Ripped movie won't play back in Apple TV?

Try ripping the DVD with h.264 main profile. My ripped h.264 (main profile) content works great syncing and streaming.

 

The BitRate could be too high. I had a movie with the bitrate above 2500kbps and it would not show up in frontrow on my MB when streaming, however it would play just fine from the HD. I dont have my AppleTV yet but i guess this may be the problem you are having?

 

In addition to bitrate limit, other things (resolution, framerate, audio) have limits too. From: http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html, the Apple TV supports:

H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps)

iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels or 640 by 480 pixels

MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps)​

 

I think you have to make a "reference movie" don't you? QT Pro will save as a reference movie, but I think this should do the same (download dmg). See: SomethingAwful's thread on this...