Where are movies stored?

[ipad987]

I have movies and TV shows on my iPad with total file size way in excess of the 16gb device they are on. Presumably they are stored and played off the cloud, but since I only have the default 5gb cloud storage offered, there shouldn't be be the necessary space to store all of the video content I have. Whilst sometimes the videos play very smoothly, other times I notice they keep stopping regularly. The stop start nature is very frustrating and spoils the enjoyment. Is this because I only have the 5gb storage.

Should I upgrade to a monthly plan? There's the option of 20gb at 0.79 pence a month, the next up is 200gb at £2.99 a month. Why isn't there an option for 100gb at, say, £1.50 or £1.99 a month? 20gb is too little and 200gb is too much. Why no option for 50 or 100gb? Anyway, would subscribing to one of these plans ensure smooth content play at all times.

By the way, my broadband connection should not be an issue. It's a fast service and I usually get around 60mb/s whenever I test it. I have no problem whatsoever playing YouTube content.

 

[scifan57]

I have movies and TV shows on my iPad with total file size way in excess of the 16gb device they are on. Presumably they are stored and played off the cloud, but since I only have the default 5gb cloud storage offered, there shouldn't be be the necessary space to store all of the video content I have. Whilst sometimes the videos play very smoothly, other times I notice they keep stopping regularly. The stop start nature is very frustrating and spoils the enjoyment. Is this because I only have the 5gb storage.

Should I upgrade to a monthly plan? There's the option of 20gb at 0.79 pence a month, the next up is 200gb at £2.99 a month. Why isn't there an option for 100gb at, say, £1.50 or £1.99 a month? 20gb is too little and 200gb is too much. Why no option for 50 or 100gb? Anyway, would subscribing to one of these plans ensure smooth content play at all times.

By the way, my broadband connection should not be an issue. It's a fast service and I usually get around 60mb/s whenever I test it. I have no problem whatsoever playing YouTube content.

If you check in Settings>iTunes & App Store>Show All>Videos the switch would be turned on(showing green). This way all purchased movies and TV shows will appear in your video app whether or not they're actually on your iPad. The ones not on your iPad will be showing the cloud symbol and if you play that movie or TV show you're actually streaming the show from the cloud. This also explains why they sometimes pause. This is because the available bandwidth is not sufficient at times, especially if the video is in HD.

This does not use any of your iCloud storage plan so increasing your iCloud storage won't help. The best way to stop the periodic stopping would be to download the movie or TV show to your iPad before playing it. You can always delete it when you're finished.

If you only want the videos that are currently on your iPad to show in the Video app, go back into settings and turn off the Videos switch.

 

[ipad987]

Thanks for the very helpful answer. In the video app everything, all movies and TV shows, these days seems to show the cloud symbol. There use to be a time last year when the shows would automatically download to the device when purchased before it could play. But to be honest, this is how I like it. The shows are better off stored on the cloud because it only takes just a few movies before you run out of storage on a 16gb device. I know once a show is purchased you can always download from the App Store but I like having instant access, without needing to download each time you play. So bearing this in mind, increasing cloud storage still won't help?

At the moment I just don't know where they are being stored. I just don't have sufficient space either on the device or the cloud. All files (all apps as well video and music content) I would say closing in on 100gb.

 

[scifan57]

Thanks for the very helpful answer. In the video app everything, all movies and TV shows, these days seems to show the cloud symbol. There use to be a time last year when the shows would automatically download to the device when purchased before it could play. But to be honest, this is how I like it. The shows are better off stored on the cloud because it only takes just a few movies before you run out of storage on a 16gb device. I know once a show is purchased you can always download from the App Store but I like having instant access, without needing to download each time you play. So bearing this in mind, increasing cloud storage still won't help?

At the moment I just don't know where they are being stored. I just don't have sufficient space either on the device or the cloud. All files (all apps as well video and music content) I would say closing in on 100gb.

The videos are stored on Apple servers and are not using any of your iCloud storage space. The size of your iCloud storage space has no bearing on this.

 

[ipad987]

I agree with you about downloading it to the device before watching a show. This way there won't be any interference.

But for some reason my iPad always seems to be near full storage, when all apps currently on the device should not top 30-40%. I have nothing in the iTunes download queue. This keeps happening all the time. I just did a factory reset a month ago to get rid of this problem, but after downloading around 10 apps, which together should be no more than 3gb, I seem to be already near full. Under usage in settings, the storage of individuals apps and the total just does not correlate at all.

I downloaded a show yesterday but first had to delete another app to do so.

 

[Goncalves]

In this matter Apple is poor, sell an 16GB with 11,2 free. WTF


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[dhewson777]

In this matter Apple is poor, sell an 16GB with 11,2 free. WTF


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You have to expect the OS to take up some space. The advertised size is the storage prior to any OS or apps applied, but as you know, it has to come with iOS installed.


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[ipad987]

I find the Apple TV does a better job at streaming than the iPad Air does. Once the film starts it rarely then stops, which is not always the case with the iPad, particularly with HD films. The obvious conclusion I can come to is that Apple TV has a better wireless technology integrated than the iPad. Besides that, the Apple TV also has a really nice interface, which actually makes you want to increase your movie/TV show collection, and also a simple yet fantastic remote.