Syncing Home Movies to Apple TV

Running iLife '09 with all latest updates ...
I recently bought a Sanyo VPC-FH1A camcorder (HIGHLY recommend it by the way) ... bought it because it had the Apple logo on the side and was touted as the first camcorder to adopt "iFrame" format from Apple ...
What I was looking for was EASY ... I want to pop out the SDHC card, copy it to my iMac via an external card reader, and mess with it later, just like I do with my still camera, i.e., copy my .jpegs to a folder and import/edit the files in iPhoto later, and synch them to my AppleTV ... ALMOST got all of that.
The problem I'm having is that the movies that come off the camcorder (.mp4's) immediately play in Quicktime, iMovie, and in iTunes (i.e., no conversions required) ... however, those movies added to the iTunes library do NOT sync to my AppleTV ... I have to go the the Advanced ... Make Movie Compatible with AppleTV ... that process esentially cut the file size by a factor of 4, and named the new file with a .m4v ... ??? ... then it synced fine ... problem is, iFrame is already about 1/4 size of "true" Hi-Def, and this is 1/4 of that ... maybe when AppleTV plays it, it decodes the compression back to my original iFrame quality?
I have other older home movies that I painstakingly converted to .mp4's, and they sync just fine (used MPEG Streamclip) ... when I do a Get Info on the two new files, it looks like the same codec's are used ... any ideas how I can not have TWO copies of every single video clip? Actually, THREE, since my new camcorder shoots videos & stills (very nicely and easily I might add ... HIGHLY recommend this camera) and so my first attempt at dumping stuff to the Mac ended up with everything in iPhoto ... it would be nice to have them stored there as the original video source, but I'd like to have iTunes just have a Link to the videos rather than yet another copy, which I then have to convert for playing on AppleTV too ...
Thanks,
Mike G

You camera shoots 1920x1080 video. An Apple TV supports 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps and 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps.
Your 1920x1080 video needs to be converted to 960x540 for use on your Apple TV.

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Converting home movies to apple tv format

One more question, please.
I converted my 1280 x 720 home movies to Apple TV format in iTunes and they were "downrezzed" to 960 x 540.
Why? And can I avoid this somehow?

I wouldn't worry about it. many people are concerned about the resolution without giving a thought to datarate. Your tv is limited to the bitrate it can play, at a fixed bitrate a 1280 x 720 movie will have less info per pixel (macroblock-technically) than a 960 x 540 so whilst there are more pixels in 1280 x 720 those in the 960 x 540 movie are higher quality and there is little difference, indeed my tests generally show 960 x 540 to be slightly better.
You could reduce the frame rate of 1280 x 720 to allow it to play on the tv, but this will likely introduce jittery motion.

Problems viewing home movies on Apple TV

I would like to watch home movies on Apple TV but while my photographs show fine all the movies I have in iPhoto don't show at all. Is there a setting I need to change to make this possible? Thanks, Phil

I realize this is a late response, but it might help.
Try opening the movie file with iTunes. Right click on the video file, and select Open With > iTunes. If iTunes opens it and plays it, then it is ready to go for AppleTV. If it doesn't, then it is not in a format that iTunes or AppleTV support. This can be a huge time saver if you have a lot of clips.
If you have iTunes copy media to the library, then you are going to eat up a sizeable chunk of disk real estate -- as it sounds like you have a lot of movies. You can turn that option off and on in iTunes preferences. Unless you wanted it copied, I would turn that option off before importing a lot of video.
As someone else mentioned, you can use some free utilities to convert the files en masse. After they are converted, you do the same thing. Open With > iTunes. No need to call up iMovie. Quicktime Player has built-in preset for AppleTV in the Export option. There are automation scripts available to do this if you don't want to use Handbrake or other utility.
In my humble opinion, the AppleTV did not have sharing home movies in mind. At least not movies captured on non-apple devices. WDTV can play m2ts and other file formats with no conversion. I have several TB of home movies, so that was my only viable option. Besides, I don't think there is a way to play 1080p home movies through AppleTV. Nor will it play the 5.1 track from home movies, as that gets converted to stereo in the process.
Hope this helps.

Turn on home sharing won't work to watch home movies on Apple TV

I have Apple TV 3rd generation. I transferred home movies from my MAC to my Apple TV. I have gone to Apple TV and then Computers and clicked it and there are my home movies. Many times however a message appears to "Turn on my Home Sharing". So I go to my computer and File and first have to turn off and then turn on and put in password and Done. Usually this works but I keep getting the same message and cannot see the home movies. Unplugged Apple TV, unplugged modem and router. Still not working. Any suggestions? thanks

you people are useless!!

