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Is There An App To Stream Your Shared PC Videos To The iPad?

falconman515

falconman515

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 8, 2010
578
36
I love the new iPad and from what I see with the right ap like AVPlayerHD etc. you can watch 720 .MKV files and many others but is there a way to not have to load these movies up on your iPad and use space?

Is there something out there that will read your network via WiFi and find shared folders on your PC and stream those movies, pictures, etc. to the iPad for playback?

This would be AMAZING if it's possible.

Thanks for the info guys. :)
 
falconman515 said:
I love the new iPad and from what I see with the right ap like AVPlayerHD etc. you can watch 720 .MKV files and many others but is there a way to not have to load these movies up on your iPad and use space?

Is there something out there that will read your network via WiFi and find shared folders on your PC and stream those movies, pictures, etc. to the iPad for playback?

This would be AMAZING if it's possible.

Thanks for the info guys. :)
Click to expand...

Of course it is.

My favourite is Plex - you are running plex server on computer and it streams your whole library. Plex server is also great with metadata for your media - it automatically downloads them from internet..

Othert possibilities:
AirVideo - works similar to Plex
BuzzPlayer - standalone application - you can see video shared on your network computer...
 
There is an app called AirVideo that can do this. You run a server application on your Mac or PC and it converts video in real time to an apple compatible format and streams it. It works great on your local network and the quality is even pretty good over the internet. I think it's a couple of bucks (the server app is free), but it's well worth it.
 
Really ???

Nice!!!

So AirVideo sounds like something I may need to look into.

So why though does it need to convert? I know the iPad doesn't play many formats unless converted but can;t an external app like AVPlayerHD be used to play the file format being streamed via AirVideo?

Just trying to get all the info possible on this before I decide what to download and buy.

Thanks SO much for the info on this guys.
 
Skyjos File Explorer or possibly some other similar product. You simply browse your local network via WiFi and open any file you want with a built-in viewer. In terms of video it supports anything encoded with H.264. No need to run media servers on the hosting machines.
 
falconman515 said:
Really ???

Nice!!!

So AirVideo sounds like something I may need to look into.

So why though does it need to convert? I know the iPad doesn't play many formats unless converted but can;t an external app like AVPlayerHD be used to play the file format being streamed via AirVideo?

Just trying to get all the info possible on this before I decide what to download and buy.

Thanks SO much for the info on this guys.
Click to expand...

Both Plex and AirVideo are converting on the fly - any file format. Try Plex its really great... plexapp.com
 
rollzst said:
Air video is awesome, works very well
Click to expand...

Does it work with .MKV files?

Or does it have to convert it to play?

If I knew it could play these files formats without converting that would be Perfect! I would hate to think my PC is using up resources all the time to convert movies I am trying to playback on the iPad.
 
I use a combination of StreamToMe and ServeToMe. Bought StreamToMe cheap for my iPad 1 and have never needed to explore any alternatives.
 
falconman515 said:
Does it work with .MKV files?

Or does it have to convert it to play?

If I knew it could play these files formats without converting that would be Perfect! I would hate to think my PC is using up resources all the time to convert movies I am trying to playback on the iPad.
Click to expand...

AirVideo is great I use it.

You set the server up on your computer, install the app on the iPad, connect to the PC.

Set up a shared folder within the app on the PC, load up the app on the iPad, select your movie, and play it, it will convert while watching, any file format works, mkv etc, you can also set the bit rate and resolution settings within the app for best quality.

Air Playit is also good and very similar to AirVideo.
 
I love AirVideo...highly recommended. We use it all the time to stream shows. It supports AirPlay as well. It does convert the files but it does it on the fly--I don't know if it requires very much processing power.

Remote Potato looks neat--does anyone know if it will stream media stored on an external drive?
 
OP and EVERYONE that has replied or sees this thread. Use this app. It's called "Splashtop Remote Desktop". I use it daily and have used it for many many things. What you do is:

1. Download app on iPad. It's $2.99 at the moment. They sometimes put on sale for .99 cents
2. Download free Splashtop streamer program on Mac or Windows PC
3. Configure settings on program from step #2, (username, password)
4. Open app on iPad, click on your pc displayed and enter in password
5. Enjoy using every feature of your Mac or Windows PC.

You have to have the computer turned on obviously. Screen can be turned off, but the computer must be running with the program running as well. It doesn't lag and it actuallys looks great and responds well!


So this app gives you the resources of:

1. FULL use of windows office
2. FLASH on your iPad because its actually just your computer.
3. Business people downloading this can access computer at office from home, vice versa
3. Drawing/photo/video software can be used (photoshop, GarageBand, iMovie, windows media player, fruity loops) and on and on...

Using this application allows you to have complete access to your computer. If you have a 3G or 4G iPad, you can actually sign in with a gmail email on the streamer installed on the computer to connect to your Mac or Windows ANYWHERE YOU WANT. So to end the ramble, this app is great. Its simple to use, simple to setup. Here's a link showing you a little but more about it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I got my mothers office to start using this app on their iPads to access their work computers at home in case of need.

http://www.splashtop.com/remote


Here's a few examples of use, these aren't photos I took. I'm out of town with desktop turned off lol.

