Apple TV computer streaming speed

[dombarnard]

I have a 2nd Gen Apple TV, 2013 Macbook Pro and 2013 iMac. Streaming movies to ATV from my iTunes library is very quick from MacBook Pro when movies are imported to the internal SSD.

I am intending to rip my entire collection onto an external HDD connected to the iMac via usb 3.0, index them via iTunes and use this as a media server for Apple TV. I've recently moved some movies to the external to test, not a huge amount, approx 30gb.

I installed a fresh copy of El Capitan on iMac (unrelated, but it needed a reformat) opened iTunes, set media folder location to copy to the external HDD when movies are imported. The imported movies indexed perfectly on iMac iTunes and play quickly on the computer via QuickTime, VLC etc.

When I go to ATV, the film titles on iMac display very quickly, but as soon as I try to play, it takes 5 mins of the spinning wheel before the movies start, and then it freezes very quickly as it's buffering so slowly.

I see some very old threads relating to this, but nothing relevant to 2016.

Any ideas, anyone?!

Thanks

 

[jdag]

Have you tried accessing that same library from 1 of your other devices? For instance, use the MacBook Pro and load up iTunes, select the homeshared library from your iMac and play a video. Additionally, if you have an iPad or iPhone, try playing videos from those devices. Those steps will at least tell you if it the issue is on the iMac or AppleTV side.

Another step: grab an AppleTV 3 or 4 and try the newer devices.

 

[dombarnard]

Good idea jdag, will try that this evening to eliminate the external HD being the issue... thank you. I will update the thread. Has anyone successfully used an External HD to index their iTunes for streaming via ATV?

I had contemplated buying 4th Gen ATV, but my current 2nd Gen is working perfectly with the Macbook. Hmm....

 

[jdag]

I have all of my videos on a FireWire attached Drobo, with iTunes on my 2010 iMac. It works perfectly. I have had ATV2, ATV3, and now ATV4 units accessing that exact setup for years. So yes, your setup should work.

 

[dombarnard]

I'm using an Orico dual-bay enclosure with 2 x 2tb drives. Not firewire though. Glad to hear it is working for you, hopefully I can get to the bottom of it.

 

[AFEPPL]

Over Wifi or ethernet?
Im guessing wifi and that's where id start looking. Try ethernet as a comparison.

 

[dombarnard]

Over Wifi or ethernet?
Im guessing wifi and that's where id start looking. Try ethernet as a comparison.

But it's streaming from MacBook perfectly? I'm using the Sky Hub (speed N)

iMac not near router, so may try a powerline adaptor to see if this makes a difference. Thanks!

 

[jdag]

I meant to ask about wifi vs wired iMac as well. Mine is wired. That being said, wifi should work, albeit with more potential inconsistencies. I agree with AFEPPL and would at least try to wire the iMac to the router as a troubleshooting step.

I don't know anything about that particular router or whether it is good/bad, however, a good quality router could be your best friend (and better than the aspirin needed to combat headaches with a problematic router).

Lastly, while my Drobo is connected via FireWire, a USB drive would be perfectly fine as well and will not be a bottleneck.

 

[AFEPPL]

But you are kinda double sending the data with WiFi and you only have a N speed connection.
So look at the films and work out the MB/s (or Mb/s) rates, then do a network test see what it can support.
Remember you are sending wireless from the iMAC to the Router and then from the Router to the ATV, so you have to share that double transfer with everything else.

But my own personal experience with a TC and ATV over wireless drove me to a fully wired solution for ALL media based content (all xboxes, ATVs, Media servers and NAS devices). Even airplay to the ATVs over AC is not perfect, yes it works, but you get lip sync issues and the connection can be fragile.

 

[archer75]

I have done something very similar in the past on my 2011 imac and my drobo connected via thunderbolt(i'm using it on my PC now via USB3). But instead of using itunes I used plex. It worked flawlessly and then any device, both inside and outside the home, could easily access the content no matter the format of the files. Though I am using a wired connection.

Wireless N at range would have difficulty with movies at higher bitrates. I don't know the bitrates of your encodes but it's a place to start. I use h.265 now which results in smaller file sizes but better video quality. Easier to stream for those on wireless.