Apple TV - Not what I expected. Am I doing it wrong?

Ok, got an Apple TV for X-Mas. Updated to software version 3.0.1. I have paired it with my Library on my Mac. Right now I can't seem to get it to actually Sync anything from my library and only a few things show up as being available for viewing. I have a HUGE Library, almost all of which I have ripped myself (yeah, yeah). I can set up custom sync and tell it I want to sync certain TV Shows and Movies to the ATV, but none of them sync. If I go to Auto Sync, it only pick 366 (out something like 4000 episodes) and no movies to sync. Amazingly this thing seems to have no "Manual" sync mode like iPods/iPhones do, which strikes me as amazingly short sighted on the part of Apple. It also strikes me that this thing is VERY geared towards pushing you to buy/rent from iTMS, which really shouldn't surprise me to be honest.

My question is, what gives? All of these videos will play both in iTunes and on my iPods, so I know they have not been ripped beyond the capabilities of the ATV.

If I set it up to connect to a shared library, I can stream pretty much anything I have in my library and it works quite well. It takes a while for my library file to load since it's simply so large, but playback is flawless, even when my wife and I surf the web while it's playing (gotta love 802.11G/N). I'd just like to store some content on the HDD.

So, anyone have any advice or is this "just what it does"?

I can't help myself !

A quick goggle search found a couple of links that might help:

No way to sync or put movies on AppleTV v2.1 [Archive] - Mac Forums

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA38571?viewlocale=en_US

sorry my friend

hope this helps
Clay

If your Apple TV like mine only has a 160GB HD My son sorted mine so that iTunes - on iMac it is paired with - looks for the 500GB Ext HD that has the movies. Now not sure where he got the terminal line to add to make it do that, but if you cannot find it i can track it down and post it if need be. Hope this is what you want.

Mine was something completely different. Turns out if you want content to actually Sync you have to have the content checked in the main itunes Library (Movies, TV, Music, etc). I never keep mine checked because I always manually sync my iPods/iPhone. Nowhere in the setup instructions on Apples site do they tell you this. Now everything shows up when my library is paired and files actually upload to the HDD.

This fixed my issue:

Making Content Appear On The Apple TV.

Thanks for the help!

Excellent Baggss! Good find. Maybe it will help another Apple TV owner down the road.

Now you can enjoy your Apple TV.

Merry Christmas.

At this point I am thinking of getting another one for my Large Screen in my living room. I've got this one set up in my office and I've been browsing my Video library more in the past hour than I have in the past year or so!

I'm thinking of buying an AppleTV, probably a 40 Gig or maybe a 160Gig... I want to do just one thing with it if it can do this:

I have two USB v.2.0 drives with movies, TV episodes, and just pictures and video clips. My iMac is in my basement and I have an airport extreme, my primary big screen TV is directly above the iMac by about 15'. I'd like to be able to connect the AppleTV to the TV somehow (HDMI?) and produce a menu on the screen that will allow me to scroll through the media and watch what is selected, whether it's a movie or a still or picture album. So... do I install the AppleTV module next to my iMac and connect it via firewire 400 or USB, and then run a HDMI cable up to the TV, or does the AppleTV go upstairs next to the TV and work wirelessly on my Airport wifi? I am not interested in buying iTunes or TV shows or whatever... I only want the AppleTV to work with my existing media. Lastly, does it really make any difference which AppleTV I get (40 Gig or 160 Gig) with regard to working with other connected drives?

Thanks for the help.

Personally, i would go for the 160 Gb model. It gives you more options, especially if you intend storing your ITunes content on there instead of streaming...I've synched my content for better playback stability...but it's a personal choice based on intended use...

As for the setup - at the time of writing, and without hacking the ATV, you can't as yet, physically attach external drives to the ATV, the USB port is meant for Apple Techs to diagnose issues...having said that, if you want to watch 'any' content on your ATV (DivX/avi movies, etc, etc. and not just ITunes-friendly M4v) from other network drives, you can legitamately mod the ATV using the excellent ATVusb sub-creator (open source, and does not invalidate the Apple warranty), which allows you to install XBMC/Boxee on the ATV and watch just about anything through it - easily reversible if its not to your liking. Link here:

atvusb-creator - Project Hosting on Google Code

Setup-wise, i have the ATV connected to my widescreen via HDMI and Digital optical going to a home cinema system. It is connected wirelessly to a 5GHz 'n' network, which all provides excellent results with playback...i have 3 external (network) HDs that can stream movies/music/pictures to ATV..

Hope this helps

I bought the app called ATV flash and it makes the ATV do MUCH more than it allowed in the past. I now have a 1TB usb drive where I'm in the process of loading up all my 90+ DVD's so that I can have easy access and keep the discs in storage, out of my small condo. It also allows you to play avi and other video types, lets you surf the web, etc.

It's been fantastic so far, allowing the ATV to be what it is supposed to be.

aTV Flash for Mac - Fire Core, LLC