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From A Buick 8

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Original poster
Sep 16, 2010
3,114
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Ky Close to CinCinnati
I have noticed that movies that I have bought through iTunes are not playing through smoothly through my ATV4.
I always download the iTunes movies I buy to my home computer, then I stream them to my apple TV's. On the ATV4 I have noticed that the movie will pause every few minutes and "buffer", then it will play again. I can pause the movie and the progress bar will advance some but then it will stop and when I press play the progress bar will return to where the current play bar is and will play a few minutes and stop to buffer again.

However if I watch the same movie through the iTunes movies app (which I assume streams from the cloud), plays just fine.
 
I have noticed that movies that I have bought through iTunes are not playing through smoothly through my ATV4.
I always download the iTunes movies I buy to my home computer, then I stream them to my apple TV's. On the ATV4 I have noticed that the movie will pause every few minutes and "buffer", then it will play again. I can pause the movie and the progress bar will advance some but then it will stop and when I press play the progress bar will return to where the current play bar is and will play a few minutes and stop to buffer again.

However if I watch the same movie through the iTunes movies app (which I assume streams from the cloud), plays just fine.
I also have streaming problem, keep buffering on movies and my itunes match music couldn't even play smoothly. It was fine yesterday.
 
I have the same issue streaming on my network using Plex. Same files play flawlessly on my iOS devices or directly to my Samsung TVs but the Apple TV Buffers at regular intervals. I've tried Wireless N, AC and Ethernet and the issue remains.
 
I have noticed that movies that I have bought through iTunes are not playing through smoothly through my ATV4.
I always download the iTunes movies I buy to my home computer, then I stream them to my apple TV's. On the ATV4 I have noticed that the movie will pause every few minutes and "buffer", then it will play again. I can pause the movie and the progress bar will advance some but then it will stop and when I press play the progress bar will return to where the current play bar is and will play a few minutes and stop to buffer again.

However if I watch the same movie through the iTunes movies app (which I assume streams from the cloud), plays just fine.
Same here. Well known issue. Hope they gonna fix it soon.
 
There seem to be three issues with Home Sharing causing this:
1. Seems to only buffer about 130-180MB.
2. Buffer update can happen sporadically instead of continuously.
3. Sometimes buffered data is just discarded and redownloaded.

The biggest problem is point 1. ATV3 used to buffer about 6GB, and so even when point 2 occurred (as it sometimes did), it was very rarely noticeable. Why an ATV4 with MUCH more space is using a MUCH smaller buffer is beyond me. And yes, why should 2 occur locally when it doesn't happen over the internet? There's some weird design choices going on here and makes no sense.
 
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There seem to be three issues with Home Sharing causing this:
1. Seems to only buffer about 130-180MB.
2. Buffer update can happen sporadically instead of continuously.
3. Sometimes buffered data is just discarded and redownloaded.

The biggest problem is point 1. ATV3 used to buffer about 6GB, and so even when point 2 occurred (as it sometimes did), it was very rarely noticeable. Why an ATV4 with MUCH more space is using a MUCH smaller buffer is beyond me. And yes, why should 2 occur locally when it doesn't happen over the internet? There's some weird design choices going on here and makes no sense.

Thank you that is a great summation of the issue, have you passed that onto apple in anyway.
 
Me too. Reported but also spoke with Apple support on the phone about this issue and they logged it as a defect.
 
So if I have Apple tv and I want to watch one of the movies that I bought I should download the iTunes movie app and then watch it through there?
 
image.jpeg
So if I have Apple tv and I want to watch one of the movies that I bought I should download the iTunes movie app and then watch it through there?
I do not remember downloading an app. I think it was preloaded. This is the app I mean on the far right.
 
I have the same issue streaming on my network using Plex. Same files play flawlessly on my iOS devices or directly to my Samsung TVs but the Apple TV Buffers at regular intervals. I've tried Wireless N, AC and Ethernet and the issue remains.

I don't have any problem with Plex. It stream my Bluray rip flawlessly. I connect through Ethernet if that's helping.
Yet to try Home Sharing but I don't have HD movies there anyway.
 
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