Apple TV Not Showing in iTunes

See the tvOS beta Software Installation Guide here: https://developer.apple.com/tvos/download/ :

7. NOTE: If iTunes does not recognize Apple TV, place it in recovery mode. To place your Apple TV in recovery mode:

a. Ensure the Apple TV is connected to your Mac.

b. Using the included remote, press and hold MENU + Play/Pause for 6 seconds until the indicator light begins flashing rapidly.

c. Proceed with step 4 to restore the Apple TV.

I've tried this a few times and it still doesn't show in iTunes.

The light begins flashing quickly like it should but then when I release it stops blinking fast, goes back to the slow blink, and still doesn't show in iTunes or Xcode.

When it is plugged in over HDMI, I get the recovery screen and I can press and hold the buttons (as said in the instructions). After that the screen just goes black and stays that way. Any ideas on how to get it running? I've been working on getting it to boot for 3 hours now.

Do you have the Xcode beta installed? It didn't show up for me until I had that installed.

The first time I tried to set it up I was doing it from my non-beta machine. I just installed Xcode-7.1 Beta on my beta machine (running El Capitan GM) and still no luck 😟.

In iTunes, tap the icon (rectangle w/up triangle) to choose speakers and see if the new ATV shows there...

Still no luck, just my old Apple TV there.

If you've failed to make a connection to the computer, there is no OS installed yet, so not much is going to happen on the TV via HDMI, I think, but that at least tells you it's alive.

I'd cycle the USB cable connection a few times, confirming it takes some doing before the snap in/out and that the cable seats flush against the back of the ATV when inserted. Orientation shouldn't matter, and for me at least, the ATV works thru a USB 2.0 hub that connects to a USB 3.0 socket on my Mac, so not connecting directly doesn't seem to a factor either.

I've tried connecting it directly to my laptop and through my apple cinema display (just in case it somehow worked that way 🙂). The USB connection seems to work because when it's plugged in it waits ~5 seconds before it starts blinking fast where as it starts blinking fast right away when it's not plugged in.

How much force does it take to seat the USB cable?

Not much at all. It clicks when I insert it fully.

Hmm....doesn't sound like it's seating properly? It should be noticable, not easy, I think, but if it clicks it might be fine. Do you have a magnifying glass you can use to inpect the connector and the socket?

I looked at both and they are prestine. No dust, nothing bent. I don't have any other USB-C devices so no way to test the cable. The cable felt very flimsy and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the problem.

How much wiggle does your USB-C connector have. I'm realizing mine moves up and down 4-8mm when i wiggle it. Is that normal or do I have a faulty connector?

I got it to work. I just kept inserting and removing the connector while flipping it until iTunes FINALLY popped up and told me it detected an Apple TV. It took me 7 hours but it's finally setup 🙂 I'm afraid I have a bad connector because it seems like it is really loose but I'll follow up about that later. Right now the Apple TV is balanced on my knee as it's restoring and I'm trying not to move at all 🙂