Air Video - best 3$ I ever spent in the iTunes store

[Prasius]

Air video - excellent app that does everything I need, and it's easy to use without needing a computer science degree

 

[silvo]

Air Video

Thanks for the info on Air Video, can anyone please give me a few pointers on how it works? I have downloaded it to my Pad, and nothing seems to happen, except a little circle going round and round.

Sorry if I am missing something!!

silvo

 

[Prasius]

You need to download the "server" from airvideoapp.com (or a URL very similar to that!) - tell the server program on your real computer where your video files are on your real computer, go to your iPad, add the server, and view your videos via the wonders of wifi or the interweb streaming. Remember to go through the menu's and set a decently strong password.

 

[kensteele]

Thanks, I picked up Stream To Me to check it out; needed to play audio from iTunes.

Air Video can steam your content remotely which is a major plus!

 

[silvo]

Air Video

Prasius,

Thanks for the info, its always great when someone helps a novice!!

Silvo

 

[pallentx]

Thanks, I picked up Stream To Me to check it out; needed to play audio from iTunes.

Air Video can steam your content remotely which is a major plus!

If you mean by "remotely" that you can do it from outside your own wifi network, Stream to Me can also do that. If your router has UPnP enabled, it will create a route so you can hit your computer from outside. I have done it from work and on 3G. The trick is that you have to leave Serve to Me running with your login up all the time. My wife logged me out at home and killed my connection once

 

[y2kgtp]

Personally I don't have a need to stream video outside my house. The feature I like about Air Video the most is that it can convert any video it plays to a compatable file to drop into iTunes to sync onto the iPad.

 

[Prasius]

Yip, I don't think many people do have the need to share over the net, but to get that sort of functionality which works extremely well, for such little money, is top stuff. I'm amazed the dev's don't charge a little more for that app actually.

 

[kensteele]

Thanks, I picked up Stream To Me to check it out; needed to play audio from iTunes.

Air Video can steam your content remotely which is a major plus!

If you mean by "remotely" that you can do it from outside your own wifi network, Stream to Me can also do that. If your router has UPnP enabled, it will create a route so you can hit your computer from outside. I have done it from work and on 3G. The trick is that you have to leave Serve to Me running with your login up all the time. My wife logged me out at home and killed my connection once

Good to know. I definitely have a need to check out and play my iTunes library when I'm traveling, at work, or in the car. Air Video is hit or miss so I'll give StreamToMe a try off network.

I will give it to StreamToMe with video conversion and playback, more formats, and options, and probably a bit faster. However, two things: for me, it SKIP and goes out of sync on the highest resolution but is fine on one down (720p?). And overall video quality is not a good as Air Video.

But Air Video is landscape only. For the price, I'll keep both. Thanks.

 

[pallentx]

Yeah, I mostly use it to stream recorded TV from my media center PC and music. My video is all standard-def stuff. I like that I dont have to do any conversions, just point to the folder and is all there.

I'm still having trouble keeping the server end running. I have the server installed on a PC that several people use at home. I think when my wife logs in, it starts another instance that shuts down the one I had running under my login. I think if I can set the server under every user to point to the same folders, it will be fine. Right now, the server is up, but its pointing only to default folders and there's nothing in them. Air Video may have the same problem, but I don't remember it doing that. If you are the only user on your server computer, you shouldn't have any issues.

 

[andsoitgoes]

I bought it in hopes of streaming music, because I sometimes have this stupid inability to read information, but I'm so glad I purchased it now, it's a flippin' dream!

I prepared for my long, long trip with enough shows/movies to watch with my kids by simply clicking 2 buttons. I didn't have to fiddle with 100 settings, I just clicked and went, no problems, no headaches, nothin'!!

If you have $3 to spend on something and do a lot of video transfer/use on an iPad, this is THE app to get.

 

[Drag Bunt]

I'd pay some meaningful bucks for an app that could stream WTV files from my Win7 Media Center without conversion, but so far, I haven't found one.

 

[uberweiss]

As far as i understand, you can convert video files with Air Video so that you can sync them to your iPad and not just stream them. I've also read about Handbrake that does this.

For converting and syncing video files (not streaming), which program is the best between Air Video and Handbrake when it comes to quality and speed?

 

[Stingray]

Unfortunately I don't think too highly of this product. I have a ton of home movies, all in HD 720P, taken on my point-and-click Panasonic Lumix camera. The playback is terrible. It plays for a few seconds then stops. I have to wait a few more seconds and press play again. Then it plays for a few seconds and stops.

These videos play just fine on my Win 7 HTPC and my Win 7 netbook running an Atom processor.

I don't think this software is ready for prime time. Or maybe it's the iPad's processor. Either way they're not up to the task.

 

[y2kgtp]

Unfortunately I don't think too highly of this product. I have a ton of home movies, all in HD 720P, taken on my point-and-click Panasonic Lumix camera. The playback is terrible. It plays for a few seconds then stops. I have to wait a few more seconds and press play again. Then it plays for a few seconds and stops.

These videos play just fine on my Win 7 HTPC and my Win 7 netbook running an Atom processor.

I don't think this software is ready for prime time. Or maybe it's the iPad's processor. Either way they're not up to the task.

Sounds like the problem is on the computer side, not the iPad. The Computer side is doing the processing\converting of the video. iPad is just receiving a converted stream. A Netbook is not up to the task of running the server.

* Live Conversion requires iPhone or iPod touch with firmware 3.0 and a sufficiently powerful computer (Intel Core 2 duo or equivalent processor is recommended).

What processor is running the HTPC ?