iTunes keeps starting when I use Apple TV

[MikeFromMesa]

I have an Apple TV hooked up to my TV and use it to watch streaming content from places like Amazon, Netflix and Britbox. However I have noticed that when I start watching streaming content on my TV using the Apple TV the computer opens iTunes and starts playing some of my purchased videos. If I stop the computer playback and shut down iTunes it stays shut down until I do something like pausing, stopping or restarting the streaming playback on the Apple TV, and then the computer again opens iTunes and starts playing the same videos from where it stopped when I shut it down.

I can switch to some other folder on iTunes, but then it plays back whatever was open the last time iTunes was shut down. This is annoying because sometimes I wish to use the computer while streaming content is playing so it would be helpful to know some way to stop this auto playback. Can anybody tell me what is going on?

[Slydude]

Don't have an answer yet but do have you seen the notice that the forums are soon to be shut down? Long story here. Short story here

[MikeFromMesa]

Don't have an answer yet but do have you seen the notice that the forums are soon to be shut down? Long story here. Short story here

No. I was not aware of that, and it is too bad. This forum has been a big help to me and, I am sure, to others, so I am very sorry to see that it is closing down.

Thank you for letting me know. I guess I have not paid enough attention or I would have known this before posting.

[MikeFromMesa]

For any interested in the issue involved here, I have found out why this is happening.

I use a Harmony Remote and set it for the Apple TV. It works properly with the Apple TV and gives me more control over the functionality of the Apple TV than I can get easily with the Apple TV remote. However it also apparently controls the actions of my Mac, and I have no idea why that is the case. Pressing the "play" button on the Harmony Remote starts iTunes and plays on purchased video (or starts whatever the last used iTunes folder contained), regardless of whether the TV is actually on or if the Apple TV is actually powered. Pressing the Pause button pauses the iTunes movie. And so on.

I have not yet fixed this issue, and am not sure how to do that.

[Slydude]

I was really puzzled by this until I read your lat post. Then I remembered that I had this problem when I first set up my Apple TV 3. Some Macs have an IR sensor built into them so that an Apple remote such as that included with the Apple TV (or any IR remote for that matter) can control the Mac. I think the thinking goes back to the days when Apple were pushing Macs as a media center of sorts.

This port seems to have been phased out of more recent models. There are three things that can be done which should solve the problem for you:
1. Buy a new Mac without the IR port. This is expensive, unnecessary, but tons of fun. I recommend this as long as T'm not paying the bill. lol
2. Pair a specific remote with the Mac.
3. Disable the Macs IR port from within System Preferences

I'm sure you know how to do step one. Steps two or three can be done following these directions.

[MikeFromMesa]

1. Buy a new Mac without the IR port. This is expensive, unnecessary, but tons of fun. I recommend this as long as T'm not paying the bill. lol

Now that is funny.

I'm sure you know how to do step one.

Yes, and it is even a nice drive to the Apple Store.

Steps two or three can be done following these directions.

I will give that a try, although I am currently running High Sierra. Thanks for the laugh and the information. I will post as to how it went when I have given it a try.

[MikeFromMesa]

Yes. That worked, although just to keep things interesting the Apple people moved the location of the IR port disablement setting to a different tab in Preferences. In High Sierra it is located under Privacy and Security. Apparently it would not do to make it too easy.

Thank you for solving this problem. I will post your solution on the Harmony Remote forum as well as there were several posts about this issue.

Thank you again.

[Slydude]

I should have checked those settings before I posted. I do not seem to have those settings at all in High Sierra unless I am overlooking them. Perhaps I don't have it because my iMac does not have the IR port. I did find this thread with a few fixes. Apparently some of these fixes do not "stick" after a reboot. Does yours?

[MikeFromMesa]

I should have checked those settings before I posted. I do not seem to have those settings at all in High Sierra unless I am overlooking them. Perhaps I don't have it because my iMac does not have the IR port. I did find this thread with a few fixes. Apparently some of these fixes do not "stick" after a reboot. Does yours?

