TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Smart Converter and Smart Converter Pro include features to make management of your video library on Apple's macOS TV app simple and convenient.
Please be aware that Apple split iTunes into the TV and Music apps with the macOS 10.15 (Catalina) release. If you're using an older macOS version, these instructions won't be completely accurate, but substituting the TV app for iTunes will work in most cases.
Both Smart Converter and Smart Converter Pro can send a converted file (video or music) to Apple's TV or Music apps, while Smart Converter Pro gives you the ability to decide which (if any) of these apps the converted file is sent to.
This article shows you our recommended approach for managing your video library on a Mac, and some alternate approaches.
Recommended Approach
Our recommended approach to using Smart Converter Pro with the macOS TV app involves making the TV app copy added files into its own media library location, so that you don't need to keep converted files in the Smart Converter Pro output folder.
This keeps all your media content in one place, but can use up all your local storage on your Mac. We have an alternate approach later in the article to help with managing large libraries.
Smart Converter Pro setup
Send to TV App
In Smart Converter Pro, open Preferences/General and only send to the TV App. You can send to the Music app also, but this isn't usually required.
Send copy to Trash
This option will delete a converted file once it has been sent to the TV or Music app.
In Smart Converter Pro, open Preferences/General and select Send copy to Trash after adding to TV or Music.
This option works together with how we recommend setting up the TV app later.
Set output folder
By default, Smart Converter Pro sends converted files to your Movies/Smart Converter Pro 3 folder. This is usually suitable for most people, but you can have the files sent to any folder, including on an external drive.
macOS TV app
Copy files to Media folder
Now go to Apple's TV app on your Mac and go to Preferences/Files and ensure Copy files to Media Folder is checked.
When Smart Converter Pro sends a file to the TV app, this setting ensures that the file is copied into the TV app's media folder, so you don't need to keep a copy in Smart Converter Pro's output folder.
Summary
This approach will result in all of your converted files being copied into the TV app's media folder, and also be organised according to the TV app's own rules on how to store files.
Alternate Approach
This alternate approach to managing you library is suitable for storing large quantities of files on an external drive, while leaving the TV app's media folder location in it's default position on your Mac's main hard drive.
Smart Converter Pro
Send copy to Trash
For this approach, deselect this option as you now want to keep all the converted files.
Set output folder
Set the output folder to an external drive where you want to keep all your media.
macOS TV app
Do not Copy files to Media folder
Go to Apple's TV app on your Mac and go to Preferences/Files and ensure Copy files to Media Folder is no longer checked.
This stops the TV app from copying added files, but relies on the added files remaining in the location they were at when added to the TV app.
Summary
This approach is useful when you notice that your TV app media folder is growing but you don't want to move the entire media folder to a new location all at once.
Folder Monitoring
The final step of the file management workflow can be using a monitored folder for incoming files.
You can find out more about this in the article on Setup Folder Monitoring (Mac Only)
Using your Apple TV
This article has focused on getting all your content into the macOS TV app.
This will let you watch content on your Mac, but the main reason for setting all this up is to use your Apple TV and watch content on the big screen.
Check out this article to see how you can easily set up Home Sharing between your macOS TV app and any Apple TV on your network - Using your Apple TV with Smart Converter Pro