Apple TV Home Sharing Device Limit

I have 6 brand new Apple TV units and one windows computer running iTunes. My plan was to use the computer as a media server which I would put our DVD´s, CD´s and existing itunes movies, music and photos on. We could then access everything from the Apple TV units. At the moment I can:
Airplay music from the iTunes PC to all 6 Apple TV´s at the same time.
Airplay a single movie to any one of the 6 Apple TV´s from the iTunes PC at any time.
When any four Apple TV boxes are switched on I can access home sharing on the iTunes PC and stream four different movies or four streams of the same movie from the iTunes PC to the Apple TV units.
If I try and connect more than 4 Apple TV units to the home share I get a black screen saying couldn´t connect - please check itunes is running and up to date. This problem only happens when more than 4 Apple TV units are connected. Even when this error appears I can Airplay a movie from the iTunes interface on the PC to the 5th and 6th Apple TVbut I can´t connect from Apple TV interface to the home share on the iTunes PC (during this time the other four Apple TV units work perfectly)
I have tried multiple times with all combinations - any combination of 4 Apple TV units work perfectly well but I can´t add a 5th or 6th Apple TV unit.
All of the Apple TV´s and the PC are connected by Ethernet and have no problems streaming once connected to the home share.
I was wondering if this was an issue with itunes on the PC - if it is I will get a Mac mini and use that.
The itunes account I´m using for the Apple TV´s only has one PC registered to it at the moment. All the Apple TV´s say they are up to date and I´ve just updated the PC to the latest version of iTunes.
I am not expecting to be able to stream the same movie to 6 Apple TV units but I would expect to be able to access the iTunes share from all 6 Apple TV´s at the same time. If I had 6 different DVD´s I would be able to watch them in 6 different DVD players without breaching any copywrite so as far as I can see it shouldn´t be a problem.
I can only think its a device licencing issue - it seems I can´t use more than 4 Apple TV´s per home share although the Apple licence says maximum of 10 iOS devices but does Apple TV count as an iOS device? Is this a software bug or is it a licencing issue? My iTunes account shows only the one PC registered. When I connect the Apple TV´s the number of registered devices doesn´t change.
Anyone successfully doing something similar?

Welcome to the Apple Community.
I've never really been able to confirm how these restrictions apply, so far as I know there is a limit of 10 associated devices, which I believe is different to there being a restriction on home sharing.
Here are my thoughts on the matter.

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Apple TV Home Sharing only detects Macbook Pro but not iPads

Hello
My Apple TV (2nd gen) will only detect my Macbook Pro on Home Sharing. I have two iPads (1st gen and iPad Mini) both updated to the latest iOS but they just wont show up on apple TV home sharing.
Any thoughts?
The software on all devices is up to date, and all devices are connected to the same network.

Your first generation iPad is only capable of basic AirPlay, instruction for basic AirPlay are:
Assuming both devices are on the same network and that AirPlay is not turned off on the Apple TV, then simply tap on the screen when you are watching content you wish to stream to your Apple TV, then tap the airplay icon that appears in the control bar, choose the Apple TV from the menu that appears.
Your problems on the iPad mini, indicate a network problem at your end, perhaps the distances are too great or you have interference on your network.
Intermittent problems are often a result of interference. Interference can be caused by other networks in the neighbourhood or from household electrical items.
You can download and install iStumbler (NetStumbler for windows users) to help you see which channels are used by neighbouring networks so that you can avoid them, but iStumbler will not see household items.
Refer to your router manual for instructions on changing your wifi channel or adjusting your multicast rate.
There are other types of problems that can affect networks, but this is by far the most common, hence worth mentioning first. Networks that have inherent issues can be seen to work differently with different versions of the same software. You might also try moving the Apple TV away from other electrical equipment.

How do I connect both a Mac and PC to Apple TV Home Sharing?

Goal
- I am trying to share both my PC and Mac through my Apple TV2 on the "Computers" home sharing menu.
- These are 2 seperate iTunes accounts as they are 2 different owners of the PC and Macbook.
- However, home sharing only allows me to have one at a time, can I not have 2 computers connected?
(The menu is in fact plural and says "Computers" not "Computer")
Attempt
-I turn on home sharing on my PC with my PC iTunes account, it then shows up on the "Computers" list as PC
-I turn on home sharing on my Mac with my Mac iTunes account, it then shows up on the "Computers" list as Mac, but it deletes the PC share
Troubleshoot
-So I started from scatch and connected the PC share with my PC itunes account, it shows up,
-Then I connect the Mac home sharing with the same iTunes login as my PC, but it also erases my PC from the "Computers" list and just displays the Mac.
Question
-How do I connect both a Mac and PC to Apple TV Home Sharing?
-I want them both to show up in the "Computers" list.
-So the final result will look like this on my Apple TV menu:
Computers
-PC
-Mac
whew... I'm out of breath... I hope there is an Apple Genius out there that can help.
Thanks!

