What is Airflow?
Airflow is a desktop application designed for streaming videos to Chromecast, Apple TV, and AirPlay 2 enabled televisions. It employs a custom-built video processing pipeline that goes beyond standard FFmpeg wrappers, ensuring high-quality playback with minimal CPU load. The software supports a wide range of video formats and codecs, including full 4K HDR HEVC files, and uses hardware-accelerated transcoding when necessary for compatibility.
Advanced features include adaptive audio volume control, spatial headphone downmix, lossless audio transcoding for Apple TV, and real-time OCR for DVD/Bluray/Vobsub subtitles. Airflow also offers a polished user interface, multiple playlists, last position tracking, and a free remote control app for Android and iPhone. It is available as a one-time purchase with no subscription fees, allowing use on multiple computers under a single license.
Features
- Custom Video Processing: Advanced pipeline beyond FFmpeg for optimized streaming
- 4K HDR HEVC Support: Streams high-resolution videos to compatible devices
- Adaptive Audio: Volume booster, spatial headphone downmix, and lossless transcoding
- Subtitle OCR: Real-time text recognition for DVD/Bluray/Vobsub subtitles
- Hardware Acceleration: Uses GPU for transcoding to reduce CPU load
- Remote Control App: Free companion app for Android and iPhone
- Multiple Playlists: Supports organizing videos into different lists
- Last Position Tracking: Meticulously saves playback progress
Use Cases
- Streaming personal video collections to smart TVs
- Watching movies on Chromecast or Apple TV from a computer
- Enhancing audio for late-night viewing without disturbing others
- Playing videos with embedded or external subtitles on supported devices
- Using a remote control to manage playback from a couch
FAQs
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What platforms does Airflow support?
Airflow requires macOS 10.12 or newer, 32-bit Windows, or 64-bit Windows. For other platforms, users should check the downloads page. -
Does Airflow support streaming to devices other than Chromecast, Apple TV, and AirPlay 2 TVs?
Airflow is focused on supporting Chromecast, Apple TV, and AirPlay 2 enabled TVs, and may not stream to other devices like smart fridges. -
What video formats and codecs does Airflow handle?
Airflow can handle pretty much any video format and codec, including full 4K HDR HEVC files. -
Is there a free trial available for Airflow?
The content does not mention a free trial; playback is limited to 20 minutes in the free version, and it is available as a one-time purchase. -
How does Airflow handle network issues during streaming?
Airflow includes an integrated Speed Test for Chromecast to help diagnose and deal with network connection issues.
