720P MKV iPad 2 - Which Player?

[Zan5hin]

I have iPad 1, reason I have not upgraded is because the iPad 2 does not play 720p MKV therefore for me it is iPad 1.5

I use Cinexplayer for most stuff I download these days is the low def 350MB TV eps and it works ok. Just a real pain that it does not support AC3, so then I sideload it into Oplayer. I have noticed however Oplayer is more laggy with the new OS 4.x which supports multitasking, as opposed to 3.x which I used to run on my iPad.

I sideloaded a high bitrate movie onto my friends iPad 2 in Oplayer and while not perfect it was much smoother then my iPad 1.

I am going to give Buzzplayer another try, really sad that development seems to have stopped on Cinexplayer, no MKV, no AC3.

 

[monsieurpaul]

I have recently acquired an iPad1 and I have also lot of MKV 720p video that I want to play on it.
After reading this thread and others I tried Subler and I must say I really like it.
- You need to have mkv encoded in h.264, but most of them are.
- The sound will be reencoded, but it takes at most a few minutes.
- It converts the .srt files as well
- Automatic grabbing of metadata and cover image: a huge time saver

 

[wallstreetcrash]

Okay so I tried AVPlayerHD - and it works great.
Played my 720p shows fine - I would say about 25 secs out of 45mins suffered from some stuttering but that was it.
And battery life still stays high.

I still wish it could do HW decoding with mkv container.

 

[HarryPot]

I've found that using MKVtools to remux the file to m4v, and then use Subler to add artwork and video file information (Name, Artists, Episode #3, etc.) is an excellent solution.

MKVtools takes around 5 minutes in my CD MacBook to remux a 1.25 GB file.

So far all of the videos I've converted to m4v work with my iPad, iPhone and Apple TV.

In my opinion this is the only real solution, and the most elegant and easy.

 

[Bluemeanie1976]

I use airvideo when I'm at home, or at someone elses gaff, (with internetwebs access). Converts on the fly, plus you can push it over to apple TV 2. It can also convert stuff for you, using handbrake.

 

[nineohtoo]

So to confirm, iPad 2 owners are able to use av player to playback 720p mkv files?

I've held off on getting an iPad 2 because XBMC does a decent job of letting me play back files. I don't want to get an iPad 2 and lose that. I can live without themes, but a good amount of iPad time for me is used for watching my tv shows/movies on my commute and breaks.

 

[kuwisdelu]

I can confirm AV Player HD has successfully played some of my 720p mkv's on my iPad 2. I haven't tried too many yet, but all the ones I've tried so far played watchably smoothly, complete with .ass subtitles.

Usually I just remux to m4v with Subler, but sometimes the ones with more advanced encoding features still don't play, so it's good to know I can use AV Player HD for those.

 

[qoo77]

+1 for AVPlayerHD, it seems the best i've tried so far on my iPad 2... isn't 100% perfect as 720p mkvs r sometimes prone to very slight jerkiness. even plays 1080p mkvs but stuttering is apparent.

 

[nineohtoo]

Thanks guys. I'll probably go pick one up this week.

 

[cinca]

Add me too the list of success playing back HD mkv files with AVPlayer.. Occasionally run into a reduced frame rate that seems to coincide with a scene where there is a lot of action or detail moving around the screen... But 99% of the time it looks great and plays very smoothly.

As an aside i will say I hate the mkv format. I know hate is a strong word but I've had nothing but problems playing back on both Mac and pcs.. And the benefits to the format are so limited and generally never apply to what it is I want to watch..

 

[nineohtoo]

^Thanks, the extra response is really reassuring. I just tried playing last week's Doctor Who on my first gen iPad and it was stuttering with out of sync audio. But XBMC plays it fine except when it recovers from an un-pause or rewind/forward. Go figure.

 

[cinca]

Ahh.. I should add my experience with AVPlayer is on an iPad 2.. Ymmv with an iPad1..

 

[Skika]

I have anime in mkv which contain subtitles in the file itself. So far i used my dad's gaming pc to convert them with handbrake( iPad preset) using burn in subtitles function. Is there a way to watch those mkv files on iPad 2 native with subtitles?