On my system the setting is under Security & Privacy, then General and then under the Advanced setting, so I am required to unlock the dialog box. My system is a Mini, so it is a bit old now (and was never very fast) and I might have actually upgraded it were it not for the fact that my eyes can not easily handle the strain of the high-gloss monitors that come with the iMacs. They are much faster and more suited to what I do (or at least what I used to do before I retired), but I ended up with this Mini because I could use my own monitor. Basically it came down to the choice between the Mini and the Pro and, given the price difference, I ended up with the Mini.

I have tested the setting under both a restart and a cold shutdown/boot and the setting seems to stick. It remains to be seen if it will stick through an OS upgrade or patches.

I have not looked closely at the Mini itself, and perhaps there is always the option of some electrical tape to permanently "fix" this issue by covering the port. I can understand Apple wanting to make the option of remote control of the Mini available, but I would have thought they might have used different frequencies. Still, they are the ones with all of the money so I suppose they know what they are doing.

[Slydude]

I think there is a post in the thread that I linked to which suggests that tape does not work. At least certain kinds of tape anyway.

Given my experience with objects physically blocking other types of IR ports i be that something like a small, piece of cardboard or thin foil would block the sensor enough assuming that your fix does not work.

[pm-r]

I use a Harmony Remote and set it for the Apple TV.

And so do we, and the best remote solution IMHO.

But in it's setup, you should be able to omit the Mac as a controlled device.

Or apply a small piece of metal foil tape over the Mac's IR port.




- Patrick
======

[MikeFromMesa]

I think there is a post in the thread that I linked to which suggests that tape does not work. At least certain kinds of tape anyway.

Out of curiosity I turned the IR functionality back on and used some black electrical tape to block the IR port. I know what the referenced post said about duct tape not working, but the black electrical tape seems to have worked. With the IR functionality back on and the black electrical tape in place my Harmony remote had no effect on the Mini.

I have turned the IR functionality back off (there is no sense in not using the fix) but I will leave the tape in place, just in case.

[MikeFromMesa]

And so do we, and the best remote solution IMHO.

But in it's setup, you should be able to omit the Mac as a controlled device.

Or apply a small piece of metal foil tape over the Mac's IR port.




- Patrick
======

I have done the latter (black electrical tape), and it worked. I have also turned off the IR functionality in Preferences, but there have been indications that the Mac only considers that setting to be a suggestion, not an order, so I will leave the tape on the Mini.

As far as omitting the Mac as a controlled device, I never set it up to control the Mac. The listed devices for my Harmony are only my TV, TiVo, dvd player, Roku (which will be moving to another room) and the Apple TV, so the remote should not be affecting the Mini. Someone posted that it does that because the frequencies used to control the Apple TV are the same frequencies used to control the Mini, but the Apple TV remote does not affect my Mini in any way that I have been able to determine, so perhaps it is for another reason.

[pm-r]

I have done the latter (black electrical tape), and it worked.

You're lucky as most black electrical tape isn't really good for blocking out light.

As far as omitting the Mac as a controlled device, I never set it up to control the Mac.

Then, just maybe if you did, it could be set to be ignored whe using the Harmony remote, and that may be why the Apple TV remote doesn't affect it as it just ignores it.

Just a thought. … and it wouldn't take long yo do and try…


Edit:
Maybe something you could use here that a quick web search provided:
https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/...-with-mac-os-x




- Patrick
======

[Slydude]

I might have been using a Harmony remote of one wort or another when I had this problem. I don't remember for sure. Gave that up when I ran over the remote and broke it. To get one that really did what I wanted to do well I would have had to get one of the remotes with the large screen. SWMBO convinced me that was too much to spend on a remote.

Lately I have been Blumoo remote control app on my iPhone. I would be using it more often but I need to tweak some of the macros.