Does anyone else find it annoying, you can only access content via 'Home Sharing'

[fivepoint]

Does anyone else find it annoying that you can only access your movies, photos, music, etc. through the 'Home Sharing' function on your new AppleTV now? My movies aren't under the movie heading anymore, my music isn't under the music heading anymore... it's all under 'computers'!

Annoying.

 

[trip1ex]

Yeah it is kind of annoying.

On the plus side it does clearly separate the store from the rest though.

But the interface is worse. It's listy. I wouldn't mind seeing a the cover art of the movies on my computer displayed on the screen like they are under the MOvies tab.

The solution would be a customizable interface ala the Touch/iPad/iPhone.

Let me rearrange how I want. They could let us do it using the computer through iTunes.

 

[NightStorm]

Doesn't this also mean you can only access content purchased from a single iTunes account through the new appletv? If I remember correctly, home sharing does not allow me to stream/play content that my wife has purchased with her iTunes account, even though we keep all of our content in a single iTunes library.

This is a major problem for me as we've both purchased a lot of video content from apple, and now do not have an easy way to access it in the living room.

 

[Mr Kram]

i never thought of this. it does seem kind of annoying. guess, i'll stick my old ATV.

 

[DJinTX]

Doesn't this also mean you can only access content purchased from a single iTunes account through the new appletv? If I remember correctly, home sharing does not allow me to stream/play content that my wife has purchased with her iTunes account, even though we keep all of our content in a single iTunes library.

This is a major problem for me as we've both purchased a lot of video content from apple, and now do not have an easy way to access it in the living room.

I don't have a new ATV yet, but I am wondering...

I was thinking that any media that you copied to your mac from your wife's mac via homesharing, would then become part of your library and account, making it streamable to ATV. Is this not the case?

 

[newagemac]

Home Sharing does allow you to stream and play content from other people's iTunes accounts on the same Home Share as you. And yes, the cover art of the movies stored on your computer and accessed through Home Sharing is displayed on the Apple TV's interface.

 

[DJinTX]

Home Sharing does allow you to stream and play content from other people's iTunes accounts on the same Home Share as you. And yes, the cover art of the movies stored on your computer and accessed through Home Sharing is displayed on the Apple TV's interface.

This makes perfect sense, because now that I think about it, when I set up home sharing on our Macs at home, they all use the same AppleID login (mine) to do it. SO it basically treats my Apple ID as the main one.

 

[HT Guy]

I wish I could access iTunes via sharing. Sharing will not work with my ATV2 even though all my settings are correct. I had a Roku and an Airport Express. The combo of the Roku and the AE worked better than the ATV2 so far. If Apple does not fix this soon the ATV2 is going back.

 

[DJinTX]

I wish I could access iTunes via sharing. Sharing will not work with my ATV2 even though all my settings are correct. I had a Roku and an Airport Express. The combo of the Roku and the AE worked better than the ATV2 so far. If Apple does not fix this soon the ATV2 is going back.

I assume you have already updated to iTunes 10? If you are on version 10, and all settings are correct you should take it back to the store and exchange it.

 

[HT Guy]

I assume you have already updated to iTunes 10? If you are on version 10, and all settings are correct you should take it back to the store and exchange it.

Yes... Please see the thread in my link. I guess because of the price I will give it some more time. I have seen postings of other people besides me having problems with home share. My remote app on my iPad does not work consistently as well.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1023313/

 

[newagemac]

I wish I could access iTunes via sharing. Sharing will not work with my ATV2 even though all my settings are correct. I had a Roku and an Airport Express. The combo of the Roku and the AE worked better than the ATV2 so far. If Apple does not fix this soon the ATV2 is going back.

Others said they rebooted their Macs, turned Home Sharing off and then back on (on the ATV) and then it worked for them.

 

[thetruth1985]

Does anyone else find it annoying that you can only access your movies, photos, music, etc. through the 'Home Sharing' function on your new AppleTV now? My movies aren't under the movie heading anymore, my music isn't under the music heading anymore... it's all under 'computers'!

Annoying.

I totally agree with you on this. On the old apple tv, I could be looking at my own movies in like 2 clicks. I am one of the rare few people that never purchase movies from itunes so I would care less what is under the movies and tv shows tabs. I want to see my own content as soon as I turn this on dammit!

 

[blybug]

I totally agree with you on this. On the old apple tv, I could be looking at my own movies in like 2 clicks. I am one of the rare few people that never purchase movies from itunes so I would care less what is under the movies and tv shows tabs. I want to see my own content as soon as I turn this on dammit!

Leaving the TV at the menu level after you have clicked into your computer sort of simulates this, but as soon as you go up a menu all your content is suddenly relegated to the wasteland of the "Computers" menu. Why not have the content of the currently chosen Share populate a "My Movies" choice under Movies, "My TV Shows" under TV Shows, etc...

