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MacOS app that plays any video file on your Apple TV at full 4K! Download 👇
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2025-12-15 23:51:24 -05:00
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README.md

LiquidCast

Cast any video to Apple TV in 4K with 5.1 surround sound.

A compact macOS app that plays MKV, AVI, and other formats on your Apple TV via AirPlay — with quality you can't tell from the original.

Screenshot 2025-12-15 at 11 22 13 PM

Why LiquidCast?

Apple TV only plays certain formats (MP4, MOV). Got an MKV with 5.1 audio? AVI from years ago? LiquidCast handles it:

  • Any format plays — MKV, AVI, WebM, MP4, MOV, whatever
  • Original quality — 4K video + 5.1 surround audio preserved
  • Instant start — Playback begins in seconds, not minutes
  • Tiny footprint — Winamp-style 320×120 mini player

How It Works

LiquidCast automatically picks the fastest path to play your video:

Your File What Happens Wait Time
MP4/MOV (H.264 + AAC) Plays directly None
MKV (H.264 + AAC) Quick repackage ~2 sec
MKV (H.264 + DTS/5.1) Audio converted, video untouched ~3 sec
AVI/other formats Full transcode via streaming ~5 sec

Videos stream while converting — no waiting for the whole file.

Download

Download LiquidCast v0.1.0 (949 KB)

First-time setup

  1. Install FFmpeg (required for video conversion): 
    /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
brew install ffmpeg
  2. Download and open the DMG
  3. Drag LiquidCast to Applications
  4. Right-click → Open (first launch only, to bypass Gatekeeper)

Requirements

  • macOS 13.0+ (Ventura or later)
  • FFmpeg — LiquidCast uses FFmpeg for transcoding. Without it, only MP4/MOV files will play.

Build from Source

  1. Clone this repo
  2. Open LiquidCast.xcodeproj in Xcode 15+
  3. Build and run (Cmd+R)

Usage

  1. Connect to AirPlay - Click the AirPlay icon and select your Apple TV
  2. Open a video - Click + or drag a file onto the mini player
  3. Control playback - Use the mini player or menu bar

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key Action
Space Play/Pause
← Skip back 10s
→ Skip forward 30s
⌘O Open file
⌘Q Quit

Settings

Access from the menu bar:

  • Ultra Quality — Maximum bitrates, 5.1 surround preserved
  • Target Device — Apple TV (best) or Smart TV (compatible)
  • Clear Cache — Delete converted files

Project Structure

LiquidCast/
├── Shared/
│   ├── LiquidCastApp.swift      # App entry + menu bar
│   ├── Models/AppState.swift    # Central state
│   ├── Transcoder/              # FFmpeg integration
│   ├── HTTPServer/              # HLS streaming server
│   └── Utils/                   # MediaAnalyzer, CacheManager
├── macOS/
│   ├── Views/MiniPlayerView.swift
│   └── Transcoder/              # FFmpeg process management
└── iOS/                         # iOS support (limited)

Under the Hood

  • HLS Streaming — Start watching while the file converts
  • Hardware encoding — Uses your Mac's VideoToolbox for speed
  • Local server — Streams to Apple TV over your network
  • Minimal dependencies — Just FFmpeg + Apple frameworks

License

MIT License