Remote access streaming is more reliable when you are away from home. When a remote connection has to travel through a relay instead of a direct path, ShowShark now adapts the stream so playback starts with a better cushion and video arrives more steadily.
Browsing can now be much simpler. The Library tab is now Browse, and the new Simple Mode turns a connected server into a locations-first view for people who just want to open folders and play media without extra library tools in the way.
tvOS navigation is easier to trust. Moving around Browse, switching root tabs, returning from playback, opening Settings, and backing out of server screens now behaves more consistently with the Apple TV remote.
Server background work is less intrusive. Library cleanup, scans, YouTube refreshes, intro detection, scrub thumbnail caching, and trailer refreshes now run in a more orderly overnight window, with controls to pause or start the heavier media-preparation jobs when you choose.
Media browsing feels more complete. Search can find TV episodes, YouTube subscriptions show up better in Recently Added, History is grouped by recency, artwork is prepared sooner after scans, and DV video files are recognized correctly.
ShowShark Server now ships as a universal Mac app, with native support for both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
Remote Access & Playback
Remote streams are steadier on relayed connections. If ShowShark cannot get a direct remote path, it now uses a more conservative streaming approach designed for higher-latency relay routes.
Playback starts with a better buffer on difficult remote networks, reducing the chance that a stream begins too aggressively and then stalls immediately.
Video delivery is paced more smoothly for relayed remote sessions, which helps avoid bursts of data overwhelming the client on slower or less stable networks.
Short videos start and finish more reliably. Very short streams that reach the end quickly are handled as normal playback instead of being mistaken for startup failure.
Some hard-to-classify video files fail more clearly when ShowShark cannot play them, instead of appearing to hang or silently reject the file.
Browse, Search & History
Library has been renamed Browse to better match what the tab does: moving through locations, folders, media categories, and server content.
Simple Mode shows only Locations while browsing a connected server. It is useful for family members, shared Apple TVs, and anyone who prefers a straightforward file-browser style experience.
Simple Mode also hides advanced playback actions such as file details, thumbnail grids, downloads, watch-party invites, and metadata assignment, keeping playback screens focused on watching.
Search results can now include TV episodes, so episode titles and episode-level matches are easier to find directly.
Recently Added handles shows more cleanly. New episode batches are grouped under their shows instead of flooding the page with many near-identical rows.
YouTube subscription content appears more naturally in Recently Added and show views, with clearer episode ordering.
History is grouped by recency, making it easier to see what was watched today, recently, or further back.
Browse refreshes preserve visible rows more reliably, so refreshing or returning from another screen is less likely to collapse the place you were browsing.
tvOS
Root tab focus is more reliable throughout the Apple TV app, especially when moving between Browse, History, Playlists, Channels, and server-management areas.
The Menu / Back button behaves more predictably from root content, including returning focus to the tab bar and scrolling back to the top when appropriate.
Browse focus recovery is stronger after opening media, returning from playback, or refreshing the current view.
Server settings focus now returns to the expected place after server-management actions.
Settings screens are easier to navigate with the Apple TV remote.
Server Library Work
Nightly maintenance is more orderly. ShowShark Server now runs cleanup, scans, YouTube refreshes, intro detection, scrub thumbnail caching, and trailer refreshes in one managed overnight sequence.
Heavier optional jobs stay in the early-morning window, reducing the chance that Server keeps doing expensive background work while you are actively using it later in the day.
Intro detection can be paused, resumed, or started manually from the Library tab.
Scrub thumbnail caching can be paused, resumed, or started manually, and the Library tab shows how much of the cache is complete.
Scrub previews can be prepared ahead of time for eligible videos, making timeline preview thumbnails more likely to be ready when you start scrubbing.
Artwork is warmed during library scans, so posters and thumbnails are more likely to appear quickly after new media is added.
Remote media locations are counted correctly in the Server Library overview.
Media & Reliability Fixes
DV files are recognized as video media, improving handling for older camera and archive files.
Recent thumbnail requests get priority, so active browsing and playback-related artwork should not wait behind older background thumbnail work.
Scrub thumbnail failures are handled more gracefully, keeping cache progress understandable even when individual files cannot be processed.
Server startup is more reliable for older libraries that need legacy database migrations.
Server status displays transcoding progress more sensibly, avoiding impossible progress values during active sessions.
Server add-option menus and Client settings screens received small presentation polish, making common setup and settings tasks a little cleaner.
Mac Compatibility
ShowShark Server is now universal for Mac, so the same release runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon systems.