How to convert MKV/AVI/TiVo/M2TS to Apple TV 3(ATV 3) on Mac?

Compare with Apple TV 2, the only two updates of the brand new Apple TV 3rd Generation are an upgrade from the A4 chip to the A5, and the addition of support for 1080p video. The ATV 3 supported video formats are also in the former range, including H.264/MPEG-4 video in .mp4, .mov, and .m4v file formats, and Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) video in .avi file format. If you wanna watch some unsupported files through Apple TV 3, for example, TiVo recordings, MKV movies, and M2TS files, you have to convert those files to Apple TV 3 compatible file formats in the first place. The guide below will talk about how to convert MKV/AVI/TiVo/M2TS to ATV 3 on Mac in simple steps.
apple tv 3 converter for mac

Required software
Pavtube Apple TV 3 Converter for Mac

How-To:
How to convert MKV/AVI/TiVo/M2TS to Apple TV 3(ATV 3) on Mac?

Step 1: Run Pavtube Video to Apple TV 3 Converter for Mac, and click “Add Video” button to load your source files. You can either load your source videos one after another or directly load from a folder.
convert mkv/avi/tivo/m2ts to atv 3 on mac

Note:
The Mac Video Converter for ATV 3 will asks for Media Access Key when loading TiVo files.
mac video converter for atv 3

Step 2: Select “Apple TV 3 Dolby Digital Pass-through (*.m4v)” as output format
This Apple TV 3 Converter has multiple templates for Apple TV 1st Gen, Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3. To expect a great playback performance of your ATV 3, you should select “Apple TV 3 Dolby Digital Pass-through (*.m4v)” as output format. This format will ensure you 1080p quality with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through.

The best video settings for Apple TV 3 1080p video with AC3 5.1 sound:
mac video converter for atv 3

Format: Apple TV 3 Dolby Digital Pass-through (*.m4v)
Video Settings	Audio Settings
Codec: h264 Resolution: 1920*1080 Bit Rate: 6,000 kbps Frame Rate: 30 fps	Codec: aac Sample Rate: 48,000hz Bit Rate:160,000 bps Channels: Stereo

Note:
When you choosing “Apple TV 3 Dolby Digital Pass-through (*.m4v)” as output, an AC-3 encoded audio track will also be included for Apple TV 3 to Pass-through Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (also know as AC3 5.1), so that it will work in surround sound when Apple TV 3 is connected to audio receiver, and in stereo when Apple TV Gen 3 is connected with TV only.

Step 3: Convert videos for playing on ATV 3 with AC3 5.1 sound
Click Convert button to start encoding MKV/AVI/TIVO/M2TS to ATV 3 on Mac. When the conversion is done, you are able to stream video from Mac to Apple TV 3.

Don’t know how to set up 5.1 surround sound for ATV? Please read How to set up Apple TV for streaming HD videos with Dolby Digital 5.1 sounds?

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