(4 Ways) How to Play MP4 on Apple TV?

Apple TV does not support direct media playback from USB. To play media files like MP4, you need to find a workaround. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to do this.

#1. Streaming with AirPlay

AirPlay is a tool developed by Apple for wireless media streaming. It can easily transfer media files such as video and audio from iPhone or iPad to Apple TV or other AirPlay-compatible devices. Here are the steps to stream MP4 to Apple TV via AirPlay.

Step 1. Make sure your iPhone or iPad and Apple TV are under the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 2. Open the video you want to stream on your device.

Step 3. Click the 'AirPlay' button, or if you don't see the AirPlay button directly, click 'Share' > 'AirPlay'.

Step 4. Select the 'Apple TV' you want to stream to. Your video should now be streamed to your Apple TV instantly.

Tip: If both your device and Apple TV support 4K video playback, you can stream in resolutions up to 4K.

#2. Use AirPlay Screen Mirroring

With AirPlay Screen Mirroring, you can share what's on your device's screen with your Apple TV. Note, however, that the quality may be lower than direct streaming, and the maximum resolution is no higher than 1080p.

Step 1. Ensure your device and Apple TV are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 2. Swipe down from the top edge of the device screen to open Control Center.

Step 3. Click on the 'Screen Mirroring' button.

Step 4. Select 'Apple TV' from the list that appears.

Step 5. If you have a password, enter it on your device to start screen mirroring on your TV.

Step 6. Play the video on your device and you will see the video playing on your TV simultaneously.

Note: When screen mirroring, you must keep the video playing on your device. If you change the screen, your TV will change the screen because it will display exactly what is on the device's screen.

#3. Use Plex

In addition to AirPlay, you can also use third-party media streaming tool Plex to stream MP4 to Apple TV. The great thing about Plex is that it can stream any video to your TV, even if your TV doesn't support it. Plex does this by transcoding the video to a supported format in real time. To stream media files through Plex, follow these steps:

Step 1. Set up Plex server on your computer.

Step 2. Add the library to your Plex.

Step 3. Download the Plex app on Apple TV.

Step 4. Sign in to Plex on your TV.

Step 5. Browse the Plex library, find the MP4 video and start playing it.

#4. Put MP4 on Apple TV

You can import MP4 to your Apple TV media library and play the file using its built-in media player. To do so, you need to download the Apple TV app on your Mac computer and follow these steps:

Step 1. Open the Apple TV app on your Mac.

Step 2. Select 'File' > 'Import'. Then import the MP4 files you want to play.

Step 3. On Apple TV box, open the Computers App and find the MP4 video.

Step 4. Play the MP4 file directly.

If you use AirPlay to stream MP4 or play MP4 directly from the Apple TV media library, you may encounter video playback errors. This is mainly due to MP4 using a codec that is not supported by Apple TV. The interesting thing about the MP4 format is that it can contain many more types of video files than the Apple TV can play.

To resolve this issue, we recommend encoding your MP4 with H264 video and AAC audio, which is a format supported by all Apple TVs. You can use WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro, a professional video converter application that comes with Apple TV profiles that allows you to convert videos to Apple TV compatible formats in one click. Download Download the software now and follow the tutorial.

Step 1. Open the software on your PC and enter the “Converter” program. Next, drag the MP4 file into the converter interface.

Step 2. Click the format picture on the right to open the output format page. Then, open the “Apple” device category and select the “Apple TV” profile that suits your TV.

Step 3. Finally, set an output folder at the bottom of the program and click “Run” to start conversion. Now, try playing the converted MP4 on Apple TV to see if it works.

If the problem persists after the conversion, you may need to contact Apple Support. That’s all we want to share about how to play MP4 on Apple TV. Thanks for reading. Have a great day!

1. Why is MP4 not supported on Apple TV?

MP4 is a video format compatible with all Apple TVs. However, your Apple TV might not support the codec used in MP4, so it won't be able to play the file. To fix this problem, you can use a video converter to change the MP4 files to an Apple TV-compatible format.

2. How do I put MP4 on Apple TV?

You can put MP4 files on your Apple TV through the Apple TV App on your Mac. Note that the Apple TV app only supports MP4 files encoded using the MPEG-4 or H.264 video codecs and the AAC audio codec.