Updated Review: Air Video for iPhone and iPad
by Robb Lewis
June 10, 2010
Overview
If you want to watch movies and TV shows on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad it can be a challenge. Converting videos to an iDevice friendly format can take a lot of knowledge and effort. Wouldn't it be great if you could stream all those videos right to your device? Now you can, with Air Video. Air Video is a universal app; it works on the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. When the iPad version was first introduced it lacked some of the features of the iPhone version. Now, with the current version (2.2.4) functionality is the same on all iDevices though some of the screens and controls are different in appearance and layout. Air Video allows you to convert, stream, or download, any of the videos on your computer directly to the Air Video app for watching on the go. You can choose which audio track to use as well as select the zoom, resolution and quality right from within the app. You can also save the videos that Air Video converts and watch them on your iDevice with no connection to the Air Video server.Features
- Support for all major formats (mp4, m4v, mov, avi, wmv, asf, mpg, mpeg, mkv, 3gp, dmf, divx, flv)
- Stream directly from your computer
- Convert and download for offline viewing
- Works over Wi-Fi and 3G
- Stream iTunes Playlists (Videos only)
- Zoom into a video
- Access as many folders as you want
- Support for Windows and Mac
When you first open Air Video you might wonder how to access your videos. Before you can do anything, you need to visit the Air Video website and install the server software. Once you have done this, choose which folders and iTunes playlists you want to be able to access from the app. Also, make sure to allow access from the Internet and note your 9-digit passcode. This is to ensure you can access your videos when your are on 3G or a Wi-Fi network.
Now that the server is set up you can get started with the using the app itself. Start by selecting the plus symbol and choose either a local computer (if you are on the same wireless network), enter a specific IP address or, and this is the easiest method, enter your 9-digit pin. Allow Air Video to connect to the computer you have chosen and you're ready to go.
You should now be able to see a list of folders you chose to have access to when you set up the server. Going into a folder and selecting a video will give you a number of options. First, the conversion settings allows you to crop the video, boost the volume as well as disable the audio. Next there are two options; play and play with live conversion.
To play with live conversion, simply press the button and the video will start to load, similar to YouTube videos, and after a little buffering the video will play. You can skip to specific parts of the video and if you exit the app for a phone call or something else, Air Video will remember exactly where you were in the video you were watching.
If you want to play a video without streaming, you first need to convert the video. Press convert and the video will be added to the queue, accessible from the button on the bottom right of any screen. You can add more videos to the queue simply by selecting convert from any video. Once the conversion is done, you will be able to play the video without a Wi-Fi or Internet connection. This feature is not very well documented but simple to use. Once a video has been converted there is a duplicate (converted) movie file in the same folder as the original movie file. All you need to do is drag this movie file into iTunes and sync your device. Your movie will then appear on your device all ready to be viewed!
Air Video also offers the ability to add iTunes playlists for streaming from within the server software, although this is only for videos.
Getting Started: Step by Step
- Download Air Video server software from: http://www.inmethod.com/air-video/download.html
- Install Air Video server software on your Mac or PC
- Launch Air Video server on your computer
- In the Air Video server preferences designate folders that contain videos to stream
- Launch Air Video app on your iDevice
- Select the computer server from your iDevice
- Select the video folders from iDevice
- Navigate to the desired video and select play live or convert
The Breakdown
The Good: If you want to save space on your iDevice or don't
have time to convert all the videos you own, Air Video is for you. The interface is easy to use and adding more folders is simple. Streaming is incredibly fast over 3G and the quality is excellent. Queueing videos is great if you're on a long trip and want to watch a tv series (e.g. watch an episode while converting another).
The Bad:
Although streaming is great, conversion of videos for offline playback can take a long time depending on your computer, the faster the processor the faster the conversion. Documentation is sparse and while most of the program is intuitive, the conversion process for using a video without the server is not.
