Can no longer stream to ATV 4k from iTunes

[spiritlevel]

After a recent software update (I think) I can no longer stream video from iTunes on my my iMac to my ATV 4K. I think this may be something to do with airplay 2.

I am connecting over ethernet which used to work fine.

Have restarted everything multiple times - problem has been going on for weeks now.

When I try and select "Living Room' (my ATV) in the iTunes airplay menu, I get the message "Could not connect to Living Room" and then "The AirPlay device “Living Room” cannot be selected for audio output. Please verify your network settings and AirPlay configuration or select another device."

Strangely I can stream video to the ATV using Airplay Display (in System Preferences > Displays) - so everything is clearly connected - just can't stream from iTunes.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be and how to fix it please? thanks.

 

[waw74]

Have you rebooted your router? (and any other network devices you might have like wi-fi extenders)
sometimes that clears up issues.

air playing videos from iTunes, airplay display, and airplay audio (1 and 2) are really 4 different underlying tech.
so not surprising that some work and some don't

 

[pvig42]

Are they videos you've ripped and are now in your iTunes library or videos you've purchased?

I found that I couldn't Airplay purchased content as it is in the cloud whereas ripped videos had no issues.

 

[spiritlevel]

These are videos I've ripped.

Router has certainly been rebooted (it gets switched off every night) but perhaps not my ethernet switch - will try rebooting that.

 

[pvig42]

I've found Airplay to be 50/50 on my ATV 4 (Non 4K). At times it can stream ripped videos from my devices or iMac with no problems and the next it will constantly fail to connect whether I've rebooted the devices/router or not.

 

[niteflyr]

Why not use Home Sharing and the Computers App on ATV4K?

 

[waw74]

you should take a look at plex,
It's free, but there is a premium option, that adds some additional features.

It's a media server app.
In basic terms, it turns your home computer into a netflix-like server, then you have apps on al your devices similar to the netflix app.
It also maintains watched/unwatched status, as well as current position, so you can partially watch a show on one device, stop, and pick up on another.

You need to install the server app on a computer (windows, mac, linux, some NAS devices), doesn't need much power to run (see notes below)
you point the server at your media folders, and as long as your files are named in a logical order, they'll be added to your library.

You would then install the apps on your iOS or tvOS devices (they also have android, roku, as well as most TVs and streaming devices covered)
once that app are connected to your plex account, you have access to your media.

----Some notes-----

*It will let you connect remotely over the internet as long as you have a fast enough connection (my phone on the wifi at work can pull from the server at my house, or even over cellular)

*the server will automatically convert files that aren't compatible with the device you're trying to watch on. This is the only reason the server would need some processing power.

*You can grant friends access to your library, or add sub-accounts for your family, each person has their own watched/unwatched status. and each accent has it's own parental settings.

*file naming can be a bit challenging, but it's pretty easy.
Movies, just point the server at the folder, and then make sure the file names have the movie titles, a year in parenthesis can help.
so "Movies/Godfather (1972).mkv" is good.

for TV shows, you need a TV show folder that you point the server to, then each show has it's own folder.
inside that folder, just make sure each file has "S01E01" in the name, You can use sub folders if you want.
so both of the following will work.
"TV Shows/Friends/S01.E01.mkv"
"TV Shows/Friends/Season 01/S01.E01.The one were someone does something.mkv"

You can also add multiple folders to each section, so if your movie library is on multiple drives, that's not a problem.

 

[spiritlevel]

Why not use Home Sharing and the Computers App on ATV4K?

Thanks - good call - that worked. I had home sharing turned on in iTunes and was logged into the right account, but at first the ATV couldn't see my computer. I turned Home Sharing off and on again and then it worked fine. Wondering if that might fix the streaming issue too but will have to wait till this film finishes to check.