Newbie to Apple Tv and lost!

Accordlayingkit · Nov 26, 2011

Only apple products I currently own is iPad 1&2 and the apple tv now. I've managed to get about 1500 hd cell phone pics in order on both iPads since the birth of my son as well as 246 cell phone videos in order as well(each video converted to mp4 files while playing fine on iPads with no issues) as well as about 500 songs on iPads as well, all though iTunes. I currently have home sharing turned on though iTunes as well as on the iPads I have my iTunes info entered for home sharing under music and videos and photo stream turned on for photos.

I'm signed in iTunes on apple tv as well as n my home wifi Verizon dsl network(I'm pretty sure it's not the fastest dsl connection they have to offer but not sure exactly how fast either! So far I have no issues with Netflix what so ever on apple tv, problems I am having is on apple tv I scroll over to computers, it's has mine listed, if I'm on either iPad and click on music..start a song then air play it to apple tv the song sounds like its skipping then eventually lose all music signal on apple tv.

When on apple tv I go to videos, it has all 246 videos with the times of them and when I click on one it says error occured try again later! What am I doing wrong? I did a network test on apple tv and it said was successful, however on my apple tv my signal is only 2 bars as my apple tv is downstairs and my router is upstairs and the other end of the house....do I need a wifi extender for my router?

Thanks for your help or and directions to links or threads n my issues!

Accordlayingkit · Nov 26, 2011

Geez 92 views and no advice? Haha I was able to view pics...jus tried air play with songs again and it played fine for a few secs then started skipping then said and error occured! There's gotta be away for this AirPlay to work to watch my video clips that are already in iTunes as well as play my music (not from iTunes) without paying another 24$ annually for music match .....air play should work fine right??

Lifeisabeach · Nov 27, 2011

What router do you have (exact model please)? If it's an older one that doesn't support 802.11n, then it's just too slow. Netflix actively reduces the bitrate to accommodate slower connections so while it may be working, it may be at a very low quality.

Accordlayingkit · Nov 27, 2011

NETGEAR - N300 Wireless-N Router with 4-port Ethernet Switch - WNR2000-100NAS - Best Buy

My router

Lifeisabeach · Nov 27, 2011

Alrighty. Well the router should be ok, unless it's dropping down to a slower speed. What about the network card on the computer itself? You are playing these videos from iTunes, not AirPlaying from your iPad, right? If it is from the iPad, what software are you using on the iPad? As for the videos, how are they encoded? Were they done using ATV2-compatible settings?

Accordlayingkit · Nov 27, 2011

lifeisabeach said:
Alrighty. Well the router should be ok, unless it's dropping down to a slower speed. What about the network card on the computer itself? You are playing these videos from iTunes, not AirPlaying from your iPad, right? If it is from the iPad, what software are you using on the iPad? As for the videos, how are they encoded? Were they done using ATV2-compatible settings?

Well first of all the laptop is like 6+ years old (dell Inspiron 1200) and has a linksys wireless card in it that I had with my linksys router wrt54g.....I have a new laptop coming this week (64 bit 8gb ram..jus something to replace the junk I have, so not sure if thatll help?) I was trying to AirPlay them from the iPad, not sure how to do it from iTunes, but I do keep iTunes up and running. iPad software 5.0.1, all the videos are done iPad settings via handbrake and the only difference I see between iPad and ATV2 is the width by a little bit unless it really matters?

Lifeisabeach · Nov 27, 2011

Alrighty. Well your laptop is definitely running the older and slower wi-fi standard, so any videos at least are probably going to be choppy as a result from playing directly from the laptop. But music really shouldn't be. In any event, it shouldn't even matter when playing from the iPad. It's possible that you would benefit from a repeater, but there are some other things to try that may help you out. A thread in Apple's forums regarding similar issues shows that locking your router to use a specific channel may help. Consult your router's manual for how to do this:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2657621?start=0&tstart=0

Also… the type of wireless security you are using actually has an impact. WPA2 Personal should be used in lieu of WEP or WPA.
Is your 802.11n Wi-Fi feeling sluggish? This simple solution could help | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews

As for your media encodings, the iPad presets work fine for playback on the ATV2. The resolution is limited to what the iPad's display is, which is below 720p, but since the iPad can play 720p media encoded for the ATV2, you might want to consider using the ATV2 preset in the future for a higher-quality playback on your TV. Once you get your streaming issues sorted anyway.

One last performance tip. Once you have replaced your laptop and all of your devices support 802.11n speeds, change your router's configuration to drop support for the older standards. If you can get it to use strictly the 5 GHz radio, that should help according to something I read earlier today and am actually trying myself.

As for playing from the laptop, you have to enable Home Sharing in iTunes. The ATV2's documentation should explain how to do all that.

Accordlayingkit · Nov 28, 2011

lifeisabeach said:
Alrighty. Well your laptop is definitely running the older and slower wi-fi standard, so any videos at least are probably going to be choppy as a result from playing directly from the laptop. But music really shouldn't be. In any event, it shouldn't even matter when playing from the iPad. It's possible that you would benefit from a repeater, but there are some other things to try that may help you out. A thread in Apple's forums regarding similar issues shows that locking your router to use a specific channel may help. Consult your router's manual for how to do this:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2657621?start=0&tstart=0

Also… the type of wireless security you are using actually has an impact. WPA2 Personal should be used in lieu of WEP or WPA.
Is your 802.11n Wi-Fi feeling sluggish? This simple solution could help | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews

As for your media encodings, the iPad presets work fine for playback on the ATV2. The resolution is limited to what the iPad's display is, which is below 720p, but since the iPad can play 720p media encoded for the ATV2, you might want to consider using the ATV2 preset in the future for a higher-quality playback on your TV. Once you get your streaming issues sorted anyway.