After retrying the home share with the SAME ITUNES ACCOUNT ON HOME SHARING I finally got it to work.

Home sharing on apple tv, Home sharing on apple tv

How do I set up home sharing on my Apple TV? It says it is on and the shared libraries show up on all the computers but not on the television

You need to introduce the same Apple ID in the Apple TV (home sharing option, not necessary on ATV's iTunes Store) and in the iTunes' home sharing (Advanced/Turn on Home Sharing)... and both connected in the same wifi or ethernet network. It's all.

I have to relaunch itunes for apple tv home sharing to access library

why is that i have to relaunch itunes every now and then for apple tv home sharing to access movie library
itunes version 12.1
ATV 3
Mac mini 2014

Problem solved – While looking elsewhere on the Internet, I ran across an article where a guy in Russia found that his security code for the credit card entered on his iTunes account was missing.
After checking, I found my security code was missing as well. After I reentered my credit card security code, I was able to log on to the iTunes Store and also able to turn on Home Sharing.
I HOPE The Apple iTunes accounts were not hacked into. That could be a reason for the security codes beinging erased by Apple.

TS2972 Apple TV home sharing trouble

Apple TV home sharing does not for on my MAC mini if I do not have iTunes running on my PC at the same time. How do I fix this (as I want to get rid of the PC)?

my universal cure of issues between windows and itunes is
uninstall everything itunes, quicktime ...
reboot
use regedit and search and delete everything related to itunes
reboot
reinstall everything itunes, quicktime.-...
this has fixed it for me back when I used itunes under windows
but of cause if one spend a lot of time adding album art to imported cd's and such it's a sad loss of effort

My iPad won't sync with apple tv home sharing my laptop appears in computers section but even though I have turned home sharing on my iPad and used same apple Id

My iPad won't sync with apple tv home sharing my laptop appears in computers section but even though I have turned home sharing on my iPad and used same apple Id.can anybody help plz

you have to go to your atv's settings and remove the sync setup with the in the atvs eyes "old" computer
before you can add the "new" computer as a sync computer
an atv can only be set to sync with 1 and it don't know the "old" computer is not just off

How do I get Apple TV home sharing to work again?

Hi,
I'm using an iMac, I have Apple TV 2, a Bt home hub 3, between 30-50mb speed over wifi (160mb when my mac is wired). I have followed all the set up instructions, up to date software, firewall etc. On the Apple TV I can watch a movie through it's iTunes no problem, BUT when I try via home sharing it works for a few minutes then tells me to connect to the network, then connects again a few seconds later, then I try again and it does the same thing despite every other wifi device working fine ( humax, ps3, wii). Until about 4/5 months ago it worked perfectly with exactly the same hardware, so surely it can only be the updates? Is there a solution out there or do I have to wait until Apple pull their bloody finger out and fix it properly? The main reason for having Apple TV was the home sharing, so now this is just an expensive doorstop.
Any help would be great
Thanks

Have you tried a PRAM reset?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
If you look in the audio output port, is there a red light showing. If so, the internal switch is stuck.. Insert the headphones a few times, jiggle a toothpick inside or shot some compressed air to trip the switch. If no success, have the Apple store genius bar technician do it.
Ciao.

HT204291 After updating software on my Apple TV home sharing will not work. Both Apple TV and iMac have home sharing on but when Computer is selected on Apple TV I just get a message saying "turn home sharing on". But it is. How can I solve this problem

I have just updated the software on my Apple TV since then home sharing will not work though I had not used it since installing iOS6 on my iPad 3. Home sharing is shown to be on on the Apple TV and on on my iMac. The Apple TV is connected to the router with an ethernet cable and all functions work correctly apart from my computer.
I have done the following.
Switched off the Apple TV and rebooted, did the same with iMac
Turned off home sharing then turned it on.
Checked that home sharing is on on both devices.
Selected Computer
Get a message telling me to turn home sharing on - IT IS!
Tried using airplay mirroring on the iPad but the airplay function is missing from iPad.
It is so annoying since before iOS6 and updating the Apple TV software everything worked perfectly. Any help would be very gratefully received.
Thanks

Hi Everyone,
hope this message finds you all in time. The recent Apple TV update 5.1 is terrible. Apple knows it is which is why (thankfully for some relentless user -I have no idea who but I believe it was under threat) they have allowed to sign 5.0.2 again which means you can downgrade your Apple TV 2 and 3 to a 5.0.2 version via iTunes. Who knows how long they will keep the window open but I have downgraded my ATV early this morning. I couldn't post this earlier because I was out all day but I am doing it now.
Here's how to do it:
1) Connect your ATV to your computer via a Mini USB (not included with ATV but included with many other electronic devices) - in order for your ATV to appear in iTunes you must FIRST plug the USB cable to your computer and ATV and only THEN plug the power cable.
2) Download your ipsw restore file from Apple.
5.0.2 (ATV 2): AppleTV2,1_5.0.2_9B830_Restore.ipsw
5.0.2 (ATV 3): AppleTV3,1_5.0.2_9B830_Restore.ipsw
3) In iTunes select yout ATV, hold SHIFT and click on Restore
4) Find and choose the downloaded IPSW file in the Open Dialog Box and hit Next
5) As long as Apple still signs that version the Restore process will begin and will take a few minutes to complete.
Enjoy!
raadore

