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AppleTV sync issue (movie plays in iTunes)

mtbdudex

mtbdudex

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
3,001
5,634
SE Michigan
Putting more home movies/content onto my AppleTV.

1+ year ago I downloaded 20-ish cool HD Quicktime clips, using iMovie I exported them in AppleTV format.

Import into iTunes, the file plays perfectly in iTunes:
(clickable)
AppleTV%20sync%20problem2.jpg



But I get this error when trying to sync it to the AppleTV:
(clickable)
AppleTV%20sync%20problem.jpg


If the file plays fine in iTunes, why can't it sync onto the AppleTV??
 
I'm having the exact same issue with a Blu Ray rip. I used the identical procedure and settings as I have for dozens of movies (Apple TV preset in Handbrake, with a couple of tweaks), but this one - The Hurt Locker - has that syncing error. It plays in iTunes but not on the ATV.

i've even re-encoded it from the original rip, with no joy.

It's weird.
 
Is there a file limit size for AppleTV?

When I extract selected clips works fine, all 20 clips make a file that's 2.2GB in size, which plays fine in iTunes on my iMac but won't sync to the AppleTV, I tried 3 different times to re-encode the file thinking it was a encoding error, but now I'm leaning to a AppleTV file size limit....

experts what do you say??
 
Strange that you converted it to an ATV preset using QT and it still doesn't play.

File size is not the issue. I've got a few HD movies that ring at over 5 GB and they play fine on my ATV.

Get info on a file that doesn't transfer and post it here. Someone will be able to help if they have the bitrate, etc.
 
Well, I answered my question about The Hurt Locker, and ended up with another: The file created by Handbrake is over 8 gigs. I don't see why this movie is so large, when all the others created using exactly the same presets range from 2 - 4 gigs.

I'm re-ripping it without my tweaks to the Apple TV preset (which were to preserve 1280 x 720, rather than let it go anamorphic), and I'll see what I get.
 
Movie won't play on ATV but will in Itunes

I had that exact same problem with Disney's Lion King. I ripped and re-ripped trying 4 or 5 different settings. To this day I don't know why it was different from any other Disney movie. It would play in itunes and wouldn't show up on the ATV. The solution however was to go into itunes, highlight the file and from the menu up top select create Apple TV version.

It works now!
 
Now I've got a question

I'm running the 64 bit version of Handbrake which I thought would be the answer to my file size but it's not. Most of my Blu-ray and DVD's are all around 2-3 gb's per but on some of the longer titles like "Gone With the Wind" that is over 4 hrs in length creates a file about 5gb. I can get the movie to play in itunes but it won't sync up on the ATV. I can not get any movie over 4.1 gb approx to sync so I have to sacrifce quality. For that I had to set the file size target to 4 gb and it worked but over 900 movies later 4gb is my limit. Fortunately it's only 3 or 4 that was an issue on but I tried everything from changing the framerate to lowering the audio quality and even the format but over 4+ gb, Nothing!
 
Finally!!

At last, I can play The Hurt Locker on my ATV! Going with the unamended ATV preset yielded a file size that was ok, but the encoding was jumpy and jerky, occasionally disintegrating entirely.

I went back to my usual customisations of the ATV preset (24 fps, keep original aspect ratio with 1280 lines and getting the correct audio tracks), and then set the target file size to 4gb. That did the trick.

The rip looks great and plays perfectly.
 
I'm having trouble with Hurt Locker too. I ran it as I normally do with the AppleTV preset and it took much longer than other movies (7-8 hours on my 2.93 Core2 iMac) The resulting file was 8 gig and when I looked the video bitrate was 8000 kbps. I know that's too high for ATV, which can only handle 5-6000. I was running it again simply bumping the CBR down to an RF of 21. I just aborted it though because it was still going to take 8 hours. I'm going to run just one chapter of it next, and I'm going to force the framerate to 23.976.

I think the problem with this movie is that it is a somewhat grainy movie which I think increases the complexity of the picture. I may be talking from below though, just a theory. I also wonder if the dust and sand doesn't make it more complex as well. I frequently notice scenes in movies and shows with ripples in water or in a jungle or field with a lot of movement on every part of the screen start to stutter. I can see the sand and dust blowing across the landscape doing the same thing.
 
randy98mtu said:
I'm having trouble with Hurt Locker too. I ran it as I normally do with the AppleTV preset and it took much longer than other movies (7-8 hours on my 2.93 Core2 iMac) The resulting file was 8 gig and when I looked the video bitrate was 8000 kbps. I know that's too high for ATV, which can only handle 5-6000. I was running it again simply bumping the CBR down to an RF of 21. I just aborted it though because it was still going to take 8 hours. I'm going to run just one chapter of it next, and I'm going to force the framerate to 23.976.

I think the problem with this movie is that it is a somewhat grainy movie which I think increases the complexity of the picture. I may be talking from below though, just a theory. I also wonder if the dust and sand doesn't make it more complex as well. I frequently notice scenes in movies and shows with ripples in water or in a jungle or field with a lot of movement on every part of the screen start to stutter. I can see the sand and dust blowing across the landscape doing the same thing.
Click to expand...

I think you might be right about the deliberately grainy look of the original movie. I have just ripped Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which has the same grainy effect but no sand or significant action of any kind, and that encoded to nearly 7 gigs - so it wouldn't sync to my Apple TVs. I re-encoded with a target size of 4 gigs, but the picture quality was pretty terrible. I'm trying again with slightly different settings, so see what I get.
 
Hurt Locker is probably one of the most grainy complex sources there are. Either drop the quality down or add:

:vbv-maxrate=9500:vbv-bufsize=9500

to the advanced tab option string to keep the bitrate from going through the roof.

This setting has already been added to the preset in the hb svn: http://trac.handbrake.fr/changeset/3086
 
I ran it with average bitrate set to 5000, but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet on the big screen to see what it looks like. I don't remember off hand what the file size even came out to. I want to say it was still in the 4 gig range. I think the MKV for that movie is 35 gig or something.
 
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