Agree also with the OP...Home Sharing was a cool feature to make song swapping within a family as easy as it always should have been. However to extend Home Sharing to the TV and even the new iPhone Remote App...without any settings as to what can log into and control what...is annoying.

I may want to share Music with my wife and son via iTunes, but we may not all want our Libraries up for sharing on the TV, or have our iTunes wide open to being controlled by each other's Remote app. But Home Sharing as it exists now seems to be "all or nothing." Some Home Sharing toggles are needed on each device that define what other devices can control it, and what content each device shares with each other device. Add Airplay to the mix of iDevices and your head will be spinning with what is being streamed from where.

It already gets very recursive controlling the TV with the Remote app, when the first submenu that appears after selecting TV is the same list of Computers/Libraries from the first screen, but now listed as possible Computers/Libraries available for sharing on the TV. This would all make much more sense if  actually sold an iTunes server, that centralized all the media, instead of swip-swap-stream-sharing back and forth between every gadget. It's "cool" for  loving geeks like me and pretty seamless, but will confuse the heck out of my wife.

Did that even make sense?

 

[T4R06]

Most annoying is if your Mac went to sleep you cannot access anymore on apple tv... Am I missing something? I thought it will automatically wake up if you access it via apple tv.

 

[HT Guy]

Homesharing started working on it's own at 8:34 p.m. I made no changes. If it will continue to work I have no complaints.

I have my iMac set to on a schedule to wake at 4 p.m. And to sleep at 12:00 a.m.

 

[^^ CoolMacLover]

i never thought of this. it does seem kind of annoying. guess, i'll stick my old ATV.

If what I'm getting is right, that cover art etc dont show up, its all just lists, I think I might go and get myself an old TV then. I worked hard to get all my artwork right ready for my new TV...

 

[goMac]

If what I'm getting is right, that cover art etc dont show up, its all just lists, I think I might go and get myself an old TV then. I worked hard to get all my artwork right ready for my new TV...

Cover art shows on my AppleTV.

 

[scottlitch]

This makes perfect sense, because now that I think about it, when I set up home sharing on our Macs at home, they all use the same AppleID login (mine) to do it. SO it basically treats my Apple ID as the main one.

Using home sharing means I have to put MY ACCOUNT on my roommate's copy of iTunes. I don't like this at all. Also, I was used to controlling my remote speakers when i was connected to the AppleTV with the remote app. It appears now I have to switch to the library I'm streaming from to activate the AirTunes (AirPlay) speakers. I don't want to have to switch libraries to do this. If I'm listening to music on AppleTV and want to turn it on in other rooms, I should be able to without connecting to my iMac, then switching back to the AppleTV. I also don't like the main menus are mostly for purchasing content. I feel like I just put an Apple sales rep. in my living room. Why are the computers segregated into a secondary section?

 

[newagemac]

Couldn't you just create a new Apple ID specifically just for Home Sharing?

 

[NightStorm]

Home Sharing does allow you to stream and play content from other people's iTunes accounts on the same Home Share as you. And yes, the cover art of the movies stored on your computer and accessed through Home Sharing is displayed on the Apple TV's interface.

I can confirm that in atleast my case, where my wife and I share one library but use multiple iTunes accounts for purchases, setting up Home Sharing to use my AppleID allows for content purchased by both of us to work with the new AppleTV.

 

[rkuo]

Sounds like we can just create a bulls*** apple id specifically for home sharing if we're worried about handing out account info to other ppl in the house.

 

[jajohns8]

Yes, very annoying. Homesharing loses the connection to my library every time the Apple TV goes to sleep. I then have to turn homesharing off and then back on for it to recognize my computer/iTunes library.

I am not a fan of homesharing.

The first Apple Tv got it right. The way you accessed your content just worked and it made sense. This is a step backwards.

 

[trip1ex]

Most annoying is if your Mac went to sleep you cannot access anymore on apple tv... Am I missing something? I thought it will automatically wake up if you access it via apple tv.

It's supposed to if you have the right equipment.

I need to hook up my Apple router so I can test it out. Surprised not a single site tested to see if this worked or not.

 

[MacProDude]

It's supposed to if you have the right equipment.

I need to hook up my Apple router so I can test it out. Surprised not a single site tested to see if this worked or not.

You just made my day. I had no idea about Bonjour Sleep Proxy, and I have an n-capable Airport Express that works with it. Works great for Remote on iPhone->iTunes on sleeping Mac Pro. Sorry, don't have an ATV to confirm with home sharing.

 

[magicjosh]

Most annoying is if your Mac went to sleep you cannot access anymore on apple tv... Am I missing something? I thought it will automatically wake up if you access it via apple tv.

This is incredibly frustrating. I want to listen to some long podcasts uninterrupted while working in my house. Keeps crapping out. This isn't very 'apple' of an apple product. Not seamless at all running back and forth to restart my home sharing.