Tnx

 

[HarryPot]

I have anime in mkv which contain subtitles in the file itself. So far i used my dad's gaming pc to convert them with handbrake( iPad preset) using burn in subtitles function. Is there a way to watch those mkv files on iPad 2 native with subtitles?


Tnx

The most elegant and easy way is to mux those files to m4v format. It takes less than 3-5 mins and you can add soft subtitles.

This way, you add your videos to iTunes, and managing what is on the iPad is much easier. And you get to use the built-in video app, which is the only one that works flawlessly.

 

[Skika]

The most elegant and easy way is to mux those files to m4v format. It takes less than 3-5 mins and you can add soft subtitles.

This way, you add your videos to iTunes, and managing what is on the iPad is much easier. And you get to use the built-in video app, which is the only one that works flawlessly.

Thanks for your answer. How does one "mux" files? Is there an app? And how can i add soft subtitles?

Thanks again

 

[HarryPot]

Thanks for your answer. How does one "mux" files? Is there an app? And how can i add soft subtitles?

Thanks again

For muxing from mkv to m4v download MKVtools (free), and follow these simple steps:
1. Open your .mkv file.
2. Select both the video and the audio checkboxes in the upper compartment. Don't select any other subtitles files here.
3. In the Quick tab, select Device: iPad/iPhone 4.
4. Don't click anything else and select Go.
5. Wait 4-5 minutes. The program would create several files in the process (logs), when completed, a final .m4v file is created. You can erase the other files.

Now, for adding soft subtitles, download a program called Subler (free).
1. Open you .m4v file, click the + sign, and select your subtitle files.
2. Tick the checkbox at the left of the subtitles.
3. Save the file (Cmd+S).
4. You're done.

Subler also let's you add metadata and cover art to your files, so when you import them to iTunes or the iPad they look nice and shiny.

 

[cinca]

I am always confused when people combine 'easy' or 'simple' with some 10 step process involving multiple programs. :- /

It's also strange how frequently 10-15 step 'simple' processes are associated with dealing with MKV file. Ugh.. I really do hate the format.

Anyhow.. I *THINK* (and you would want to double check) that you can just open the file in AVPlayer and it will work...

It *IS* true that mux'ing it out of it's MKV wrapper will likely help with performance and compatibility with a wider range of playback apps.... but if you want to save yourself the trouble you *might* want to just give the file a try as is before you wrestle with several other applications and dragging files off and back onto your ipad.

My iPad lives totally apart from my laptop or other PC so whenever I see processes that require a computer I shy away.

Anyhow.. good luck.. report back!

 

[HarryPot]

I am always confused when people combine 'easy' or 'simple' with some 10 step process involving multiple programs. :- /

SNIP

My iPad lives totally apart from my laptop or other PC so whenever I see processes that require a computer I shy away.

Anyhow.. good luck.. report back!

You do realize how simple all of the 9 steps are? And the output is a better organized library, and an easier sync between my Mac and my iPad.

Besides, you need a computer to copy files to the AVPlayer. Making this conversion in your spare time, in my opinion, is worth it.

 

[kuwisdelu]

Thanks for your answer. How does one "mux" files? Is there an app? And how can i add soft subtitles?

Thanks again

After extracting the subtitle file in MKVTools, use a program called Jubler to convert the .ass to .srt. With shows with more complex typesetting, you may have to look through the subtitles and delete anything extraneous that .srt doesn't support or would look ugly with only two lines of subtitles (.srt only shows up to two lines of subtitles at once). For example, if the group includes kanji, romaji, and English for songs, you might want to delete either the kanji or the romaji.

After that, mux the .srt into the m4v using Subler like mentions above.

You might also try AV Player HD. It played back my 720p mkv's with subtitles intact. Haven't tried it with shows with more complex typesetting or karaoke, though.

 

[kendo88]

Any apps for windows to do the job?

 

[Skika]

For muxing from mkv to m4v download MKVtools (free), and follow these simple steps:
1. Open your .mkv file.
2. Select both the video and the audio checkboxes in the upper compartment. Don't select any other subtitles files here.
3. In the Quick tab, select Device: iPad/iPhone 4.
4. Don't click anything else and select Go.
5. Wait 4-5 minutes. The program would create several files in the process (logs), when completed, a final .m4v file is created. You can erase the other files.

