Connect your library
Add local folders, external drives, SMB/NAS shares, or imported media. ShowShark indexes them in place.
ShowShark.app
ShowShark
Stream your own media library from a Mac server to every Apple screen.
Bring together movies, TV shows, music, podcast subscriptions (beta), YouTube channel subscriptions, photo albums, and IPTV. Connect your folders or SMB/NAS shares, then stream at home, remotely, or offline. Your library stays on your hardware.
- Mac server
- Folders and NAS
- Built-in remote access
- Offline downloads
How it works
Four steps from install to streaming
The setup starts simple. The advanced library, remote access, and transcoding tools are there when you need them.
Install the player
Download ShowShark from the App Store on the Apple devices where you want to browse and watch.
Open App StoreInstall the Mac server
Run ShowShark Server on a Mac mini, desktop, or laptop with macOS 14 or later.
Download Mac ServerWatch anywhere
Stream at home, pair remote devices, or download videos for offline playback when the network is unreliable.
Start here
Download the player and the Mac server
ShowShark has two pieces: a player app for your Apple devices and a server app for the Mac that holds, indexes, transcodes, and streams your media.
ShowShark Player
Install on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro.
Free player app.
Download from the App Store
ShowShark Server
Install on macOS to add folders, external drives, SMB/NAS shares, and imported media.
Requires macOS 14 or later. Works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Download Mac Server
Product tour
See the library and the server setup
The player stays focused on browsing and playback. The Mac server handles library setup, scanning, remote access, and transcoding.
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Search and browse
Open saved servers, search your library, and jump into genres without digging through folders.
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Discover what is new
Recent movies, shows, and music sit beside recommendation entry points for the whole library.
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Mac server locations
Add folders, external drives, and SMB/NAS shares without changing where your media lives.
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Scanning and maintenance
The Mac server handles metadata, intro detection, thumbnail caching, cleanup, and scan status.
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Detailed title pages
Artwork, playback controls, synopsis, genre tags, and cast data are ready when you open a title.
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Movie recommendations
Recommendation rows turn a large local library into something easier to explore.
Why ShowShark
A personal media server built for Apple households
ShowShark is for people who already own the media, already use Apple devices, and want a private library that works at home, away from home, and when the internet is unreliable.
No subscriptions
Try the server first, then unlock full-length streaming with a one-time purchase.
Remote access built in
Pair devices once, then stream away from home without router port forwarding or a separate VPN.
Offline downloads
Save videos to your device for long drives, flights, boats, RVs, and spotty networks.
Native Apple apps
SwiftUI clients are designed for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro.
Search and metadata
Find titles by name, genre, actor, artist, album, year, mood, similarity, or recent playback.
Adaptive streaming
The Mac server handles transcoding and adjusts playback quality across Wi-Fi, cellular, and remote links.
Original playback and AirPlay
Preserve compatible source video through direct or remux playback, including remote connections and AirPlay from iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
HD YouTube seeking
Resume and scrub supported YouTube videos while retaining HD adaptive quality, with a progressive MP4 compatibility fallback.
Complete album artwork
Explore front and back covers, booklets, disc scans, tray art, and more in full-screen music album galleries.
Who it is for
Home libraries first, with room for travel and professional archives
ShowShark starts as a simple Apple-native home media server. Advanced source types and archive tools stay available when you need them.
Home media libraries
Movies, shows, music, photos, and family videos on a Mac server, with native apps on the Apple screens around the house.
Travel and offline setups
Download before a trip or stream locally from your Mac when campground, marina, aircraft, hotel, or cellular internet is unreliable.
Professional media archives
Search project libraries, interviews, B-roll, ProRes, DNxHD/DNxHR, MXF, and camera metadata from a lightweight Apple client.
What it streams
Movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, YouTube, photos, and IPTV in one library
ShowShark supports movie and TV libraries, music, podcast subscriptions (beta), YouTube channel subscriptions, photo albums, and IPTV, alongside mixed libraries and professional media archives.
Folders, drives, and NAS
Add local folders, external drives, SMB/NAS shares, or imported media without moving everything into a cloud service.
Movies and TV shows
Stream MKV, MP4, MOV, Blu-ray BDMV folders, subtitles, chapters, and extras with rich metadata and search.
Music and photo albums
Browse music with lyrics and complete artwork galleries, plus photo albums, photo channels, and slideshows.
Podcast subscriptions (beta)
Find a podcast through directory search or add its RSS feed, then browse and play episodes beside the rest of your library.
YouTube channel subscriptions
Subscribe to YouTube channels and browse their refreshed videos alongside local YouTube archives and other media.