But uses such as doing homework with stylus to write out notes

48c3cf45.jpg


And this one to show that movies/flash work

a60fd2cc.jpg
 
Last edited:
AlPlPlLE said:
OP and EVERYONE that has replied or sees this thread. Use this app. It's called "Splashtop Remote Desktop". I use it daily and have used it for many many things. What you do is:
Click to expand...

I currently already have this app on my iPad.

Hmmmm .... gonna have to try this and see how it looks compared to the other apps out there made for this.
 
AirVideo is perfect. Plex is very great as well if you're using Plex for its other features as well (like home theater or streaming your movie collection from computer to computer instead of only to your iPad).

Using an app that mirrors your whole computer to the iPad for viewing movies seems completely overcomplicated and silly. Even if you already have an app that lets you access your computer from your iPad in this way, something like AirVideo is still the better option for this simple task.
 
Just downloaded air video and started to stream a movie to my iPad and was watching the resources as it converted on the fly and Holly Crap....

Way to much on the PC ... And I have a Core i7 with 8gb maxed out brand new PC and all my cores just jumped out to max when streaming and converting the movie I was watching.

Is there an option for something that doesn't slap the hell out of your PC to try and convert?

Why can't it have a player build in that supports the video being streamed like AVPlayerHD or something.

Loved the app but hate how much it slams the heck out of your PC while converting.

Any other options?
 
I'm afraid I don't know the technical bits well enough to offer any advice on how to fix it. I can just say that my latter-half-2009 MacBook Pro handles it just fine, so it probably shouldn't be reacting to that harsh degree.
 
Air Media works perfectly for me :)

I tried AirVideo, but the conversion crap didn't work for me. But the only bad thing abt Air Media is that there are less options and no subtitles unless hardsubbed.
 
falconman515 said:
Way to much on the PC ... And I have a Core i7 with 8gb maxed out brand new PC and all my cores just jumped out to max when streaming and converting the movie I was watching.

Is there an option for something that doesn't slap the hell out of your PC to try and convert?
Click to expand...

Why is it a problem if it maxes out your PC? When I'm watching movies on my iPad, my PC is idling doing nothing.

But perhaps you prefer apps where you copy video files in various formats to the iPad, and the video plays directly on the iPad, using the iPad's processing power. I have one called GPlayer, but there are many apps of this type. You can, for example, copy a mkv file to the iPad, and these apps will play it.
 
radicalDESIGNZ said:
Air Media works perfectly for me :)

I tried AirVideo, but the conversion crap didn't work for me. But the only bad thing abt Air Media is that there are less options and no subtitles unless hardsubbed.
Click to expand...

So with Air Media as opposed to Air Video ... Air Media doesn't have to convert? It just plays on the fly like it should?

I am looking for an app that will just play the video .... really shouldn't be that much I wouldn't think. I mean if I load a video on the iPad then it will play with a player such a VLC or AVPlayerHD ..... but why can't there be an app that will play a streamed video as it comes in? Ya maybe it buffers for a few before it starts but why in the world is the PC converting while it plays?

This all just seems odd to me that there is no app that can do this without conversion.

I want to try out this Air Media but they don;t have a free trial one like the others ... and if I pay 2 bucks for a player that converts just the other 2 I have tried (AirMedia and VLCStreamer) then it was a waste of money if it works just the same cause I think AirVideo is probably a better overall player from what I have reviews on.

Any help out there?

Am I just asking to much to have a streaming app that "Doesn't" have to convert while it streams? I hate seeing all 4 cores max out and resources go to max on my pc while I'm streaming a simple little video on the iPad.

Thanks again for all the help guys.
 
Well, if isn't a format that's natively supported by the iPad, and MKV isn't, then it is going to have to be converted *somewhere* right? It will either be done on your PC or the iPad. The latter isn't going to happen without serious performance impact.

>Am I just asking to much to have a streaming app that "Doesn't" have to convert while it streams?

The short answer is yes, yes you are. Air Video is actually the first app I bought for my iPad first gen and I've been using it all the time since then. It works great for me. Why do you care if it "beats up" the processors on your PC? Is it a shared system that someone else is using while you're watching videos?
 
This might just be something to look into how to fix and ask about on the AirVideo forums. I'm streaming with live conversion a 1080p mkv file right now, and my MacBook isn't freaking out.
 
dtlee1974 said:
>Am I just asking to much to have a streaming app that "Doesn't" have to convert while it streams?

The short answer is yes, yes you are.
Click to expand...

Ya I thought I may have been.

Well I guess now since I think really there is NO app out there that can play these without conversion ....

What is the best one?

Air Video?
Air Media?
VLCStreamer?
Plex?

Some are cheaper like the Air Media for 2 bucks and some more expensive like 5 bucks for Plex.

Which is the best and why ... and if say Plex is better then why is it better for the more premium price tag?

Thanks again for all the great feedback guys.
 
I just tried AirVideo thanks to this thread, and all I can say is: holy crap, what a nice app!

There seems to be no non-painful way to get AVCHD videos onto the iPad, so I suppose streaming from the mac is the way to go...
 
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