Have trouble on playing MKV with DTS on Apple TV 4 via Plex? This article will teach you how to stream MKV to ATV 4 with Plex Media Server without any issue.
Q: “Hi everyone. I apologise if this questions has been asked a thousand times but here it goes. (I am new to plex)
I purchased a ATV4 and installed PLEX
I have a PLEX server running on my NAS TS-419P II and the ATV picks it up ok
I can play MP4 but I can’t play MKV on the ATV4
Is there any way to get this to play both containers ?”
The Plex app requires the new fourth generation Apple TV, as Apple does not make the app store available on older models of the device. As more and more users get the Apple TV 4, there are many Apple TV 4 about Plex related questions asked on the forums and websites, one of the hot topics is the MKV playback on Apple TV 4 via Plex. A lot of users have MKV videos and movies stored on computer, and now they want to play MKV on Apple TV 4 so that they can enjoy the videos and movies on big HDTV. Then how to stream MKV with DTS on Apple TV 4 via Plex? The answer is easy. Well, depending on your source file (and/or your hardware), there are several ways how to get your video working with Apple TV 4 and AirPlay:
1. Play the MKV file on a Mac and use AirPlay Mirroring
2. Transcode / Re-encode the MKV file (that means converting it).
AirPlay Mirroring MKV to Apple TV 4
A nice and easy way, if you have a modern Mac, is AirPlay Mirroring. Basically, this means that you play the video with your Mac (for instance with VLC) and just mirror your display to the Apple TV.
The big advantage is that you can instantly start watching your video.
Transcoding MKV to Apple TV 4 for Plex
The MKV to Apple TV 4 playback issue is caused by the video format limitation of Apple TV 4/Plex. If you check Apple TV 4 user manual or its product page you will learn that Apple TV 4 supported video formats are limited, it can only play H.264/MPEG-4 MOV, MP4 and M4V files, for other video formats like MKV, AVI, WMV, etc. Apple TV 4 is not able to play them, so you can’t play MKV on Apple TV 4/Plex direct.
Okay, for all users, if you want to stream MKV files to the new Apple TV, Apple TV 3/2 for playback, you’ll need to convert your MKV files to Apple friendly format (e.g. m4v). Along with some help from third-party software. With Pavtube iMedia Converter for Mac, a great Mac MKV Converter for Apple TV 4, you can easily achieve your goal smoothly. In addition to converting MKV to the new Apple TV/Plex, it also can MP4, H.265, Tivo, AVCHD, VOB, MPEG-2, MXF, WMV, AVI, DivX, Xvid, Flash format, WebM, and etc to Apple TV 4 video format.
Overall, this all-in-one Video Converting tool can help you to rip Blu-ray, DVD and various video files to your Apple TV 4 for watching. Furthermore, it is also equipped with advanced editing function like add subtitles, effect, text or picture watermark to MKV files, crop MKV black bars, trim or merge MKV files, compress output file size and etc. (Learn more functions in this review).
Other Download:
– Pavtube old official address: http://www.pavtube.cn/imedia-converter-mac/
– Cnet Download: http://download.cnet.com/Pavtube-iMedia-Converter/3000-2194_4-76177788.html
The following guide shares with you how to encode 1080p/720p MKV to Apple TV 4 for playback on Mac step-by-step.
Step 1. Install and launch the MKV Converter for Apple TV 4, and click “Add file” or “Add from folder” button to load your MKV files. The software supports batch conversion so that you can add several MKV files to convert at one time. You can also load Internet torrents movies.
Step 2. Click on “Format” boarder to set output format.
Click on the dropdown menu of “Format” and then move your pointer to “Apple TV 3 1080P Dolby Digital Pass-through(*.m4v)” from “Apple TV” which is the compatible format for Apple TV 4. Then you can set the output folder by clicking “Browse” icon as you need. Learn>>Plex Supported Video Formats.
Step 3: Adjust audio and video parameters.
Click the “Settings” icon and you will go into a new interface named “Profile Settings”. You can adjust codec, aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate and audio channel in the interface according to your needs and optimize the output file quality. To get AC3 5.1 auido files, you can set audio codec to AC3 and change audio channels to 5.1 Channels. Learn>> how to set up Apple TV 4.
Step 3. Finally click on “Convert” button to start converting MKV to 1080p HD M4V for Apple TV 4 on Mac.
After conversion, get converted video files for transferring to ATV 4 via Plex from Mac. In this way, you can get MKV files playable on Apple TV 4 for Plex with Mac OS X El Capitan without problems. We hope this short article will bring some new multimedia life to your Apple TV 4.
Note: If you have some issues about Plex Playback, you can read : use Plex with QNAP NAS | Plex FAQ | Add Movies to Plex | Best Video Settings for Plex |
Stream MKV to Apple TV 4 via AirPlay or iTunes
Via AirPlay: Firstly, to use AirPlay, you need to prepare one of the following devices: iPhone 4 (or later), iPad, iPad mini, or iPod touch (4th generation or later). Add the converted MKV movies to iTunes and sync to your iOS device.
Secondly, be sure iOS device and Apple TV are in the same Wi-Fi network; start play the video on your device, and then swipe up from the bottom of your device screen to access Control Center and tap AirPlay; finally, tap the name of the device you want to AirPlay to.
Via iTunes: Firstly, add the converted MKV videos to iTunes. Then, go to iTunes > Preferences, choose Apple TV, and make sure “Look for Apple TVs” is selected.
Secondly, on your Apple TV 4, choose Settings > Computers > “Connect to iTunes,” and note the passcode displayed; in iTunes, select the Apple TV 4 (below Devices), and enter the passcode.
Thirdly, click the Summary button and select one of “Automatic Sync” and “Custom Sync”.
Now, all content are streamed to Apple TV via Plex for enjoyment. Could you image an easier way to do this than Pavtube MKV to Apple TV 4 Converter?
See Also:
