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apple tv 4 and mkv playback

adamcarvell

adamcarvell

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2013
349
31
warwickshire england
hi I'm considering buying the new apple tv 4 i have a mac mini and iPhone etc . i currently use a width media player to stream mov files from my 2tb wdmycloud nas this works fine however but no apps and as useual fancy the latest gadget . is it worth it etc and how would i play my mkvs over the network as i don't fancy encoding them etc .
 
adamcarvell said:
hi I'm considering buying the new apple tv 4 i have a mac mini and iPhone etc . i currently use a width media player to stream mov files from my 2tb wdmycloud nas this works fine however but no apps and as useual fancy the latest gadget . is it worth it etc and how would i play my mkvs over the network as i don't fancy encoding them etc .
Click to expand...

Plex on the new Apple TV is exactly what you are looking for. Is is brilliant. It plays .mkv straight out of the box. The only thing is that your media center Mac has to be quite new. My old MacMini 2009 with 4GB of RAM could't cope with 10GB files (HD). On my new MacBook Retina it is smooth as silk :)
 
umm i dont fancy encoding stuff got to many might have to look at others like the rook or nvidia shield i don't game though . was hoping the new apple tv4 would work as i might get it for xmas .
 
adamcarvell said:
umm i dont fancy encoding stuff got to many might have to look at others like the rook or nvidia shield i don't game though . was hoping the new apple tv4 would work as i might get it for xmas .
Click to expand...

You aren't encoding anything, Plex transcodes automatically the files it needs to. Just point it at your NAS.
 
adamcarvell said:
ok how do i point it at the n a s please ? i can't install flex on the n a s it doesn't support apps.
Click to expand...

I think the crucial step no one has mentioned, or I've read the thread wrong, is that you either need to have Plex media server running on your computer, of if your NAS is compatible there are versions of Plex that will run on a NAS. That's what does the transcoding and serving it up to Plex on the Apple TV. Without Plex media server running it's not going to do what your after.
 
In Finder on your Mac, select Go - http://c00kie.d.pr/HeC7/2rixR2g3

Then select 'Connect to Server' - http://c00kie.d.pr/1d0Sr/4ebQ5TVC

Enter the IP address of your NAS on your network and hit 'Connect' - http://c00kie.d.pr/1eMGn/1romGB3O

Login to the NAS and select the folder or drive which contains your movies and this will mount the drive on your Mac's desktop, and Plex will then see it as a drive on your Mac and you'll be able to stream your films to your ATV 4.

Ive done this on my 2011 i5 Mac Mini as my Synology NAS won't allow for Plex to be installed and this workaround is working perfectly for me.
 
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you should really consider Infusion 4 for Apple TV to be released soon. I doesnt require an external server like Air Video or Plex, and is a much faster alternative to Plex which can become quite bloated and ponderous. Infusion just requires a NAS over Samba (It supports other protocols too) leaving the decoding to Apple TV.
 
tried the public folder on the desktop it found the files ok . but my wd tv player can't have flex either the n a s and my tv is over six years old no apps on there . so is the apple tv for me for mkv playback i don't use iTunes for movies shows etc or should i look at alternatives like the nvidia shield roku4 etc.
 
Ricktracer said:
you should really consider Infusion 4 for Apple TV to be released soon. I doesnt require an external server like Air Video or Plex, and is a much faster alternative to Plex which can become quite bloated and ponderous. Infusion just requires a NAS over Samba (It supports other protocols too) leaving the decoding to Apple TV.
Click to expand...

Infuse rocks, they are in the process of doing an ATV app.

http://firecore.com/blog/

If you have an iDevice and purchase infuse v3.0 Pro Infuse 4 for Apple TV will be a free update.
 
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how do current owners play there mkv files from a n a s ? airplay or flex app ? if both work and i can access the files from my n a s and play them that way without having to leave my mac mini on like i currently do i might take the plunge at xmas.
 
Some smart TVs support streaming from a DNLA server and don't require anything.

I think your NAS supports DNLA.

Before I replaced my TV I used to be able to stream the MKV files via Airplay to my ATV from Infuse playing on my iPhone or iPad.

Don't bother looking at PLEX as it requires a server to do transencoding with Plex Media Server running on it.

Download the non Pro version of Infuse and give it a go.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/infuse-3-elegant-video-player/id577130046?mt=8

http://support.firecore.com/forums

https://player.vimeo.com/video/62213671

Just waiting from the developer for my beta of Infuse4 for the ATV as I'm on the list of beta testers :)
 
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