You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Airplay from iPad to Apple TV shows error "This video is in a format that can't be streamed to this TV"

Hi,


I am trying to airplay a video from the Apple TV app on iPad (iPadOS 15.4.1) to an Apple TV.

The videos are (plain, non-protected) mp4 files that I copied into the app from my Mac via iTunes.

Is there any information about which file formats are supported for AirPlay?

Because for my Apple TV video purchases, the procedure works fine.


Thank you very much in advance!

iPad Air 3 Wi-Fi

Posted on Apr 30, 2022 2:02 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 30, 2022 2:49 AM

What is your model Apple TV box? Identify your Apple TV model - Apple Support


Your Mac and iPhone may have wider support for media formats than your Apple TV box (or AirPlay). Your files need to conform to all of these. I’d recommend H.264 video with AAC audio in an MP4/MOV/M4V container, with video resolution not exceeding the resolution for the Apple TV box and TV, and no more than 1080p, and no more than 30 fps. H.264 has a lot of encoding options, and possibly some property values may be out of bounds for AirPlay. AirPlay to older models Apple TV may require media file writing with QuickStart pseudo streaming properties (e.g. meta data at the start of the file, instead of at the end, and proper interleaving in small chunks); always advised, but not mandatory for newer models.


If you need to re-encode, then use a tool with Apple TV presets, if possible. E.g. HandBrake or ff·Works.

If you want to try optimizing/re-muxing without re-encoding, which is much faster, then use e.g. Subler. It won’t fix for codec incompatibilities, though.


Video formats and audio formats supported for the various models Apple TV box’s default media player, are listed in the technical specifications:

Apple TV (2nd generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV (3rd generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV HD (4th generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV 4K (1st generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) technical specifications - Apple

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 30, 2022 2:49 AM in response to kai2718

What is your model Apple TV box? Identify your Apple TV model - Apple Support


Your Mac and iPhone may have wider support for media formats than your Apple TV box (or AirPlay). Your files need to conform to all of these. I’d recommend H.264 video with AAC audio in an MP4/MOV/M4V container, with video resolution not exceeding the resolution for the Apple TV box and TV, and no more than 1080p, and no more than 30 fps. H.264 has a lot of encoding options, and possibly some property values may be out of bounds for AirPlay. AirPlay to older models Apple TV may require media file writing with QuickStart pseudo streaming properties (e.g. meta data at the start of the file, instead of at the end, and proper interleaving in small chunks); always advised, but not mandatory for newer models.


If you need to re-encode, then use a tool with Apple TV presets, if possible. E.g. HandBrake or ff·Works.

If you want to try optimizing/re-muxing without re-encoding, which is much faster, then use e.g. Subler. It won’t fix for codec incompatibilities, though.


Video formats and audio formats supported for the various models Apple TV box’s default media player, are listed in the technical specifications:

Apple TV (2nd generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV (3rd generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV HD (4th generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV 4K (1st generation) technical specifications - Apple

Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) technical specifications - Apple

May 3, 2022 3:44 AM in response to kai2718

More precisely, I am using the Apple TV app on a Samsung smart TV, but the Samsung support page or forums don't provide information on this topic.

Ah, okay, no Apple TV box then.

The Apple TV app on you smart TV does not use AirPlay. AirPlay does not use the Apple TV app on your smart TV. These are separate and independent services.

Please confirm that your TV model is supporting AirPlay: List of AirPlay 2-enabled smart TVs - Apple

and: How to stream from an iPhone or iPad using AirPlay 2 - Samsung Support


If you will, do try to AirPlay this sample file (26 sec.).

Airplay from iPad to Apple TV shows error "This video is in a format that can't be streamed to this TV"

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.