App To Watch Mkv On Mac
Jun 05, 2020 MKV is an open and free container format that can keep any number of video and audio tracks. It can also contain multiple subtitle tracks, DVD menus and chapters, which gives it an excellent flexibility. Here are the top seven best Mac MKV players that you can use to play MKV on Mac smoothly. Part 3: Stream MKV to Apple TV via iTunes on Mac. Other than the two methods to stream MKV to Apple TV mentioned above, there’s another way to stream MKV to Apple TV and you can do it without your iPhone. That is to use iTunes on your Macbook. In this step, you still need to convert MKV to another format because iTunes doesn’t support.
“Hi, I just downloaded an MKV format movie on my Macbook, is there a way I can stream it to my Apple TV so that I can watch it on my TV?
This is a common question a lot of Apple TV users have. It’s actually kind of easy to solve because there are a lot of ways to make that happen. Apple’s been trying to create an ecosystem with its own products. With the help of iOS devices, it’s easy to stream MKV to Apple TV and watch it on your TV. This guide would give you a few ideas as to how to stream MKV to Apple TV.
Part 1: Stream MKV to Apple TV using iOS Devices
Streaming MKV to Apple TV via iOS device requires the MKV files to be converted into a format that’s supported by iOS devices. And the key of streaming MKV to Apple TV is AirPlay. With AirPlay MKV to Apple TV streaming is just a piece of cake. Detailed steps are as followed:
So what we need to do first is to convert MKV to MP4 or AVI. In this case, we are going to need a video converter for Mac to do the job. I would recommend the Leawo Video Converter for Mac. It’s a practical video converter on Mac with useful video editing features.
Video Converter for Mac
☉ Support any video and audio format conversions.
☉ Support to convert 2D to 3D video.
☉ Convert video with unique editing features.
☉ Output file to multiple devices for playback.
$29.95
Get Win Version
Part 1.1: Convert MKV to Apple TV related iOS devices’ compatible format
Now that we have the Leawo Video Converter, it’s time to start to convert MKV to Apple TV related iOS devices’ compatible format:
1. Add source video files to the converter by clicking “Add Video” button or directly dragging the video file to the main interface of the converter.
2. Click the button on the left of the big green “Convert” button and click “Change” button on the drop-down menu to enter the format selecting panel.
3. Click the “Edit” button on the above mentioned drop-down menu to enter the parameter setting panel, you can adjust detailed parameters like Video Codec, Quality, Video Size, Bit Rate, Frame Rate, Aspect Ratio, and Audio Codec, Audio Quality, Bit Rate, Sample Rate, Channels.
4. Click the above mentioned big green “Convert” button and a sidebar shows up. Set the output directory for the output video and click “Convert” button to start to convert MKV to Apple TV’s supported format.
Part 1.2: Transfer the converted video to your iOS device
After you finish the conversion, the next step is to transfer the converted video to your iOS device. Other than iTunes, we can use other applications with a more simple and straightforward interface, like Leawo iTransfer for Mac.
App To Watch Mkv On Mac Free
Why choose Leawo iTransfer for Mac
- 1. Supports transferring files among iOS devices, iTunes and Mac computers easily.
- 2. Supports backing up iPhone, iPad and iPod files to Mac computer effortlessly.
- 3. Supports using iPhone, iPad and iPod as flash drive.
- 4. Supports managing the playlists of iTunes library and iOS devices.
The following content is the guide of using iTransfer to transfer video files to iPhone
(1) Open Leawo iTransfer for Mac
Open Leawo iTransfer for Mac on your computer, Connect your iOS device to the computer. And the software would detect your device and show the libraries of your device on the sidebar on the left.
(2) Transfer M4V and AVI files from Mac to iOS device
Add M4V and AVI files to the iTransfer by dragging the file directly into the main interface of the software, or going to “File > Add > Add File/Add Folder” at the top left corner of the menu bar; or right-click the blank area on the interface and click “Add > Add File/Add Folder“.
(3) Transfer Settings
After finish adding files to the iTransfer, there’ll be a pop-up window for transfer settings. Tick “Transfer to List” and select “iTunes/iDevice” before transferring the video files. Tick “Save to Folder” and click “Change” to choose a folder on your computer to save the files tranferred from your iOS device. Then click “Transfer Now” at the right bottom of the dialog to start transfer.
Step 1.3: Use AirPlay to stream the video to your Apple TV
Now that the video is transferred to your iPhone, you can start to use AirPlay to stream the screen content of your iPhone to your TV. The detailed steps are as followed:
1. Make sure that your iPhone and Apple TV is connected to the same network.
Audio apps for mac. 2. Call out the Control Center on your iPhone, click the “AirPlay” button to enter the setting panel.
3. Click your Apple TV to connect your iPhone to your Apple TV, choose “Mirroring”, and “Bam”, the screen of your iPhone is being mirrored on your Apple TV.
4. Play the video on your iPhone and you’ll see it on the TV connected to your Apple TV.
Part 2: Stream MKV to Apple TV using iOS Devices and iOS Video Players
This step is slightly different from the last step. In this step, we still need to use AirPlay. But the difference is that you don’t have to convert MKV to Apple TV compatible format, you can use specific video players to play MKV file on your iPhone and stream MKV to Apple TV, the MKV file can be played directly using the Video Players listed below:
AVPlayer
AVPlayer provides controls for playback speed, video scrubbing and USB or Wi-Fi transfer for getting content into the app. And there’s one bonus feature: setting passcode to protect your content.
VLC for iOS
VLC for iOS is the iOS version of the VLC Media Player we’ve using on desktop. The good news is that although it’s for mobile, it still carries a lot of features and costs nothing.
nPlayer
Costing $4.99, nPlayer is a universal app with a relatively old fashion interface that looks like a design from 10 years ago. But the fact is it’s a very powerful video player with support for various files and all the Dolby audio codecs.
In this case, please use and you will get rid of trouble. CAN NOT DOWNLOAD: Some probably encounter the following error: This site can’t be reached.sundryfiles.com’s server IP address could not be found. We would recommend using. Slideshow software for mac with parrallex. If downloaded file can not be extracted (file corrupted.), please make sure you have downloaded the file completely and don't use Winzip, it sucks!
CineXPlayer
Costing $1.99, CineXPlayer supports 3D videos and all the usual video formats and video output capabilities is practical. Live TV Channel support is a bonus.
The video players mentioned above allows the posibility of streaming MKV to Apple TV with ease. Just use iTunes to transfer the converted video to the video player apps and then you can play it on your iPhone and the next step is to use AirPlay to stream MKV to Apple TV.
Part 3: Stream MKV to Apple TV via iTunes on Mac
Other than the two methods to stream MKV to Apple TV mentioned above, there’s another way to stream MKV to Apple TV and you can do it without your iPhone. That is to use iTunes on your Macbook.
In this step, you still need to convert MKV to another format because iTunes doesn’t support playing MKV files. To know how to convert MKV to a format compatible with iTunes, please check out Part 1. Check out the following content to see how to use iTunes to stream MKV to Apple TV.
Make sure that the conditions below are met:
- 1. Your Mac computer and Apple TV are connected to the same network.
- 2. Your iTunes version is 10 or above.
- 3. Log in iTunes with your Apple ID and turn on Genius.
Watching movies on a laptop is not the best way to do it but you can’t carry a TV on the Plane, yet. While the Quicktime Player handles all of my media content with ease, there are certain formats that it still can’t recognize. The MKV format is one of the popular ones in the movie industry because of it’s unlimited storage capacity. In this guide, I’ll show you how to play MKV files on a mac. Let’s get started.
The MKV format is an open and free container format that can hold an infinite number of audio, video, and text files in a single file. This makes it an excellent format for TV shows, movies, etc.
There are various options to play MKV files on Mac but we’ll choose the easiest three;
- Installing a QuickTime Plugin
- Installing a third party Player
- Converting the Video
1. Play MKV Files on Mac – QuickTime Plugin
Quicktime Player is the default video player for macOS. Yes, it does lack a few features which other players have but it’s nothing a plugin won’t fix. Perian is a popular Plugin for QuickTime Player which lets you play MKV videos on your Mac.
Download the Plugin setup file from the official website or by clicking this link.
Read: Best Font Manager for Mac
Your download should automatically start and once the file is downloaded, you can simply open the downloads by clicking the downloaded button on the tray. Click on ‘Perian.dmg’ to begin the setup.
It would show the error just like the figure below, which says “Perian can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer”. Fret not, you can easily remove this error, by temporarily disabling the security blanket of GateKeeper.
