# johncoates/aerial

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20,980 stars · 1,038 forks · Swift · MIT

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/JohnCoates/Aerial
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/johncoates-aerial.md

## Description

Aerial is a macOS screensaver application and background manager that replaces static images with a rotating series of high-resolution aerial cinema shots. It functions as an Apple TV video streamer, fetching and displaying official aerial screensavers originally designed for Apple TV to be used as dynamic backgrounds on a Mac.

The project integrates Apple TV content to enable desktop wallpaper customization and dynamic screensaver management. This allows the system to stream high-definition aerial views from remote sources to serve as a living background or an automated screensaver when the computer is idle.

The application handles content delivery through remote stream buffering and local metadata caching to ensure smooth playback. It utilizes periodic content refreshes to rotate the gallery of available aerial views and employs dynamic wallpaper injection to replace the system desktop background.

## Tags

### Hardware & IoT

- [Aerial Cinema Backgrounds](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/hardware-iot/embedded-robotics/robotics-autonomous-systems/aerial-navigation-simulators/aerial-cinema-backgrounds.md) — Streams high-definition aerial cinema shots from Apple servers to use as dynamic backgrounds. ([source](https://github.com/johncoates/aerial#readme))

### Part of an Awesome List

- [Wallpaper Managers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/wallpaper-managers.md) — Implements a system to manage and inject high-resolution videos as desktop backgrounds.
- [Apple TV](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/media/apple-tv.md) — Integrates official Apple TV aerial screensaver content for use on macOS.
- [Developer Utilities](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/developer-utilities.md) — Displays Apple TV aerial footage as a screensaver.
- [Apple Inspired Screensavers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/media/apple-inspired-screensavers.md) — Displays high-quality drone footage from Apple TV.

### Graphics & Multimedia

- [Apple TV Content Streamers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/graphics-multimedia/apple-tv-content-streamers.md) — Fetches and displays official aerial screensavers originally designed for Apple TV.
- [Headless Video Playback](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/graphics-multimedia/headless-video-playback.md) — Runs video playback in a background process without a visible window to create a persistent desktop layer.
- [Media Stream Buffering](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/graphics-multimedia/media-stream-buffering.md) — Downloads high-definition video segments from remote servers into a local cache for smooth background playback.

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Desktop Customizers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/desktop-customizers.md) — Provides tools to modify the macOS desktop appearance by replacing static wallpapers with dynamic videos.

### User Interface & Experience

- [Screensavers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/screensavers.md) — Controls the playback of rotating high-resolution video backgrounds when the system is idle.