🎬 MPV for Apple Silicon Macs

A comprehensive guide to build mpv media player from source on Apple Silicon Macs with Vulkan support.

🚀 Quick Start Options

Don't want to build from source? Here are your options:

Option 1: 📦 Prebuilt Binaries (Recommended for most users)

• 🔥 Official MPV Nightly Builds: Download here - Official ARM64 builds
• 🛠️ m154k1's Enhanced Builds: mpv-build-macOS - Comprehensive builds with extra features
  • Direct download: mpv-macos-15-arm64.zip
  • Includes advanced optimizations and additional codecs

Option 2: 🔨 Build from Source (This Guide)

Choose this option if you want to:

• ✅ Customize build options and dependencies
• ✅ Latest bleeding-edge features from git
• ✅ Learn the build process
• ✅ Optimize for your specific Mac model

📊 Comparison Table

Feature	Official Nightly	m154k1 Builds	This Guide
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Download Size	~50MB	~80MB	N/A (Build locally)
Build Time	Instant	Instant	20-30 minutes
Customization	❌	❌	✅ Full control
Latest Features	✅ Daily builds	✅ Regular updates	✅ Git HEAD
Extra Codecs	✅ Standard	✅ Enhanced	✅ Configurable
Learning Value	❌	❌	✅ Educational

💡 Recommendation:

• Beginners: Use Official Nightly or m154k1 builds
• Power Users: Follow this build guide for maximum control

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📋 Prerequisites

Before building mpv, ensure you have the following installed:

• 🛠️ Xcode - Apple's development tools
• 🍺 Homebrew - Package manager for macOS
• 🖥️ macOS 11.0+ - Required for Apple Silicon support
• 💾 ~2GB free space - For dependencies and build artifacts
• ⏱️ 20-30 minutes - Estimated build time

🚀 Installation Guide

Step 1: Clone MPV Source Code

Clone the official mpv repository:

git clone https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv.git
cd mpv

To update your local clone to the latest version:

git reset --hard
git clean --force -d -x
git pull origin master

Step 2: Install Vulkan Support

Install MoltenVK for Vulkan API support on Metal:

brew install molten-vk

Step 3: Install Dependencies

Install mpv dependencies and libplacebo:

brew install --build-from-source --only-dependencies mpv && brew install libplacebo

Step 4: Download Build Script

Download the build-mpv_silicon.sh script and place it in your mpv directory:

# Download the build script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hongmd/mpv-arm/main/build-mpv_silicon.sh
chmod +x build-mpv_silicon.sh

What the script does:

• Sets up meson build system
• Compiles mpv with optimized settings for Apple Silicon
• Creates macOS app bundle
• Handles static linking for standalone app

Step 5: Install Additional Tools

Install dylibbundler for app bundling:

brew install dylibbundler

Step 6: Build MPV

Make the script executable and run it:

# Build with static linking (recommended for distribution)
./build-mpv_silicon.sh --static

# OR build without static linking (smaller file, requires system libraries)
./build-mpv_silicon.sh

Build Options Explained:

• --static: Creates self-contained app with all dependencies bundled
• Without --static: Smaller app but requires system libraries

The build process will:

1. Configure meson build system
2. Compile mpv with ARM64 optimizations
3. Run tests to verify the build
4. Create macOS app bundle (if --static is used)

Step 7: Install MPV.app

Copy the built application to your Applications folder:

cp -r build/mpv.app /Applications/

🔧 Optional Enhancements

Install Media Tools

For enhanced streaming and downloading capabilities:

# Install streamlink and yt-dlp
brew install streamlink yt-dlp

# Create symlinks for compatibility (if needed)
sudo ln -sf /opt/homebrew/bin/streamlink /usr/local/bin/streamlink
sudo ln -sf /opt/homebrew/bin/yt-dlp /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp

📁 Build Artifacts

After successful build, you'll find:

• build/mpv - Command-line binary
• build/mpv.app - macOS application bundle

⚡ Features

• ✅ Apple Silicon optimized - Native ARM64 performance
• ✅ Vulkan support - Hardware-accelerated rendering via MoltenVK
• ✅ Static linking - Self-contained application bundle
• ✅ Latest codecs - Support for modern video formats

⚙️ Configuration

Recommended mpv.conf for Apple Silicon

Create ~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf for optimal performance:

# Use Vulkan for hardware acceleration
vo=gpu-next
gpu-api=vulkan

# Apple Silicon optimizations
hwdec=videotoolbox
profile=gpu-hq

# High quality scaling
scale=ewa_lanczos
dscale=mitchell
cscale=ewa_lanczos

# Performance settings
vd-lavc-threads=8
cache=yes
demuxer-max-bytes=150M

🐛 Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install
2. Update Homebrew: brew update && brew upgrade
3. Clean builds: rm -rf build/ before rebuilding
4. Vulkan issues: Check MoltenVK installation: brew list molten-vk
5. Build errors: Ensure you're in the mpv source directory
6. App won't open: Check code signing: codesign -v /Applications/mpv.app

📄 License

This repository's documentation and modifications are licensed under the MIT License.

Important Note:

• The build script may contain code from other sources
• This license applies to documentation, guides, and original contributions
• Please refer to original sources for script attribution
• MPV itself is licensed under GPLv2+

🙏 Credits

• Original build script by dbrookman - Source Gist
• MPV Project - The amazing media player we're building
• MoltenVK - Vulkan on Metal implementation
• Homebrew - Package management for macOS

🔗 Alternative Build Solutions

• m154k1/mpv-build-macOS - Comprehensive build scripts with prebuilt binaries
• MPV Official Builds - Official nightly builds for Apple Silicon
• pxia/mpv-macos-build - Another excellent build solution

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