WiiM Home TV App Brings Streaming to the Big Screen

By Audacity Australia Editorial Team
Credit: Article inspired by John Darko, published on Darko.Audio

WiiM continues to push innovation in music streaming. Their latest release, the WiiM Home TV app, allows users to display “now playing” information on their TV screens through Apple TV.

Turning TVs Into Music Displays

In the past, vinyl and CDs came with album covers and booklets. These provided a visual experience alongside the music. Streaming, however, often leaves that connection missing. The WiiM Home TV app brings it back by showing album artwork, artist names, and song titles on your television. This makes it easy to enjoy visuals without needing to squint at a tiny streamer screen.

Installing the app is simple. After downloading it from the tvOS App Store, it will automatically detect WiiM devices connected to the same network. Supported models include the WiiM Ultra and WiiM Pro Plus. Once selected, album art and track details appear in real-time from services like Roon, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect.

Streamlined Control and Minimalist Display

When you first launch the app, it shows all track information neatly. After 30 seconds, the playback controls fade, leaving a clean display of cover art, track title, and a small WiiM logo. This experience feels similar to what users appreciate in apps like TV:Remote but is now built directly for WiiM users.

Furthermore, the app adapts to different streaming methods. Whether using Roon, Apple Music via casting, or Tidal Connect, the visuals adjust automatically. It makes following your playlist easy without interruptions.

Smooth Streaming with Minor Tweaks Needed

Testing shows that the app supports bit-perfect streaming. This ensures a high-quality audio experience while enhancing the visual aspect of listening.

However, not everything is perfect yet. The playback queue display is not fully functional, and users must manually navigate to control playback. For example, the remote’s physical play/pause buttons are not active within the app yet. Despite this, users can still adjust volume through HDMI ARC if needed.

Meanwhile, the animated three-bar visualizer on the screen may feel distracting. It would be more useful if WiiM switched the album title for the artist name. After all, listeners often ask, “Who is this artist?” before wondering which album a song belongs to.

A Promising Step Forward

WiiM’s new tvOS app reflects a major leap in user experience. By extending streaming metadata to televisions, they blend classic music engagement with modern technology. With frequent updates likely, users can expect even better functionality over time.