VLC for Apple TV Now Available on tvOS App Store

Following a lengthy beta testing period, VideoLAN has announced that its VLC app is now available for the fourth-generation Apple TV on the tvOS App Store.

The app is a full port of the VLC media player and supports virtually all video formats in line with the VLC for iOS app. There are also many tvOS-specific features.

VLC-Apple-TV
- Content Discovery: The app automatically discovers video files stored on your local network, using the SMB, UPnP media server, FTP and PLEX protocols. You can browse through videos with the Siri Remote and select content for playback. During playback, subtitles can be added from OpenSubtitles.org.

- Saved Logins: Login credentials can be securely stored on the Apple TV and will be synchronized to and from your iPhone and iPad.

Remote-Playback-VLC-Apple-TV
- Remote Playback: VLC displays an IP address under the Remote Playback menu on Apple TV. This address can be typed into your computer's web browser, and an interface will pop up allowing you to drag and drop a file to play it on your TV remotely.

You can drag and drop multiple files to queue them. The files will remain available locally on the Apple TV until its internal storage is maxed out. The web interface can be used for remote play, pause and seeking.

For playback of a network stream URL on your TV, just paste it to the field and push return. Once playback concludes, you will find it in the Network Stream view for future use. Like for files, you can send multiple URLs rows in a row and they will be attached to the playback queue.

VLC-Playback-Apple-TV
- Playback: VLC for the Apple TV supports basic play, pause and seek controls. You can navigate the app by chapter and titles or select from multiple audio and subtitles tracks. Other features include custom playback speed and hatchet.is integration for artist imagery and biographies.

VLC is currently beta testing Apple TV support for cloud services Dropbox, OneDrive and Box. The feature will be available in the near future.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tags: App Store, VLC
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in a Few Months With These 12 New Features

Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...

Top Rated Comments

LiE_ Avatar
124 months ago
Many will be very happy at this addition to the app store.

But since this is mac rumours, most will be disgusted and outraged.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
peglegjack Avatar
124 months ago
what can you do with VLC on TV? i never use it. i use plex for streaming movies since apple tv streaming is a little bit laggy
Torrented files/movies/TV shows right? I mean that's why people want Plex and this right? Can I just go ahead and say it?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justgeig Avatar
124 months ago
WOAH. Remote playback is huge if it works well. Can't wait to get home and try it out!

The new Apple TV is so underutilized, the potential is through the roof. Come on developers! We are hungry for your apps and will pay money for them!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RickInHouston Avatar
124 months ago
Torrented files/movies/TV shows right? I mean that's why people want Plex and this right? Can I just go ahead and say it?
How about my ripped dvd's and blurays I buy???
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagar Avatar
124 months ago
I still use iTunes and Home Sharing to watch my videos the Apple way. With VideoDrive ('http://www.aroonasoftware.com') all my videos are tagged and imported in iTunes. Great to organise movie and TV shows with it. And incompatible videos are converted in the background with HandBrake so I can also sync them to iOS.

Maybe I'm the only one still using iTunes and probably, PLEX has some great features I'm missing out on, but I like to do it the Apple way as much as possible.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jettredmont Avatar
124 months ago
Torrented files/movies/TV shows right? I mean that's why people want Plex and this right? Can I just go ahead and say it?
I don't have a single torrented movie file in my just-sub-terrabyte movie library. All those movies are ripped from DVDs and BluRays (which isn't exactly 100% abiding by EULAs, but IMHO ethically sound). They are then completely tagged and catalogued using Ivy and/or Subler (I've gone back and forth between the two), although of course Plex does a good amount of tag-discovery automatically if they weren't already tagged.

Frankly, streaming from the computer a room away in my house should be a lot higher quality and less laggy than streaming from Apple's servers in the cloud (with Plex in general it is). Combined with wide availability of cheap physical media which can easily be ripped to local storage, and the cheapness of local storage, it is a good way to go. That said, the ripping tools often enough get forced-subtitles wrong (nothing like watching a movie and people start talking in a foreign language and you aren't sure if there are supposed to be subtitles showing what they said...), the ripping/converting process takes a few times as long as the movie to complete, and Plex's interface while fancy and nice is not in the same realm of usability as the native Apple interface.

Do people use Plex to manage their torrented files? I'm sure they do. But don't pretend that the only interest in Plex (and I guess VLC, alhough I find VLC's interface abhorrent personally) is for illegally-obtained content.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)