Ipad 3

[RichLB]

First off, has anyone purchased this device and, if so, what do you think of it? Is it really all that much better than the Ipad2 (I don't have an Ipad, but just wondered)?

I think I want one of these things, but I have one main concern. I use my current tablet to view movies and tv shows downloaded from the internet. But, I've heard that Apple only allow proprietary media to be viewed. Is this so? Can you see media not produced by Apple on an Ipad? Can you download a TV show, load it onto the device and then just watch it (as I can on my current tablet)? Or does the Ipad restrict you only to purchased products. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

[bkkguy]

First off, has anyone purchased this device and, if so, what do you think of it? Is it really all that much better than the Ipad2 (I don't have an Ipad, but just wondered)?

LA Times - New iPad and the iPad 2: Can you really tell the difference?

Can you download a TV show, load it onto the device and then just watch it (as I can on my current tablet)?

the easiest (and Apple's preferred) option by far is to buy all your media from iTunes and view using Apple's default apps on the iPad, and this "just works" - usually!

but there are other ways of getting media onto the iPad (and some don't even require connecting to iTunes on a PC/Mac these days) and other media player apps that support media formats not previously supported by Apple on the iPad - it may not be quite as flexible as on some Android tablets but it is getting better with each release of iOS and iPad

if you are geek enough to know how to do it on your current tablet you should be able to do it on the new iPad, and if you are not then use the Apple defaults - that is what they are designed for!

bkkguy

[thaiworthy]

RichLB,

I have an iPad, a MacBook Pro and AppleTV. I use Handbrake to rip purchased dvds and save them as .m4v files (mp4, H264 codec) and they are playable on all my devices, including the iPad.

http://handbrake.fr/

If you have a video file that is not already compressed to a format that is playable on the iPad, you have to buy Quicktime Player 7.6.6 (Pro) and export the file using a preset optimized for the device it is intended for, or do as I do, save to AppleTV and it will play on everything. That might not be the best solution for you since it takes up more hard drive space, but I like HD and this works for me.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/D3380Z/A

There is also a lot of content on the internet, such as youtube, that you cannot download to your hard drive, so I capture it using a screenshot and movie capture utility such as SnapZProX. From there, you just use Quicktime Player Pro to export it.

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/

All three of these solutions allow me to get anything from anywhere and play it on my iPad. Once you import it into iTunes, you can sync to copy. If you only have a pc, I am not sure of the availability of SnapZProX on that platform, but I think Quicktime and Handbrake both have versions for the PC. There are probably many other solutions to do these same things, especially on the PC platform, but this is what I do. All 3 of these solutions allow you to save media permanently. If you just want to stream, as in YouTube, that would be easier but you will not have a copy on your hard drive. These tools help built your own video library in iTunes, which is required to copy saved movies on your iPad.

I hope this helps!

[Undaunted]

I traded my iPad 2 for the new one in Tuk Com, it is much faster, has a much better camera and has a speech to text feature that is awesome.

[bkkguy]

I use Handbrake to rip purchased dvds and save them as .m4v files (mp4, H264 codec) and they are playable on all my devices, including the iPad.

this is explicitly illegal in the USA and could be considered a breach of copyright or license terms in many other countries so I hope people make themselves aware of their legal situation before following your example!

If you have a video file that is not already compressed to a format that is playable on the iPad, you have tobuy Quicktime Player 7.6.6 (Pro) and export the file using a preset optimized for the device it is intended for

there is a significant difference between "have to" and "can" in English, a point often lost on Apple fanbois and perhaps magicians?

bkkguy

[thaiworthy]

I forgot to mention you can use VUZE to save the file so it is viewable on an iPad.

Here is a link to an older thread about VUZE.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2047&p=17314&hilit=vuze#p17314

There were also discussions about EZtv and its use with VUZE.

[travelerjim]

Thaiworthy,

Your working knowledge of the internet, programs and computer devices
is incredible and is like Magic

Thanks for taking time to share your learned experience for the benefit of all.

tj