The VideoLAN Forums

Vizio smart tvs as well as other smart tvs allow you to play videos via thunb drive connected to the usb port or stream it from other computers but it lacks the format compatability of vlc media player. Is there any way vlc can be installed on a vizio smart tv or any other smart tv for that matter?

No.

Just connect your laptop via HDMI to your Vizio television. Play your movie with VLC from your computer and it'll play perfectly in hi-definition, allowing you to use all of your subtitles etc. You won't have to spend a penny, since (most) everyone has at least one HDMI cable and a laptop. That's all you need. Your laptop is as portable inside your home as a USB drive is outside of your home. Don't overthink it.

Brother that's what I've been doing. The problem is that my smart tv already has its own native player. It just doesn't play mkv files. I'm not over thinking it. I simply want my smart tv to be able to play mkv files. Why does that seem like such a impossible task?

I know exactly what you mean: I own three Vizio smart TV's. I wasn't intending to sound like a smart aleck; it just came across that way because I was trying to indicate easy workarounds exist--but quickly gave an answer because I was watching Game of Thrones, lol!

Try this: simply rename the .mkv file on your thumbdrive to .mp4. (Depending on the audio or video codecs in the file, this will or may not work; you may only get video but no sound, for example, etc.)

The other HDMI cable, VLC format conversion, and hardware streaming options I'm sure you already know about: play through your laptop, Playstation, Roku, Apple TV, iPhone, etc.

It's not an impossible task; it's just a limitation of the Vizio's ability to not play or recognize all file formats.

Oh I hear you. I downloaded the first 4 episodes of game of thrones and thankfully they were avi and that plays on my tv. Already watched the first 2 last night. It's just a convenience thing for me. It's either move my laptop to the tv and set it up or reformat the video which takes forever on my computer. I just wish someone would make a vlc app for smart tvs

Let me know if the file renaming works for you when you get home. Good chance that'll do the trick. Good luck!

PS: The reported super-low quality of the GoT leak, to me, isn't worthy of the experience.

yes I'll let you know. It's standard definition. it was standard definition quality and was very watchable on my 70".

Well, we only support Android TV

Mtv757 I know this may sound unbelievable but I have found that if you change .mkv to .mp4 the file will work on a vizio tv. It is not that the tv doesn't play mkv files it's that the tv will not recognize it and display it in your library. This works for other things as well not just visio tvs.