Home Movies on Apple TV

I understand that I can watch home movies on my computer via apple tv. I am planning on buying a second generation apple tv but before I do so I would like to make sure that there is a way to watch the home movies which I have imported into imovie on the apple tv. Can someone point me to some directions as to how I get home movies which stored in imovie into itunes? Under the "Advanced" menu there is "Choose Photos to Share". Does this mean that I need to first get my movies from imovie to iphoto and then from iphoto to itunes? My apologies in advance if I am missing something really obvious here.
Thanks,
Andrew

I realize this is a late response, but it might help.
Try opening the movie file with iTunes. Right click on the video file, and select Open With > iTunes. If iTunes opens it and plays it, then it is ready to go for AppleTV. If it doesn't, then it is not in a format that iTunes or AppleTV support. This can be a huge time saver if you have a lot of clips.
If you have iTunes copy media to the library, then you are going to eat up a sizeable chunk of disk real estate -- as it sounds like you have a lot of movies. You can turn that option off and on in iTunes preferences. Unless you wanted it copied, I would turn that option off before importing a lot of video.
As someone else mentioned, you can use some free utilities to convert the files en masse. After they are converted, you do the same thing. Open With > iTunes. No need to call up iMovie. Quicktime Player has built-in preset for AppleTV in the Export option. There are automation scripts available to do this if you don't want to use Handbrake or other utility.
In my humble opinion, the AppleTV did not have sharing home movies in mind. At least not movies captured on non-apple devices. WDTV can play m2ts and other file formats with no conversion. I have several TB of home movies, so that was my only viable option. Besides, I don't think there is a way to play 1080p home movies through AppleTV. Nor will it play the 5.1 track from home movies, as that gets converted to stereo in the process.
Hope this helps.

Cannot Sync Rented Movies to Apple TV

I cannot sync rented movies to my Apple TV. I contacted Apple Support and they told me to update my Apple TV software (done), update my iTunes software (done) and reauthorize my computer (done). But it still won't work. It gives me the option to "move" the movie and it starts the syncing process but never finishes the process and never gives any type of error message as to why it does not complete the move. It just moves the movie back to the other side of the "move" screen. I have no problem syncing tv shows to my Apple TV. The Apple rep's response was that he recommended that I not purchase anymore rental movies. Isn't there something else I could try to fix it? Has anyone else encountered this? Thank you very much.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT purchase rental movies in I-Tunes if you want to watch them on Apple TV. I rented "Batman Begins" in I-Tunes and Apple TV says it is "not authorized" to play it. I rented the "Darjeeling Trials", and Apple TV played the first few minutes - but when I paused it and came back to it, it said "this movie has expired" and even deleted the rental from I-Tunes for me - niiiice.
My Apple TV is brand new, latest model, 160GB, latest latest software (downloaded today) and I also have the latest lates (7.1.1) I-Tunes software. IF you download thru I-Tunes, RENTALS DO NOT WORK with this software.
Download direct to Apple TV instead (at least that works... )

I have numerous music movie clips that I have not purchased through iTunes, can I stream these "home" movies to apple TV? And if this is not possible, is there another complete program available that I can purchase to have my music movie clips stream to a

I have numerous music movie clips that I have not purchased through iTunes, Is it possible to stream these "home" movies using iTunes to apple TV?
And if iTunes will not allow it, is there another complete program available that I can purchase to have my music movie clips stream to a TV and/or another computer?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Thanks, Winston C, I've actually tried everything you suggested. I'm thinking now that the Home Sharing problem likely is related to Bonjour--I've seen several people mention this with similar (but not identical) problems. The solution that seems to work for some people is to uninstall and reinstall Bonjour. Frankly, I don't want to go through the trouble given that the iOS 7 release is imminent.
One thing that I haven't tried is resetting the ATV to factory settings. I'll give that whirl.
Thanks for your advice!

All is set up ok but when I view a home movie the apple tv reverts to the menu at random times, sometimes every 30 secs or so, sometimes plays for mins before cutting out and then i have to enter menu, go to movies and select the movie then resume play bu

Whwn viewing home movies the movie cuts out back to the general menu at random, forcing me to enter menu again, reselect the movie and hit resume button.
this happens everytime I try to play a movie, maybe after 1 min of play then again after 3 mins, next time it might play for 6 mins then cut out and so on. The macbook pro is not reverting to sleep mode or closing down and the wifi signal is strong. So is the apple tv an expensive load of junk or what?

Welcome to the Apple Community.
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.

Home Movies over Apple TV

Greetings:
I have a significant amount of home movies on my windows computer in AVI format. I want to save a copy of all AVI files. I also have Quicktime Pro.
What is the most efficient (space saving with best resolution) way of playing the AVI movies on the Apple TV through home sharing on my windows computer.
Is it doing a save as or exporting from the AVI. Can the AVI be streamed? Thanks in advance...j

The Apple TV does not support AVI.
To have any certainty that you are converting your files correctly you should export them from QuickTime in an H264 format.

How to watch home movies on Apple TV?

I have home movies in IPhoto taken with my Canon Elph. Can I watch these on Apple TV? If so where do I find them?

Niel wrote:
Double-click the movie in iPhoto, find it's path from the Open Recent item in the File menu of the QuickTime Player, choose Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu, enter the path after deleting everything following the final /, and drag the movie files into the open iTunes window. .........
I'm sure that will work, but is it all that necessary, surely it's simpler to drag the movie from the iphoto window to the itunes window.
If it is in the wrong format try advanced/convert selection for Apple TV. Some files may not convert this way, if so, come back for another method based on the type of file you have.

Can't sync home movie from iTunes to iPhone 4

Whether I use Hand brake or Winx DVD Ripper to transfer my 6 min. home movie to iTunes, it will not transfer to my iphone 4. it does play in iTunes.
I made sure to choose 640p and H.264 and still it wont transfer.
I was suspicious with early attempts because, although they played in iTunes there was an icon under the movie (a cirlcle only half blue). This last time, pre-setting with 640p the movie had a fully blue circle (what does this mean?) and when I synced it actually said "syncing movie..." But, it did not appear in my photo album! I'm really frustrated, spending hours on this. Can anyone help?

Holy crap you guys! I'm spinning with outstretched arms knocking stuff over jubilantly screaming "YESSS"! while you guys sit, spinning in your chairs saying "great we saved another idiot..."
I was told my videos would appear in my photo album.
Thank you. ThanK YOU! I need to go have some fun now. Wow, it looks great!
Thanks again. Am I really an idiot...

Syncing Home Movies

I am able to sync "still photos" from my Canon camera that are in folders on "My Pictures" just fine. I have one folder that has "Movies" taken with the same camera but those won't sync even though I have the folder checked.
Are home movies possible on iTouch? If so, How do I do it?

I tried selecting the "video tab" but it said I had not downloaded or rented any videos from the iTunes store (and I have not). There did not appear to be any options to select videos I had created. Thus I concentrated on the "Photos Tab" because that gave me options to make selections from my PC hard drive. If I could get iTunes to recognize the MPEG-4 files I could "drag" them to the iTouch and see if that would be accepted - but it won't. I thought about going to a genius bar, but they would probably be working in the "MAC WORLD", not PC

My Home Movies on Apple TV

I have an AppleTV managed from a Vista PC. All works fine for most things except my home movies. They start life as good quality avi or mpg files produced on my PC (1-4 gig each).
However Apple TV and itunes won't recognise them as avi's or mpg's. How do I make them into something that Apple will recognise - and keep my high quality? I have found some mp4 converters, but my videos either won't convert because of their size or end up as low resolution copies which are unwatchable.
I also have major problems retaining the original 16:9 format. Everything seems to want to distort it into the antiquated 4:3 format.
Any help appreciated.
Thank you guys!
Mike

However Apple TV and itunes won't recognise them as avi's or mpg's.
TV only recognizes/plays a limited number of media compression formats:
Video formats supported
 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) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
 iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels, 640 by 480 pixels, 720 by 480 pixels (anamorphic), or high-definition 720p
 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) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Audio formats supported
 AAC (16 to 320 Kbps); protected AAC (from iTunes Store); MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps); MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; WAV; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through
Photo formats supported
 JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG
In addition, TV will also pass through properly encoded AC3 5.1 audio to a external amplifier. (Files are not compatible with Front Row, iTunes, iPhone, or iPod playback on a Mac. Whether or not you can do something with them on a PC I don't know.)
How do I make them into something that Apple will recognise - and keep my high quality?
Convert unsupported/proprietary compression formats to those listed above. (Some may be converted by iTunes if you have the proper codecs installed.)
I have found some mp4 converters, but my videos either won't convert because of their size or end up as low resolution copies which are unwatchable.
I tend to prefer MPEG Streamclip (free) for conversions. Once again you need the proper codecs installed for use. (See MPEG Streamclip web pages for amplifying information for the platform you intend to use. I.e., versions available for both Eindows and Mac platforms.) I normally convert at the same resolution as the source file. Quality is generally most affected by the target video data rate of your conversion. You can experiment a bit here to discover what works best on your system for the content (HD, SD, dimensions, etc.) involved. (I use 1400-1500 Kbps for SD content to be viewed on iPhone, iPod, and TV or as high as 3.5-4.5 Mbps for HD/AC3 content for TV only.)
I also have major problems retaining the original 16:9 format. Everything seems to want to distort it into the antiquated 4:3 format.
both 16:9 and 4:3 conversion presets are programmed into MPEG Streamclip. In addition, you can crop source (input) or target (output) dimensions (as desired as well as crop/scale/center content if desired) for other formats like 1.67:1, 1.80:1, 2.35:1, 2.40:1, etc.

How do I sync home movies? - no sound when downloaded to ipod

I learned how to put my home movies onto my ipod, but when I play it, there is no sound. Please help me...

On the ipod goto Video>video settings> and make sure "TV Out" is set to OFF if listinging thru headphones or ON if you have it connected to a TV.
Did you convert the video in iTUnes?

How to sync purchased movie on apple tv to itunes

I had purchased a movie on my Apple TV but it will not sync to my itunes on my computer. I see it on my iPad 2 but it will not sync to iTunes. If I delete it from my iPad, it will be gone forever. How can I get this to back up to my computer?

They won't appear automatically. You have to download them by going to the iTunes Store - purchased (under quick links)
You would have the 3rd gen

Syncing Home Movies to Apple TV

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