Best way to stream

An additional requirement I have now is playing locally downloaded stuff. Getting tired of paying for streaming where things get removed all the time and they’ll even cut scenes out from the original broadcast because. Not to mention that while there’s huge availability of titles, we really just rewatch the same stuff over and over.

Apple TV seems kind of like the way to go, but is there an issue playing local vids?

Also just wondering but is there a lossless video format like with audio?

 

I haven't tried loading anything directly onto the ATV yet, but can play full, uncompressed bluray rips stored in MKV containers via VLC from my NAS. I believe Infuse Pro can do the same. If no one else has experience with this, I can test a file or two for you this weekend.

 

Does youtube on the apple TV allow you to switch accounts & channels easily? I wanted to move from Chromecast with Google TV to my Xbox for streaming but the lack of easy account switching killed that for me.

 

I don't know how you define easy, but it is pretty simple to have multiple accounts signed in and swapped between. Just a couple clicks.

 

There isn't a USB port on the ATV so I couldn't load anything I already had downloaded. I can play back flawlessly from my NAS. Nothing fancy, just a shared folder accessed by VLC or Infuse apps. Max size of internal storage is only 128gb which would basically be completely filled by a single lossless 4k bluray rip of Lord of the Rings, so I don't know if local storage would be practical.

 

NAS is fine. Can Apple TV use VLC?

 

Yes, though it is pretty barebones. I don't know how to even change the way lists are displayed, but it works. Infuse is definitely more robust but I haven't paid to unlock it yet.