Media Sharing content like backups from discs in 4K HEVC h.265 from a Mac to a current gen 4K AppleTV doesn't work. All HD videos appear instantly, but 4K videos appear to not be supported. This either has to be a bug or an undocumented limitation.
Already followed the documentation with no luck.
Can anyone else confirm this is the case?
There are two codec IDs in use for H.265 HEVC: hvc1 and hev1. One is compatible with Apple’s decoders, the other is not. The difference between these is more than just 4 characters, it is also how the media file is structured. Apple wants the former ID of the two, not the latter.
Video encoding requirements
1.10. You SHOULD use video formats in which the parameter sets are stored in the sample descriptions, rather than the samples. (That is, use 'avc1', 'hvc1', or 'dvh1' rather than 'avc3', 'hev1', or 'dvhe'.)
Find the codec ID for the video stream of your media file with a tool like Invisor Lite, or any other tool based on MediaInfo.
Fortunately, media files can be losslessly repacked with the other ID, rather than lengthy lossy re-encoding.
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hvc1 output.mp4
There are two codec IDs in use for H.265 HEVC: hvc1 and hev1. One is compatible with Apple’s decoders, the other is not. The difference between these is more than just 4 characters, it is also how the media file is structured. Apple wants the former ID of the two, not the latter.
Video encoding requirements
1.10. You SHOULD use video formats in which the parameter sets are stored in the sample descriptions, rather than the samples. (That is, use 'avc1', 'hvc1', or 'dvh1' rather than 'avc3', 'hev1', or 'dvhe'.)
Find the codec ID for the video stream of your media file with a tool like Invisor Lite, or any other tool based on MediaInfo.
Fortunately, media files can be losslessly repacked with the other ID, rather than lengthy lossy re-encoding.
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hvc1 output.mp4
Think I figured it out. I'm using Subler to pull metadata for each title. One of the fields it creates is HD Video which is what it would use to display 4K or HD in the Computers / TV apps. For some reason this field is incompatible with 4K files or the field listing as 4K. Deleting that field makes everything work correctly.
How strange.
① If you use a tagging application, then do not mark it as ‘4K’. Leave out this tag for this resolution instead. The Computers app won’t see files tagged as ‘4K’, even though 3840×2160 is supported for the Apple TV 4K models.
② Files with certain audio formats may also be problematic, if different than what the device natively supports.
Apple TV doesn’t support DTS audio or its variants.
Apple TV doesn’t support Dolby TrueHD, nor Dolby Atmos as substream in Dolby TrueHD [like Blu-ray].
Apple TV 4K does support Dolby Atmos as substream in Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC3+Atmos) [like streaming].
③ Video in files should have the proper profile and level to mark support for that hardware model.
Apple TV 4K (1st generation) technical specifications - Apple Support
Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) technical specifications - Apple Support
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) technical specifications - Apple Support
SDR: Main profile, up to Level 5.1, Main tier (3840×2160@60Hz)
Dolby Vision: Profile 5 up to Level 9 (different scale), Main tier (3840×2160@60Hz)
HDR10: Main 10 profile, up to Level 5.1, Main tier (3840×2160@60Hz)
HDR10+: Main 10 profile, up to Level 5.1, Main tier (3840×2160@60Hz) [A2737 and A2843 only, but backwards compatible as plain HDR10]
High tier files may have bitrates that exceed the processing limits.
I am sharing 4K HEVC h.265 videos from a Mac to my 3rd gen Apple TV 4K with no issues. These are videos that are actually on the SSD in the Mac, not from external drives/or discs.
If you see my post below I accidentally stumbled upon the metadata fix. All other specs you list I've intentionally been using to ensure native playback with the AppleTV 4K which is why it was throwing me for such a loop.
For reference, all 4K files are HEVC 10-bit HDR Main10 at Level 5.1 HDR10. Nothing above 3840x2160. Audio is AAC.
Only trying Home Sharing due to a current playback bug in Infuse. When I can get Home Sharing to work it's perfect. Unfortunately, it's been nothing but unreliable so far. Getting iPads and iPhones to connect to the library or even update when new files are added is inconsistent at best making me think it's just a feature Apple doesn't put much effort into.
Confirming my files are already using hvc1 with MediaInfo but still not appearing.
I've noticed Media Sharing keeps disabling itself in the System Settings. I've seen examples of people having to make sure the system is Authorized, which I've confirmed it is.
Also tried copying the files into the default TV app watch folder with no luck.
4K HEVC h.265 Media Sharing from Mac to AppleTV not working
