"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.

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Video Converter for Mac 

☉ Support any video and audio format conversions.

☉ Support to convert 2D to 3D video.

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☉ Output file to multiple devices for playback.

$29.95
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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.

Add File

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.

Choose output format

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.

Adjust parameters

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.

Start conversion

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.

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.

Open iTransfer

(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“.

Add file

(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.

Transfer settings

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.

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.

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.