HEVC Support

The .mp4 and .m4v containers are completely compatible and work just fine for H.265 (HEVC). I have recently been re-encoding my entire iTunes library from original source with H.265 and testing with macOS 10.13 and tvOS 11 beta. The results in terms of quality and space saving are really amazing. However, there are significant issues for Home Sharing, and these appear to be by design by Apple, based largely on a reply I received from having submitted a bug report.

1. These files all play beautifully using QuickTime on the Mac (running macOS 10.13 beta).

2. iTunes allows these files to be imported just fine into the library, and they can be played there on the Mac, just as always.

3. These files can also be streamed to the Apple TV using AirPlay from any app on the Mac. This includes using the Remote app on an iPad or iPhone to control the iTunes with the AirPlay function set to the Apple TV (icon at top).

4. HOWEVER, these files do not show up at all on the Apple TV via Home Sharing. This is the "bug" I reported to Apple, and the reply that came back from Apple was this: "After reviewing your submission engineering has determined that the behavior you reported is currently functioning as designed."

5. Note that the older QuickTime Player v7 does not allow these files to be played, displaying the well known popup for an incompatible codec.

I strongly suspect that Apple is making a move to protect its iTunes Store sales and that the final version of tvOS 11 may not ever allow for Home Sharing of personal (ie, non-purchased) HEVC content. At this point, I would not at all be surprised if only HEVC content purchased from Apple were allowed for streaming via Home Sharing. I don't know this for sure, of course, but the reply above along with the technical behavior I've observed across several beta updates makes me strongly suspect so.

This being the case, I have moved my entire library from iTunes to Plex. With a very small change to the current Plex version, all of my HEVC content plays natively on the Apple TV with tvOS 11 beta, with no transcoding by the Plex server. My guess is that an updated version of Plex will get rid of the need even for the simple change I made, once the final tvOS 11 is released. If, on the other hand, Apple should modify tvOS such that HEVC cannot be streamed from any other servers (ie, other than iTunes for purchased content), then I will unplug the Apple TV altogether and use another device.