Apple TV users who are having trouble updating their devices to Apple TV Update 5.1.1 should try updating via Wi-Fi or manual restore and ditch the ethernet cable. Apple released the update last week, but unfortunately the update backfired, causing some second and third generation Apple TVs to fail to boot. In a nutshell, the update turned some Apple TVs into big, black Apple TV shaped bricks
If you were someone who bricked their Apple TV, you can restore and update yours by plugging the device into your computer via Micro USB and then following the restore instructions on Apple’s website.
If you’re unaware, Apple TV Update 5.1.1 didn’t really bring much to the table for the Apple TV. In fact, the only thing added was Up Next support, which is a music queue introduced in iTunes 11. If you don’t have a strong need for this feature, we’d highly reccomend holding off on updating your Apple TV until Apple TV Update 5.1.2 is released.