What matters

  • Best for local video files, family photos, and music libraries.
  • Your Mac and TV must be on the same Wi-Fi or wired network.
  • VPNs and router client isolation can prevent discovery.

Samsung setup

  1. Start Media Server Pro on your Mac.
  2. On the Samsung TV, open the built-in media player, Source, or Connected Devices area.
  3. Look for Media Server Pro in the network or media server list.
  4. Open it, choose Videos, Music, or Photos, then play a file.

FAQ

Why does my Samsung TV not see the Mac?

Check that both devices are on the same network, disable VPN local-network blocking, allow incoming connections in macOS Firewall, and restart the server.

Do I need AirPlay?

No. AirPlay is useful for Apple-to-Apple or screen mirroring flows. A local media server lets many Smart TVs browse media directly from your Mac.

Will every file play?

The TV decides which codecs it can decode. If one file fails, try another format such as MP4/H.264 to confirm discovery is working.