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Spent lots of money for NOTHING!

STxMacUser

STxMacUser

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 4, 2008
111
84
My Apple TV does not do what it is intended to do. When I originally purchased the ATV, it worked fine. I cannot use any of the movies that I bought from iTunes store....so I thought that I would try buying a more recent movie in HD. $19.99 more dollars down the drain!!! WTF???

I try to play the movie and I get the dreaded message stating "This content requires HDCP for playback. I read all of the posts that I could find on the subject and tried EVERYTHING. Still get the damned message.

I want a full refund on all iTunes music, movies, iMac, MacBook Pros, iPads, iPods and all other crap that I bought from Apple because the stuff doesn't work as advertised.

What a ripoff!!!
 
STxMacUser said:
My Apple TV does not do what it is intended to do. When I originally purchased the ATV, it worked fine. I cannot use any of the movies that I bought from iTunes store....so I thought that I would try buying a more recent movie in HD. $19.99 more dollars down the drain!!! WTF???

I try to play the movie and I get the dreaded message stating "This content requires HDCP for playback. I read all of the posts that I could find on the subject and tried EVERYTHING. Still get the damned message.

I want a full refund on all iTunes music, movies, iMac, MacBook Pros, iPads, iPods and all other crap that I bought from Apple because the stuff doesn't work as advertised.

What a ripoff!!!
Click to expand...

Why don't you calm down and give us some more info, so we might be able to help you with the problem. Apple TV 1 or 2? Connected directly to a TV or to an AV receiver, then to the TV? What brand/model TV and receiver?
 
STxMacUser said:
I want a full refund on all iTunes music, movies, iMac, MacBook Pros, iPads, iPods and all other crap that I bought from Apple because the stuff doesn't work as advertised.

What a ripoff!!!
Click to expand...
That kind of attitude will get you nowhere fast. And will most likely not compel people to help you.
 
You have a display connected to your AppleTV that is not HDCP compliant. If it worked before and doesn't work now, what changed to make this happen?

Apple Cinema displays are HDCP compliant so it's not an Apple device causing you grief. Careful before you cast blame in the wrong spot...
 
Sorry for the rant....but it makes me mad that I cannot watch a movie that I just bought from iTunes.

My connection is a direct (Brand New High Dollar) HDMI cable to a Sony XBR 60 inch television. I am using the ATV-2 I believe...(not the latest $99 unit) but the second version of ATV. It worked before without problems. As a matter of fact, I filmed an HD video of a space shuttle launch back in 2007 and it plays just fine from my ATV.

I understand the needs for protection against piracy, but it seems ridiculous that I cannot sit and enjoy a movie with my girlfriend because the unit is not working. Sheesh.....
 
STxMacUser said:
(Brand New High Dollar) HDMI cable
Click to expand...
Try not to fall for that scam again. With HDMI you either have it or you don't. There is no way of having any different quality HDMI. Whether you have gold plugs, oxygen free cabling, diamond encrusted, it makes NO difference. It works, or it doesn't.
 
As a matter of fact, I filmed an HD video of a space shuttle launch back in 2007 and it plays just fine from my ATV.
Click to expand...

If by this you imply that you shot the video yourself, herein lies the issue... your own video is not copy protected, anything purchased/rented from the Apple iTunes Store is.

Sometimes there are device handshaking issues... try powering on the TV first and then the AppleTV and if that doesn't work, try the opposite (AppleTV first then the TV).
 
Unplug your HDMI cable from your Appletv and plug it back in. It will re-establish the handshake.
 
If all else fails, you can solve the problem by connecting your Apple TV (original HW) to your TV with a component video cable. (Buy a cheap one from Amazon or Monoprice.com. ;))
 
Yeah, something sounds off here. If your ATV2 (little black box, $99) is connected by HDMI to your TV, it should certainly playback the DRM video. It will not pass DRM media via a component cable. As others have said, try restarting your ATV2.
 
STxMacUser said:
I am using the ATV-2 I believe...(not the latest $99 unit) but the second version of ATV.
Click to expand...

For one thing, you're giving conflicting information. What people generally refer to as the "ATV2" is the second version of the Apple TV and it is also the latest version. It's black and it costs $99.