One last performance tip. Once you have replaced your laptop and all of your devices support 802.11n speeds, change your router's configuration to drop support for the older standards. If you can get it to use strictly the 5 GHz radio, that should help according to something I read earlier today and am actually trying myself.

As for playing from the laptop, you have to enable Home Sharing in iTunes. The ATV2's documentation should explain how to do all that.

Well thanks for taking the time to help me out. I think I may have found part of the problem...I logged into my Verizon account to check out my msbp speed which was .5 to 1!!!! Ouch....so i upped it to 3.1 to 7 Mbps and saved 20 bucks a month, go figure!

New laptop will be here n a couple day so I be able to run faster with a faster laptop with iTunes on it. I am on the wpa2 setting and my router channel is on auto. I have a wifi analyzer app on my droid x and it appears im on a good less busynchannel than the rest of my neighbors. I've also had home sharing on in iTunes and all the home sharing stuff on the iPads.

My last this is I have 2 old dell laptops...i jus bought the router last week and hooked it up through the dell I mention earlier, I wasent gonna replace that dell, was replacing my laptop downstairs. Would u suggest I redo my router setup through the new computer I'm getting then jus take the new computer back down stairs and run iTunes on it?

Also i plain on getting this tomorrow which should help me alot!

NETGEAR - Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender with Ethernet port - WN3000RP

Lifeisabeach · Nov 28, 2011

Your Verizon internet access should have zero impact on any activity on your local, in-house network. Streaming from your iPad or laptop to your Apple TV has nothing to do with your ISP. All that could be done without any internet access at all. In any event, saving 20 bucks and boosting your internet speeds is a win-win.

I have no suggestions as to where one laptop or the other should be. It's something you can experiment with to see if anything helps. Hopefully the extender will make a significant difference. I had to use one myself in the past because the water heater was directly in the signal path between my router and the couch in the living room.

Accordlayingkit · Nov 28, 2011

lifeisabeach said:
Your Verizon internet access should have zero impact on any activity on your local, in-house network. Streaming from your iPad or laptop to your Apple TV has nothing to do with your ISP. All that could be done without any internet access at all. In any event, saving 20 bucks and boosting your internet speeds is a win-win.

I have no suggestions as to where one laptop or the other should be. It's something you can experiment with to see if anything helps. Hopefully the extender will make a significant difference. I had to use one myself in the past because the water heater was directly in the signal path between my router and the couch in the living room.

Ok get this..I bought the wifi netgear extender and linked up to router and for a good spot downstairs that showed a good extender signal. Now on apple tv instead of having 2 bars of signal, I have 5 full bars and my music plays fine and the videos all play fine via AirPlay as it wouldn't before! Only problem now is I'm getting some buffering when watching Netflix which I never did before and the YouTube prt of apple tv takes forever to play a couple minute video....what's gets rid of all the buffering from you tube and Netflix!? Faster Internet or what?

Thanks!

Lifeisabeach · Nov 29, 2011

Accordlayingkit said:
Ok get this..I bought the wifi netgear extender and linked up to router and for a good spot downstairs that showed a good extender signal. Now on apple tv instead of having 2 bars of signal, I have 5 full bars and my music plays fine and the videos all play fine via AirPlay as it wouldn't before!

Score!

Only problem now is I'm getting some buffering when watching Netflix which I never did before and the YouTube prt of apple tv takes forever to play a couple minute video....what's gets rid of all the buffering from you tube and Netflix!? Faster Internet or what?

Hmmmm. Do you only get the buffering on the ATV now, or do you have it on your laptop as well? Try it on a laptop up by the primary router. Also try it with a wired connection.

Spiderma · Nov 29, 2011

Try connecting the apple tv via ethernet to your router that should make things run fine.

Accordlayingkit · Dec 12, 2011

lifeisabeach said:
Score!

Hmmmm. Do you only get the buffering on the ATV now, or do you have it on your laptop as well? Try it on a laptop up by the primary router. Also try it with a wired connection.

Hey what's up! I think I'm good now since the new laptop and finally getting the extender strait. I really like the apple tv, AirPlay does fine, all my videos and music in iTunes plays fine, Netflix does fine, only thing that buffers now is when u try to watch new releases of movies, why all the buffering? I haven't rented anything new from apple tv yet cause I'm sure it'll buffer jus like the previews do! What causes buffering? Speed, signal or what? I'm at 3.5-7mbps so buffering is my only issue now

osxx · Dec 12, 2011

Accordlayingkit said:
Hey what's up! I think I'm good now since the new laptop and finally getting the extender strait. I really like the apple tv, AirPlay does fine, all my videos and music in iTunes plays fine, Netflix does fine, only thing that buffers now is when u try to watch new releases of movies, why all the buffering? I haven't rented anything new from apple tv yet cause I'm sure it'll buffer jus like the previews do! What causes buffering? Speed, signal or what? I'm at 3.5-7mbps so buffering is my only issue now

What is your Latency if its over 80 or 90 things like video tend to buffer and anything over a 100 will always buffer.
On speed 6 mbps will usually get the job done if latency is low. try this http://speedtest.net/

Accordlayingkit · Dec 12, 2011

osxx said:
What is your Latency if its over 80 or 90 things like video tend to buffer and anything over a 100 will always buffer.
On speed 6 mbps will usually get the job done if latency is low. try this Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test

How do I find out what my latency is?

Accordlayingkit · Dec 12, 2011

U mean like the "PING"? ...last couple speed test the ping was between 34 & 42 with download speed of a avg of 4.0 Mbps