Apple TV app "Video not available" message on Sony Bravia & Roku 3810

September 13, 2021 2:02 PM

I have the Apple TV app on both a Sony Bravia KD-43X80J smart TV and a Roku Stick 3810x plugged into a Samsung TV. On both, I can log into my account, scroll through the menu, and select a show or movie. But every time I hit PLAY, I get the message Video Not Available. There's a problem loading this video. If this continues, check your internet connection.

Here's where it get strange: I have no trouble streaming Apple TV content to my MacBook Pro or iPhone 8 on the same Wi-Fi network. It's only the non-Apple devices that are giving me trouble.

The Sony and Roku are both on the list of Apple TV App–Supported Devices.

Other details: Fast internet service (100 MB). ARRIS CM820A cable modem. TP-Link AC4000 wireless router.

All other streaming services work fine on both the Sony and the Roku. I've done all the usual stuff - reinstalled apps, power cycled devices, etc.

Any ideas? Apple Support said to call Sony and Roku, but it seems absurd that I'd have the exact same error on two different devices.

It's getting maddening. Ideas, hive mind?

posted by bassomatic to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

I had this message from the appleTV app on my roku when I first installed the appleTV app last winter. The same thing happened on my LG TV when I installed the app there.

It did go away through some combination of doing firmware updates on everything that had firmware, and unplugging everything and leaving the whole mess unplugged for about five minutes. The app on the TV started working a few days sooner than the app on the roku.

Consumer electronics is way too complicated for its own good.
posted by monotreme at 5:35 PM on September 13, 2021

Long shot, but are you doing any DNS filtering or ad blocking on your network? Some kind of ad/data collection traffic being blocked might result in that error message.
posted by enigmango at 6:11 PM on September 13, 2021

Response by poster: Naturally, it turns out to be more complicated: Movies and TV shows stream fine except when they are Apple's exclusive TV+ content. Which means Mad Men and most movies, all good, but Ted Lasso and Greyhound - you know, the stuff you pay for - spark the dreaded Video Not Available message.

So there's another data point.
posted by bassomatic at 10:35 AM on September 15, 2021

Response by poster: I'm marking this as resolved since the problem is revealing itself to be more complicated than presented in my original question. Or if a mod would like to delete entirely, that's fine too. Thanks for the answers though!
posted by bassomatic at 5:54 AM on September 23, 2021