Long Loading Times in Home Share

[Wildog27]

So we've run into a bit of an issue in our house with our ATV3.

When we try to access movies or TV shows over the homeshare, it takes forever to load and to start playing. For a 2 hour (HD) movie, it can literally take 30 minutes to start playing. Now this ATV3 is probably at a further limit of the WiFi signal in our house from the router (a Linksys e3000), but it doesn't feel like that should limit it that much. Is the simplest thing to get an Airport Express or Extreme to extend the range of the WiFi? Wired networking isn't an option.

 

[mic j]

So we've run into a bit of an issue in our house with our ATV3.

When we try to access movies or TV shows over the homeshare, it takes forever to load and to start playing. For a 2 hour (HD) movie, it can literally take 30 minutes to start playing. Now this ATV3 is probably at a further limit of the WiFi signal in our house from the router (a Linksys e3000), but it doesn't feel like that should limit it that much. Is the simplest thing to get an Airport Express or Extreme to extend the range of the WiFi? Wired networking isn't an option.

Is the loading slowness you describe local files, iTunes files, or both?

 

[Wildog27]

Local files. Watching through Netflix and iCloud load as quickly as ever and on the ATVs closer to the router.

 

[heisenberg123]

Local files. Watching through Netflix and iCloud load as quickly as ever and on the ATVs closer to the router.

how big are the files in size not hours that take long to load?

 

[Wildog27]

I don't know know the filesizes off the top of my head, so these are just estimates. The rip of the Godfather Part 2 BluRay took 30 minutes, so that's probably 5GB or so. A rip of a LooneyTunes DVD would probably have taken less time, but it didn't start for 5 minutes, so I went down and go the DVD for my son to watch, rather than wait. That's probably under 1GB.

 

[mic j]

I don't know know the filesizes off the top of my head, so these are just estimates. The rip of the Godfather Part 2 BluRay took 30 minutes, so that's probably 5GB or so. A rip of a LooneyTunes DVD would probably have taken less time, but it didn't start for 5 minutes, so I went down and go the DVD for my son to watch, rather than wait. That's probably under 1GB.

Are you ripping these using Handbrake? If you are, you probably need to check the "Web Optimized" radio button. For files you have already ripped without that button checked, you can use Subler to Optimize the file. It's very fast at doing it.

 

[Wildog27]

I can try that, but those same files start playing almost immediately on the ATVs that are closer to the router and presumably have a stronger signal, which seems like that would make them load faster.

 

[mic j]

I can try that, but those same files start playing almost immediately on the ATVs that are closer to the router and presumably have a stronger signal, which seems like that would make them load faster.

It may end up being your wifi system, often is. But optimization has solved a problem like this for others and is an easy thing to try before trying to figure out how to improve a wifi system.