The newest Apple TV will be released at the end of 2020. At present, you can use the fifth generation of Apple TV to watch movies in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound, which is also named as Apple TV 4K. However, Apple TV can’t play MKV files directly. No matter which Apple TV generation you buy, you need to make some changes to play MKV on Apple TV. What you can do to make “unrecognizable” or “unable to play” MKV files popular with Apple TV again? Don’t worry about that. You can still play MKV on Apple TV 4K with the following solutions.

1. Vlc Player For Apple Tv
2. Vlc Apple

Play MKV on Apple TV

Part 1: Convert MKV to Apple TV Format (Batch Conversion Support)

The local network media support in VLC for Apple TV lets you stream media from a Mac or Windows computer connected to the same WiFi network. All you have to do is select any local device under Local Network on the top left of VLC app interface and enter your login credentials for the selected device. Launch VLC on your Apple TV, swipe left to go to the “Local Network” tab, and you’ll see your server there. Just click through to your movies and they should play without effort. What’s great here. Jul 27, 2012 I am also having trouble as described above but rebooting my Mac Air (2011) hasnt solved anything and both my mac and apple tv are up to date. Airplay mirroring works fine with Youtube and web based videos but when watching films using VLC from my mac via external hardrive I see only picture with sound playing from my internal speakers. If you basically use VLC for accessing your Plex Media server, you may need to install the free Apple TV app. For a more polished media center experience. In other to access files, simply choose any of the entries in the local network tab, and if applicable, enter your login credentials for the file share or FTP server.

It’s okay that Apple TV doesn’t support files in .mkv file extension. You can convert MKV files to the Apple TV supported formats. The best MKV to Apple TV converter is AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate. You can convert any MKV video to Apple TV to fix the incompatible issue. Apple TV supports video files in the formats of MOV, M4V and MP4 encoded in H.264. Therefore, all you need to do is changing MKV to M4V/MOV/MP4 Apple TV format. Later, you can play MKV on Apple TV successfully.

• 1. Convert MKV videos to Apple TV and other 500+ formats without losing quality.
• 2. Batch video conversion support with the 70x faster speed support.
• 3. Edit MKV video by trimming, cropping, rotating, cutting and more.
• 4. Enhance video quality to make your Apple TV MKV video look better in 4 ways.
• 5. Compress MKV videos to smaller file sizes.

Step 1: Run AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate after the installation. Click Add Files to import your MKV video.

Step 2: Unfold the Convert All to list on the top right corner. Browse and set the output video format for Apple TV playback. You can choose from the Video and Device categories.

Step 3: You can change the output folder from the Save to list near the bottom. At last, click Convert All to batch convert MKV files to Apple TV.

Part 2: Stream MKV Videos to Apply TV via Airplay Mirroring

If you have a Mac computer, you can use AirPlay to stream MKV files to Apple TV. AirPlay can mirror streaming MKV video from Mac to Apple TV. Thus, you can play MKV files on Apple TV 5/4/3/2/1 for free. The main disadvantage is that the MKV streaming video quality and fluency is reduced. If you don’t mind, you can stream MKV to Apple TV by AirPlay mirroring.

Step 1: Connect your Mac computer and Apple TV with the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Find and click the AirPlay icon on the top menu of your Mac computer.

Step 3: Click Apple TV to start the AirPlay mirroring.

Step 4: Now you can AirPlay MKV on Apple TV remotely. (How to do if AirPlay not show up on Mac )

Part 3: Use Media Player Software to Watch MKV Files on Apple TV

Though you cannot play MKV videos on Apple TV directly, you can use a compatible media player as a tool instead. It is VLC Media Player that can offer the Apple TV MKV playback feature. The MKV video can be decoded and played on Apple TV without converting. Though VLC for Apple TV version does not work with Apple TVs before the fourth generation. Moreover, it requires Apple TV tvOS 9.0 and later versions.

Step 1: Download and install VLC Media Player on Apple TV. You can install other compatible video players to open MKV on Apple TV as well.

Step 2: Run VLC Media Player. Add the target MKV video to the casting list.

Step 3: Double-click on this MKV video. Now you can watch and enjoy MKV video on Apple TV.

Part 4: FAQs of Playing MKV on Apple TV

Can you play MKV on Apple TV without converting?

Yes. You can bypass the Apple TV MKV limitation by AirPlay mirroring and VLC for Apple TV software. Be aware that the image quality is reduced. Meanwhile, you need to check the current Apple TV generation and OS version. VLC and AirPlay works for part of Apple TV MKV playback issues.

Can you play MP4 files on Apple TV?

It depends. If your MKV video is encoded with HEVC, MPEG-2, Theora, VP8, VP9 and other unsupported encoding process, you cannot play MP4 on Apple TV. It is suggested to convert, mirror or stream MP4 video to Apple TV.

Can Apple TV play video from USB?

No. There is no such a USB port for video playback on any Apple TV. The only USB port on older Apple TVs are used for factory resetting only.

Conclusion

These are 3 workable ways to play MKV files on Apple TV. If you don’t have Apple TV 4K or tvOS 9.0, and you want to get the best output quality, using AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate is your best choice. Just converting video from MKV to Apple TV format in seconds. After that, you can watch MKV videos on Apple TV all the time losslessly. Why not free download it and have a try right now!

• You can cast content from a VLC player to your Chromecast-connected TV from a Mac or PC.
• As long as your devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, casting from VLC to Chromecast is a seamless process.
• Once you're casting, you can use the VLC controls on your computer for the video's playback functions.

The VLC media player is one of the most user-friendly platforms available for video playback, making it a great option among free media players.

And as of its 3.0 version released in 2018, you can now cast VLC from your Mac or PC to a Chromecast-connected TV.

Here's how you can cast from your computer's VLC player to a Chromecast in three easy steps.

How to cast VLC to Chromecast (Mac or PC)

1. Open the VLC media player app, and click 'Playback' from the main options menu at the top. In the Playback dropdown menu, click 'Renderer.'

Vlc Player For Apple Tv

2. A pop-up should appear beside the 'Renderer' option - select your Chromecast device. If you don't see your Chromecast already listed, click 'Scan.'

3. Open a file to play in VLC. If you are given an 'Insecure site' prompt, click 'View certificate' and 'Accept Permanently.'

Vlc Apple

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How to cast VLC to Chromecast (PC only)

You can use the aforementioned method for Mac and PC, and PC users can also perform the steps to cast using a few right-clicks:

1. Start playing the media in VLC you want to cast to Chromecast.

2. Right-click on the video, then select 'Playback,' 'Renderer,' and the name of the Chromecast.

Your video should play immediately. You can use the VLC buttons to control the video playback on your Chromecast-connected TV.

If you're not able to locate the Chromecast in VLC, be sure your computer and Chromecast are on the same Wi-Fi network - only Chromecast-connected TVs on the same network will be listed.

If you're still having an issue, you may also need to disconnect from your computer's VPN, if you're using one.

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