AppleInsider Staff
Problems associated with the latest software update for the Apple TV set-top box have resulted in non-functional units for some users.
Details of the issues can be found in a growing thread discovered by AppleInsider at the Apple Support Communities website. There, users of the iOS-based Apple TV models indicate that upgrading the software on their device has rendered it useless.
After running the software update option on the Apple TV, a number of users indicated that the hardware simply displayed a blinking light, while nothing but a black screen is shown on their HDTV. Others found that their Apple TV could no longer connect to their network after updating, rendering the streaming-centric device useless.
Users began posting about issues with the Apple TV software update in late September, but the thread has continued to grow, with posts made as recent as Tuesday.
Manually downgrading the Apple TV software has been discovered to work as a possible fix for those affected by the issue. The process requires installing an IPSW restore file from Apple, plugging the Apple TV into a Mac or PC with a micro USB cable, and force restoring the software through iTunes.
The latest Apple TV software update launched in September labeled as version 5.1. It added support for Shared Photo Streams, and added the ability to send audio content from the Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices, including the AirPort Express.
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61 Comments
I've had enormous problems with Apple TV since the last update. It's buggy, and crashy and constantly loses track of my computers and has to be rebooted (not to mention the ear and brain searing UI of the latest versions). I guess I'm supposed to be happy that I don't have this and that it at least it *sorta* works. :)
Yup. My 3rd generation Apple TV died at the weekend in this way. Can't connect to a wireless network and plugging in the ethernet cable immediately starts the light blinking and the screen goes black.
Jail Broken AppleTV may break after an update.
With consumer electronics increasingly subject to firmware updates, the chances of "bricking" a device seems to grow higher and higher. I updated my Apple TV to 5.1 with success, but I'm guessing there are many reasons why an update can go wrong. The solution to this is pretty simple: Apple and others need to designed firmware update techniques that are non-destructive if the worse happens. Warnings that "unplugging the device in the middle of an update may make the device inoperable" are not excusable in this day and age. Power-cuts happen, toddlers happen, stupid people happen, and random bugs happen. A simple on-boot checksumming of the firmware to check it's validly written, and fail-over to a permanent copy of an old version of the OS should be standard these days. I don't understand why "bricking" should be an issue any more, other than cutting corners and cost.
this happened to me. it wouldn't detect my wireless network and when plugged directly into my router it would reboot itself after selecting the language. even an iTunes restore did not fix it. i ended up getting it swapped out at the apple store. the genius said it was the first time he'd ever seen anything like it. when he couldn't fix it, he gave me a replacement. interestingly, this happened on the 5.0 update but it fixed itself overnight. i wasn't so lucky with the 5.1 update.