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VLC for Apple TV Now Available on tvOS App Store
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There needs to be a way to use the Apple TV's USB port so VLC can access files natively instead of going through a slow network (files over 8gb in size have trouble playing over LAN).
Same issue. I've been a long time plex fan and the plex tvos app is very nice but the problem is all of my media is on a Synology NAS which is powered by an Intel atom processor. Just fine for file serving but doesn't have a prayer when it comes to the necessary file conversion the plex media server does while streaming. I've not found any working method of getting plex media server to just stream the video and let the app on the far more powerful Apple TV do the conversions.
So I've since ditched plex for infuse. Infuse is pointed directly to the files on the NAS and runs great. 3-5% cup usage vs 99%+ when using plex. They need to tweak scraping a bit to make it better but so far can't complain about Infuse at all.
hmm. i was waiting for VLC as i received my ATV4. at the same time i was also hoping that infuse will also arrive, which i was using on my JB ATV2. But it took some time, and in the meantime i tested various free apps. with some bad taste in my mouth, cause all of them was missing something.
Infuse started a beta testflight, i participated in it, right now its officially available from the tvos app store, and it is worth every single cent. it has everything and looks gorgeous.
basically it looks like the movies section of ATV4, supports various remote access to media, very accurate (but tuneable) metadata gathering, automatic subtitle download, recently watched, trakt sync.
as i said, it's a paid app, but i think i never spent 10 bucks better.
so i am glad, that also vlc has made it's way to the tvos store, but the temptation disappeared.
for sure it will be cool for some exotic video formats (infuse on ATV4 does not support ISO playback yet),
but in terms of UI it's in a completely different league.
Infuse started a beta testflight, i participated in it, right now its officially available from the tvos app store, and it is worth every single cent. it has everything and looks gorgeous.
basically it looks like the movies section of ATV4, supports various remote access to media, very accurate (but tuneable) metadata gathering, automatic subtitle download, recently watched, trakt sync.
as i said, it's a paid app, but i think i never spent 10 bucks better.
so i am glad, that also vlc has made it's way to the tvos store, but the temptation disappeared.
for sure it will be cool for some exotic video formats (infuse on ATV4 does not support ISO playback yet),
but in terms of UI it's in a completely different league.
Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down there, buddy. Let's see if we can eke out a few more free apps before showing all our cards.
You're not the only one. iTunes/Home Sharing still offers vastly more stable, polished and reliable experience versus Plex etc. Even for those who torrent stuff - most video can be torrented in H.264/MP4 format these days, so it's iTunes compatible from the get go, without the need to transcode.
There is simply no need to complicate things with Plex and other 3rd-party solutions.
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I can't get any media/videos to show using the "readyshare" via USB stick on my netgear router. Mac dropbox the videos play but don't want to use that.
I can't even drop files to my apple tv via Remote Playback when I point my browser to the IP VLC tv gives me.
Browsers can't connect to it.
Can anyone help?
I can't even drop files to my apple tv via Remote Playback when I point my browser to the IP VLC tv gives me.
Browsers can't connect to it.
Can anyone help?
Yes, for some.
Also, legally obtained shows. And home videos. And other content I've stored for offline use.
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My one experiment with Plex required it to keep my library in sync. I found that a nuisance compared to drag and drop or real time library browsing.
I just tried this, but all my media is on a desktop Mac with Server installed, and when I connect to it with VLC (via SMB--it does see it) I just get an "empty folder" message. I know SMB connections work fine from other Macs in the house--is there something wonky with my setup, or is VLC using an older version of the SMB protocol that doesn't work properly with 10.11's SMBX server daemon?
Anybody gotten this working correctly with VLC?
Does Boxee do this? I bought a cheap WDTV just to play ISOs, but it was so flakey that it was unusable.
I assume VLC doesn't have ISOsupport, since it wasn't mentioned, although the desktop version of VLC works just fine with ISOs. Plex and InFuse don't, either.
Anybody gotten this working correctly with VLC?
This is what I'm waiting for, too. I have a few downloaded fansubs, but mainly my library is a large collection of ISOs of my own DVDs.
Does Boxee do this? I bought a cheap WDTV just to play ISOs, but it was so flakey that it was unusable.
I assume VLC doesn't have ISOsupport, since it wasn't mentioned, although the desktop version of VLC works just fine with ISOs. Plex and InFuse don't, either.
I've used InFuse to play MKVs (with subtitle tracks) just fine. VLC presumably will, too.
If you're playing a file (rather than streaming) I'm pretty sure InFuse supports AC3 passthrough, although you might need to pay for the (inexpensive) non-free version.
I was so excited for this only to be let down...
Problems:
• No AC3 audio codec playback (So pretty much all your HD downloads won't work)
• Have to login to your shared folder every time (yes I saved my login details but you still have to click through 2 levels to access your content, and I share this with 2 computers also)
UI Problems
• Navigating during playback is hard (could be the over sensitive remote but trying to work the dropdown menu during playback is a challenge, for example trying to change playback speed)
• Showing the entire title in the playbar. Font size is way too big.
Solutions:
• Allow AC3 audio codec playback
• Allow a saved shortcut for your content folder
• Fix the dropdown menu nav
• If VLC insists on having the title on the playbar, make the font way smaller.
Other than these issues, the playback speed is a great feature. Probably the best feature on the app and currently the only reason to use it.
Problems:
• No AC3 audio codec playback (So pretty much all your HD downloads won't work)
• Have to login to your shared folder every time (yes I saved my login details but you still have to click through 2 levels to access your content, and I share this with 2 computers also)
UI Problems
• Navigating during playback is hard (could be the over sensitive remote but trying to work the dropdown menu during playback is a challenge, for example trying to change playback speed)
• Showing the entire title in the playbar. Font size is way too big.
Solutions:
• Allow AC3 audio codec playback
• Allow a saved shortcut for your content folder
• Fix the dropdown menu nav
• If VLC insists on having the title on the playbar, make the font way smaller.
Other than these issues, the playback speed is a great feature. Probably the best feature on the app and currently the only reason to use it.
It doesn't, so it isn't. If apple expands Siri it will most likely be for home libraries, not 3th party apps so for me, adding videos to iTunes where I can access them in iOS and tvOS is the simplest and most straightforward way. Any format I throw at VideoDrive is processed so I don't have to worry about incompatibilities either.
Because people tend to emphazise criticism compared to praising somebody or something?
You are like a little kid that says to his mom, "Look Mom, their is an elephant in the room." And your mom says, "Shhh"
All my videos on my hard drive connected to my capsule should it detect those video's automatically for playback or do I need to reconfigure something?
Most .MKVs are encoded with AC-3 audio which does not seem to be supported unfortunately.
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Thanks for the great feedback! Allowing AC3 will not happen, they were required to remove the support due to a "legal challenge"...
I don't want to divert the discussion but am glad to read that you like VideoDrive. I've been looking at a number of options and it keep popping up. Using HandBrake and Subler, it appears to automate what I've been doing manually and with scripts and presets. Cool!