IPTV and pro formats
Watch IPTV with XMLTV guides and virtual channels, or work with ProRes, DNxHD/DNxHR, MXF, and file-level metadata.
What People Say
★★★★★
"Setting up the server was easy. My kids can watch their shows while we are away from home, and the offline download feature is great for long drives. I love not having another subscription."
★★★★★
"Once I got the server set up, even my kids could easily find and watch their cartoons on the Apple TV. They never have to ask for help. This stands in contrast to Plex. ShowShark is worth checking out."
How ShowShark Compares
Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby are capable media servers, but they ask you to accept tradeoffs around subscriptions, setup work, cloud accounts, or app consistency. ShowShark is focused on one job: make your own media feel simple, private, and native across Apple devices.
| Feature | ShowShark | Plex | Jellyfin | Emby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership and pricing | Best fitNo subscriptions. Buy it once and keep using the server and player without recurring feature tiers. | Key personal-media features are tied to Plex Pass or other paid access rules. | Free and open source, but you provide the setup, maintenance, and support. | Emby Premiere gates several advanced features and some playback experiences. |
| Remote access | Built inSecure remote access is built into the product, with no router port forwarding or firewall tuning. | Remote streaming leans on Plex accounts and cloud discovery, with relay limitations when direct access fails. | Remote access usually means configuring a VPN, reverse proxy, tunnel, or ports yourself. | Remote access often depends on Emby Connect, router configuration, or a similar network setup. |
| Apple-device experience | NativeSwiftUI apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Watch. | Broad device support, but the experience is not built around Apple households first. | App quality and behavior vary by platform and community-maintained player. | Good platform coverage, but less focused on a fully native Apple-first experience. |
| Offline playback | Travel readyDownload videos to your devices for long drives, flights, and spotty networks. | Offline downloads depend on paid access and can be constrained by remote streaming rules. | Offline support depends heavily on the player app and workflow you choose. | Offline downloads are part of the Premiere feature set. |
| Playback quality | AdaptiveApple VideoToolbox hardware transcoding and adaptive bitrate streaming adjust to the network automatically. | Strong playback ecosystem, but hardware transcoding is a Plex Pass feature. | Powerful when configured well, but hardware acceleration and quality tuning are more manual. | Hardware acceleration and tone mapping are tied to Premiere. |
| YouTube, IPTV, and channels | IntegratedYouTube metadata, Live IPTV, XMLTV guides, channel logos, and virtual channels sit beside your own library. | Live TV and DVR exist, but personal IPTV and virtual channels are not the core workflow. | Live TV is possible, while virtual channels usually require extra tools. | Live TV and DVR are available, with important pieces tied to Premiere. |
| Professional media libraries | Media-awareProRes, DNxHD/DNxHR, MXF, camera RAW metadata, and file-level search fit production archives and home libraries. | Primarily tuned for consumer movie, TV, music, and photo libraries. | Flexible server foundations, but professional acquisition formats are not a central experience. | Primarily focused on consumer media library and playback workflows. |
| Privacy and control | Local firstYour library runs on hardware you own, without cloud accounts, analytics, or external auth for core playback. | Cloud accounts, discovery services, and online identity are central to the product. | Strong local privacy with no required cloud account, at the cost of more self-managed setup. | Mostly self-hosted, with licensing and discovery services adding external touchpoints. |
What's New
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Expanded Original playback, HD YouTube seeking, and album artwork
Original playback gains faster indexed remuxing, remote streaming, AirPlay video, subtitles, and Skip Intro. YouTube resume and scrubbing can retain HD quality, while music albums gain complete artwork galleries.
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Original playback, profile restrictions, and Web HLS
Supported files can preserve source video through Original playback, profiles can restrict content by folder, rating, and media type, and ShowShark Web gains HLS playback with smoother long-session behavior.
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Better downloads, compact browsing, and server maintenance
Partial offline downloads can stay playable and resume later, Browse gets a denser layout for large libraries, and server library work is clearer and better coordinated.
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Remote streaming, simpler browsing, and universal Mac support
Remote playback is steadier on relayed connections, Browse gains a streamlined Simple Mode, tvOS navigation is more predictable, and ShowShark Server ships as a universal Mac app.
Available on
iPhone
iPad
Mac
Apple TV
Apple Vision Pro
Apple Watch
More from ACGAO
Ready to try it?
Start with the player, then add the Mac server.
Install the player on your Apple devices, install the server on your Mac, and point ShowShark at your media library. You can test your setup before upgrading the server for full-length streaming sessions.