The MGS Blog

Ideas, guides, and deep dives

Notes from a company that builds software for Apple silicon: on-device intelligence, native Mac apps, and the tools we ship.

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A Plush window in Split layout: a large tile with an abstract sunset over hills fading into a lake scene on the left, and a narrow tile with abstract album art and equalizer bars beside it, with the words Photos on the left. Music beside them.
PlushNovember 4, 2026·13 min read

How to Make a Photo Slideshow With Music on a Mac (and Play One Live Beside Apple Music)

Two jobs hide in 'slideshow with music on a Mac': making a video file to share, and playing a slideshow live. Photos and iMovie are free for the first. For the second, Plush runs a photo folder beside an Apple Music tile.

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Three overlapping generic player windows with different clocks on the left, and one tidy window with the same three videos as tiles on the right, under the words Three windows, or one.
PlushNovember 4, 2026·11 min read

Can QuickTime or VLC Play Multiple Videos at Once on a Mac? How to Do It, and a Faster Way

QuickTime can play multiple videos at once, one window per file, with Command-Return to play or pause them all. VLC on a Mac needs open -n in Terminal, and IINA allows multiple windows by default. Here are the steps, and a one-window option.

 A Plush window with three tiles, waves, a flame and a spinning record, each with its own loop arrow and progress ring, beside the words Every tile, on repeat.
PlushNovember 4, 2026·11 min read

How to Loop a Video on a Mac: QuickTime, YouTube, VLC, IINA, and Several Videos at Once

In QuickTime Player, choose View > Loop or press ⌥⌘L. This guide covers YouTube, VLC, IINA, Photos and A-B loops, then shows how to loop two or three videos side by side, each on its own, in Plush.

 A Plush window in Split layout: a football field in one big tile on the left and four smaller sports tiles in a two-by-two grid beside it, with the words One big video. A grid beside it.
PlushOctober 30, 2026·11 min read

Ultrawide Monitor Split Screen on a Mac: One Big Video, a Grid Beside It, and Plush's New Split Layout

Plush 1.6 adds Split: one big tile on the left and the rest in a grid beside it, sized by dragging the seams. It's free, it was built for ultrawide monitors, and on a 32:9 screen it fits five 16:9 videos with next to no black bars.

 A Mac window with four tiles playing a streamer, a music player, a football game and a video game, with the music tile outlined in an accent color.
PlushOctober 28, 2026·10 min read

Multi-Screen on Apple: What Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Vision Pro and the Mac Can Do, Plus a Multi-Screen App for Mac

Apple's Multiview covers Apple TV sports on Apple TV 4K, iPad and Vision Pro, and the Mac isn't on the list. Here is what each Apple device does, and a multi-screen app for Mac.

 A Mac window in Hero layout with one large game tile glowing to show the sound, and four smaller tiles labeled Game 2, Game 3, Game 4 and Co-stream.
PlushOctober 25, 2026·12 min read

Build Your Own Multiview on a Mac: 6 Layouts for NFL Sundays, NBA Nights, College Football, Hockey and the Worlds Final

YouTube TV, the ESPN app and DirecTV each let you build your own multiview, but only from their own service. Here are six Mac layouts that mix services, from a free three-game NBA grid to an eight-tile watch party.

 Plush 1.5.0 announcement: a Plush window with three free tiles beside a Plush Pro card listing up to 8 tiles, the Hero layout and Adaptive sound, priced at $2.99 once
PlushOctober 18, 2026·5 min read

Plush 1.5.0: Plush Is Now Free, With a One-Time Plush Pro Upgrade

Plush Media Player is now free with up to 3 tiles at once. Plush Pro, a one-time $2.99 upgrade, unlocks 8 tiles and the advanced features, and everyone who bought Plush before 1.5.0 keeps all of it, free. Thank you.

 A Mac window of four Plush tiles for a Halloween party: a spooky playlist, a haunted house at night, a foggy graveyard, and a photo slideshow, in deep orange and purple
PlushOctober 16, 2026·9 min read

Halloween Ambience on a Mac: A Haunted Video Wall for Your Party

Three Halloween layouts for a Mac and a TV, a party wall, a horror movie night and a front-window loop, with the setup in order and the sound settings that keep four spooky scenes from turning into noise.

 A MacBook screen with a work document and a small pinned video window floating on top.
PlushOctober 12, 2026·13 min read

No Second Monitor? How to Watch Videos While You Work on a MacBook With Pinned Windows, Hero Layouts, and Saved Setups

No second monitor? Here are the free ways to keep a video in view while you work on a MacBook, and a pinned, resizable, savable one-window setup in Plush.

