While there are many video formats the Apple iPad supports, there are even more that it doesn’t support. If you have ever tried to watch a Flash movie, or a Windows Media Video, you have already found some of the iPad’s limitations. Once you know which formats the iPad does support, you can often convert the file before uploading it to the device. If you’re not interested in converting your own video files, there are also plenty of apps that will make most videos viewable on the device.
The iPad natively supports many of the common video formats used today, including H.264, MP4, M4V, MOV, MPEG-4 and M-JPEG. By default, these play in the iPad's Videos app. The iPad does have limitations within these formats. For example, H.264 videos are limited to 1080 pixels and 30 frames per second. MPEG-4 videos are limited to 2.5 Mbps and 640 by 380 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second. Videos exceeding these limits may not play correctly on an iPad, or may not play at all. Although the iPad does support stereo sound, you will need headphones or external speakers to hear it. The built-in speaker provides only mono playback.
The iPad does not support AVI, Flash (FLV) or Windows (WMV) video file formats. If you have a video in these formats, you will need to convert it to a compatible format before you can play it on an iPad. If your video is in a compatible format, but the size or speed is incompatible, you can convert it in iTunes. After dragging a video into the Movies section of iTunes, just select the video and select "Create New Version" from the File menu. You can then specify an "iPad version" of the video.
If there is a format not supported natively by the iPad, a third-party app available from the iPad's App Store may do the job. For example, iMedia Player is free ad-supported app that can play AVI, WMV and AVI videos without the need to convert them. Video Downloader is another free app that plays a wide range of formats, including WMV, FLV, DVX and MPG. It also gives you the ability to download videos to the iPad. Media Player Pro also plays a wide variety of video formats and includes support for high definition video.
Several online services make streaming video available through an app on the iPad. YouTube is one of the most popular and well-known, but there are many others, free or with a paid subscription, including Vodio, Hulu Plus and Netflix. When it comes to video compatibility, the benefit of these apps is that the developers ensure they are compatible with the iPad before making them available to you. The service automatically optimized a video before sending it to your iPad.
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Writer Bio
A published author and professional speaker, David Weedmark has advised businesses and governments on technology, media and marketing for more than 20 years. He has taught computer science at Algonquin College, has started three successful businesses, and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines throughout Canada and the United States.
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