What format of movies does the iPad/iTunes use?

I recently ripped a DVD as an avi file but cannot seem to convert to the correct format for use through iTunes

apple.com/ipad/specs

TV and video
Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable
H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Originally the format of movies was critical as the only player was the version of quicktime used by the iPad. Now there are a number of video apps like VLC and xplayer which can play formats other than mp4.
Best free video converter is Handbrake for Mac and PC.

You should also look at streaming apps such as Zumocast and AirVideo which can convert on the fly and work very well. The great thing is that they give you access to all your movies without destroying your iPad's storage.

Originally Posted by Hasty

Originally the format of movies was critical as the only player was the version of quicktime used by the iPad. Now there are a number of video apps like VLC and xplayer which can play formats other than mp4.
Best free video converter is Handbrake for Mac and PC.

You should also look at streaming apps such as Zumocast and AirVideo which can convert on the fly and work very well. The great thing is that they give you access to all your movies without destroying your iPad's storage.

I use handbreak to rip my movies, then just put them in iTunes.

I too use handbrake to encode the movies. Just select Apple Universal then it will play on a Touch, Apple TV, and Ipad.

Check out Daniusoft DVD to Ipad Converter.

I've been using it for a few months and really like it.