Now, for adding soft subtitles, download a program called Subler (free).
1. Open you .m4v file, click the + sign, and select your subtitle files.
2. Tick the checkbox at the left of the subtitles.
3. Save the file (Cmd+S)
4. You're done.

Subler also let's you add metadata and cover art to your files, so when you import them to iTunes or the iPad they look nice and shiny.

Wo tnx! I downloaded the programs, and i did the first half. It did make an m4v file but where can i find the subtitles? Do i need to extract them somehow with mkvtools? Tnx!

 

[kuwisdelu]

Wo tnx! I downloaded the programs, and i did the first half. It did make an m4v file but where can i find the subtitles? Do i need to extract them somehow with mkvtools? Tnx!

Yes. Check the box for the subtitle track in MKVTools and then go to the Edit tab and check "extract track" and hit OK. If it's a recent anime, you should get a .ass subtitle file. I suggest saving it as an .srt in Jubler and then muxing it together with the video and audio tracks in Subler. Btw, you can drag-and-drop the mkv directly into Subler when you want to remux it, too, instead of remuxing it in MKVTools.

Btw, if the H.264 video uses more advanced encoding features than the iPad supports, it still won't play even after re-muxing it to m4v/mp4.

 

[Skika]

Yes. Check the box for the subtitle track in MKVTools and then go to the Edit tab and check "extract track" and hit OK. If it's a recent anime, you should get a .ass subtitle file. I suggest saving it as an .srt in Jubler and then muxing it together with the video and audio tracks in Subler. Btw, you can drag-and-drop the mkv directly into Subler when you want to remux it, too, instead of remuxing it in MKVTools.

Yes! I did all this, and i got an m4v file with subs, i imported it in itunes and when i tried to sync it to my iPad it said "file cant be played on this iPad..."


so i bought the AV played HD, imported the mkv and it plays with no problems and with subs.

but i would still prefer the first method as id rather have all in itunes and use the video app, if possible? Was i doing something wrong

tnx again

 

[HarryPot]

Yes! I did all this, and i got an m4v file with subs, i imported it in itunes and when i tried to sync it to my iPad it said "file cant be played on this iPad..."


so i bought the AV played HD, imported the mkv and it plays with no problems and with subs.

but i would still prefer the first method as id rather have all in itunes and use the video app, if possible? Was i doing something wrong

tnx again

What video codec did the video had? H.264? This is something I missed telling you, since most of the MKV videos come with this video codec.

If it has another video codec, MKVtools won't be able to give you a playable video for iTunes.

 

[cinca]

You do realize how simple all of the 9 steps are? And the output is a better organized library, and an easier sync between my Mac and my iPad.

Besides, you need a computer to copy files to the AVPlayer. Making this conversion in your spare time, in my opinion, is worth it.

Simple..? How is it more simple then never even needing to turn on on a computer and being able to watch mkv files -- with subtitles -- on my iPad using a single app.

If I was interested in collecting a large library or video assets on my computer I totally agree having all of them in more cross-platform friendly format would be key... (trust me..I have NO love for mkv.. I think it's a joke..)

However, my use case is popping onto the Internet (using my iPad) to download a movie or show (using my iPad), copying it to a media player app that supports whatever flavor of codec/wrapper the video is encoded in (using my iPad) and then watching it on my iPad -- or my HDTV using the hdmi cable.

I would agree that if you want to keep an archive of media you will need to work a computer and syncing files into that mix but for me I am just grabbing a movie or an episode here and the -- not building a big media library to rewatch or share anything.

And in case you were not aware you don't need a computer to copy files to AVPlayer. If they are on iPad via a download manager or most browsers that support file downloads you should be able to use "Open with..." and select a media player app which sends a copy of the file to that app to view in it's sandbox. When this feature rolled out in iOS matched with media players that support various non-standard iOS video formats, it allowed me to totally "unchain" my ipad from my laptop -- which has collected more dust in the last 3 months than it has in then 4 years since I got it..