Play .wmv files?

[rtg45]

Is there going to be anyway you can stream .WMV files on the Ipad in the future?

 

[gentlefury]

Best way would be Air Video....it will convert anything on your computer on the fly...and it works OH SO WELL!

There is not and will never be a way to natively play WMV files (unless you jailbreak and someone ports VLC to the iPad)...which is the way it should be since it is a useless container! H.264 plays perfectly on any system.

 

[rtg45]

I understand there will be no way to do it natively, just did not know if there would be a program to convert. I have never heard of air video. You say it works on computers, but it will also work on the Ipad? Can i find it online?

 

[gentlefury]

I understand there will be no way to do it natively, just did not know if there would be a program to convert. I have never heard of air video. You say it works on computers, but it will also work on the Ipad? Can i find it online?

It converts movies on your desktop to your iPad either thru a local network or over the internet and it works really well. If you have an upload connection at home of 1Mbps or greater you will see no difference than having it local...otherwise the quality will suffer slightly, but it also has a conversion software built in so you can convert it on the iPad at home then take it and watch it locally.

 

[rtg45]

Thanks, i found the app for it in Itunes.

 

[bgunckel]

Air Video is very nice, but it still doesn't solve the problem, which extends beyond the iPad. If you forward an attached wmv file to an owner of a Mac, they still can't view the file. If you own a Mac (I don't, so I'm not sure about this) will Air Video play a wmv file?

 

[Seadog]

.wmv will play on any Mac, but require a downloaded viewer which can be found for free.

 

[DUTCH VanAtlanta]

How to Convert the WMV File to iPad Compatibility?

I don't want to stream the wmv file. I would like to sync it through iTunes to the iPad. I cannot see how to access the file on my PC to use the iTunes->Advanced->Create iPod Version option.

 

[Matth3w]

You need to convert the file you cannot just add it to iTunes.

 

[Wolffmann34]

What I am looking forward to is the day I can play an email attachment that is a .wmv file on the iPad without a special app.

Right now, that problem and the flash issue are the only things limiting the iPad for me.

 

[DUTCH VanAtlanta]

You need to convert the file you cannot just add it to iTunes.

Both the iPad User Guide and the iTunes Help say that iTunes can do the conversion. I just have not figured out how to get iTunes to access the file on my PC in order to convert it prior to syncing. I guess that's why these 3rd party conversion apps are so expensive.

 

[Matth3w]

It can convert audio not video. If you're trying to convert audio it will do it while syncing

 

[DUTCH VanAtlanta]

It can convert audio not video. If you're trying to convert audio it will do it while syncing

You are probably right; but do check out the very last sentence on page 58 of the iPad Use Guide which says different.

Also see this quote from the iTunes Help Section:

Preparing a video to work with iPod or iPhone



If you have an iPod that plays video, or an iPhone, you can watch videos from your iTunes library on your device. Before you add videos to your device, they need to be optimized for iPod or iPhone. You can convert most videos to work with iPod or iPhone.


To convert a video:

1. In iTunes, select the video.
2. Choose Advanced > "Create iPod or iPhone Version."

Converting a video for iPod or iPhone can take several minutes to several hours, depending on your computer and on the length and content of the video.
The original video remains in your iTunes library.

The problem is in getting iTunes to do Step 1; i.e. Select the video.

 

[idbirch]

If it doesn't let you import it, it's not supported by the conversion feature. From your post above:

You can convert most videos

There's plenty of other ways you can convert wmv offline but the easiest is probably to install air video and use the "convert offline" option. This will create an iPad compatible version in the same folder as the original file. Or just reencode it with one of the many other h264 encoding apps out there.

You don't need to spend any cash if don't want, I've just created an iPad version of avatar using the free MeGUI encoder. Granted, it requires a bit of work but if you need any help on that side of things just post back here.

 

[Wolffmann34]

idbirch is correct. If it does not play in iTunes first, then iTunes will not be able to convert it for the iPad.