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MY ATV sputters streaming ANYTHING, including itunes.

title says it all. Any fixes yet? What about the 3rd party firmware I have heard about?

atv2 little clean black box that is a royal pain in my ass.
 
I have also been having issues with Netflix on the apple TV 2. The problem I am having is from time to time I get an error message stating that the Netflix connection cannot be made. This happens after I choose play and seems to only happen when I want to watch an episode of a TV program. I have not experienced the issue with movies, only TV Series.

When it first happened I called Netflix, and they said it was an apple TV problem. I called Apple and they had me change the DNS settings and that did not work, so we restored the settings and then they had me unplug the wall outlet of the Apple TV and basically reboot the Apple TV and after that it worked fine.

I've had this issue happen several times since, and rebooting the Apple TV worked all the time, but getting up to unplug and plug in the device is getting annoying. Funny too that it only happens when trying to watch an episode of a TV series. Have not had the issue when trying to watch a movie. I have experienced though some silent moments in movies and some erradic video but that has only happened less than a handful of times.
 
The only problem I ever encounter on ATV is that the audio will sometimes drop for 5-10 seconds while the movie continues to play. It's as if someone hit a mute button, but like I said, it comes back within a few seconds and doesn't happen too often. I can live with it but it's annoying.
 
Me Too.

I'm sorry, but the ATV2 is a huge disappointment for me (and I recommend Mac products to EVERYONE). Like many others, my Macs, iPhone and Roku all stream Netflix flawlessly. It stinks to have a bunch of friends over for dinner and a movie (like I did last night), and get 45 minutes into the movie and have it start to pause every ten seconds until you just give up, and have everyone kind of bummed out on a cold saturday night. I guess I'll move my Roku back into the living room and put my ATV2 back on my small television that I rarely watch. The purchase, for me, was definitely a waste. The low-end Roku is cheaper and works better, but, of course, doesn't have as good of an interface/remote (iphone)/ability to access iTunes. I thought the ATV2 would be a great all-in-one deal. It's not.

Does anyone think there is a chance of an update on the horizon that will fix this issue for many users?

Thanks,
z.
 
I fixed it by pluggin into an Ethernet

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I swapped my original Roku and ATV2 in the first place, so I could hard wire it right to my router via ethernet cable (hoping for a better outcome). My Roku now/still streams flawlessly while the wired ATV2 does the same thing it did when it was wireless in the next room over. Bummer.
 
The only problem I ever encounter on ATV is that the audio will sometimes drop for 5-10 seconds while the movie continues to play. It's as if someone hit a mute button, but like I said, it comes back within a few seconds and doesn't happen too often. I can live with it but it's annoying.

That what i was getting at first just the way you describe, that lasted for about a month, i still get the audio drop out but now i also will get the video freeze.
 
I fixed it by pluggin into an Ethernet

I'll second this one. I was having similar issues to the thread starter when I first got the ATV2. Happened before and after I jailbroke it. It seems to drop the wireless connection intermittently. And I know it's not the router; it's a wonderful E2000 N from Linksys connected to Turbo Roadrunner.

Plugging in directly wasn't an option because my desktop is in another room, but I configured an old G router as an access point and plugged the ATV2 into it. Works flawlessly ever since, even when streaming 1080p MKVs via XBMC.

Maybe a firmware update to fix the wireless issues?
 
The only problem I ever encounter on ATV is that the audio will sometimes drop for 5-10 seconds while the movie continues to play. It's as if someone hit a mute button, but like I said, it comes back within a few seconds and doesn't happen too often. I can live with it but it's annoying.

We bought a second ATV for a family member this past week, and while it doesn't do the sputtering I mentioned in my initial post, it does do this audio drop out.

Also, I haven't been able to prove it constantly, but sometimes using an iPhone in proximity to the ATV--texting or web surfing-- will sometimes cause the video sputtering.
 
I am also having the same problem trying to stream HD content via Netflix. I am using a wireless G connection but speedtest.net is showing I am getting around 16mbps download. This sucks and I really hope Apple releases an update sooner than later.
 
I'm looking to buy either a Roku or ATV2. With all this lag talk, I am leaning toward the Roku.

Only want Netflix streaming really.
 
I'm looking to buy either a Roku or ATV2. With all this lag talk, I am leaning toward the Roku.

Only want Netflix streaming really.

If you only want Netflix, try an ATV2 but make sure you can bring it back within the return period. For some it is fine, but for many (like me), it fails with Netflix. (Even over wired Cat5E, different DNS, etc)
 
If you only want Netflix... why not just get the Roku? It'll handle Amazon streaming as well, which might end up being a good alternative to Netflix over time, depending upon what content is added (not added!) to the two. I want to recommend the Atv2, but it doesn't seem to be there yet... must still be a hobby.
 
I have the same problem with Netflix stuttering. And I have fiber internet running around 40mb/s. It's Apple TV problem for sure.

I see the same problem here and there and I too have Fiber internet. Its not that often though, but I've see it on more than one occasion.
 
If you only want Netflix... why not just get the Roku? It'll handle Amazon streaming as well, which might end up being a good alternative to Netflix over time, depending upon what content is added (not added!) to the two. I want to recommend the Atv2, but it doesn't seem to be there yet... must still be a hobby.

I have a Roku too--got it for Amazon video streaming--but ATV is still a good choice for streaming from iTunes--especially for music content. That is the primary reason I got mine--was either that or another Airport Express to send music to my HT system. It is a nice interface and so far Netflix has worked well for me--both ATV and Roku are wireless to Time Capsule. It's good to have options and fortunately both of these devices are under $100. :)
 
Count me in with everyone else experiencing Netflix issues. Also, for the record, my ATV2 has always been connected over ethernet.

I've experienced stutters, complete stops, audio dropouts, and occasionally freezing to the point of having to exit, come back, and it lost my place and I have to fast forward 50 minutes in.

Seriously, what gives.
 
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