How to Watch Your S3 Storage Videos with AirPlay
You keep movies, shows, and home videos in S3 Storage — but you watch them hunched over a phone screen. With AirPlay they belong on the TV. S3 Storage itself can't do it, and screen mirroring looks terrible. Cloudist Watch fixes both: it streams your S3 Storage videos as real video playback on Apple TV and AirPlay-compatible TVs, with your phone as the remote.
What You Need
- An iPhone or iPad (the AirPlay button ships in the iOS app)
- A S3 Storage account with your video files in it
- An Apple TV, or an AirPlay 2-compatible smart TV (recent Samsung, LG, Sony, and others)
- Cloudist Watch — free on the App Store
Step 1: Install Cloudist Watch
Download Cloudist Watch from the App Store. The app also runs on Android, the web, and Mac — but AirPlay streaming is an iPhone/iPad feature.
Step 2: Connect S3 Storage
Open Cloudist Watch → Add Account → S3 Storage. Pick your provider preset — Backblaze B2, AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, Wasabi, or Custom — and the endpoint and region fields fill in automatically. Enter your Access Key, Secret Key, and bucket name, then tap Test & Connect.
Step 3: Let It Scan
The app scans your account for video files and builds a browsable library with thumbnails and a folder view. Lots of non-video files in the account? Run a partial scan of just your Movies folder to keep the library clean.
Step 4: Send It to the TV
Start playing any video, then tap the AirPlay button in the player controls and pick your Apple TV or smart TV. Cloudist Watch uses native AirPlay video playback, not screen mirroring — the difference matters:
- Full quality — the video stream goes to the TV directly instead of a compressed copy of your phone screen
- Your phone stays free — playback continues on the TV while you use other apps
- Phone as remote — play, pause, and seek from the player controls
- Apple TV Remote works — pause and seek from the Siri Remote too
- Now Playing info — title and artwork show up on the TV
For the smoothest AirPlay experience, MP4, MOV, and M4V files work best.
Supported Video Formats
Cloudist Watch plays 10 formats in the app:
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 | .mp4 | Most compatible, best for AirPlay |
| MOV | .mov | Apple QuickTime |
| M4V | .m4v | iTunes/Apple format |
| MKV | .mkv | Popular for high-quality video |
| WebM | .webm | Open web format |
| AVI | .avi | Legacy format |
| FLV | .flv | Flash video |
| WMV | .wmv | Windows Media |
| TS | .ts | Transport stream |
| 3GP | .3gp | Mobile recordings |
More Than One Cloud?
Cloudist Watch connects to several services at once and merges them into one library: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Yandex Disk, WebDAV (Nextcloud, Synology) and S3-compatible storage. The full list is on the cloud providers page. Got a Chromecast or Google TV instead? Cloudist Watch casts to those too. And for your music, the sister app Cloudist Play streams to HomePod and AirPlay speakers the same way.
Is It Private?
Your files never leave S3 Storage. Cloudist Watch streams them directly using credentials stored on your device — no middle server stores your videos or tracks what you watch.
Summary
S3 Storage stores your videos; the TV is where they belong. Install Cloudist Watch, connect your account, press play, and tap the AirPlay button — real video streaming to Apple TV and AirPlay 2 TVs, with thumbnails, resume, and remote control from your phone. Free to start.