loading own mainly AVI movies onto iPad

[flan_taster]

I may be mad but was thinking of buying an iPad because everybody seems to have one. My main concern (apart from price) is whether I will be limited to all content from the 'Apple' or can I load for example a film on the thing to watch on a plane ? I am thinking of all the downloaded films I already have mostly on AVI format but some on TS format that play perfectly well on my PC or Netbook using VLC Media player.
I am beginning to fell that my question is a bit naiive .....but anyway any help out there ?

[Technobear]

the best option is to convert avi files to mp4, you can then also play with quality options - by doing this you can reduce the size, and so load more up on the pad.
Its a good device for movies

( as for can it play avi files, it depends how they were encoded, but most likely not)

[markwilding]

I have the VLC Media player on my Ipod touch,which plays back most types of file without the need for conversion.
Handbrake is a conversion tool that has ready made settings for the ipad, making files easy to convert and it's free.

[Chunky Monky]

I haven't got an iPad but was wondering if there is a usb socket that one could plug a usb stick into and then play .avi files as per modern tv's?

[El Viejo Hombre]

I haven't got an iPad but was wondering if there is a usb socket that one could plug a usb stick into and then play .avi files as per modern tv's?

No

VUZE will convert avi to mp4

[Campo Steve]

No USB socket on Ipad. However, you do get a cable with it to allow connection to USB port on your PC.

You are supposed to use iTunes to transfer pictures and videos to it. However, there are downloadable programmes which are supposedly easier to use although I haven't tried any yet. You can also "jailbreak" it i.e. hack the operating system, but you lose the jailbreak any time Apple send out an update to the OS.

I did put some videos on my iPad via iTunes but it was 11 months ago. Can't remember if they started off as .mp4's or if I had to convert them. I'll need to contact my son-in-law to check.

Here's some info on file conversion for iPad http://tinyurl.com/329zul9

Off to confirm how to do it myself, urgently, as next grandchild due in next 48 hours!

[Campo Steve]

sorry, double post!

[probe]

I agree with Mark. I have used VLC (free app) on my iPad for a long time. There are very fiew video formats that it doesn't deal with very well. It is absolutely fine with avi's and transferring them onto the iPad via iTunes is straightforward. The quality is also generally excellent.

Probe

[flan_taster]

OK so as I understand it, you can transfer AVI videos from the PC onto an iPAD using the cable supplied and then view it using VLC which I presume you can download onto the iPAD without any Apple type problems . If this is the case I will not bother to recode to mp4 as it seems a waste of time.

And then I noticed that people who use an iPAD have commented about a simple APP that seems to help called AIR VIDEO :
QUOTES

Air Video - Watch your videos anywhere! By InMethod s.r.o.
Description

Enjoy your entire video collection everywhere! *
Get more of your video library on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Air Video is a great solution to watch your AVI, DivX, MKV and other videos.
Live Conversion
If the videos in your collection are not in format supported by iPhone or iPad, Air Video will convert them on fly*. You don't need to wait until the entire video is converted. You can start watching it almost immediately!
UNQUOTES

So now I am wondering if I even need VLC ? Still confused ...

[markwilding]

Air video is quite new and I haven't tried it yet.I did have something similar and was able to do the same.
The bit I liked was that I could access files on my computer no matter where I was in the world.The problem with this type of video streaming is if the signal drops.I prefer to have a copy on the Ipod hard drive
BTW

Any one who has the Ipad, Iphone or Ipod touch should download the new BBC Iplayer APP for free.There is plenty of content for free and some might even go for the 65 euro yearly subscription.

[Technobear]

+1 for handbrake
AirVideo is useful for streaming from another computer, not useful on a plane
USB - look at the camera connection kit, this will allow import froms USB devices and also SD/CF cards, good for increasing capacity if needed.