Improving sync speed

[jersey10]

Whenever I sync new content (movies converted via Handbrake) from my iMac onto the hard drive of my AppleTV, it takes a really long time. Would the speed improve if instead of doing this wirelessly, I connected the AppleTV to the iMac via an Ethernet cable? This setup is possible based on the placement of these devices in my house.

And if I did this, would it also improve the performance and speed when I stream stuff from the iMac to the AppleTV rather than syncing? (though this already seems fairly quick).

Finally, would this setup change how my AppleTV accesses rentals over the Internet? Would the AppleTV still be accessing the internet wirelessly or would it be doing it over the Ethernet cable via the iMac as well? If the latter, would this change anything about the AppleTV's performance in accessing rentals and web content? How would this setup compare to connecting the AppleTV via the Ethernet cable directly to the cable modem bringing the internet into my house?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jeremy.king]

Wired will always be the fastest method. What kind of router do you use? Is it N only?

I wouldn't bother directly tethering to the Mac, because then you have to configure internet sharing. Instead, opt for a wired router.

 

[jersey10]

Ummm. I don't really know - it is provided by Comcast if that helps. Then hooked into an Airport Extreme.

Any thoughts on how a wired setup changes or affects my Apple TV's handling of content (such as movie rentals) over the internet?

 

[jeremy.king]

Any thoughts on how a wired setup changes or affects my Apple TV's handling of content (such as movie rentals) over the internet?

It wouldn't really affect rentals performance because of the speed of your internet connection, it would only help with syncing with your iMac. I'd suggest you connect the Apple TV to the Airport Extreme via a cable if you don't like its current performance.

What other devices connect to your AEBS wirelessly?

 

[tothelimit]

from apple:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305254

 

[jersey10]

I replied before I read the second line of your post.

But I'm not sure what you mean by I would "have to configure internet sharing." What is this and is it a reason why I would not want to connect the iMac to the AppleTV via the Ethernet cord?

Sorry for the dumb questions, but this discussion has quickly gone beyond my limited technical knowledge.

 

[jersey10]

from apple:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305254

That is helpful, but it says that I need to disconnect the Ethernet cable each time I do this. I would prefer a solution where I can just keep the Ethernet cable connected all the time. Is this workable? What are the drawbacks?

 

[tothelimit]

what you can do is simply connect the ethernet cord to your computer when you want to sync... and then unplug it once the sync is done...
leave the ethernet cord in place and just use it when you want to sync. this way you'll have the fast sync speeds and as long as you have an airport extreme base station, your appletv will still connect wirelessly as usual for rentals and such.

 

[tothelimit]

if you want a solution where the ethernet is connected at all times your best solution is probably to connect both your computer and the appletv to the airport extreme (or a wired router) via ethernet. this will allow for fast sync speeds and each will be independently connected to the internet.

 

[jersey10]

if you want a solution where the ethernet is connected at all times your best solution is probably to connect both your computer and the appletv to the airport extreme (or a wired router) via ethernet. this will allow for fast sync speeds and each will be independently connected to the internet.

Thanks again for your help. But how would this improve my sync speeds, since there still will be no wire directly connecting the AppleTV to the iMac?

 

[alFR]

As long as your airport extreme has gigabit ethernet ports, iMac -> AE -> Apple TV is exactly the same as iMac -> Apple TV in terms of speed. If the AE doesn't have gigabit, a direct iMac to ATV connection will be faster.

 

[jeremy.king]

As long as your airport extreme has gigabit ethernet ports, iMac -> AE -> Apple TV is exactly the same as iMac -> Apple TV in terms of speed. If the AE doesn't have gigabit, a direct iMac to ATV connection will be faster.

The Apple TV is 100 base T so gigabit doesn't matter.

Thanks again for your help. But how would this improve my sync speeds, since there still will be no wire directly connecting the AppleTV to the iMac?

Because currently wired speeds are much faster than wireless. Since both devices would still be on the same wired network, tranfers will be nearly as fast (if not the same) as if you directly connected them. I'd suggest you do some research on the transfer speeds of each type of connection and determine what's best for you to use.