Just last week, content streaming company Plex announced that it was launching its first app for the fourth-generation Apple TV. On Nov. 10, media player VLC followed suit and made public that its tvOS app seeks beta testers.
Even if the specifics of the app are still blurry, chances are that the tvOS VLC app will continue to do what VLC does best on other platforms: seamlessly play a lot of media formats.
Initial talk about the VLC tvOS app started in September, when the developers confirmed that the software is in the works.
The news came from VideoLAN lead developer, Jean-Baptiste Kempf. On Sept. 14, he updated his blog with the information that his company waas finalizing a revamping of the VLC app, which will soon be available to tvOS devices.
"Finally, some code to build VLCKit for the new tvOS was merged," Kempf said. He went on to say that video playback is live, even if development was still in its eaarly stages.
The myriad of file formats that the VLC tvOS app supports can be accessed through such services as GDrive, iCloud Drive, iTunes, Dropbox, as well as others.
VLC already plays a lot of file types on Mac computers and iOS devices, which makes users believe that the tvOS will be just as polyvalent.
Both Plex and VLC are new to the ecosystem of Apple TV, as none of the developers launched an app for the tvOS Apple Store before. Plex released its first app last week, allowing users to stream videos from various sources to the fourth-gen Apple TV: content from sites such as Vimeo, Revision3, Ted or YouTube or files stored on a local media server can appear on the TV screen manufactured by Apple with a simple click.
Even if the initial download and primary functionality of Plex is freeware, the full-featured version requires you to have a Plex Pass subscription.
VLC did not mention whether the tvOS app will be free to use or it will require a monthly subscription to make the best of it.
Those who want to help VLC develop the best tvOS media playing app can fill out this form. Completing it officially signs you up to be a beta tester of the tvOS VLC app.