To disable Gatekeeper, open ‘System Preferences’ by searching in the Spotlight or from the Apple menu. It would open the settings window and you can click on ‘Security & Privacy’.
After that, you’d see the section which says ‘Allow apps downloaded from’ and a button ‘Open Anyway’. Click the button to override the default action.
If your Mac has a password, you need to enter it again to authenticate it. Make sure you enter the Administrator’s name and password or else it won’t install the plugin.
Now, this will open the installer and you just have to click ‘Perian.prefPane’ to begin the installation.
Ignore this warning and allow it by clicking ‘Okay‘. It automatically installs all the necessary files and you just have to wait for it to finish.
After the installation is finished, you’ll see the window similar to one below. You can close it now as the Plugin is successfully installed.
Play the MKV file with Plugin
Now, you can open any file from your system with QuickTime Player and it would start loading instead of showing you an error. Depending on the Size of the file, it may take some time.
This Plugin converts the MKV file to MP4 and that’s why it takes a little while to load. Once it does, you can watch the video without any problems on your QuickTime Player. If you close the window, you’ll get a pop-up that would suggest you save the file in MP4 format. You can save the file in MP4 format and play that instead.
Pros
- No additional Player required
- Easy installation and integration
- Open-sourced
- Converts MKV to mp4 as well
Cons
- Slow loading speeds
2. Play MKV Files on Mac with VLC
The last method works great if you want to keep using QuickTime Player as your main media player on the computer. The Plugin is still a workaround and slow when compared with other media players.
The VLC media player is one of the most popular video players out there and the popularity keeps growing because of its consistent and reliable performance and support for a wide range of formats and codecs. You can install VLC to play MKV files and other formats without installing any special plugin. You can even set it as a default media player on mac.
Go to the VLC’s website and download the latest package or click this link.
It opens the download page and beings the download in a few seconds.
Once the download is finished. Double click the package in the Downloads to install it.
As it unwraps the container, you’ll see the window like the one below, you have to drag the traffic cone to the applications folder by clicking and holding the icon.
Must Read: VLC for Apple TV: Fixing 3 common problems
It would prompt you with an authentication pop-up, Click ‘Authenticate’ button to begin the installation.
It may ask you the login credentials. Enter the administrator username and password and click ‘Modify Settings‘.
VLC media player would install and now you can play any MKV file with VLC media player. Simply right-click the MKV file and select ‘Open With’. Click on the VLC icon. It begins to play the video without a hiccup.
Pros
- Support for a wide variety of Plugins
- Native support for MKV
- Sleek UI
Cons
- Problems with 4K playback
3. Play MKV Files on Mac With Handbrake
If for any reason, you can’t use the above two methods. Converting the MKV files to a supported format is the best option. Using a web converter is both time-consuming and slow, considering you have to first upload, convert, and then download the converted file again.
Handbrake is an open-sourced video transcoder that is used to rip DVDs and it also lets you convert MKV files to mp4. Installing Handbrake on your mac would take no more than five minutes. Go to the website or click this link to download the installer package.
Start by clicking the downloaded package in the Downloads folder.
It would open the container and you can click on the Handbrake icon to launch the converter.
To select an MKV file for conversion, click the ‘Open Source’ button on the top left corner of the window.
Select the file from the computer by browsing to the desired folder.
After selecting the file(s), you can select presets, and adjust video duration. You can edit dimensions, filters, video, audio of the output file. After you’re done with the tweaks, choose the output folder, and click start.
After the conversion, The output file is automatically stored to the destination address. You can open the folder and play the file on any media player or send to other devices using iTunes.
Pros
- Multiple files can be converted at once
- Multiple presets are available
- Full control over dimensions, audio, chapters, etc
Cons
- Only converts to MP4
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3 Ways to Play MKV Files on a Mac
These were 3 ways with which you can play MKV files on a Mac. Installing a Plugin is the easiest way to play MKV files if you don’t want to move to a new media player considering QuickTime is already powerful. Installing a VLC is my recommended choice because it gives you so much more than just MKV playback, even AirPlay(coming soon). Handbrake is best when you need to convert and transfer the file to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. This gives you more control over the quality and you can optimize the video for specific devices. Tell us which method would you use to play MKV files on a mac.