Play here. Watch there.
Violet Relay is a free and open-source Windows 11 media player for local MKV, MP4, MOV, audio, and other video files. It plays media on the PC and can optionally cast local video from Windows to Apple TV or a compatible smart TV with built-in AirPlay, including a selected embedded or external subtitle track.
AirPlay casting is an optional extra. You can use Violet Relay entirely as a local player without owning an AirPlay receiver or enabling network discovery.
| Need | Violet Relay |
|---|---|
| Play local video and audio on Windows 11 | Hardware-accelerated playback, fullscreen controls, queues, tracks, and resume history |
| Cast an MKV or other local video from Windows to an AirPlay TV | Direct streaming, fast remuxing, or automatic hardware conversion as required |
| Watch AirPlay playback with subtitles | Burns the selected embedded track or external subtitle into the outgoing stream |
| Resume a long movie or audiobook later | Saves unfinished local-media positions automatically |
| Avoid accounts, ads, subscriptions, and telemetry | GPL-licensed, free, open source, and local-first |
- Open or drag in common audio and video files supported by Qt's FFmpeg backend.
- Play direct MP4, MOV, and HLS media URLs.
- Choose embedded audio and subtitle tracks or add an external subtitle file.
- Resume long movies and audiobooks from the last saved position.
- Use a session queue, fullscreen mode, seeking, volume, mute, and speed controls.
- Add Violet Relay to Windows Open with without changing existing defaults.
- Convert a locally unsupported codec to a compatible copy when needed.
- Discover and pair an Apple TV or compatible smart TV on the same private network.
- Cast the media itself rather than mirror the Windows desktop.
- Start compatible files directly and prepare incompatible formats automatically.
- Burn selected subtitles into the cast when the receiver cannot render them.
- Use NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, or CPU conversion paths according to available hardware.
- Pause, resume, seek, stop, retry, or continue locally after a disconnection.
- How to cast an MKV from Windows 11 to Apple TV
- How to cast video with subtitles from Windows to Apple TV
- Free AirPlay video casting from Windows 11
For local playback:
- Windows 11 x64
Only if you want AirPlay casting:
- An Apple TV or smart TV advertising AirPlay video on the same private network
- Windows network discovery and private-network firewall access
Python is not required for the portable release. FFmpeg is also not required for ordinary compatible local playback. When casting or compatibility conversion needs the optional media tools, Violet Relay offers to download and verify them after you choose Install.
Download the latest ZIP from
GitHub Releases,
extract the complete folder, and run VioletRelay.exe.
The public beta is unsigned, so Windows may show Windows protected your PC.
Verify the ZIP against the included SHA256SUMS.txt, then use More info ->
Run anyway only when the file came from this repository.
The public ZIP does not redistribute FFmpeg. If you approve the optional media tools download, the archive and both executables are SHA-256 verified before use.
- Choose Open or drag a media file onto the window.
- Use CC to select an embedded track or add an external subtitle file.
- Close the player whenever you like. Reopening unfinished local media offers Resume or Start over.
Use URL for a direct, unauthenticated HTTP/HTTPS media URL. Web pages, YouTube pages, DRM services, and URLs requiring custom authentication headers are intentionally rejected.
- Put the PC and AirPlay TV on the same private network.
- Open AirPlay, scan, and select the receiver.
- Complete any AirPlay or Companion PIN prompts.
- Before casting, use CC to select the subtitle track or external subtitle file you want on the television.
- Open AirPlay again and choose Cast.
The selected subtitle is fixed when casting starts because Violet Relay builds it into the outgoing stream. To change subtitles during a cast, stop casting, choose the new track with CC, and start the cast again.
If Windows Firewall prompts while casting a local file, allow Violet Relay on private networks. The AirPlay receiver must be able to reach the temporary media server running on the PC.
Use Stop casting to stop the receiver. Use Continue here to stop the receiver and resume locally at the last confirmed cast position.
Local-media positions are saved atomically every 15 seconds and whenever playback pauses, stops, changes source, starts casting, or shuts down. A lightweight content identity preserves the position across renames without letting a replacement file at the same path inherit it. Violet Relay retains up to 500 unfinished positions for two years and removes a position after natural completion.
Text subtitles such as SRT, ASS, SSA, and WebVTT can render locally. Image subtitles such as PGS can be burned into a compatibility copy after confirmation. Selecting a subtitle for Apple TV casting burns it into the temporary stream so the same captions appear on the television.
Compatible files and direct HLS URLs start without a full conversion. Local files are delivered through temporary fragmented HLS, and compatible MKV or AVI streams can be copied into a short rolling buffer. This avoids waiting for an entire movie-sized output file before playback begins.
