I was checking out the Sandisk iXpand and thought it was a feature where you can load movies onto the memory stick and then connect it to your iphone and start watching movies (on the memory stick) on your iPhone via the iXpand app. But it doesn't seem like that. It seems to only allow copying from the your device. Is there such a feature out there with memory stick that can connect to iPhones to watch movies or even listen to music.
He wants it to work like it does on real computers where you can connect a usb storage device and play videos form it. He probably doesn't like having to import/copy before playing.
It have a lightning connector built in. To access the file looks like you have to use the iXpand DRIVE app.
The fantastic Infuse video player has native support for iXpand drives. Just plug it in, open Infuse and play all your movies/shows.
I haven't tested this with external storage but Infuse itself is great and plays lots of formats. It has AirPlay and chromecast support available. Probably the best solution.