If yours is not black, you have the older version. There are only two versions. It sounds to me like you have the older version. Regardless, either plays DRMed content just fine. However, your TV must support HDCP because the content providers don't allow their content to be played on TVs that are not HDCP enabled.
 
Thanks for the info, I do have the original ATV....but thought that it was a second version, (I had to take the first one that I bought to Best Buy because it totally stopped working and they gave me a newer one, later software I suppose).

The item worked fine until about a year ago. I bought an HD movie last night and could not ever get it to work. Very frustrating.

SO....I guess going with the ATV made me spend $20 on the movie, $80 on the HDMI cable and now I have to spend a couple of thousand to get where I wanted to be with this. Doesn't sound very good....

Thanks for your comments.
 
STxMacUser said:
Thanks for the info, I do have the original ATV....but thought that it was a second version, (I had to take the first one that I bought to Best Buy because it totally stopped working and they gave me a newer one, later software I suppose).

The item worked fine until about a year ago. I bought an HD movie last night and could not ever get it to work. Very frustrating.

SO....I guess going with the ATV made me spend $20 on the movie, $80 on the HDMI cable and now I have to spend a couple of thousand to get where I wanted to be with this. Doesn't sound very good....

Thanks for your comments.
Click to expand...

Thanking people for the comments would suggest that you read them, which ultimately would suggest that you took their advice and your problem is solved. Based on your statement though, it seems as though you're still having issues.

Follow the advice of the above posters. Forget that you got taken for the high-dollar HDMI cable, another one likely won't help but it wouldn't hurt to try a new cable. My guess is that it's not the cable but the handshake process. Again, follow what was asked of you above and it may work out.

The ATV did not make you buy a movie and it certainly did not make you buy a high-dollar HDMI cable. You said the unit was fine until about a year ago. What have you been doing for the last year?

My advice is to take a break from this, just a short one. Come back to it tomorrow or something because you do seem overly frustrated. People here can help, you just have to let them.
 
STxMacUser said:
Thanks for the info, I do have the original ATV....but thought that it was a second version, (I had to take the first one that I bought to Best Buy because it totally stopped working and they gave me a newer one, later software I suppose).

The item worked fine until about a year ago. I bought an HD movie last night and could not ever get it to work. Very frustrating.

SO....I guess going with the ATV made me spend $20 on the movie, $80 on the HDMI cable and now I have to spend a couple of thousand to get where I wanted to be with this. Doesn't sound very good....

Thanks for your comments.
Click to expand...

LOL, $80 for a HDMI cable? Sorry to break the news to you, but you've been robbed blind.

I buy $3 HDMI cables from Monoprice.com and they work just as well.
 
+1. For future reference, even the cheapest of HDMI cables will produce the exact same picture as the high dollar ones. Unlike analog, digital means you either get a signal or you don't. There is no "in between" quality levels depending on the cable.
 
I am sorry to hear you are having troubles. However, this isn't a new device so I am not sure why you are going off about "Spent lots of money for Nothing".... Maybe it is the AppleTV, but then no device lasts forever and no device is guarenteed to work with the latest and greatest "stuff". Man I do wish everything did though. My basement is full of useless crap that at one time worked great, but either is now malfunctioning or the service was shut down. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but sometimes we move on....
 
Okay....I vow to never spend more than ten bucks on a HDMI cable ever again.

The problem still exists...I tried the various suggestions on getting the handshake correct, but nothing has worked. I may take the unit to Best Buy again and see if I can get the $99 version of ATV.

I guess that it is best to stay away from blogs, forums or the internet whenever you're fed up with a product.

Thanks for all of the suggestions....
 
had the same problem. switched the hdmi port that my appletv was connected to and now it works fine.
 
If you have multiple HDMI devices on the TV, try unplugging other ones or swapping the ports.

My TV, DVD recorder and Hifi are all Panasonic and I have to make sure the ATV2 is on, otherwise it messes with the HMDI (VeraLink) on the TV to the other devices.
 
instead of making fun of him for spending too much on an HDMI cable, you guys could be a little more constructive.

My suggestion is, and I don't care if this won't be the final setup, but to test with component out and see if that solves the problem.
 
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