing full time duty. The problem I have with gen 2 is that it does not continue to download if you temporarily swith away from what you are trying to watch. It attempts to start streaming all over again and so there is a new buffer process starting all over again. Gen 2 will keep downloading and so if you have a slow connection you can rest assured that it will completely download and be available for watching when you are ready.
My connection speed is roughly 4mbps and it worked fine with gen 1 after some bufferring.
@kcmac
I suggest you assign a static IP to your Mac Mini & Apple TV. Oftentimes recognition drift is caused by randomly assigned DHCP IPs that expire due to lease maturity or equipment restart. One of the reasons why the handshake protocol or Bonjour in Apple’s case has to be re-established is that your equipment drops out of view due to IP cycling.
Neither problem with either my tv1 or tv2, both run flawlessly.
Nope, my 2nd gen Apple TV is working fine.
My AppleTV is fine.
No HDMI issues but we rented “Eat, Pray, Love” this weekend and it took almost the run time of the film to download.