When conversion is necessary, Violet Relay probes the installed graphics driver and tries NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, Intel Quick Sync, then CPU encoding. Incompatible HDR sources can use a hardware HEVC streaming path or fall back to a cached 1080p SDR copy. Conversion progress is cancellable, partial files are removed, and prepared copies are managed by a size-limited cache.
A cast is shown as Playing only after the receiver reports playback or keeps the AirPlay playback session active and, for PC-hosted media, requests actual media bytes. Unexpected network loss leaves local playback paused and offers Retry casting or Continue here.
Violet Relay registers itself per user as an available Open with handler on first launch. It does not take over file defaults automatically. In Settings and About, choose Make Violet Relay a default player to open the Windows Default Apps page, where Windows asks you to confirm each choice.
If the portable folder moves, Violet Relay can repair the registered executable path. Choose Remove Windows file integration before permanently deleting the application if you want to remove its registry entries.
Violet Relay has no telemetry, advertising, analytics, accounts, or
developer-operated cloud service. Settings, resume history, encrypted pairing
credentials, optional media tools, prepared files, and redacted diagnostic logs
stay below %LOCALAPPDATA%\VioletRelay.
Pairing credentials are encrypted with Windows DPAPI for the current Windows user. They cannot be moved to another user account or PC. Local media is served only while a cast needs it and is never uploaded to the project maintainer. See the full privacy policy.
- Windows 11 x64 only.
- Direct, unauthenticated HTTP/HTTPS media URLs only.
- No YouTube extraction, browser capture, DRM playback, desktop mirroring, updater, telemetry, or persistent media library.
- Compatible 4K/HDR may pass through unchanged. Incompatible sources use a reliable conversion path, which may reduce them to 1080p SDR.
- AirPlay integration is unofficial and may require adaptation after tvOS updates.
Violet Relay uses the current AirPlay 2 queue command on tvOS 26 because the
legacy pyatv URL playback path no longer works reliably there. Physical
receiver checks currently include:
- Apple TV 4K running tvOS 26.5, with direct URLs, PC-hosted files, subtitles, seeking, and stop/continue flows.
- Hisense 100E75LE with built-in VIDAA AirPlay, including full-screen playback, timeline reporting, and same-session seeking.
- Sony BRAVIA 4K VH22 running Android TV 12, including native AirPlay 2 playback and repeated same-session seeking. The same checks remained clean after a 2026 Sony system update.
Smart TVs with built-in AirPlay are discovered from the receiver's advertised video capability, so audio-only speakers and soundbars stay out of the casting list. These receivers commonly omit Apple TV's separate metadata and remote control service. Violet Relay confirms local playback from real media requests, estimates progress while the AirPlay session is active, keeps stop/continue available, and hides controls the receiver does not expose. Receiver firmware varies, so these physical checks do not guarantee every model or firmware and built-in-TV support should still be treated as experimental. TVs that accept AirPlay media files but not fragmented HLS receive the original local file through a range-aware server, allowing large MKV and AV1/HDR files to start without making a complete copy. Selecting subtitles or a non-default audio track can still require a cached compatibility MP4.
AirPlay support is based on the reverse-engineered pyatv project rather than
an Apple-provided Windows SDK. Violet Relay is not affiliated with, endorsed by,
or certified by Apple.
Install Python 3.13, open PowerShell in the repository, and run:
.\scripts\bootstrap.ps1
.\scripts\run.ps1The bootstrap creates .venv, installs the locked dependencies, downloads the
pinned FFmpeg build from a provider linked by ffmpeg.org, verifies its published
SHA-256, and installs ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe under vendor/ffmpeg/bin.
Run the automated tests and build the portable application with:
.\scripts\test.ps1
.\scripts\generate_test_fixtures.ps1
.\scripts\build.ps1The build is created at dist\VioletRelay\VioletRelay.exe. Automated tests mock
the AirPlay protocol boundary; casting releases must also be checked on physical
hardware. See RELEASING.md for the complete release checklist.
Every feature is free. If Violet Relay is useful to you, optional crypto tips can support hardware testing and future development:
| Asset | Network | Public receiving address |
|---|---|---|
| BTC | Bitcoin | bc1q4udt9zp44v23c3geph6tq5h5a659xa0qqph2es |
| ETH or USDC | Ethereum Mainnet only; USDC must be ERC-20 | 0xAd53452fB8ae492a96154D12aa671D3331AA6680 |
The in-app heart button displays offline QR codes and copies these public addresses. It never connects a wallet or asks for a seed phrase, private key, account, or personal information. Check the asset and network before sending; crypto transfers are irreversible. Tips are optional and unlock nothing.
Violet Relay is free software licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and FFMPEG_SOURCE.md before redistributing a build.
See also Privacy, Security, Code signing policy, Contributing, and Changelog.
AirPlay and Apple TV are trademarks of Apple Inc. Violet Relay uses these names only to describe compatibility.
Copyright (c) 2026 Violet Relay contributors.