Is Apple TV the solution?

[zim]

Lately I have been having performance issues with my MacBook.

First the setup: Our MacBook is connected to our HD TV with our video, photo and music library on external drives.

Issue: Lately the iTunes has been chocking up.. freezing with audio skipping and only a restart can correct the problem. This has cased a few issues with rentals and downloads.. Apple has been good about either refunding or giving me a second try.

So.. would an Apple TV help me remedy the issue? I'd love to upgrade to a MacMini but the MacBook works perfectly for all other purposes (mostly sharing files from the external drives) so I can't justify the MacMini. I was thinking that this would work because the Apple TV only views the library of iTunes and Apple TV handles the processing... correct?

 

[miklovo]

iTunes is "chocking up"....??? So your Macbook is hardwired to the TV and when you're watching a movie it stutters and freezes? Is this just happening on your TV? or is playback on your laptop doing this?

 

[zim]

iTunes is "chocking up"....??? So your Macbook is hardwired to the TV and when you're watching a movie it stutters and freezes? Is this just happening on your TV? or is playback on your laptop doing this?

Yes, the MacBook is connected to the TV through the display port and when we watch movies, doesn't matter if it is HD SD movie or TV show, iTunes suddenly freezes and the computer becomes unresponsive.. typically the picture freezes and the audio stutters. I'll also add that it seems to be happening more or at least more consistently now.

I posted here wondering if an Apple TV would aid in this by not having to use iTunes on the MacBook because all other functions of the MacBook seem fine... but maybe this is a bigger issue and I should have posted in a different location.

 

[Caliber26]

I don't think that getting an AppleTV is going to solve anything. If iTunes is choking up and not not playing files sometimes, this will affect AirPlay as well. It needs to play in iTunes so that it streams to AppleTV.

 

[zim]

I don't think that getting an AppleTV is going to solve anything. If iTunes is choking up and not not playing files sometimes, this will affect AirPlay as well. It needs to play in iTunes so that it streams to AppleTV.

Boo! I believe that you are correct... so I guess that I am in the market for a MacMini to replace my MacBook instead of an Apple TV. I loved the idea of getting an Apple TV but I have a rather large library and can't hold everything on my primary MacBook Pro so I need a "Server" of sort which is what the old MacBook is acting as.

...

It was suggested that it could be heat or dust that is causing the freezing and stuttering since it never really happened before... so I am going to look into those before going the MacMini direction... would love to still get an Apple TV.

 

[paronga]

this might not be ideal, but perhaps try a different media player?

I swear to god just the other day i started experiencing the same thing. It only would happen on an external display.

Try using quicktime X, VLC or something like plex/XBMC and see how that goes.

I know you just want to use iTunes, but i think it's an iTunes bug.

If that's the case, you can just wait it out until the release the next 10.5.1 or 10.5.2 and they silently fix it.

 

[nebo1ss]

Sounds like you are having performance problems. Are you running lion? How much memory do you have in the machine? is anything else running at the same time?

 

[zim]

this might not be ideal, but perhaps try a different media player?

I swear to god just the other day i started experiencing the same thing. It only would happen on an external display.

Try using quicktime X, VLC or something like plex/XBMC and see how that goes.

I know you just want to use iTunes, but i think it's an iTunes bug.

If that's the case, you can just wait it out until the release the next 10.5.1 or 10.5.2 and they silently fix it.

The recent video is Cars 2 which was purchased from iTunes... so I think I am limited to iTunes or maybe QuickTime. I also agree with you about it being either iTunes or Lion. We have had this system in the media cabinet (there is planet of air flow) for over a year connected to the same HD 40" screen and have never had issues until recently.

Sounds like you are having performance problems. Are you running lion? How much memory do you have in the machine? is anything else running at the same time?

Yes, running Lion but I have had Lion on it since Lion debuted and only recently started having issues. When we watch videos I only have iTunes running.

Stats:
Lion 10.7.2
2 Ghz Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
iTunes 10.5
All videos are on an external 7300 RPM drive connected by FireWire 400
Using the dual monitor feature.. second monitor is a 40" HD LCD TV

The freezing and stuttering only showed up recently.. maybe only a few months ago. We have had this setup for over a year.

Maybe I should try a reinstall?

 

[rwwest7]

Apple TV is the greatest little thing ever, just get one and you won't regret it . The only thing you would need a computer turned on for (any computer with iTunes) is to stream movies. TV shows stream from the cloud and music soon will with Match. And Netflix is killer on it as well.

 

[Caliber26]

Before you do anything, you may want to make an appointment and have it checked by a Genius at your local Apple Store. If all else is working fine, in my opinion, buying a brand new computer (the Mini) would be a waste of money. If it's overheating or if dust is the problem, a Genius ought to be able to diagnose that for sure and offer you some options. You never know, maybe your issue can be solved for a fraction of the cost -- or free, if you're really lucky. And if this is an iTunes bug, as another poster mentioned, an update will eventually fix it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[zim]

Before you do anything, you may want to make an appointment and have it checked by a Genius at your local Apple Store. If all else is working fine, in my opinion, buying a brand new computer (the Mini) would be a waste of money. If it's overheating or if dust is the problem, a Genius ought to be able to diagnose that for sure and offer you some options. You never know, maybe your issue can be solved for a fraction of the cost -- or free, if you're really lucky. And if this is an iTunes bug, as another poster mentioned, an update will eventually fix it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks for the advice... as much as I want a mini I am having a hard time justifying it since all other functions of the laptop are working well. I will talk with my local Apple store before doing anything more.