Playing Everything: MKV, WebM, and Beyond
"Format not supported." Four words that no one should see in 2025. HorangPlayer plays everything.
The Format Landscape
Video formats are complicated. There's the container (the file format — MKV, MP4, WebM) and the codec (the compression method — H.264, VP9, AV1). A single MKV file might contain H.265 video, Opus audio, and ASS subtitles — three completely different technologies wrapped in one container.
QuickTime only supports Apple's preferred combinations: MP4/MOV containers with H.264/H.265 video and AAC audio. That's a tiny slice of what's out there.
What HorangPlayer Supports
Video Containers
MKV, MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, FLV, OGM, TS, M2TS — every major container format.
Video Codecs
- H.264 / AVC — The most common codec (hardware accelerated)
- H.265 / HEVC — 4K/HDR standard (hardware accelerated)
- VP9 — YouTube's codec of choice (hardware accelerated)
- AV1 — The next-generation codec (hardware accelerated on Apple Silicon)
- VP8 — WebM legacy
- VC-1 — Blu-ray legacy
- DivX / Xvid — AVI-era classics
- And dozens more via FFmpeg's codec library
Audio Codecs
- AAC — Standard MP4 audio
- Opus — Modern, efficient codec (WebM, Discord)
- Vorbis — Open-source alternative to MP3
- FLAC — Lossless audio
- DTS / DTS-HD — Surround sound
- AC3 / E-AC3 — Dolby Digital
- MP3 — Legacy standard
- PCM / ALAC — Uncompressed / Apple Lossless
Subtitle Formats
- SRT — Simple timed text
- ASS / SSA — Styled subtitles with fonts, colors, positioning
- VTT — Web subtitle format
- PGS — Blu-ray bitmap subtitles
Hardware Acceleration
Universal format support doesn't mean slow software decoding. mpv uses VideoToolbox for hardware-accelerated decoding on macOS:
| Codec | Hardware Accel | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 | ✅ | All Macs |
| H.265 | ✅ | 2017+ Macs |
| VP9 | ✅ | Apple Silicon |
| AV1 | ✅ | M3+ chips |
When hardware acceleration isn't available (rare codecs), mpv falls back to optimized software decoding — still fast enough for smooth playback.
Why This Matters
You shouldn't need to think about video formats. Download a file, double-click it, watch it. That's the experience HorangPlayer delivers.
No more converting files. No more installing codec packs. No more "format not supported." Just drag, drop, and play.