Solved – Can Plex Stream a 1080p Video File to Apple TV 4? 

Apple TV 4 finally has its own official Plex app. Available now for free on the new Apple TV App Store, media streaming service Plex has been one of the most wanted apps for the set-top box as well as on Roku, Google TV, and a host of other devices. However, in some cases, you cannot play few videos through Plex on Apple TV 4. The referenced content below is an example from Quora. 

“Can Plex stream a 1080p video file to Apple TV 4 without re-compressing it? I would like like to stream a HD MPEG4 video file from my computer to my Apple TV, through a RJ-45 cable, without losing quality. Is that possible? “

 

While, Blu-ray movies are normally compressed in MKV file format with surrounding sound – dts audio. Dts audio may not be the file type for Apple TV 4 to handle as its nature as surrounding sound that requires multi-speaker to pull off. Then how to stream 1080p MKV files on Apple TV 4 via Plex on hard drive? 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 1080p 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. 

The Second solution we find out: In order to play 1080P MKV movies on Apple TV 4 through Plex successfully, we suggest you to transcode MKV to the M4V format which is the most compatible format for Apple TV 4 andPlex. According to my experience, I recommend a professional Apple TV converter for you – Pavtube Apple TV Video Converter for Mac. This program is able to assist you to transcode MKV files to M4V quickly. You can play MKV movies on Apple TV 4 through Plex after several hits in this Apple TV converter. 

In the mean time, I find that it supports to transcode more formats which are not compatible with Apple TV 4 like Tivo to M4V. Then I try to drag and drop several MKV files into this converter to check if it supports batch importing and converting, the answer is YES, and this feature saved much time for me. I believe there are many more functions waiting for you to find. 

Note: If you want to know more about this software, please review Top 5 Best Video Converter for Mac. 

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. 

Free Download and trail: 

  

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 

Encode 1080p/720p MKV to Apple TV 4 for playback Through Plex on Mac 

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 1080p Videos 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 1080p video files 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”. 

Other Question About Plex and Apple TV: 

Q: How do you install Plex on Apple TV? How do you get Plex on Apple TV3?- Quora 

A: It is late Sept 2015 and it was just announced their is going to be updates to AppleTV and PLEX announced they were gonna make a front end app for AppleTV, for all I know maybe you have to buy a new AppleTV I think at minimum you would probably need to update it to the latest IOS and chances are the Plex app will not be completed in Sept. Learn More: Here. 

Your best bet is to use iBaa/PlexConnect. 

There’s a specific sub forum for it at Plex Media Server – Your Media on All Your Devices 

AppleTV – PlexConnect 

Works a treat. Just make sure to follow the install guide very carefully. 

Now, all content are streamed to Apple TV via Plex for enjoyment. Could you image an easier way to do this than Pavtube Video to Apple TV 4 Converter? 

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