ATV Streaming Issue

Apple General
#1

I have a recurring odds issue with my couple-of-years old Apple TV 4.

When streaming, often the stream starts to buffer or fail entirely. I run the ‘Speedtest’ App, and sure enough its running at ~1Mbps, so that explains it.
Except, if I run the same test on my ipad on the same router, 53Mbps.
Hmmm?

If I ‘Restart’ the ATV and run the Speedtest again, its back to 53Mbps. Streaming is smooth, problem fixed.

Except this happens daily now.

My question is, why? Why would the ATV seemingly ‘throttle down’ the incoming stream; which are restart fixes. Do ATV’s ‘fail’ after a period?
Any thoughts?

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#2

I was beginning to wonder the same thing, I’ve had the spinner now more times than I can count. Is this a warning to upgrade?

#3

Never had this issue, but a couple of guesses.

I could be due to interference from another wireless device. Not necessarily one of yours, it could be a neighbors device. If they got a new device recently it could be the cause of the more frequent issues. This can often be fixed by changing the channel which your router / access point broadcasts on. The more noise on a channel, the more interference, which can cause drop outs and performance issues. Worth investigating.

Alternatively, as its got worse over time, it could potentially be thermal issue. Most parts will slow themselves down if they hit a certain thermal limit. Maybe its worth opening it up and cleaning out some dust.

#4

I have a 1st Gen (2017) Apple TV 4K and have not had any issues like this. I imagine you may find some assistance in the MacRumors ATV forum.

#5

Good suggestions, thanks.

With the interference, I also considered that, however, a restart immediately fixes the issue; and other devices in the same room are running at 53Mpbs, so doesn’t seem like interference to me. Problem seems to be internal.

Yes, its the original 4k version so must be 3-4 years old(?), so I might pull it apart and have a look inside for dust.

I was hoping Apple would upgrade it, as I was open to replacing it.

1 Like
#6

Release dates
Apple TV 4K (1st Gen): Sep 2017 (10nm A10X)
Apple TV 4K (2nd Gen): May 2021 (7nm A12)

Rumours of a new ATV (8K? 5nm SOC?) coming this year or next. I’d be surprised if anything is on the immediate horizon, a new ATV is usually released every 2-4 years.

#7

Didn’t even realise the ATV got a spec bump last year.

Not sure of the benefit of an 8k version. Surely the number of TV’s out there that can display that resolution is still a tiny amount.

1 Like
#8

Ignore me. No spec bumps for the older ATVHD, will have to buy a 4K if I want to replace it. And a new TV.