 Four video tiles on a Mac with sound waves coming from only one highlighted tile.
PlushOctober 12, 2026·13 min read

How to Watch Multiple Videos on a Mac Without the Audio Chaos: Hear Only the Video You're Looking At, Mix Two, or Play Everything

Four videos, four soundtracks. Here is how to mute other tabs on a Mac, where the free methods break down, and how Plush's Focus, Adaptive and Chaos sound modes route audio for you.

 A Mac window with several live news tiles and a results map, with network names as plain text labels.
PlushOctober 12, 2026·17 min read

How to Watch Election Night 2026 on a Mac: Follow CNN, Fox News, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, and C-SPAN Live Streams at Once on One Screen

What is free, what needs a login, when polls close on November 3, and how to follow up to eight network streams and a results map in one Mac window.

 A Mac window split into resizable video tiles with a glowing divider.
PlushOctober 12, 2026·13 min read

How to Split Screen on a Mac and Watch Two (or More) Videos at Once: Split View, Floating Windows, and Resizable Video Tiles

Split View gives you two windows and two soundtracks. Here is how to split screen on a Mac with Apple's own tools, where they fall short for video, and how resizable tiles in one window fix it.

 A folder of video clips flowing into a Mac player tile with a shuffle symbol.
PlushOctober 12, 2026·14 min read

How to Shuffle Videos From a Folder on a Mac: Random Playback, Continuous Play, and a Hands-Free Video Slideshow

QuickTime can't shuffle, Quick Look has no random mode, and Photos wants an import. Here's how to play a folder of videos at random on a Mac, loop it, and run several folders at once.

 A Mac window with eight tiles at the top of a ranked comparison of multi-video apps.
PlushOctober 12, 2026·15 min read

The Best Multi-Screen Video Players for Mac in 2026: Plush vs. QuadStream, mPlex, QuadPlay, Multi Video Player, and MultiStreamer Compared

Seven Mac App Store apps for playing multiple videos at once, compared on sources, tile count, audio control and price. We make Plush and say so up front.

 A Mac window showing a Thanksgiving parade tile, a football game tile and a family photo slideshow on one screen.
PlushSeptember 30, 2026·9 min read

Thanksgiving on One Screen: The Parade, Three NFL Games and the Dog Show on a Mac

A warm, practical Thanksgiving week guide: the 2026 schedule from the Wednesday Netflix game to Black Friday, and a Morning, Afternoon and Night setup for one Mac.

 Eight YouTube video tiles arranged in a 4 by 2 grid inside the Plush Media Player window on a Mac, with one tile glowing to show it has the audio
PlushSeptember 29, 2026·11 min read

YouTube Multiview Isn't Coming to Your Mac. Here's How to Watch Multiple YouTube Videos at Once Anyway

YouTube's multiview only works on TVs and phones. Here are the free ways to put several YouTube videos on one Mac screen, where each one breaks down, and how Plush goes past a plain grid with audio focus, sync and shuffle.

 A Mac window showing four live Twitch, YouTube and Kick streams in a 2 by 2 grid, with one tile glowing to show it has the audio.
PlushSeptember 29, 2026·11 min read

How to Watch Multiple Twitch Streams at Once on a Mac (Without Losing Chat or Your Sanity)

Twitch retired Squad Stream and macOS stops at two windows. Here's every way to watch two, four or eight Twitch, YouTube and Kick streams at once on a Mac, with chat intact.

 A MacBook showing four live sports streams in one window, one large game with sound on and three smaller games around it.
PlushSeptember 29, 2026·12 min read

Multiview on a Mac: How to Watch Four Games at Once This Season

YouTube TV, ESPN and Apple TV multiview all skip the Mac. Here is the Safari-vs-Chrome matrix for 13 services, and the one-window setup for watching four games at once.

 Two dance takes playing side by side in a single Mac window, timelines aligned, with the left tile marked as the sync lead.
PlushSeptember 29, 2026·12 min read

Compare Two Videos Side by Side on a Mac (Watch, Don't Edit)

Every search result says iMovie. Here's how to just watch two or more local videos next to each other on a Mac, in sync and at half speed, with the free options covered honestly first.

 A Mac desktop showing four Plush tiles: an Apple Music playlist with album artwork, a crackling fireplace video, a slideshow of personal photos, and a study-with-me stream, arranged in a warm two by two grid
PlushSeptember 29, 2026·10 min read

The Cozy Mac Desk: Apple Music, Lo-fi, Rain, and a Fireplace on One Screen

A practical guide to running Apple Music, a rain or fireplace video, your own photos and a study-with-me stream on one Mac screen, with the free options, their limits, and the Plush recipe that mixes the audio.