Apple TV Home Sharing no longer working

I have a friend who is looking for help Here is his problem:
"I've had the 2nd generation Apple TV since October when it was released and it has worked fine until I recently changed my Apple User Name (email address). After changing my user name my Apple TV and iPhone 4 no longer find my shared network and home sharing no longer works. Home sharing is enabled on all devices, including my Sony Vaio Laptop, iPhone4, and Apple TV 2nd generation. Everything else has remained constant, including service provider, router, modem, and internet security (Trend Micro). Also, my library is on a networked hard drive, which didn’t seem to make a difference before, but I figured I'd mention it."
The problem began when he changed his Apple User Name. After he changed his name, home sharing no longer works even though he also changed it on all his devices to match the new Apple User Name.
How does he get Home Sharing working again. Has anyone run into this same problem?
Thanks in advance

Winston,
Thank you for the information. He confirmed that the ID and password are the same on every device. This only started happending when he changed his User Name with Apple.
--Itunes is running on a Windows Vista Machine (Sony Vaio)
--He has an Apple TV (2nd Gen)
--He has an iPhone 4
Can you tell me more about the technologies that apple uses to make "homesharing" work? Do you think he may need to remove then re-install Bonjour?

Has anyone found an answer for apple tv home sharing?

Iv just started using the apple tv 2nd generation. Im connected to a wireless network and streaming from youtube etc works fine.
So far no computer has been recognised by the atv2. Iv tried turning off firewalls but no change, i have the latest updates for itunes and atv2 but nothing. I checked the network ip addresses, all the computers working off the same accounts have the address 192.168.1.2 ,3 , 4 etc and the atv is 5 so i think that means theyre on the same network.
I have feeling the homesharing function could be the problem because none of the computers are picking up each others libraries or recognising any other devices (atv included) at all in the itunes device bar. Also, the homesharing icon disappears from all computers once you sign in.
Does anyone have any suggestions or has anyone been able to fix these problems? Id really really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Damien

Since I got my Apple TV2 I have had variable success with home sharing. My current set up is talktalk router (being used as a modem with wifi off), LAN connection to airport extreme (bridge). Apple TV connected to airport extreme via ethernet cable, imac, iphone, mac mini connecting to airport by wifi. There is a talktalk firewall on the modem but nothing on any of my devices or the airport extreme. Home sharing is on, the sleep settings are wake for network access. Tried Apple TV2 wireless but same problems.
At all times all my devices can access the internet via the airport extreme but the apple TV keeps loosing the imac library. Off/On of itunes sometimes helps but only reliable solution is to disconnect imac from network and reconnect.
When I use my macmini upstairs home sharing works fine with no problems so I would think the problem lies with homesharing and the apple TV. Very occasionally (much less than apple TV losing library) the imac loses internet although appears connected to airport with all lights green. iMac airport off/on also resolves this problem.
Any suggestions?

Bug? IPhone 3GS and iPad 1 running 4.3 only see one Home Sharing device

I have Home Sharing setup on a Mac mini, a MacBook Pro, an Apple TV, an iPad 1 and an iPhone 3GS. All versions are current (iTunes 10.2.1, iOS 4.3). All devices can see each other, except in the iPod application. The iPod application on either the iPhone or the iPad will only show the Mac mini or the MacBook Pro, and is not consistent as to which is visible. Launching the Remote app on either device detects the Mac mini, the MacBook Pro and the Apple TV, so the computers are definitely advertising their libraries. Has anyone else seen this? It seems like a bug to me.

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When I setup my Mac mini I copied the library from my MacBook Pro as a starting point. Because of this, I also copied the unique ID of the library. My iOS devices were differentiating devices based upon ID, rather than name, so they looked like the same device. I deleted the library off my Mac mini, reimported the songs, and I'm good now.

Apple TV home sharing through external hard drive.

Is it possible to take my movies that are on an external hard drive and hook it to a router so that my computer does not have to be on to home share?

If you intend to use home sharing, that is done through iTunes. The content can reside on your external, but it would need to be pointed to iTunes. The computer would need to be on for it to be available for Apple TV.
The scenario you are looking at would involve looking for a 3rd party app and using an IOS device to transmit the content to Apple TV, and it may not be reliable.

Apple TV Home Sharing dropping out

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Apple TV Home Sharing Photos

Hi folks,
I have an iMac which has home sharing turned on and which streams music, videos and photos to my Apple TV. This works fine, and now I have just purchased a new digital camera. The files for each photo are approximately 4MB each.
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Thanks.

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Apple TV Home Sharing Device Limit

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